Vax Platinum SmartWash Carpet Cleaner

First, some background behind reviewing the Vax Platinum SmartWash. I had wanted to get a new carpet cleaner after taking on an elderly cat from a rescue centre. I’d anticipated a few fur balls on the carpets, and wanted to be able to clean up any mess easily, quickly, and without leaving a trace of any mess.

Previously, I’d had a couple of second-hand carpet cleaners handed on to me by my parents when they’d bought new ones. I’d liked their ability to clean, but it was often a messy experience – the last one gave up working after leaving a lot of water on the carpet.

So this time I wanted to buy a decent one for myself, that was going to last for some time. I was attracted to the Vax brand because of the quality of a previous vacuum purchased from them. The Vax Platinum SmartWash Carpet Cleaner has a 6 year guarantee, which suggested to me I could trust the product and that it was a quality build.

Vax describe the Platinum SmartWash Carpet Cleaner as giving a deep-down clean, thanks to advanced Flexforce Brushbars. They claim that the flexible bristles penetrate deep into carpet fibres, helping to remove stains, dirt and grime. The claim is that it will deliver visible results, which I was keen to put to the test!

Another appealing factor was that the carpet cleaner was said to be effortless easy to use, thanks to Vax’s Motion Sense Technology and triggerless design. It automatically washes as you push forwards and dries as you pull back, dispensing the correct amount of solution and water. I wanted a carpet cleaner that was simple to use, but extremely effective. This promised to be that product.

The Vax Platinum SmartWash is a relatively expensive bit of kit, and largely made of plastic. As such, Vax make sure that it is extremely well packaged to reach the customer in excellent condition.

The cardboard box that the carpet cleaner is delivered in was smaller than I’d anticipated, owing to the creative way that everything is packed inside the space.

It is, however, a very heavy box! The Vax Platinum SmartWash is 8.6kg, plus there are extra bits of kit included. There is also a small bottle of Vax Platinum Antibacterial Solution, as well as some pre-treatment solution.

The main body of the Vax Platinum SmartWash was the majority of the weight contained within the box. It was wrapped in a protective plastic bag to reduce chance of damage in transit.

Once lifted out of the cardboard box it was straightforward to remove from the plastic bag.

There was also a small Solution Tank which sits towards the top of the carpet cleaner at the back, and dispenses cleaning fluid from the bottom. It also has a screw-top lid to remove before filling with cleaning solution.

There is a QR code on the outside of the bottle, which can be scanned when you’re getting low on Vax Platinum Antibacterial Solution to buy some more.

At the bottom of the bottle is a device which sits in a receptacle on the main body of the carpet cleaner, to allow cleaning solution to be fed through.

Note that I have found this to drip slightly when removed from the carpet cleaner after use. That’s perfectly natural, but just be prepared with a cloth or piece of paper towel to catch the drips before you get some slippery cleaning solution on the floor.

There is also a main water reservoir, which was also well packaged in a a plastic bag to protect it. This has a screw-top lid to be opened when the reservoir is to be filled with warm water for cleaning.

The water reservoir sits at the front of the carpet cleaner, at the top. This also has a device at the bottom to sit in the receptacle on the main unit, allowing water to flow when needed.

There is a cover for the brush unit at the front of the cleaner. This slides into place from the front to the back. The blue clip at the back needs to be lifted when the cover is to be removed for cleaning the brushes after use. Once lifted, the cover can then be slid forward to remove.

The box also contains a handle which is to be slotted into the body of the carpet cleaner. It slots in easily, and is the main way of manoeuvring the unit. It’s sturdy and I haven’t had any issues with it moving in the repository you click it into.

There is a full user guide for the Platinum SmartWash also included in the box.

There is a 250ml bottle of antibacterial carpet cleaning solution for use in the machine. It comes in a sealed bag to ensure it doesn’t leak in transit. It’s securely sealed, as when the bottle top was unscrewed it also has a seal across the top of the bottle.

There is a 250ml bottle of Pre-Treatment Solution to treat stains on the carpet ahead of cleaning. Vax say that their formula is fast-acting and easily breaks down pet stains and odours. It is to be used as a pre-treatment to loosen stubborn pet stains and embedded dirt, prior to treatment using the carpet cleaner.

I use this to initially clean any cat vomit marks during the day, before I get a chance to run the carpet cleaner over it at the end of the day after work. It works well, and means that the cleaning with the carpet cleaner really pulls up the marks.

Also in the box are a Vax SpinScrub Tool™, which I am yet to use, but attaches to a 2.5m hose to enable use of the carpet cleaner in hard to reach areas. It enables you to remove spills, stains and dirt from areas you couldn’t reach with the cleaner itself. Think stairs, upholstery, car interiors.

The same can be done with the 2 in 1 Antimicrobial tool, which affixes to the hose as well.

The hose comes in a handy bag which has a hook to hang the bag from the handle of the carpet cleaner. I found this really useful for keeping the tools together until I need them.

Sensibly, the VAX Platinum SmartWash Carpet Cleaner comes with a 9m long power cord. This allows me to plug into a central point in the house and reach all rooms on the same floor, if needed. This means the cable isn’t trailing too much over the room I’m cleaning.

The main body of the carpet cleaner has a couple of retainer tabs to wrap the cord around, to keep it stored when not in use. These are very easy to move, to release the cord when needed.

The cleaning solution tank easily slots into the repository on the back of the carpet cleaner. It’s clear to enable you to see the level of cleaning solution still within the tank.

The blue lid easily unscrews to allow topping up of the cleaning fluid. I just put a small amount into the cleaning solution reservoir, but it can hold quite a good amount for lots of use.

Once topped up, refit the lid. It has 4 lugs that fit through the gap, then twist to secure.

The water tank has a handle to allow you to lift it upwards to remove. Unscrew the top and fill with warm water, before slotting back onto the top of the carpet cleaner and ensuring it fits snugly in the receptacle at the bottom.

When holding the carpet cleaner at the back, on the left-hand side is a blue pedal that can be depressed to turn the machine on and off. It’s simple to operate with your foot.

On the right-hand side at the back is a grey pedal which tilts the carpet cleaner during use.

When everything has been set up, with cleaning solution in the holder, and warm water in the tank, you’re ready to start cleaning. Press the On foot-button on the left to start, then press the Handle Release foot pedal on the right to recline the cleaner.

When you push the unit forward water and cleaning solution (mixed automatically) will flow out of the head and into the carpet. This Vax Platinum SmartWash washes on the forward motion.

When you pull the carpet cleaner back towards you the unit changes to vacuum mode to suck up the dispensed liquid. The light on the left front now illuminates the word DRY in green, to indicate it is on that cycle.

Initially for cleaning you would keep it on wash going forward then dry going back. But once you’re happy with the amount of washing done you can turn the carpet washer into a vacuum-only mode.

Press the button that says Dry Only, located on the left hand side when looking from the back. It will illuminate in green when pressed, and turns it into vacuum only on both forward and backward motion.

During the backwards motion, which instigates vacuuming, you will see the dirty water being sucked back up into the machine via the nozzle. Even though my carpets are less than a year old, and look in great condition, there was still a LOT of dirty water being drawn into the carpet cleaner!

The water is pulled into a collection area, which is separate to the clean water for cleaning. It doesn’t take long for the vacuum to start sucking up water, so it appears to be a very efficient cleaner. When I felt the carpet after washing and drying, it felt damp to the touch, but little enough to mean it would soon dry naturally.

When washing is complete, or if the container is full, you can remove the dirty water container by lifting the handle at the top and pulling it away from the body of the carpet cleaner.

With the dirty water container removed from the body of the machine you can unclip the latch marked Cleaning Access. This allows the lid to move away freely from the body of the container.

Within there is a weighted mechanism, which I believe comes into use between wash and dry cycles.

The whole top lifts off easily giving access to be able to empty the dirty water into the sink. In my case there was a lot of hair to also be removed and placed in the bin.

Within the dirty water container is a removable filter, which stops large debris from entering the container. It can easily be removed so that the debris can be emptied in the bin.

The filter can then be washed and returned to the dirty water container.

In addition, the mechanism at the top of the lid should also be cleaned before being returned to the container. It’s easy to replace the lid and clip the latch back into place – just retrace the motion used to unclip and remove.

The final part of cleaning is to remove the cover over the roller brushes, which slides out once the blue latch has been lifted. The cover should be washed to remove debris.

The brushes can be lifted out of the holder for cleaning, slipping back in once done. I found a lot of fur and hair in the brushes, even though I vacuum the carpet weekly. It suggested to me that the vacuum strength of the Vax Platinum SmartWash Carpet Cleaner was really good, sucking up a lot of debris.

It was easy to remove the fur and hair, before slotting the brushes back into the head and replacing the cover.