VAX Platinum SmartWash Pet-Design Carpet Cleaner Review
When you think of carpet cleaning, a vacuum cleaner is likely the first thing that comes to mind. But while vacuums are great for picking up dust and debris, they do little to tackle deep-seated stains and bacteria. Which is why something like the VAX Platinum SmartWash Pet-Design Carpet Cleaner is so encouraging as an idea, and we’ve been testing it on some of our carpets, rugs and cushions at the studio. RRP is £349.99, but you can currently get it on offer for £229.99.
Design
This appliance is not too hefty in its proportions of H106.40 x W32.50 x D44.50cm, or weight at 8.9 kg. As you can probably tell, even though the SmartWash is boxier than some alternatives, it remains actually more manageable in size and is more like a traditional Vax vacuum cleaner to look at and operate. Its build quality feels good and solid and what's even more reassuring is the 6 year warranty included. We have used Vax’s warranties in the past, and their parts dispatch is rapid!
It’s not cordless but the 9 metre cord provides ample reach for tackling large rooms without constantly switching plug sockets. There's a 1.9 litre tank for the dirty water and another tank for the clean water. Interestingly, the cleaning Vax Platinum Antibacterial solution is loaded on the back and there’s not a shared chamber between it and the handheld pre-treatment wand; this means the wand is not tethered to the appliance and it’s nice to be able to target stains with ease using this wand if required.
The waste water tank and FLEXFORCE brushbars are straightforward and easy to remove, and can then be rinsed clean with antimicrobial treatment, which is recommended to prevent bacterial growth.
Controls
Operation is a breeze, with just two buttons to interact with. There are no complicated pile settings or triggers to manually dispense cleaning solution or water—the VAX Platinum SmartWash uses an automatic mix system that takes care of everything for you. The moment you power it on and push forward, it begins cleaning, and when you pull backward, it smartly switches to drying mode.
When you ever feel the carpet has had enough moisture, you can then switch to 'Dry Only' mode at the press of a button, allowing you to speed up the drying process without dispensing any additional water solution. This intuitive, trigger-free operation makes deep cleaning carpets almost effortless as there’s no real learning curve, with it being just like a conventional vacuum cleaner to operate.
However, we did encounter one peculiar issue. When switching from Dry-Only mode back to washing and then attempting to re-enable Dry-Only, the function occasionally failed to engage. The only fix was to power off and restart the appliance. While not a deal-breaker, it’s something about which to be aware, as you don’t want to start washing again.
Cleaning Performance & Ease of Use
SpinScrub hand tool: It’s modest in size, so it is easily usable on things like cushions and upholstery. However, we do have one grudge with the design of it, as it’s more of a chore to set up due to the pipe not being something that can be stored onboard the Vax Platinum SmartWash, meaning it and the entire accessory are something that has to be stored separately. However, in situ, when attached to the front of suction outlet, it’s quite effective at washing cushion covers and cat beds. It offers good suction, effectively drying well enough so everything has such little moisture content that the remaining amount air dries in 1-2 hrs. Because it’s handheld, you can apply your own pressure to the automatic spinning scrubbing ability, helping to exert dirt out of fabric, etc., and whilst we do vacuum beforehand, the tool's design deals with any stray pet hair well and it just ends up in the wastewater tank ready to be discarded.
Carpet Washing: We started our tests in an entrance hallway with a thin-pile carpet—one that had seen its fair share of foot traffic and feline visitors, leaving it looking tired. The first few passes with the VAX Platinum SmartWash were particularly interesting. Despite the automatic dispensing of water and cleaning solution into the carpet fibres, there was no immediate visible dampness. Only by touching the surface could we tell moisture had been applied. This was reassuring, as it meant the FLEXFORCE brush bars were effectively scrubbing deep into the fibres while ensuring the solution was properly worked in rather than over-saturating the surface—exactly what we wanted. That said, it did lead us to over-clean initially; but, thankfully, this had no negative effects.
Next came the drying process, which left us both impressed and shocked. Running the VAX Platinum SmartWash Pet-Design carpet cleaner over the carpet multiple times in different directions (a crucial step, as we found that reversing against the initial grain helped extract more moisture) resulted in surprisingly little water remaining. Walking on it immediately afterward would still leave socks slightly damp, but by the next day the carpet was fully dry. A certain amount of praise must go to VAX’s HeatBlast technology, which, combined with strong suction, directs warm air onto the carpet to accelerate drying.
Now, for the shock—only when we started extracting the dirty water did we fully grasp the level of deep-seated grime lurking in our carpets. Despite having thoroughly vacuumed beforehand, the waste tank quickly filled with murky brown water, exposing years of hidden dirt and bacteria.
Since cleaning the entrance hallway, the space has smelled noticeably fresher and the carpet has been returned to its original brightness in colour. Encouraged by the results, we tackled other carpets, though not all revealed such alarming amounts of sludge in the waste tank, thankfully! Particularly satisfying were rugs prone to stains, which emerged looking revitalised, with little droplet stains banished and their pile feeling much softer underfoot. For these kinds of lightly soiled rugs, or the more regular cleaning of carpets, a couple of cleaning passes followed by drying leaves only around 1–2 hours left of post-air drying to feel completely bone dry. We haven’t had any scenarios where we have needed to spot clean, but we will definitely be reaching for the Vax when the time arrives!
Verdict
The biggest takeaway from using the VAX Platinum SmartWash Pet-Design Carpet Cleaner? Washing your carpets should be as routine as washing your clothes. You wouldn’t just vacuum your clothes and call them clean, would you? After seeing first hand the sheer amount of dirt and bacteria this machine effortlessly removes, it’s clear that carpet washing is a hygienic necessity, and not just with an occasional deep clean.
What makes it even more compelling is how effortless the process is. With AutoMix functionality, there’s no need to fiddle with solution ratios, carpet pile settings, or triggers—just switch it on, push forward to clean, pull back to dry, and let it do the work. And thanks to HeatBlast technology, drying times are impressively quick, ensuring minimal disruption. It’s a machine that truly takes the hassle out of carpet cleaning and delivers results that speak for themselves.
