I am sure that most of you are familiar with the bright orange, get your sunglasses out, Vax carpet cleaning system. I am now on my second one having bought my first when they were the state of the art vacuum cleaner and launched into the shops some twenty years ago.

When we moved here my Vax gave up the ghost after years of sterling service. It was with a sense of sadness that I hurled it into the huge skip at the council tip! I then bought a Dyson upright cleaner. I do generally prefer an upright cleaner- much easier on the old back!
The Dyson has been, for the most part great. I won’t tell you about that though, as this is a review on my Vax. I do however have an Electrolux upright as well which I had to buy as an emergency when my Dyson monumentally broke down! I tell you, my cupboard is hoover heaven! What to use today…..

So, my purse being lighter to the sum of £139.99 I trudged home with my box containing a nice new Vax 6130 cylinder cleaner to tackle my shameful carpets. I did not regret my purchase. It is super. Obviously this is a far newer model than my original one, which was the original model! There have been some modifications along the way and it is simpler and quicker to assemble and use. The old one was a bit of a palaver! It cuts through the dirt easily and leaves your carpet pretty much dry.

Recently we got rid of most of the downstairs carpets and replaced them with wood laminate. I happily “hoover” them with the Vax. I wouldn’t risk the Dyson! There is the usual range of onboard tools for vacuuming- a nozzle (crevice tool) a soft brush, etc. These are very useful for intricate jobs. On my original Vax the tools used to get wedged on to the wand and it was a dickens of a job to remove them. I therefore used the tools with trepidation. I need not have worried; they seem to have ironed out that little problem.

Nice and easy! You remove the dust bag and add the extra tank for holding the clean water. The tank is then filled with a capful of special 3-in-1 shampoo, any make will do. Top it up to the maximum mark with warm water. Put the motor back on, attach the spiral hose, which is very quick and away you go! On the cleaning head there is a removable plate on the bottom. This clips off for shampooing, but remember to replace it later! I nearly scratched a floor when I did that! There is also a grey lever on the head, which is for stopping and starting the water flow. You clean as though you are vacuuming and the dirty water (filthy in my case!) will go up the hose into the dirty tank. That’s it- job done. I always empty my “slurry” in the garden as it can be very gritty and would scratch the sink. Then stand back and admire your nice clean carpet!

1977- the Vax company was formed

1996 The Rapider was launched. This has a patented fibre flow system and a special washing head. Now washing is as easy as hovering. Sorry, vacuuming!

TECHNICAL INFO:
1300w motor
7.3g weights
Dust bag 7 litres capacity
Water capacity: dirty water- 8 litres and clean water 4 litres.
Filters- 5 stage
Cable- 7.5m
Dimensions- 540mmx 340mm
On board tools.. I tend to knock them off and lose them as they sit on the outside, all the way round the bottom. This is my one gripe.