Vax style carpet cleaners? Any recommendations?

[OliviaMumsnet]

After a V busy week at the Towers, back home to domestic matters with a bump. My Saturday nights really are getting more thrilling as I get older, eh?!

I am at the quotes I've been given for professional carpet cleaners and have just seen that I can get A Vax for four quid more than I was offered to clean my sitting room.

Are they any good? TIA for your thoughts

My mum gave me an orignal Vax and am now thinking of replacing it with one of those cos the individual parts cost a small fortune to replace and bist are missing or nto functioning well. She now has a Bissell upright but I prefer the cylinder style.

Oooooh yes, very exciting Saturday evening here too!

I have a Bissell, it?s good and made a bit difference to our carpet, it was hard work over the stubborn patched though (you have a scrubber attachment you can use). The family who lived here before us had 2 toddles, so the carpet needed some work. (?I was pregnant when we bought the house and I had it in my mind that I would replace all the carpets, I was soon set straight, a friend told me I was nuts, one toddler later I?m quite glad they did really).

It is machine is quite big though so you need room to store it and the shampoo stuff is about £16 per bottle and I used 2, so that adds to the cost?.don?t know if vax are the same.

I have a Vax all Terrain - it has a heating element and leaves the carpet nearly dry.

I have a ds with ASD and a puppy and it keeps my light carpets clean. It also has a 6 yr guarentee. I have had more basic vax machines but they have never lasted more than 14months. Then my machine does get used more than most - sitting room every couple of weeks, rest of house at least once a month.

We have a VAX vacuum and carpet washer - not this model, but similar. After about 3 years we've decided to consign the VAX to the garage for car vacuuming and occasional indoor carpet cleaning. We found ours way too heavy & bulky for everyday use as regular vacuum cleaner, adn we've just bought a lovely dinky miele which positively purrs, and doesn't give me backache....

As a carpet cleaner our VAX was v. handy and did a good job. It's a bit fiddley though - ours had this long clear tube which had to be attached to the outside to provide the water, and it was rather a faff unless you planned to do a whole floor of the house. And then the 'innards' (filters & water tank) would lie around the utility room for days drying out .

I'd only go for it if you have somewhere to store it, and are not planning to use it as your everyday vac too.

We have a Bissell and it has removed some nasty marks on the carpet including the CSI style scene caused when the cat brought in a rabbit. Is fairly easy to use and clean (no filters/innards to dry).

I agree with whippet, I have a big old style one although it's only 4 years old. It's so bid and clumbersome i wouldn't use it as an everyday hoover but it's in my loft and i just use the washer bit now and again although we don't have carpets downstairs anymore.

I did have a vac upright cleaner but it leaked all the time and left a sopping wet stip after itself.

I'm sure i will use it when the enevitabe day comes when ds vomits on the carpet upstairs!

I have an upright VAX (orange - looks just like a normal hoover - got it half price in Homebase) and it does the job for the carpets. Means I can whizz round the grubby bits whenever it's necessary, rather than waiting for a big blitz once a year.
BUT, it doesn't have a hose-thing to do the stairs, which is a pain; nor does it include the attachments to do upholstery, which is also a pain as my sofa is filthy. It now means I have to either hire a machine that does, or Get A Man In.
But Im sure you can get machines that do all this. I just bought it in a hurry as I love a bargain, and didn't read what it said on the tin properly.
M

Now I must get back to the party . So many friends to see on this Saturday night...