I used this spot cleaner to deep clean my sofa, carpets, rugs and mattress – and I'm never going back to cleaning them any other way

A spot cleaner is a smart investment if you like to look after your upholstery and floors but don't have time to do so. It also works out as a smarter investment than paying someone to do these necessary but tedious jobs several times a year. So, if you've been considering buying one for a while, then I can tell you there's no better time than just before your spring clean.

I'm never going back to cleaning my sofa, carpets, rugs and mattress any other way. I've tried all of the hacks, and trust me, including some of the best carpet cleaners: none is as simple as using the VAX SpotWash Home Cordless. My jaw dropped when I saw the colour of the water that I was left with after using this machine for 25 minutes in my home. I was disgusted which made for only one thing: this machine is becoming a permanent fixture in my deep cleaning routine.

The Vax SpotWash Home Cordless has recently been all over my TikTok – and for good reason. It's such a satisfying piece of kit which can be used to clean pretty much anything in your home. Bathroom tiles? Squeaky clean. Old sofa? Looks brand new. Stained carpet? Totally refreshed. This machine takes the hard work out of deep cleaning those things in your home that you use every single day, that get a lot of footfall and use.

I used this machine to clean so many places in my three-bedroom home that I share with my husband, our daughter and our messy Pug, Doug. It revived my sofa, my stairs and my landing carpet.

I used it to spot-clean my mattress and deep-clean my velvet headboard. I mostly used one tool – the Extra Wide 2-in-1 Wash Tool – for these jobs, but there's also an attachment for hard floor cleaning and for reaching crevices. It's also so simple to use and clean, which, for me, was the cherry on top, as I'm not one to keep up with maintenance if it's a lengthy job – you might have guessed that from the state of my living room rug in the photos below.

Here's how I got on with the Vax SpotWash Home Cordless and whether I'll be using it to deep-clean my home again. Spoiler: I think it's a great investment if you have kids and pets, both bring a lot of mess into our homes.

In a nutshell

A great spot cleaner to have in your cleaning arsenal, this machine is great for anyone who has lots of carpet and several rugs in their home. It also does a stellar job of cleaning specific items like your sofa, mattress and armchairs.

It's simple to use as it's cordless, and the instructions are simple to follow. Even better? Cleaning it after use isn't difficult, either. Pet owners and parents, this is one for you as it can get almost any stain out of any surface, including muddy paws and milk on linen.

It's quite a loud machine, as loud as a corded vacuum cleaner, so that's something to bear in mind. If you're less able, this isn't for you, as it weighs 4.5kg without any water in either of its tanks or any accessories. It's also large to store if you're tight on cupboard space.

VAX Spotwash Home Cordless specifications

• Model number: CLSW-MPKP
• Battery run time: 25 mins
• Charge time: 3 hours
• Number of settings: 2
• Water tank capacity (clean): 1.1L
• Water tank capacity (dirty): 0.70L
• Cleaning power: 430 W
• Weight: 4.5kg
• Accessories: 4

Unboxing, assembly, and first impressions

The main unit arrived in one box. Two other boxes were extra cleaning fluid – one 1.5L bottle of the same spot wash cleaner that comes included in the box, and right now you get a free stain removal kit worth £30 when you buy direct through Vax.

The unit itself was well-packaged using minimal plastic. Most parts were secured in the box using cardboard inserts or sleeves. The only two things which came wrapped in plastic were the battery and the cleaning solution.

My first impression was that this was a sturdy piece of kit, although I was very confused by looking at everything in front of me.

However, the instructions that come with this machine make it so simple and easy to get started. I was surprised, as some spot cleaners can be tricky to get the hang of initially.

I was also sent a cleaning kit which is worth £30. You currently get this free if you buy this cleaner directly from Vax. You get three bottles of stain remover plus trigger sprays.

This would be a handy addition to a family home or a home with pets. It's also great for car cleaning since it's cordless. Its tools mean it can be used to clean lots of places, from the bathroom tiles to your seat on the sofa. It's easy to carry up and down the stairs while you can also use it for cleaning the staircase thanks to its carry handle. It comes with a spot-clean tool for accidents, which you might not find you use as regularly as its Extra Wide 2-in-1 Wash Tool.

Make sure you have a place to store it before you buy, as it requires floor space or counter space since it cannot be wall-mounted. If you're unable to lift heavy items, I would give this model a miss. It also requires a lot of scrubbing and you need to apply pressure depending on what you're cleaning.

What's it like to use?

This spot cleaner is very easy to use. In fact, it's surprisingly easy to use. You get used to it as you go, but essentially, once you've chosen your attachment based on what you're cleaning and filled the clean water tank, you need only press the on button and you're ready to clean.

Press the trigger on the handle to spray the solution onto the surface and scrub using the head. I found that scrubbing both ways – horizontally and vertically – works best for deep-set stains.

Then, once you're happy with how much you've scrubbed, go over the spot you've cleaned and press down so that the vacuum part of the head is able to suck up the water into its dirty water tank. You can see the dirty water being picked up so you'll know if you're not holding it right, but it's pretty easy to work out and it's explained well in the instruction manual.

It's easy to interchange the tools and again, this is also well-explained in the manual which one you'll need to use for which job. There's a boost mode for deep-set stains, which amplifies suction, but this drains the battery life a lot faster.

I did encounter one issue while using this machine, and that was with the trigger. I'd already used the machine once until the battery ran out (it has a 25-minute runtime), and I noticed that the trigger was becoming sticky.

It was shooting the water out after I'd released my hand from the trigger. So I ended up soaking my sofa. This was frustrating but I did manage to suck up all of this water using the vacuum part of the head. I contacted Vax about it as I read reviews and no one else had encountered this problem so I am sure it's a case of a faulty machine. They've sent me another machine and so far, I've had no issues.

Admittedly, the 25-minute battery life can be annoying if you have a large area you want to deep clean, as it might not make it the entire way. Saying that, you will definitely need a break from using this machine after 25 minutes as your arm will ache (or at least mine did!) it's just a shame it takes 3 hours for the battery to recharge.

The dirty tank is plenty sizeable, you probably won't find that you have to empty it during cleaning. The clean water tank is also a great siz,e and the measurements on it make it simple to use the right amount of cleaning solution and water based on what you're cleaning.

Cleaning carpets and rugs

This is a total game-changer when it comes to deep cleaning your carpets. Especially stair carpet as it makes such an easy job as it's a cordless machine that's not very heavy.

Firstly, I used this machine on the carpet on my landing, which was the dirtiest as it gets a lot of footfall. I was completely blown away by the result, as this square of carpet looks brand new. It did take some scrubbing but it's worth it for the result.

I'm not sure I would be able to do my entire landing on one charge of the machine, which is a shame, but admittedly, after 25 minutes of doing this, your arm will need a break.

Then, I went on to clean a Calpol stain off my daughter's bedroom carpet which is a lot lighter in colour and it's not as soft as my landing carpet. This stain came out with ease and you'd never even know it was there!

Next up was my living room rug. Now, I've admittedly neglected this rug for a few too many months. It's filthy. It had actually just been machine-washed twice a day before these photos, believe it or not.

Since it's a short-pile rug, I used the Extra Wide 2-In-1 Tool and tested both attachments with it. I found that the Hard Floor Scrub Attachment worked better. This did take a lot of work, but I think this was mostly down to how dirty it was. It's still not perfect but I'm going to go over it several times until I get there.

I also cleaned my soft bedroom carpet with this tool and the soft brush add-on, in one spot to remove a milk stain and in another square to show the difference it makes to revive carpet.

Admittedly, I don't really like this carpet and we're probably going to change it soon so I've not looked after it the best. I was so pleased with both results here, but I did note that the longer the carpet, the dirtier the attachment gets – the multi-purpose brush I used was covered entirely in pet hair after I did this one square. I had to wash the entire tool before I went on to clean my headboard.

Cleaning a sofa

I had only just cleaned my sofa a few weeks before testing this spot wash, so I honestly thought the results wouldn't be great. Boy, I was wrong. The dirt that came out of my sofa was quite incredible. It also managed to get water marks off one seat that's the most used by my daughter so always gets sprayed with her milk.

This seat isn't perfect but I am going to go over it a couple more times to get it perfect. The spot cleaner was so easy to use on the sofa and it does make a fast job of deep cleaning this piece of furniture.

I also used this to clean my daughter's beanbag chair and while it did remove food stains, I did find this a little tougher as it's an unstructured chair. So I had to pull the fabric tight so that the water could suction into the machine.

I also used the crevice tool to get into the corners of my Swyft sofa. I love this nifty little tool! You won't find that you use it loads, but when you do use it you'll realise how handy it is. Again, you can see the water collecting through the attachment so you know it's working.

Cleaning a mattress topper and headboard

I sleep on top of a mattress, which sits underneath a topper and on that is a protector – there's no way any stains are getting on my mattress.

My topper, however, did have a few stains, so I went over them with the Extra Wide 2-In-1 Wash Tool and the multi-purpose brush accessory. These stains came out fast and easily, despite being old stains. I was impressed.

I have a velvet headboard that seems to harvest dust, and despite cleaning it, it tends to look messy within minutes.

I used the Extra Wide 2-In-1 Wash Tool and the multi-purpose brush accessory to scrub my entire bed frame clean, and it looked brand new. It was easy to clean around the curves of the frame, and the results were impressive. I'll definitely use this to clean here again.

Cleaning hard floors

I wasn't 100% sure about using this machine to clean my hard floors. I mean, that's what my steam mop is for! But I did find a spot in my living room that had a little dirt in the cracks from an oobleck play tray I'd made my daughter. I used the Extra Wide 2-In-1 Wash Tool and the hard floor scrub accessory and sprayed my floors. After suctioning up the water, to my surprise, my floor was totally dry! Impressed.

To be honest, I wouldn't use this again to clean my hard floors as I didn't find it did an incredible job, and I can think of much easier ways to clean hard floors.

There's one other tool that comes in the box that I didn't manage to use. This tool isn't designed for everyday cleaning. It's the Messy Clean Up Tool which you'd use to clean food or drink you've spilled on a carpet or sofa. I didn't need to use this tool, but it works in the same way as the Extra Wide 2-In-1 Tool, except it's not as wide. It has a soft brush.

Cleaning, maintenance and storage

To be honest with you, I was dreading cleaning this machine. I've used some carpet cleaners and spot cleaners that are a chore to clean after use. So much so that it puts you off using them in the first place. But that's definitely not the case with the Vax SpotWash Home Cordless.

First of all, you'll want to remove the battery from the machine. Then, take off the tool that you've been using and give it a wash under warm water. These tools come apart easily, but if you're stuck it's well-explained in the manual.

Before you clean the hose, you need to empty the dirty water tank. But don't clean it. Initially, I found it slightly confusing to open the lid of the dirty water tank. Make sure you do this over a sink or toilet, and just pour it away, then put it back onto the machine.

Then, you're going to need a bowl (any bowl) and fill it with a maximum of 500ml of water. Pop the battery back into the machine. Sit the hose (with no attachments on) into the bowl of water. Press the power button on the machine and watch as it sucks the clean water from the bowl into its dirty water tank. Leave it for 10 seconds before turning it off so it can clean any water residue from the hose.

The next step is to empty and clean both tanks. Again, pour away the liquid from the dirty water tank, but this time rinse and clean it. It can be left to air dry. Do the same with the clean water tank. Lastly, there are two round parts underneath where the water tank sits. You can wipe these clean with a cloth if need be. I didn't find them to be too dirty.

Once everything is dry, you can put the tanks back onto the machine and store it away.

The only thing that slightly annoys me about this machine is that it takes up a lot of floor space when storing. It cannot be wall-mounted so it needs to sit on the floor or atop a shelf or table. You can only store one tool on the hose so the rest are loose. It would be good if they sent a drawstring bag to store the rest in.

This is something I would definitely consider if I had minimal storage space. Luckily, I have an understairs cupboard where my tumble dryer lives and there's space in there for it. Otherwise, it's not slim or small so you can't even tuck it into a corner or atop a cabinet.

How does it rate online?

On the Vax website, 50 shoppers rated this spot cleaner 4.7-stars out of 5. Most people comment on its ability to clean carpets, and stains like vomit and they love how handy it is to carry around the home since it's cordless. Lots of reviewers say it's easy to use on stair carpets and in cars. Lots of people with pets rave about it for cleaning up pet messes like vomit and mud.

At Argos it has a 4.7-star rating from 50 reviewers, too. Again, people love it for use on stair carpets and for pet stains. One reviewer commented that it's handy that it uses the same battery as her Vax vacuum.

Over at Currys it has two reviews, both giving it five stars.

How does it compare to similar models?

Vax also sells several other spot cleaners, depending on what you need yours for. The SpotWash Home Cordless is among their most expensive spot cleaners, retailing at £249.99. It's the only cordless model they sell.

Let's start with their most affordable option: the VAX SpotWash Duo Spot Cleaner which retails for £139.99 but is currently on sale for £89.99. This machine is corded but it is lighter in weight. It comes with the same tools apart from the crevice tool. You clean it the same as the SpotWash Home Cordless.

Next up, the VAX SpotWash Home Pet-Design at £199.99. Again, it's corded, but it does come with all of the same tools as the SpotWash Home Cordless, plus a new tool: the SpinScrub Hand Tool. It's also more compact.

The VAX SpotWash Home Pet-Design & Car is the same as the above tool but it comes with a 3-piece car kit. This includes a Dry Debris Tool, plus a crevice and brush attachment. It's £219.99 but is currently on sale for £129.99.

Retailing at £229.99, the VAX SpotWash Max Pet-Design is on sale for £149.99. It offers stronger suction and a larger tank for bigger homes and tougher jobs.

The VAX SpotWash Max Pet-Design & Car is also £249.99. It's the same as the above model but it comes with the 3-piece car kit.

Should you buy the Vax SpotWash Home Cordless?

The Vax SpotWash Home Cordless is a great investment if you're keen to look after your carpets and upholstery. It won't become part of your regular cleaning routine, but you will find that you use it for deep cleans and accidental messes. While it does require some elbow grease to work, it does take the hard work out of removing tough stains from soft furnishings and floors.

Plus, it's easy to clean. You'll use this in so many rooms of your home and even in your car as it's cordless, and you might even find that your friends ask to borrow it as it's so handy. I wouldn't recommend it for use on hard floors, but on anything soft, it's a total game-changer.

I definitely think it's worth the price, considering it can clean so many surfaces and items. Plus, its cordless design is so convenient. And for that alone, it's worth the £250 price tag.

About this review, and the reviewer

Annie Collyer

Annie is the former deputy ecommerce editor and is now a regular freelance contributor for Ideal Home. She has tested a variety of home appliances, including dehumidifiers, air purifiers, vacuums, coffee machines, and, of course, spot cleaners.

I tested this spot cleaner for over a week in my home. I used it three times from full tank to empty, and I had to recharge it around 4 times, too. I used it in my living room, bedroom, my daughter's room and on my stairs and landing. I cleaned the machine twice while using it, which was easy.

I have a dog who loves to leave his hair everywhere in my house, especially on my sofa. And a daughter who is slightly clumsy when it comes to spilling drinks and getting food all over herself. I wonder where she gets that from! So, I definitely put this spot cleaner through its paces in my family home.

I've been allowed to keep this spot cleaner, which I am delighted about as I'm planning on using it to revive all of my upstairs carpet, but it's going to be a big job!