The
Vax Rapide Ultra 2 Cleaner is a must have for anybody with pets and/or
children.
I
was a little worried when I unpacked the box as the cleaner looked to be in
many parts but it was in fact very easy to assemble and the instructions were
very easy to follow. There is a place
for everything on the cleaner and although it looks a little bulky from the
back with the cleaning attachments on it they do not get in the way once the
cleaner is in use.
As
instructed, I hoovered my carpets before washing them and as they had not been
cleaned for some considerable time I definitely needed to use the pre-treatment
wand. This is an ingenious bit of kit
which you plug into the front of the cleaner.
Simply fill the water reservoir with the required amount of pre-treatment
solution, switch on the Vax and press the trigger, you then spray it evenly
over your carpets. The spray which comes
out of the wand is quite fine and covers a wide area, you do need to be careful
not to completely saturate your carpets though. The pre-treatment solution should be left for
10-15 minutes before you wash your carpets.
To
clean your carpets you add the required amount of cleaning solution to the
water in the clean water tank and clip it to the cleaner. I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly
all of the parts fitted onto the cleaner and how easy they were to remove –
essential when they are full of water, especially when it’s dirty! You then plug the cleaner in and away you
go. The cleaner looks quite bulky and as
I am only short (5ft to be exact!) I was a little worried that the machine
might have been too heavy for me to push but it did move very easily over my
carpets and some of them have quite a thick pile. You squeeze the trigger which is situated on
the handle on the forward stroke and this releases the soap and water onto your
carpet, you then release the trigger when pulling the cleaner back and the
dirty water is collected in the dirty water tank. Some of my carpets have quite a few stains on
them so I went over them a few times and I could see the carpet becoming
cleaner each time I did it. I was
surprised that, although wet, my carpets were not saturated when I had finished
and only took a couple of hours to dry.
The results were instant and I was delighted that the cleaner had
‘lifted’ the pile on my carpets. They
looked and smelt fantastic when I had finished.
The
dirty water tank is easily released from the front of the cleaner and easy to
drain. I was genuinely surprised at how
dirty the water was, especially from our bedroom carpets as we don’t wear shoes
indoors so I’m not quite sure how they became that dirty!
One
of the best features of the Rapide Ultra 2 cleaner is the washing tools, they
clip neatly onto the back when not in use and fit easily onto the front when
they are. It was very easy to work out
where the parts went but if in doubt, the instruction booklet has very clear
illustrations. As with washing your
carpets, you squeeze the trigger on the washing tools to release the soap on
the forward stroke and release it on the backward stroke. The washing tool has a brush on it which
helps to clean the upholstery and the nozzle is just the right size to get into
all the awkward places. I found it
particularly useful for cleaning the upholstery in my car, which I’m ashamed to
say hasn’t been cleaned for several years – it now looks (and smells) like a
new car. The hose is fairly rigid which
is the only downside to the washing tool, I think it would be better if it was
a little more flexible, especially when cleaning stairs.
In
addition to using the washing tools for the obvious job - washing carpets! It can also be used for picking up
spills. You do this in the same way as
with the washing you just don’t fill the clean water tank. For somebody like me who’s children are
constantly spilling things this is a very useful feature!
I
think the Rapide Ultra 2 is an excellent investment not just for your carpets
but for all your upholstery too. It is
very easy to use and produces very professional results. I love the fact that all the attachments are
stored on the cleaner as there is no searching around each time you use
it. I would have no hesitation
recommending this cleaner to anybody, it is a fantastic price and will add
years to your carpets and furniture – a great investment.
