My daughter was sent home poorly from nursery this week. She had been sick, and when I got her home, she was sick again. Everywhere. All over me, all over the couch, and all over the floor.
Sorry to open with something so gross but it leads me on to the real topic of this blog post: the Vax SpotWash.
This little beauty has saved the day in our house more times than I can remember, and it emerged heroically from the cupboard once more on this occasion. Now, my carpet and sofa are once again spotless, and they don’t smell of sick either. Thank you Vax SpotWash!
I should say, other brands are available. I bought the Vax but Shark do one too, Karcher do one, there are loads, and they only cost between £40 and £80 depending on the brand you choose.
Honestly, if you have young kids, or pets, or a husband who can’t keep his spaghetti Bolognese on his plate, a SpotWash will earn its place in your cupboard a hundred times over.
How it Works
It’s a nice compact little machine so it won’t take up much room. The hose wraps around the body of the machine and the plug and wire have a place to wrap around too, plus there’s a clip on the plug itself so it doesn’t hang loose. There are lots of well thought out helpful touches that I really appreciate.
The unit basically comes apart into three bits:
- The machine itself
- The clean water tank
- The dirty water tank
The water tanks are on either side of the machine and just clip in. There is a hose attached to the machine too, with a smaller tube underneath it that sprays the cleaning solution, before the hose is used to suck up the excess liquid and whatever mess you are cleaning.
First, you need to fill the clean water tank with a mixture of warm water and cleaning solution.
The tank has some useful fill level lines on it so you can get an accurate ratio of water to cleaning solution – except you have to tip the tank on its side to fill it, so you can’t see where the levels are up to until you tip it back the other way.
I can’t believe they didn’t spot this design flaw, it’s a pretty basic error, but certainly not the end of the world.
Once you’ve done that, get the hose out, plug it in, and switch it on. There’s just one on and off button on the top so you can’t get it wrong. It’s quite loud so you definitely won’t forget to switch it off 🙉
Once the machine is switched on the suction is automatic, and there is a trigger you use to spray the cleaning solution. You are supposed to spray the solution, then work it in using the bristles on the end of the nozzle. Some liquid will get sucked back up when you do this, but if you tilt it correctly it won’t be much.
Leave it for a minute or so then use the nozzle to suck up all the filthy water into the dirty water tank. The carpet will be very slightly damp afterwards but that’s normal.
Last thing to do is empty the dirty water tank (there is a catch so you can open it) and use the self cleaning function on the hose to wash out anything left in there, and you’re done!
Make sure you do this. My bonehead of a fella skipped this step after cleaning up spilled baked beans and the inside of the tube had black mould growing in it 🤢🤬
This is why I let the emptied tanks air dry before refitting them, too.
The Results Are Fantastic
It’s nice when things work, isn’t it. In our throw away society that produces so much cheap tat that only half works, the Vax SpotWash is a breath of fresh air.
It takes about 15 minutes max to use, and has genuinely removed every stain I have ever tested it on. It gets rid of smells too, although that’s probably more to do with the solution you use than the machine itself.
I have always used the Vax branded stuff, because there’s not a massive price difference between that and unknown or own brands, and I got a free bottle when I bought the machine so I know it works.
Anyway, if you have kids or pets you already know how often your carpets and soft furnishings will get peed on, sicked on, food spilled on, milk dripped on, etc. Using the SpotWash each time that happens stops the slow but sure destruction of your expensive rugs and comfy chairs.
I have had mine for nearly six years now, and it’s still going strong. Honestly, it’s one of the most successful purchases I made after becoming a mum.