Battling stains with a brush and a bottle of carpet cleaner can be exhausting and fruitless work, with the most stubborn stains requiring some oomph that a well-meaning elbow can’t give them. Rather than hammer away at a splash of red wine or a trail of muddy paw prints, it can be best to invest in a machine that’ll make light work of the job.
Right now you can grab one at a bargain price too, with the Vax SpinScrub Power Plus Carpet Cleaner at £148 down from £249.99 at Amazon. This model comes with an additional hand tool as well, making for easy stain removal on stairs and upholstery.
The main scrubber unit has five rotating brushes inside it, ensuring the solution is worked deeply into fibres to attack stains from every angle. They lift the pile too, giving your carpet a new, bouncy feeling once it’s dried. Thanks to Vax’s HeatBlast technology, blending hot air with powerful extraction, carpets will dry in as little as one hour.
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Its extra-large water and solution tank combines with a wide cleaning path, meaning you can clean more quickly and for longer before having to top it up. Along with the hand tool, the main unit has a 2.5m hose to reach every corner, and there’s even a six-year guarantee when your register with Vax.
Amazon customers have largely been chuffed to bits with it, awarding an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars from 143 reviews so far. 91% gave it four stars or more. “This is a really good, easy to use cleaner!” said one five-star review. “Like all carpet cleaners, it’s a bit noisy but not unbearable! Simple to set up and changing the dirty water is also easy. All in all, a great cleaner.”
“Carpets almost dry to touch and they look lush after first use,” said another happy customer. “I have three dogs and it did a great job…Absolute bargain of a price!”
“I’ve used to do a small bedroom and stairs and landing, and I did a better job with it than the professionals I used six months ago,” said another, although they added: “It is very heavy and cumbersome to move around, so you need to be reasonably strong.”
Some customers have had issues with faulty machines, however. “Didn’t release water and had to take apart and put together again to get it to work,” said one two-star review.
Another said: “Unfortunately I had to send it back because it was leaking all over, I couldn’t even use it. The cleaner solution leaked along the machine and it was a mess to clean it. Very disappointing for a machine that costs that much.”
Elsewhere, much-loved brand Shark has got its CarpetXpert Deep Carpet Cleaner marked down to £179.99 from £249.99. If you’re on a tighter budget, this Tower Aquajetplus Spot Pro Cleaner is reduced to £64.99 at Robert Dyas.