We Love Clean

There’s nothing more frustrating than a broken belt or a dirty filter getting in the way of you and your clean carpet. What’s even more frustrating is buying a replacement for your vacuum cleaner and then having to hunt around for the instruction manual to find out how to fit it. And then once you find the manual the next job is to make sense of the instructions, which often only have a diagram or two to help you work out which way round everything goes. It can be a time consuming and fiddly task, especially for those of us who aren’t the most mechanically minded.

That is why some companies have started putting videos on their website or on YouTube designed to show customers how fit a new belt or filter.  It always makes so much more sense when you can see somebody else demonstrate the process in front of you, rather than following a set of written instructions.

 It’s worth searching on YouTube for your make and model of vacuum cleaner and see if there are any relevant videos that show you what to do. A quick search of ‘vacuum cleaner spares’ on YouTube will show you just how many help videos there are available these days.

Vax has their own YouTube channel where they host help videos, along with infomercials, video reviews and TV adverts. These can be a valuable source of information, both for vacuum cleaner owners needing help with changing spares and for shoppers who want to see exactly what a machine looks like in action before parting with their cash. You can, judge how loud it is, see how easy it is to push around the carpet, how well it picks up dirt and read other people’s opinions on how they think the vacuum cleaner performs.  All without leaving the comfort of your home!
 

The V-123 Agility carpet washer has gained plenty of recommendations at Amazon.co.uk over the past few weeks, with all new customer reviews awarding it full marks. This model is one of a new generation of upright carpet washers from Vax that have heated cleaning technology and revolutionary SpinScrub brushes that clean deep into carpet pile. The result is carpets that look as good as new and are dry again within just a couple of hours. It’s versatile too, with a SpinScrub hand tool for cleaning upholstery, stairs and car interiors, and a handy CleanSurge button to release extra solution when you need it – ideal for tackling those stubborn stains and high traffic areas.

One reviewer tried out her new Agility on a piece a carpet that had recently been cleaned with a hired machine that had given her a lot of trouble. She was over the moon with the results: “the amount of dirt that came out was unbelievable, the colour of dark chocolate. The carpet was left nearly dry and we almost needed sunglasses, it was so bright!” As well great cleaning results, she loves the convenience of having her own machine at hand to use whenever she needs. Unlike hiring a machine, there’s no need to rush to get all the rooms in the house done at once.

Another Amazon reviewer chose the Agility to clean up their filthy carpets rather than another model they were considering that had some negative reviews. So they decided to spend a bit more on the Agility instead. Was it worth the extra money? This reviewer definitely thinks so: “that old saying is true ‘you get what you pay for’! I am SO glad I did buy this carpet cleaner.”

One lady had such good results from the Agility that their “husband now says we don’t need new carpets”. This demonstrates perfectly how washing your carpets can be a great way to save money and avoid the hassle having to buy and fit new ones. She adds that the Agility is “easy to use and excellent value for money”.

Another reviewer agrees: “This is really worth the money. Brought me 3 year old carpets up like new. Easy to use on carpets and furniture. The fact that the water is heated meant that the carpets were dry within a couple of hours.”

Customers that have previously only used a canister style of carpet washer are often amazed at how quick and easy to use the latest generation of upright models are. For instance, this reviewer says: “The last home carpet cleaner we had was the orange cylinder Vax many years ago - it worked well and lasted a long time but was pretty hard work.” After buying an Agility upright, the reviewer writes: “Just used this for the first time on a carpet in real need of cleaning - amazing. Easy to set up, easy to use and so very efficient!”

Another Agility user agrees: “We used it to clean a very dirty cream carpet - it’s much easier to use then the old orange VAX carpet cleaner! Just fill up the tank & plug it in & off you go.” They add that while the machine is heavier and bulkier than a canister, so you need a bit more storage space for it, “it did a brilliant job & left the carpet only slightly damp… it’s a brilliant thing to have.” Unlike many other upright models, the Agility has a folding handle to make it as easy to store away as possible.

The V-124 Dual V carpet washer has been chosen as a finalist in the ‘Best Floorcare Product’ category of the Independent Business Awards 2009.

The innovative and award winning Dual V has patented technologies including heated cleaning and revolutionary spinning brushes that lift dirt and odours trapped deep in carpet pile. Powerful twin air path extraction technology means carpets dry quickly, so you’ll be using your room again in no time.

As it washes carpets, removes stains and also sucks up spills, it’s ideal for busy family homes. It’s easy to use and very versatile with tools for removing spots and stains, cleaning stairs, upholstery and car interiors.
 
The Dual V requires no assembly and its brushes are removable for easy cleaning. For hygiene and optimum cleaning results it has separate water tanks and an Automix system that mixes cleaning solution and water, saving you time and effort.

Rather than replacing carpets you can save money and hassle by revitalising them with a Dual V. Although dry vacuuming removes the surface layer of dust and debris, dirt gets trodden deep into the pile damaging the fibres and leaving carpets flat and lifeless. Washing with Dual V also helps remove common triggers of allergies, such as dust mites and pollen, making it ideal for allergy sufferers.

The V-124 Dual V has a market leading 6-year parts and labour guarantee, supported by a UK based Customer Care Line open 7 days a week.

To vote for the Dual V to win ‘Best Floorcare Product’ visit the Awards website and fill in the online form.

 Voting ends on Friday 29th May 2009, so don’t delay!

The Swift Ultra from Vax was rated the best value vacuum cleaner by customers writing reviews at Reevoo.com, winning the ‘Value for Money’ prize at the Reevoo Customer Choice Awards 2009.

Reevoo.com is one of the largest sites that collects customer reviews of electrical products and appliances for the kitchen, laundry, living room and ‘on-the-move’. Its awards are based on feedback from half a million shoppers who have bought and used the products they are rating. This makes them an invaluable source of information for shoppers, as they are totally independent and entirely based on the reviewers’ own experiences with the product.  

The fact is that shoppers are more inclined to trust the opinion of other shoppers, even over the opinion of ‘professional reviewers’. Research by Marketing Sherpa in July 2007 found that 86.9% of respondents said they would trust a friend’s recommendation over a review by a critic, while 83.8% said they would trust user reviews over a critic.

Of all the vacuum cleaners rated by customers on the Reevoo site up to 1^st April 2009, the Vax Swift Ultra bagless upright was voted top ‘Value for Money’. So what made it so popular?  

Many of the Reevoo reviewers liked that it is lightweight, making it easy to push across the carpet and to carry upstairs. Several comments agree that it is powerful with good suction so it picks up pet hair easily. Other comments point out that it has good tools and is easy to assemble and use. With all these features at such a bargain price, the Swift Ultra really is fantastic value for money! 

Since January 2009, Swift has been superseded by the Power range, which offer the same excellent value for money and even better cleaning performance. These vacuum cleaners have high air watts, large capacity dirt bins and HEPA filtration for allergy sufferers. In the range there are ‘Pet’ models, which have anti-bacterial filters and a TurboTool for picking up pet hairs, and a ‘Pets & Stairs’ model that has an extra long stretch hose.

There have been plenty of recommendations for the V-124 Dual V ‘heated cleaning’ carpet washer over at Amazon.co.uk recently, with a majority of customers giving it top marks in their reviews. “This machine is absolutely fantastic,” says one Amazon customer “My beige carpet which has been down 7 years looks as though it has just been fitted, absolutely outstanding results. I highly recommend this cleaner… well done Vax!”  

After using it to clean his kitchen carpet tiles, another customer agrees it is “an amazingly good cleaner” and left his carpet looking like new. While he recommends using earplugs for use and points out that the brushes will need cleaning thoroughly to get rid of hairs, he says “operation is quick and easy, covering a good area before refill”. 

Another user of the site argues that while it’s “heavy to control in small places,” it is otherwise “an excellent cleaner, dries superb, would highly recommend this cleaner.” One customer remarks that she decided to buy her own carpet washer after borrowing a friend’s and being impressed by the results. After weighing up whether to buy a Vax or a Bissell, she decided on the Dual V because of its “fantastic price” and wasn’t disappointed: “brilliant, and so easy to use. As it has movable brushes and heated water, the results are even better than the cheaper models.”

Another customer who also bought the Dual V recently says it “works well for ordinary household use.” He advises that it may need a second clean to get out any stubborn stains but concludes that overall it’s a “Great machine” and “Great value deal through Amazon.”

A recent questioner on Yahoo Answers asked for opinions about electric carpet cleaners, as he had seen some by Bex Bissell and Vax costing around £60-£80 and wanted to know if they are any good. 

There were mixed responses to this answer, with proponents for both brands giving their opinions – veronica m and glenys prefer Bissell while Blackgrumpycat says about his Vax: “I bought a Vax upright one for £59 and it works fine.” He does point out that he “can’t do the stairs with it as it has no hose attachment but for all the rest it seem so get the stains out.”

This should always be a consideration when you’re deciding which model of upright carpet washer to buy - If you want it to also clean stairs, or upholstery, make sure it comes bundled with the appropriate tools. However, if you do find that you don’t have the tools you need after you’ve bought the machine it’s well worth contacting the manufacturer to find out if you can buy these separately to upgrade your machine.   

The ‘Best Answer’ to the question, as chosen by the forum’s voters, is given by Tony M who argues that the model you should choose “depends what you need to use it for. In my experience the lower price models are fine for general carpet washing, but if you’ve got really tough stains to get out or also want to be able to wash dirty sofa cushions, valet your car etc, it might be worth spending a bit more.” He goes on to recommend the Vax Dual V with heated cleaning, which has won a Which? magazine ‘Best Buy’ award and says there are some good deals around on this model at the moment. He comments: “It’s got amazingly powerful suction so gets your carpets clean and dry again really quickly, and has a powered scrub tool for doing upholstery etc. You won’t regret investing in one of these!”  

For those on a tighter budget Tony M recommends the Vax Rapide Deluxe as an alternative, commenting that it is a “good, powerful all-rounder with a tool for doing stairs, upholstery, car seats etc.”

Do your pets play havoc with your carpets? Over on Zimbio.com Gadgetman bought a Vax V-026 Rapide Deluxe carpet washer to combat the mess left by his pet cat. “We bought this product after our cat developed a desire to be sick daily on our carpets. We wanted to clean up small patches quickly, with the intention of renting a professional cleaner when we needed “whole house” shampooing.”  

As the Rapide Deluxe has an upholstery wash tool, it’s ideal for cleaning your car, upholstery, stairs and high traffic areas, as well as wider areas of carpet. It can also suck up liquid spills, should your pet have an accident.  

“Having bought this unit, we are very pleased with it, and have no problem using it to shampoo one room at a time,” confirms Gadgetman. “It even finds cat hairs that our “Dyson Upright” leaves behind.”

“I bought a VAX V-125 Carpet Washer 2 weeks ago and cannot stop using it. It does exactly what it says and more!” says Ms. P. Laughton over on the Carpet.Cleaner blog. With a dog and two cats in her household her carpet is prone to stains, but the V-125 All Terrain brought up her carpet like new. She explains that they were dry again very quickly after washing and “smell lovely”. It also worked wonders on her composite kitchen floor, which says has been a nightmare until now. “The results are amazing!” 

Mr.R.P Chauhan agrees the V-125 is a good product after using it to clean his very old and worn Wilton carpet: “I got my colours back, it gave it some lease of life and maybe after a few more washes I could get that brand new carpet look. VAX V-125 Carpet Washer makes you realise, carpets do need a wash and you need a machine like this to do it. Don’t delay!”

 
Graham Alsop is even more positive about the All Terrain, which he bought to clean a Flotex floor. Graham found it worked perfectly on the floor, bringing the Flotex back to its original colour. “Because it worked so well I am going to treat the rest of the house to an early spring clean!”

With the housing market in crisis homeowners are increasingly looking for ways to improve what they’ve already got, as an alternative to moving house. If your carpets have seen better days, rather than shopping for new ones why not try giving your existing carpets a new lease of life by deep cleaning them? It’s a great way to extend carpet life and save you the expense and hassle of laying new carpets when yours start to look tired and dull.

The latest generation of ‘heated cleaning’ carpet washers make the process faster and easier than it’s ever been. Heat generated by the machine helps the washing process and speeds up carpet drying times so you can walk on your carpets within just a couple of hours. Deep cleaning your carpets not only brightens the colour and pattern, it helps to remove embedded dirt, dust mites and other allergens, which vacuum cleaners can’t get to. Plus, it puts a spring back in the pile and makes your whole home smell fresh too. And the good news is that deep cleaning with a Vax carpet washer is as easy as 1-2-3… 

• Step 1) Fill it up: Fill your carpet washer with water and the recommended cleaning solution.
• Step 2) Get washing: Switch on the machine and use the controls to apply the water and cleaning solution mix then suck up the dirty water. Repeat across the carpet until cleaning is complete. 
• Step 3) Empty it out:  Pour the dirty water from the tank down the drain and prepare to be amazed at the colour of the water. Then stand back and admire your fresh, clean carpets! 

With good quality carpet washers available as cheeaply as £99.99, deep cleaning is an easy and affordable way to have carpets you can be proud of this spring. Once you’ve Vaxed your carpets back to life, keep your washer at hand to suck up any accidental spills between washes and help avoid staining.

1.  Need to spruce up your carpets in a hurry?
   
   If your carpet is looking dull, lifeless and in need of a good wash, but you need your room to be ready for Christmas guests in a hurry, try a carpet washer with good suction power and heated cleaning technology to reduce drying time. Leaving windows and doors open after washing your carpets will also help them dry more quickly.

2. Pets left their mark on carpets and cushions?
   
   For homes with pets, use a vacuum cleaner with a powered hand tool to pick up stubborn pet hair from carpets and upholstery. Then wash with a carpet washer to lift muddy paw prints and pet smells, so your room is clean, fresh and hygienic for visiting friends and family. 

3. Want to minimise sneezing and coughing?
   
   If you have allergy sufferers visiting over Christmas you can help by reducing the airborne particles that can trigger allergies such as asthma and eczema. Use a vacuum cleaner (with high-level HEPA (High Efficient Particle Arrester) filtration on carpets and upholstery to reduce fine dust particles. Then wash with carpet washer to remove the dust mites and other allergens embedded deep within carpet pile.

4. Worried your newly washed carpets might attract dirt?
   
   To help keep your newly washed carpets looking good for as long as possible over the festive season, make sure you use a carpet cleaning solution with an anti re-soiling additive. This means that it won’t leave a sticky residue on carpet fibres so won’t attract dust and dirt any quicker than general dirt build up.

5. Need to clean up spilt drinks?
   
   If a drink is spilt on your carpet during the festivities, deal with it immediately to help prevent staining, but don’t rub with a cloth as this will work the liquid deeper into carpet fibres. Instead suck it up with a carpet washer, or lay a paper towel on top to soak it up, then wash the carpet as soon as you can.