The January sales are offering some fantastic deals on vacuum cleaners and carpet washers at the moment, with many models at half price or less. No matter how good the deal, it’s important to research the machine on offer to make sure it’s right for your needs.

Vacuum cleaners

Whether you choose an upright or cylinder vacuum cleaner tends to come down to personal preference and which type you find the most comfortable and effective for you and your home. Uprights tend to be kinder to your back during vacuuming and have a rapidly rotating brushbar that grooms the pile while you push the machine across the carpet. Cylinders are often less effort to carry up and down stairs and are easy store away after use, due to their compact size.  Whichever you prefer, there are a number of factors you should think about when picking the right model:

• Pets
  If you have cats or dogs you’ll know just how difficult it can be to banish their hair from your carpets and furniture. Vacuum cleaners designed for homes with pets typically have a special tool with rotating bristles that pick up pet hair as it spins. Some pet models may also have an anti-bacterial filter to trap and neutralise germs. Look out for models with a HEPA filter if you have allergies, as these high level filters trap small dirt and dust particles, helping to reduce the allergens in your home.
• Stairs
  If you regularly vacuum a tall flight of stairs you’ll find a model with an extra long stretch hose a real bonus, as you can reach right to the top of the staircase without having to unplug the machine and move it halfway through cleaning. Check the length of the power cord too, as a longer cord will make it much easier to vacuum stairs and multiple rooms without having to stop to swap plug points, saving you both time and effort. The capacity of the dust container can also vary widely between models, so look for a larger one if you don’t like having to empty the container too often.
• Floor types
  If you have a mixture of carpets and hard floors in your home you should check the vacuum cleaner you choose is suitable for use on hard floors. Some uprights have a brushbar control so you can switch off the rotating brushes and vacuum hard floors without risk of damage. Some have a hard floor tool that you attach to the hose for doing the same job. Many cylinder vacuum cleaners have a combination floor head that has a switch for changing between hard floor and carpet modes, and some models may have a dedicated hard floor tool.

Carpet cleaners

There are typically two types of carpet cleaners you can choose from – canister models, some of which are multi-functional and can also dry vacuum, and upright models. Canister models tend to be robust with large capacity tanks. They usually have castor wheels, so they are very stable and easy to pull along as you clean. Upright models resemble an upright dry vacuum cleaner and are typically manoeuvrable and easy to use.

• Upholstery and stairs
  Many carpet washers have a flexible hose and tools for cleaning upholstery and stairs, but do check the product specification carefully, as some upright models don’t have a hose and so are only suitable for cleaning flat areas of carpets. Canister models operate much like a cylinder vacuum cleaner, with a selection of tools that attach to the hose for cleaning carpets, upholstery and stairs.
• Spots and stains
  If your carpets have areas with a lot of wear and tear, or have stubborn spots and stains, it’s worth investing in a model that is specifically designed to tackle these problems, so check the specification carefully. Upright models with brushes that gently scrub the carpet fibres, either on a rotating brushbar or on individual spinning brushes, will tend to give a deeper clean and better results than those with a static row of brushes. Some carpet cleaners have a pre-treatment system with special stain-busting solution that gets to work on soiled areas before washing with the machine.
• Quick clean, quick dry
  If you want the quickest results from your carpet cleaner and need your carpets dry again as soon as possible, look out for models with technologies designed to speed up the washing and drying processes. These could include heated cleaning, where heat from the machine is applied to the carpet during washing, and dual air path technology, which delivers consistent suction across the entire width of the floor head.

Vax LiFE unplugged

Just launched, the new U91-LF-B LiFE unplugged bagless upright vacuum cleaner from Vax takes all the pain out of vacuuming. If you struggle to lift your heavy, upright vacuum cleaner and hate negotiating the power cable, then you’ll love this lightweight, cordless model. There are no cables to trip over, no bending down to plug it in and no worrying about whether the cable will stretch to the top of the stairs.

It has an ultra slimline shape and weighs just 3.4kg, so is a lot lighter to carry than conventional upright vacuum cleaners. This means it’s ideal for anyone with a bad back or mobility problems. It’s easy to store too, as it takes less space than a bulky, full size cleaner and looks so good you won’t mind if it’s left out of the cupboard for a while.

The downside with many cord-free appliances is that the convenience factor is offset by a lack of power and poor battery performance. Vax LiFE is different because you get all the benefits of a cordless, lightweight vacuum cleaner without losing anything in performance. In fact, tests show that LiFE offers the same – if not better – suction performance than a corded upright. It uses Vax WindTunnel technology to lift and trap dirt and dust, so it doesn’t scatter back onto your floors. You can quickly switch between carpet and hard floor modes using the control on the handle.

LiFE uses Lithium ion battery technology, which is designed to maintain consistent strong power until it’s completely drained, so you don’t experience ‘slow fade’ while you’re cleaning. One full charge should be all that you’ll need to vacuum your whole house and power level lights let you know exactly how much charge you’ve got left, so you won’t get caught short.

Find out more at the Vax LiFE unplugged website  or the main Vax website.

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• Multi-cyclonic bagless upright vacuum cleaner.
• No loss of suction.
• Washable filters.
• 2.6L dust capacity.
• Cleans carpets and hard floors with brushbar on / off control.
• Fingertip control with soft touch handle grip.
• Wide cleaning head.
• Telescopic handle.
• Turbotool – pet hair, stair & upholstery cleaning.
• Quick-release dust container.
• Onboard tools: 2 x extension tubes, crevice tool & dusting brush.
• Soft guard furniture protector strip.
• Headlight.
• 4.6M hose reach.
• Hard floor vacuuming brush.

A TurboTool, featured on a number of models of Vax vacuum cleaner,  is an excellent accessory for this purpose. These air-driven handtools contain a spinning brush which is specifically designed to clean deep in the pile of the carpet, so they are great at removing pet hair. Machines without a TurboTool will usually have a dusting brush and crevice tool that can also be used for stair cleaning. Simply attach them to the accessory hose of your machine.

What should the brushbar height adjustment be set at?

On Vax vacuum cleaners brushbar height settings correspond to carpet height with the lowest setting being best for use on low pile carpet and the highest setting best for a thick plush pile carpet. Based on the type of carpet you are vacuuming, pick a setting which corresponds. If the cleaner is difficult to push with that setting, try the next highest setting. The highest setting should always be used, or the brushbar turned off, when vacuuming lino.

Why will my cleaner not pick up?

There are several possible reasons for this:-

1) Brushbar

Check to see if the brushbar is rotating. There may be obstructions which are preventing this from operating correctly.

2) Belt

Check to make sure that the belt is not worn or broken. Vax user manuals almost always cover the procedure for checking and replacing the belt with diagrams and descriptions. This is a straightforward task and can normally be completed within a few minutes.

3) Blockages

Check that the air passage from the base of the cleaner through to the dirt container to see if there are any blockages that may be obstructing the suction. Blockages are likely to occur in the hose, therefore in some cases it may be necessary to use an implement such as a broomhandle to remove blockages.

4) Dirt Container

Check the dirt container to see if it is full and empty if necessary.

5) Filters

Check all filters on your machine and either clean or replace with new filters.

Why does my vacuum cleaner cut out?

Vacuum cleaners generally cut out due to the thermal cut out being activated, as a result of the motor becoming extremely hot due to reduced airflow. This is most commonly as a result of the filter being blocked, or there being an obstruction within the hose.

Once the thermal cut out is engaged it may take between 1-2 hours for the machine to operate again. Turn off your machine, and unplug from the mains supply and leave the machine to cool down.

In standard vacuum cleaners, dirt and dust  gets picked up and spun around the brushbar and into the machine’s airflow. This takes the dust and deposits it into the dirt container.

When spinning around the brushbar, some of the dust will get spun out of the airpath and scattered back onto the carpet.

WindTunnel technology uses small suction ‘tunnels’ within the floor nozzle to lift and trap more dust which means carpets are left cleaner. Fewer passes over the carpet mean less effort for the customer.

Some questions to ask yourself before buying a vacuum cleaner:
 

How busy is your lifestyle?

WindTunnel technology reduces the scattering of dust back into the carpet, meaning you need to go over the same area fewer times in order to leave carpets clean. This means more time can be spent doing other things.

Do you have children or pets?

WindTunnel technology is ideal for busy homes as it lifts and traps more dirt from within carpet fibres – perfect for high traffic areas or where pets lie. The first Vax vacuum cleaner with WindTunnerl technology was the Vax Mach 7