The Beldray Spotbuster Cordless appears to be the type of vacuum cleaner marketed towards the domestic pet owner, and I can see why. It has everything a pet owner might need to deal with those little pet incidents. It’ll let you wash, scrub, vacuum and dry, all without having to change appliances. But those very assets could make this spot cleaner an attractive addition to your car cleaning kit.
First impressions
My planned initial test of the Beldray was somewhat stymied by my own silliness. I managed to spill a glass of water off the table onto the carpet. Luckily, the Beldray had been on charge (using the Beldray charger, which is included) preparing for its first official test, so I was able to utilise it and, in a relatively short period of time, had managed to get rid of most of the water from the soaking carpet, leaving just a lightly damp patch. It was a lot quicker and more efficient than chucking a load of kitchen towels down and trying to mop it up.
So fast forward to after it had been fully charged again and was ready to face its official test. I had taken a load of stuff to our local recycling centre and, you know how it is, no matter how careful you are, there is always something that leaks, flakes or just leaves dirt, so I had a rather messy boot and rear passenger well to contend with.
So first things first. Charging. The instructions recommend charging for at least four hours before first use. Subsequent charges should take two to three hours. I followed these guidelines with the first Spotmaster which Beldray sent me. Unfortunately, despite showing it was fully charged, it would only run for a few seconds before cutting out. I’m pleased to say I’ve had no operational problems with the replacement machine they sent.
Beldray Spotbuster cleaning test
As you can see from the picture, it wasn’t facing anything too challenging (you can’t really see the light-coloured stains in this pic), but I was interested to see how well it might tackle the boot carpet and then maybe try it on the front mats, which have seen cleaner days.
It’s not a bad-looking piece of kit and feels fairly substantial but comfortable in the hand. At the front, you find the business end, including the spray nozzle, the brush, and the suction nozzle. This section features a transparent plastic covering which allows you to see how much fluid you are drawing up and when you have successfully dried a section. It also shows how much muck it’s lifting as well! The spray function is operated from a button on the handle just behind the power button.
Underneath there are two tanks. One is for clean water and any cleaning solution you might want to use; the other is the tank for dirty water.
So, down to business. As there wasn’t any heavy staining, I didn’t bother with a detergent and just filled the tank with water. It does take a little while to get used to as the power button and the spray button sit one in front of the other – the power button at the front, the spray button behind it. I can’t tell you how many times I switched it off rather than spray! The spray is quite efficient as it gives good coverage without soaking the surface, which gives you more control over how wet you get the surface.
It’s recommended you hold the Spotmaster at an angle of around 45 degrees for maximum performance, as this gives the ideal position for best contact from the brush and the suction nozzle. In practice, this can be a bit awkward as in a car, you are going to be working in more confined and strangely shaped areas.
I found that the Beldray tackled the light marking in my boot space with no problem, such that I didn’t have to use much spray and soak the carpet. Once finished, I was quite surprised to find that there wasn’t much water in the collection tank, but the window and the suction path were filthy! The boot carpet looked clean and was still lightly damp, so I moved on to the footwell mats to give them a quick once-over. I gave them a bit of a shake to get rid of the stones and debris, and again, as there wasn’t much staining, I just gave them a light misting of water, and it didn’t take too much effort to lift any marks.
Verdict Sore: 3.5/5
My experience with the Beldray Spotmaster didn’t really stretch its abilities, although I am not entirely convinced of its use as a routine part of your car detailing kit. I think it has far more value as an emergency appliance around the home for larger spillages (as I mentioned earlier) or for more serious stain removal in the car. If you were planning to use it to wash the carpets and upholstery, you might find you would have to do it in a couple of sessions as the 15-minute run time might not be enough to do it one go, and such a job would probably be better suited to a mains powered cleaner with long run time and more suction strength.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Powerful and well-targeted spray function
Cons
- Charge time is quite long
| Water/Detergent Tank Capacity | 110ml |
| Weight | 2.25kg |
| Charge Time | 2-3 hours |
| Run Time | 15 minutes |
Other items to consider:
Pros
- Lots of accessories
- 20-minute run time
Cons
- Collection bin can fill quickly
Pros
- Wall-mounted charger included
- Wide mouth for larger debris
Cons
- Few accessories
Pros
- Good price
- USB charging
Cons
- No accessories
How it was tested:
The initial test was a genuine water spill on the carpet in our conservatory, where it performed to expectations. After that, the next test site was the boot and footwell carpets of a lightly used domestic car which had just taken a load of household items to the local recycling centre and had some marks on the boot carpet. The tank was filled with plain water, and the Beldray Spotbuster was used to work on the stain marks and to give a general light clean to the rest of the carpets and floor mats in the vehicle. I was looking for suction power, ease of use and good results
Alex Boyd is a Commercial Content Writer at Bauer Media writing for Parker’s and CAR and loves travel, gardening, DIY and music.
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