Introduction
----------------
Well it looks like a bike orange upright vacuum cleaner but that's one thing its not. The first thing to realise about the Rapide XL is that it will not vacuum up your carpets. The manual also specifically warns against using it to "suck" up pools of spilt ... Read review
Rapide XL Pre-treatment Carpet WasherWashes Carpets and UpholsteryPre-treatment Applicator ... more
and Solution - Revitalise High Traffic Areas and Remove Stubborn StainsExtra Long 4.2m Stretch HoseOn-board Wash Tool&HoseTwo-contra Rotating Brushbars Agitate D...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Rapide XL Pre-treatment Carpet WasherWashes Carpets and UpholsteryPre-treatment Applicator ... more
and Solution - Revitalise High Traffic Areas and Remove Stubborn StainsExtra Long 4.2m Stretch HoseOn-board Wash Tool&HoseTwo-contra Rotating Brushbars Agitate D...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Washes carpets and upholsteryOn-board upholstery wash tool and hoseTwo-contra Rotating ... more
brushbars agitate deep into carpet fibres to lift dirt and stainsAuto mix cleaning system mixes solution with clean water4.0 litre clean water tank3.7 litre dirty water tank600ml clean solution tankPowerful motor helps carpets to dry quicklyEasy to fill, empty, use and storeIncludes 750ml Vax AAA Carpet Cleaner
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Cleans carpets fairly well Disadvantages: heavy, noisy, don't understand the soap thing
...lot better.
Vax liquid soap also isn't that easy to find either. Strangely the coop on the Isle of Mull have it (or they did last summer) but that's a really long way to go. I've not seen it in local supermarkets of any size. Of course its rather pricey as well - perhaps that's why they want you to keep replacing it.
The dirty water tank is a bit faffy to take off, empty, rinse out and fit back in but it is acceptable. ... ...a bit better than what Vax did with this.
We got ours from Currys or Comet or somewhere like that. I can't really remember how much we paid but the best thing is just to do a price comparison online. There's probably some adverts at the bottom of this page as well.
... more
Introduction ---------------- Well it looks like a bike orange upright vacuum cleaner but that's one thing its not. The first thing to realise about the Rapide XL is that it will not vacuum up your carpets. The manual also specifically warns against using it to "suck" up pools of spilt liquids.
About the machine ----------------------- This machine is a carpet and upholstery washer. There is a clean water tank in the upright section (where your dust bag would be). You take this out and fill it straight from the tap - using water as hot as you like. Underneath this is a soap reservoir thing (more on that later). In the foot section is the dirty water tank. The tanks are all see-through so you can see just how much is in them. There are three main switches (a big one and two little ones). The two little ones are to turn the brushes on and to turn the soap on. The big one turns the main water motors on. On the handle is a trigger.
When empty this machine is big, orange and heavy. Put a couple of litres of water in and its big orange and very heavy. It moves like a normal upright so you can push it around with the foot staying perpendicular to the handle. Push a large foot plate on the back and the foot will hinge to the floor. It's not particularly easy to manoeuvre in either mode so it can be a struggle to get it to where you want.
Using the machine ---------------------- So with clean water in the main tank, soap in the middle one, you get the machine to the dirty piece of carpet, set brushes to on, set the soap to on and turn on the master switch. From now on you can hear nothing but the motors in your Vax, it is loud, really loud. Your next task is to try and push it along, pull the trigger to squirt out some water and soap mixture and pull it back. The water squirts out somewhere underneath, gets brushed in and then sucked back up into the dirty water tank. Do several forward/backs like this, then turn off the soap switch and do it again with just water. You will see the dirty water being sucked into the tank in the foot. Were my carpets really that filthy? You'll be surprised.
What your left with is an area of carpet that is definitely cleaner than it was but will be slightly damp. You really don't want to be walking on it straight away. Most marks clean up quite well; we have a cat that will go through spells of using the carpet in place of the litter tray. You can try all your sprays, tea trees and vinegars but hot water and soap beaten into the carpet and sucked back out is about the most effective.
It's the brush bars that do the beating in of the water/soap. There are actually two of these, one behind the other; together they "groom" the carpet.
If you need to clean near the edge of the carpet or you want to do the settee then this isn't going to help you. It's not up-to the edge and I don't think it pretends to be. You will need to take the big plastic hose off the back and plug it into the top of the dirty water tank, there is a small hose attached to the big one that connects to a little outlet at the bottom of the foot. At the end of this hose is a tool a bit like the stair cleaning attachment on a vacuum cleaner. There is another trigger on this. Set the soap on, brush off and turn the machine on - it's just as noisy as before. You now use this little attachment in just the same way squirt a bit, rub it in, suck it up. When you plugged the hose in you did remember to put the other lever to tools so it sucks from the right place as well didn't you? (Otherwise your settee will take days to dry out.
Soap tank ------------ The soap thing I've just not managed to work out. You put liquid soap into this tank but the level never seems to drop. As far as I can tell, the machine mixes water with the soap in the tank and squirts it out, there's certainly soap mixed in with the water coming out (you can feel it) but when does it actually run out. The instructions say the soap will last about four full tanks of clean water but if it still looks soapy and its still cleaning, perhaps it just lasts a lot longer. They really could have explained this bit a lot better.
Vax liquid soap also isn't that easy to find either. Strangely the coop on the Isle of Mull have it (or they did last summer) but that's a really long way to go. I've not seen it in local supermarkets of any size. Of course its rather pricey as well - perhaps that's why they want you to keep replacing it.
The dirty water tank is a bit faffy to take off, empty, rinse out and fit back in but it is acceptable. Of course you'll have to disconnect the hose, drain it out and wrap it back up. The machine also has hooks for the mains lead to wrap up, you need to do the hose and the lead just right for it all to fit back together though.
Recommendation ---------------------- Overall I'd generally not recommend this to people. Its big, noisy, and heavy - I still don't know what I'm doing with the soap thing either. Unless you have a need to regularly shampoo your carpets (kids, pets etc) just hire a machine when you need one. Other than that, it has to have been possible to do something a bit better than what Vax did with this.
We got ours from Currys or Comet or somewhere like that. I can't really remember how much we paid but the best thing is just to do a price comparison online. There's probably some adverts at the bottom of this page as well.
Advantages: very long lead, and a big water tank Disadvantages: heavy and bulky
...decided to borrow my brothers Vax cleaner as it is an upright and my old vax was in the shed and I didn`t want to have to dig it out. He gave me the basic instructions on how to use it but had lost the manual so I had to figure most of it out myself! ==How did I clean my carpet?== Basically I filled up the clean water tank with hot water,this is quite a big tank and sits in the upright part of the vax. I then added the vax solution to the solution ... ...the vax. Then move the vax back and forward you will see the soap on the carpet, once you have done that release the trigger and move back and forward the carpet so that the dirty water gets sucked up in to the vacuum. At the base of the vax is the dirty water tank, you can actually see the water going into the tank and wow was the water dirty! Also there are 2 beater brushes which groom the pile of the carpet. To empty the tank I pressed the release ...
lazytowner 29.08.2009
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of VAX Rapide XL
Advantages: trusted name that always performs well Disadvantages: as in review
...main reason i bought this vax rapide was because i have a young child and carpets and upholstery in lighter colours,i know they don't mix well but i wouldn't swap either. After months of wiping my sofa and my rugs with spot cleaners to remove mushed in banana , jam , sandwiches etc i decided something needed to be done..And rather than cover everything in plastic i decided to buy this rather nifty cleaner..
It is fantastic thats all i can say i ... ...i'm happy to admit i was wrong.
It is bagless and can be used wet or dry, has the abiity to hold 4L Clean water in the tank and 3.7L dirty water in the tank
This model is a deep cleaning, versatile upright carpet washing system designed foryou to be able to wash your carpets and sofa's as and when they need at it . The wash head has contra-rotating brush bars for really deep down dirt removal. Its powerful suction allows carpets to dry quickly, ...
havanna 12.04.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of VAX Rapide XL
Advantages: deep down stain removal, upholstery attachments Disadvantages: waste tank holds far more than clean water tank!
...my eyes!) coimbined with the VAX upholstery nozzle alone got a 3 day old red wine stain completely out - I think that is adequate testament to how good this machine can be.
The upholstery attachment is disappointing, I have been left considering a steam cleaning unit for my cream sofas as the upholstery nozzle doesn't have the same deep cleaning system as the carpet, and I've been left with some greasy marks even after two (albeit breif) shampoos.
... ...bit of a nuisance - but that's where I get confused because the waste tank is much larger capacity, so that doesn't need emptying as often as you need to refill the clean water - but I'm sure that's probably because that's a less pleasant and more tiresome job than filling the clean water, and the manufacturers had to compromise on amount of water somewhere due to weight and manoueverability.
The carpets do take at least a full day with the windows ...
bambzadag 14.07.2006
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of VAX Rapide XL
Advantages: Cheaper than renting repeatedly, dry carpets in unser 10 mins Disadvantages: It is only has heavy as the water you put in! - None
To start with I am a Car Valeter so am used to the Numatic George for wet vacuuming.
I needed a carpet cleaner as I have two dogs who run mud around the place like no tomorrow. I eventually bought this one after careful consideration.
It is extremely easy to use, simply screw it together, fill it up and hit 'go'.
The carpet cleaning is great, on some tough stains it is worth putting some weight on the brushes (I stand on it) and it penetrates ... ...tool needs to be adjusted otherwise it just squirts to the sides too much, it is great for the sofas though.
Some people have complained about the weight, well it weighs the same as a normal hoover until you fill it up with water and being a large capacity vac, it holds a lot of it! Therefore making it heavy, if this worries you, take the tanks out before moving it, this is a 2 second job, just unclip and take out!
It has also been noticed that ...
a.oneill45 12.10.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of VAX Rapide XL
Advantages: Easy to use, efficient Disadvantages: None
...the large 2 in 1 VAX some time ago and, although it did the job well, it was too pernickity to put together and I couldn't be bothered with it in the end.
Well, I tried the VAX V 027 Rapide XL last Saturday and was I impressed! It was easy to use (no complicated instructions) and did the job perfectly. It even took stains out that I could never remove before. All you need to do is fill the water tank with hot water (40 degrees), add a cap of solution ...
Tomcat7 31.01.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of VAX Rapide XL
