Updated 1 Nov 2026
Is the Vax Platinum SmartWash Carpet Cleaner worth it?
Yes — the best carpet cleaner for most homes.
It senses which way you're pushing: it sprays water and solution going forward and sucks it back up coming back, so there's no trigger to hold and less risk of soaking the carpet. It mixes the solution from its own tank, has a Dry Only mode for extra passes, and comes with a hose, a spinning brush tool for stairs and sofas, and a six-year guarantee. It's loud, it's big to store, Vax's own solution is pricey to keep buying, and carpets still need a few hours to dry.
98%of 891 owners give it 4 or 5 stars
- No trigger: washes forward, dries back
- Mixes the solution for you
- Six-year guarantee
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What owners say
Owners love how it brings tired carpets up like new and how easy it is to use. The main complaints are machines that broke or stopped working, and carpets that didn't come out much cleaner.
Good to know
- It's loud while it's washing.
- Vax asks you to use its own solution, which costs more than supermarket shampoo.
- Carpets stay damp for a few hours, even after extra Dry Only passes.
- It pushes out water whenever it moves forward, so wheel it to the room tilted back or switched off.
- About 7.4 kg empty, and big to store.
From 891 buyer ratings at Currys, every complaint read by us, November 2026. How we do this
What they love
- Carpets come up like newMentioned a lot
- Easy to useMentioned often
- Carpets dry quicklyAlso mentioned
- Easy to push aroundMentioned by some
- No trigger, mixes the solution itselfMentioned by some
What they complain about
- Broke or stopped workingVery rare
- Didn't clean much better, or left carpets wetVery rare
Get it if…
- You have several carpeted rooms to refresh.
- You've got pets or kids and want old carpets looking new.
- You want it simple, with no trigger to remember.
Skip it if…
- You only deal with the odd spill: a spot cleaner like the Vax SpotWash Home Duo is enough.
- You have wool carpets: check the care label first, and test a hidden corner.
More on the Vax Platinum SmartWash
How we reached this verdict
T3 calls it probably the best carpet cleaner you can buy: easy to push, very good on fresh stains including pet mess, and it left carpets almost dry after a few Dry Only strokes. TechRadar found it removed fresh and old stains well and is easy to use, but heavy. Expert Reviews' test rug came up looking new; it found the machine noisy and the solution costly. Real Homes and Which? have tested it too. Owners at Currys and AO back them: they mostly say it brings carpets up like new and is easy to use.
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: T3, TechRadar, Expert Reviews, Real Homes, Vax, Expert Reviews, Which?, Real Homes, Vacuum Wars, manufacturer specifications.
Updated 1 Nov 2026How we decide