The Vax SpotWash Home Cordless takes the concept of a spot washer and cuts the cord. Spot cleaners take a vacuum cleaner and dials it up to 11, injecting a carpet shampoo into fabrics for a deeper cleaning experience.
Vax is one of the market leaders for spot cleaners, and the SpotWash Home Cordless is the latest example of this. Designed to be portable and compact, the Vax is designed to retain all the power of a corded example, just with an extra layer of portability on top. Making use of Vax’s ONEPWR battery system for power, it could also seamlessly slip into any modern Vax owners home.
We’re big fans of spot cleaners here at Parkers, the way these specialised cleaning devices can suck years of grime out of of fabric in a couple of minutes work. That’s before we even mention the versatility of these devices around the home for cleaning up spillages and refreshing all manners of upholstery. Adding in portability only makes it a more tempting prospect, so is the Vax SpotWash Home Duo worth it?
Verdict: Trades outright performance for portability, but definitely worth considering.
Score: 4/5
Pros
- Good spot cleaning
- Very considered design
Cons
- Battery drains quickly on plus mode
What’s good?
For something with portability at its forefront, it absolutely nails the brief of maximising capacity without bloating the footprint. Vax manage to squeeze in the motor, space for the battery, 1.1 litre clean tank and 0.7 litre extraction tank, while keeping the main body compact. With a dry weight of 4.5kg, it’s also easy to move around, thanks in part to a very comfortable handle. During our cleaning of the Audi Q5 test subject, the hose was never too short, and the body of the unit sat quite comfortably in the footwell of the rear.
The job of stain removal showcased the power of the Vax perfectly. As with any seat frequented with children, there were all manner of food-based stains to test how well the Vax would perform on. Taking the above example, the Vax was able to lift that particular stain of unknown origin on a single pass. The included Vax SpotWash Antibacterial Solution not only cuts through the stain, it’ll rid any nasty bacteria that may be lurking around too.
The Vax was also tested around the home, where it excelled at renewing smaller areas. In particular, it proved really good at deep-cleaning rugs and carpeted stairs. The ease of use and portability will certainly appeal to parents or pet owners, being able to completely remove small stains at a moment’s notice will never become tiresome.
Beyond the portability, the included attachments on offer make this a solid bundle. Alongside the standard head and bottle, this kit includes a wider head for cleaner larger surfaces quicker that comes with two brushes, one for fabrics and another for hard floors. There’s also a crevice tool for cleaning really tight areas, something that really proved its worth with the nooks and crannies that make up car seats.
What’s okay?
Vax’s ONEPWR batteries are a very welcome inclusion for this SpotWash. Not only do they seamlessly fit into other Vax vacuums we’ve tested (like the Blade 5), but the runtime is nothing to be sniffed at, when used in normal mode. The problem is, that recharging those batteries once empty can take four hours, which is too long if you’re needing to finish.
It’s fairly loud to use, most spot cleaners are. It’s not jackhammer levels of ear-splitting, but it is louder than most vacuum cleaners, making conversation impossible, and necessitating some excellent noise-cancelling headphones to really drown out the motor whirr.
Any negatives?
As a battery-powered cleaner, battery life will always be a concern. On a full charge I was able to get the rear seats full extracted with the Vax while still having half a charge left over. The problem with this is that the second the Plus button is engaged and the more powerful suction used, it drains the battery at an extraordinary rate.
On the regular setting, the extraction isn’t quite there to get a touch-dry seat on the first pass. With Plus engaged it will, but you’ll have a much shorter window to get your cleaning done in. It’s great against particularly stubborn stains with Plus mode engaged at the very least, even as the LED battery indicator ticks down before my very eyes.
More items to consider
Pros
- Very compact design
- Powerful against stains
Cons
- Tiny dirt tank
Pros
- Good cleaning performance
- Self-cleaning function
Cons
- Requires a plug
Pros
- Cordless cleaning
- Very affordable
Cons
- Lacks refinement
Who tested it?
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Commercial Content Editor for Parkers, and has a particular interest in detailing. Something of a spot washer convert, the Vax intrigued him thanks to it’s cordless nature and wanted to test how it would fare in the real world. Having previously tested spot cleaners from Numatic, Vax and BISSELL in an automotive capacity, he was able to directly compare performance during his testing.
How the product was tested
For the Vax, we used a member of Bauer Media’s personal car. As a parent, the Audi Q5’s rear seats proved the perfect testing ground for a spot cleaner. This real-world testing helped showcase how well the Vax would both work on a manner of typical stains, and test both it’s manoeuvrability and runtime.
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for Parkers, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. A veteran car cleaner; if it details, waxes or washes he’ll be on hand to make sure it’s worth your money.
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