With 2 young children and a Labrador my cream carpets take a real beating. I am constantly having to get them cleaned, and this was becoming very expensive! After having the Vax spring cleaner before and being really disappointed with it, I was dubious about trying another carpet cleaner, but after reading the reviews I decided to give this one a go. The Vax Rapide Ultra 2 arrived in a rather large box, and upon opening I realised this was quite a large machine. It certainly looks like it means business, and although it relatively heavy it is not too heavy. The instruction manual was a bit lacking. There were pictures to show how to connect the bits and pieces but not much in the way of written explanations. A lot of it was done by pot luck; I looked at the shape of brackets etc on the machine and concluded that is where certain things should go!! It was time to put it to the test, and fill the machine up. First to measure the cleaning solution, and add the required amount of water. It would have helped to have a small "measure" included as you need 40ml of solution per litre of water, and as I did not know how much it held I had to do this pain stakingly 1 jug at a time. It worked out that it holds 4.5 litres of water - this equates to 180ml of solution. It was a little tricky as well because the tank does not stay up on its own, so I had to hold it whilst doing this. The cleaner was really easy to use. You depress the switch to release the fluid whist pushing machine forward, then release it and pull machine back whilst it sucks the dirty water back up. I used the hose and nozzles for the hard to reach areas and thus was able to do all the carpet. I was shocked at the colour of the water coming up from the carpets!! I knew they were mucky but really!! The results were amazing! The carpets were lovely and clean, and the pile rejuvenated. I was also amazed at how dry the carpets were after cleaning. Within a couple of hours they were ready to walk on. The tank was easy to remove for emptying. Was a bit fiddly to get the tank fully rinsed, but not too bad. Cable length is good, and hose does almost all of the stairs. Would I recommend this product.....erm yes definitely!! It does exactly what it is meant to and you won’t be disappointed. It also comes with a 2 year guarantee which has got to be good.

I have previously used a Vax carpet washer and was pleased with the performance but the Ultra 2 beats it hands down! The instructions are easy to follow with good, straightforward diagrams. I particularly liked the 'one tank' feature, water and cleaning solution are mixed in a decent sized 5ltr tank, meaning you can do a room without having to refill it. You press the trigger on the handle during the outward push to release the fluid, let it go and on the pull back the used water is sucked up. The suck is pretty powerful which means its only a short time before your carpet is dry. I had water left in the tank so I used it for the arms of our settees, they came up looking like new too! My previous vax had been VERY difficult to clean but this one? quick rinse and you're done. Fantastic!!! This is a great carpet washer , I wish I had come across it sooner

This Vax is brilliant, highly recommended! It was delivered in a very big box, but once unpacked the machine itself is a reasonable size, weight and very sturdy. I expected it to be really heavy to push around but it moved really easily along my different carpets. We have had carpet cleaners before which have left us with bad backs for days, especially my husband who is 6 foot 8, but as this is an upright machine and of a decent size, no back pain was experienced! We have a dog, and hoover daily so wouldn't have expected many dog hairs to be cleaned up, but the rotating brush on this machine got deep into the pile lifting lots of dog hairs out (which was a bit embarrassing really)!! Cleaners we've used in the past have left carpets soggy and took hours to dry, but this machine left them virtually dry, and as it is January it's not like we had all windows and doors open to help them along, as we've previously had to do. The hand held tool was brilliant for getting into tricky corners, and ideal for the stairs. We also used it on our sofa, chair and pouffe and it brought them up like new, you don't realise how grubby things have got until you clean them! I'm blaming our 2 year old daughter for that one! My mam and dad even commented how fresh smelling our living room was the day after! I think this machine is definitely value for money, and would highly recommend it!

Vax Rapide Ultra 2 W90-RU-P Carpet Washer This machine comes with a 2 year guarantee which I registered online. It is extremely well constructed and assembled in next to no time without the need for any tools. The instruction leaflet was accurate and very simple to follow.The product description promised an easy to use and versatile upright machine, which washes your carpets, removes stains and sucks up spills. It comes with a separate attachment for using with the pre-treatment. The recommended amount of shampoo solution is 40ml per litre of water and I noticed there was no measure enclosed which I think would be useful. It is very easy to clean carpets as all you do is pre-treat stubborn stains with the solution supplied and the wand attachment and leave for 10-15 minutes then remove the wand and wash with shampoo solution by pulling the trigger on the forward movement, then releasing on the backward movement and you can then see the dirty water being suctioned out. I was amazed at just how much dirt was removed as I did not think my carpets were that dirty. It is quite a heavy machine especially when full of water and proved to be difficult to manoeuver unless it was straight there and back. It is similar to using a normal vacuum cleaner. The shampoo supplied is enough for a medium sized room and the carpets were left only slightly damp. I have a dehumidifier which I left plugged in overnight and the carpet was dry by the morning. The shampoo is quite costly and I found it pays to shop around for deals as prices vary. There are extra attachments for cleaning the car and upholstery so I decided to wash the upholstery in my car even though I cover the seats when I take the dog out it was very grubby and was about to get it valeted. The car looks brand new after I cleaned it. I was thinking about having to replace my hall, stairs and landing carpet as I have a dog and had tried many times to remove stains by hand but to no avail. My carpet now looks brand new after using the Vax Rapide 2 and I have many more years use out of it and know I can remove stains quickly and effectively. The overall results with this machine were excellent and it is good value for money taking into account the cost of this machine I think it pays for itself after 3 or 4 washes rather than using an outside contractor or replacing carpets.

Upon receiving my brand new Vax Rapide Ultra 2, I became very excited as I am the epitome of this Carpet Cleaner’s reason, having three Children, a Dog and a cream carpet. Previously having no easy way to clean my carpets, the cream mid-pile carpet had flattened and turned a mottled shade of brown especially on the through routes from Hall to Living room and those from the Utility to the Dining room. I had stains on the floor from where Coffee and Cola had spilled in awkward places and had desperately tried to soak it up with old towels over the years. The Vax Rapide’s box is not of a wasteful size; all supplementary tools are tucked in convenient spaces so as to fill the box. The Carpet Cleaner itself is quite heavy to lift, yet upon using, is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre. To fill with Vax detergent and tepid water was simple with uncomplicated instructions and with the use of a measuring jug and spoons and a funnel, the tank filled without spillage or complication. I used the pre-treatment wand and solution on the ground in stains, this solution only has to remain on the Carpet for 10-15 minutes before continuing with the Main Clean, leaving sufficient time to thoroughly rinse the tank and refill with the correct ratio of the main cleaning solution. As mentioned before, the unit is almost effortless to push and pull despite myself having back and walking problems. The mechanism to disperse the fluid is a cinch to master and upon releasing the button and pulling back seeing the dirt filled water being sucked up was wonderfully satisfying. Immediately after what felt like a deep clean, I felt the carpet with my hand; it was damp, but not wet. After three quarters of an hour the carpet was dry to the touch and visibly cleaner, I took the ‘after’ photographs the next morning, so even if the cleaning solution contained an optical brightener the true benefits could be seen. Comparing my before and after photos, in the same light shows a dramatic change in colour, brightness and texture. Overall, I found the Vax Rapide Ultra 2 to be fit for its purpose, efficient for removal of tough, long term stains and child’s play to perfect. I would thoroughly recommend this pleasing Carpet Cleaning device to anyone who wants or needs an affordable fix to care for their Carpets. It does what it says on the box.

Bought a vax rapide ultra 2 to help with my carpets and I have to sey, it has done a great job. Got the cleaner with £100 off and then free delivery. It came on time and has been really easy to use.

Last year, I bought a Vax Rapide XL which turned out to be the worst cleaner ever scoring it a generous 2 stars. However, persistence is the name as after complaining again to Vax that I had tried all their methods to resolve the problem of it not dispensing the detergent and water together, they immediately replaced it free of charge for the Rapide Ultra 2. They restored my faith as compared to the XL, it is night and day! I would actually say that this model has done a better job the Bissell I once owned and is excellent value (if I had to have purchased it!). I am more convinced than ever that the XL with its system of mixing detergent and water was flawed and I was not the only person to complain. If you are tempted to buy any rapide XL's left in stock, DO NOT. Just like regular cleaners, it is easy and better to mix it yourself. Thank You to Vax for putting this right and I am more than happy to give this model top marks.

Having recently acquired a puppy my carpets were beginning to show signs of wear & tear! Purchased Vax Rapide from Argos at special offer price to replace my old non-upright Vax, which was messy to use. The box is big, but everthing fits together well producing a machine that looks huge. Gettting started is easy - just mix solution in the clean-water container (Vax needs to supply a small plastic measuring cup for this), replace the container in the machine and go. Initially have to get used to pressing the solution spray button when pushing forward and then releasing it when pulling back so that it sucks up the mucky water - and mucky it was too! I didn't realize how grubby my carpets were until I saw the colour of the waste and compared treated areas with non-treated. Suction is good and machine picked up a good quantity of grit because of its rotating beater bar even though I'd Dyson'd the carpet beforehand. Auto-full mechanism works well and getting rid of the waste is easy and clean. Very pleased with performance - carpets are left noticeably cleaned and retextured, and suction is so good that they're left almost dry. Only a few downsides. First machine's spray button failed after first use with result that machine sprayed all the time (what a mess) - replaced by Argos without any fuss. Replacement machine had broken plastic storage clip - again replaced by Argos without any fuss. I may have been unlucky, but there may be quality control issues at Vax. Also, Vax needs to look at the on-board storage for the hand-tube and electrical cablee - it takes ages to do this satisfactorily & I'm sure there must be an easier way to do it. Highly recommended!

When I received the Vax Rapide Ultra 2 I was amazed at the size of the box, upon opening it became clear that the machine was quite a big machine, taking up most of the box! However once out although it was quite heavy it did look powerful. The instruction leaflet was short, with pictures rather than written instructions. A few more words would have been helpful! I had to look at the pictures showing elements of the machine in use to work out where everything went as the "set-up" pictures only showed how to attach the handle and the Wand.
The machine is then ready to go! Measure the cleaning solution and add the required amount of water. It would have helped to have a small "measure" included, my jugs did not have the required scale, eg you need 40ml of solution and my jugs measure in 50ml intervals. Additionally because of shape of tank for the solution it will not stand on its own, so fill it over a sink!
Cleaning the carpets was incredibly easy! Push forward; activating the solution switch, I released the switch just before I came to the end of the push forward stroke, and pull back to suck up. This method of cleaning is very easy, size of machine makes it hard to get into small/tight spaces, but for this I used the hose and hand held nozzle. This works on the same principle after you have attached the hose (very easy to do once you have found the relevant picture), Squeeze trigger on forward movement - a word of warning: the liquid is sprayed in a sideways pattern from just behind the head of the nozzle, for using on the stairs I angled the nozzle at about 45 to get the most effective coverage on each step - pull the nozzle back and you can see the water being sucked up, in fact I went back over areas where I had used a lot of solution on the main carpets and sucked extra liquid up using the hand held nozzle.
The carpets were lovely and clean, and the pile rejuvenated, even my husband noticed! Also they were almost dry straight away. Two hours after cleaning I had everything back in place.
The pre-treatment wand seemed to me to bit over the top, but I haven't got any really dirty bits, if I get stains on my carpets I clean them as they happen, and the main machine coped brilliantly with the main traffic areas without the need for pre-treatment. If you inherit a very dirty carpet of one with large areas of staining then this attachment would come into its own.
Removing the dirty water chamber is very simple, a bit fiddly to get it totally rinsed clean. Removing and replacing the tank for the cleaning solution is again very simple to do, rinsing clean is very easy.
Cable length is good, but winding cable onto machine is time consuming because there is a lot to get into a small space. The hose could have been two steps longer! It would then have reached all the way to the top of my staircase, but then I guess it would have been harder to store.

I got very excited about receiving my Vax Rapide Ultra 2 Carpet Washer as my previous washer was very old now and did not do a great job. I loved the look of the machine on the picture and thought it looked a powerful up to date machine.
Upon receiving the washer I immediately noticed the weight of the machine it was very heavy and quite a big machine. I also saw all the parts and thought it would take a lifetime to put it together and fathom how to use it. Then the instructions are just a few page leaflet which surprised me. Well I had the machine together in 5 minutes and working in 10 minutes. I was shocked at actually how easy it was to put together and to use. It really was very simple.
The performance of the machine in my lounge and dinning room on my carpet was amazing. I have 2 children and a chocolate Labrador and hoover most days. The water the washer got out of my carpet was really dirty and this shocked me. We even take our shoes off in our house but the muck that came out of the carpet was amazing. It took me a few minutes to get used to the press to release the solution on the forward push and release to suck on the backwards pull. This does take a bit of practice and you need to make sure you go slowly to release lots of solution and even slower coming back to suck it all back up. You can see the dirty water being sucked back up as you pull back.
The washer comes with some washing solution which worked very well on the carpet and left a pleasant fresh smell. I am sending the OAP parents to B&Q on a Wednesday to buy some more as it's not cheap. The amount of solution to use with water was a bit hit and miss. I ended up just tipping a bit of solution in then a couple of jugs of water then a bit more solution and then a couple more jugs of water. I wish there was an easier way to get the right solution/water into the machine. The container was easy to fill and attach to the machines and the water reservoir was easy to attach and detach too. You empty the water by releasing a cap then just rinse it out.
The carpet was also almost dry to the touch after I had used the washer which was great no more leaving to dry over night. I also noticed there was no wet dog smell like with my old machine.
The machine also comes with a wand that attaches to the machine to allow you to pre-treat some stains with a concentration of the pre-treatment solution that you also get in the box. This was good to spray some areas particularly areas near the doors etc. and also on the upholstery. There is a flexible hose and wash tool so you can use these for upholstery and stairs.
There was plenty of power cable to do the length of your house but it was a bit fiddly tiding it back up to the back of the machine after I had tried to wrap the pipes at the back too. I would prefer if the cable retracted somehow. The machine can also suck up any spills too.
In a month we are moving house and I am going to use the washer in every room before we move in and I can't wait. My mother in law has used it on her carpets and I even used in on my Mums carpet and we could all not be happier with the results.

Upon opening and unpacking the carpet cleaner the first thing I noticed was its sheer size - it's much bigger than a previous Vax carpet cleaner that I've used in the past. This does make it a little cumbersome and awkward to use in tight spaces but fortunately it comes equipped with a hand held device which is great at getting into tight corners or using on the stairs. It's a shame that on full stretch the cord can't reach the top 2 steps on a standard staircase. The carpet cleaner also sucks up spilled liquids with ease (with or without the hand held device) but a detachable turbo rotating brush in the hand hand device would have been beneficial for washing carpets.
This carpet cleaner also comes with a pre treatment wand which, when not in use, attaches to the back of the handle. Rather than providing a jet of cleaning solution to the stubborn stain instead it sends out a wide spray so In order to use this effectively you must use it at very close range. Both the pre treatment wand and the hand held device securely attaches to the carpet cleaner and both have a hose which is used to dispense the solution but on both attachments there is nowhere for the hose to store and I was forced to tuck it into the attachment which can sometimes result in solution dripping from the end of the hose.
It's performance in large rooms is superb. I have 2 children and a black Labrador and I'm forced to hoover each day so my carpets always look clean but after using the Vax Ultra Rapide 2 for the first time the dirty water was jet black! It really does lift dirt that my hoover couldn't reach. A large room can be cleaned relatively quickly but the instructions state that you should press the button to release the solution on the forward stroke and release it (to suck up the water) on the backward stroke but I found that holding the button down longer and scrubbing the carpet in several strokes then releasing it to suck up the solution worked best.
My main gripe about the Vax Rapide Ultra 2 is the solution container. It's easy to detach from the carpet cleaner but It's large size makes it very heavy to carry and the instructions aren't clear on exactly how much water it contains - after painstakingly using a measuring jug to fill it I worked out that it holds 4.5 litres of water - this equates to 6 fluid ounces of solution. I wrote this on the side of the solution so I wouldn't forget in future! A measuring tool would have helped. The unit does come with 2 bottles of solution, one being for pretreatment and both leave a pleasant but not overpowering smell on the carpets after use.
After using the cleaner for a certain amount of time an indicator tells you when the dirty container is full. This is easily detached and emptied through a cap which screws off with a simple half turn. The dirty container can become clogged with dirt in certain places and as such can be a nuisance to thoroughly clean.
The carpets are virtually dry immediately after use due to the unit's Dual V technology - so much so that my dog had no issues with damp paws and lay down straight away.
Overall the Vax Ultra Rapide 2 has a few issues and is in no way perfect but it is still an excellent carpet cleaner in both large and small rooms and I'd highly recommend it. It comes with a 2 year guarantee.

Wow!! This is a truly amazing cleaner. Having used Bissell previously I have definitely been converted. This is extremely easy to use and does the job really well. I have 2 pre-school age children, as you can imagine this equates to my carpets getting dirty fairly quickly, drinks tend to be spilt fairly frequently. I decided to use it first without the using the pre-treatment wand and found even the worst marks were barely visible. I have now used the pre-treatment on areas which required a bit of extra help in clearing the stains and my carpets now look almost new. I would definitely recommend this cleaner to anyone considering purchasing one. Also the price of the cleaning fluid is really reasonable and widely available to which is definitely an extra bonus.

Vax W90-RU-P Rapide Ultra Pre Treatment Upright Carpet and Upholstery Washer ...................

OK , WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THIS CARPET CLEANER , OTHER THAN 100% SUPERB
i have tried other carpet cleaners , and none compare to this one
with 2 young messy children and a long haired dog , our lounge carpet used to get quite messy at times
after using this just once on our lounge carpet it looked like we had , had a new carpet fitted
setting up this cleaner is very simple , instructions are easy and it took my husband about 5 minutes to put this together and away he went , you can actually see the dirt lifting out the carpet grooves and the pile on the carpet being buffed back up , it doesnt wet the carpet too much either , we cleaned it early evening after kids were in bed and by next morning it was dry and just perfect , the vax shampoo and pre treatment solutions leave a very nice fresh smell too , we also cleaned out shagpile cream and beige rug which was quite dirty with 2 young children and that also came up like new , VERY impressed with this cleaner and would reccomend it 100% , the box it arrived in was quite big and i was expecting it to be heavy to use and push but was surprised how easy it was to use .......... i would give this cleaner a full 10 out of 10 for performance :-)

Vax Rapide Ultra 2
Setting up the machine was really straightforward however the only complaint i have is how the long hose attachment which wraps round at the back. I have either done this incorrectly or it is just not a great design.
The preclean fluid and the gun attachment was excellent, smelled nice but not overpowering and the gun was easy to use and my 4 yr old had fun helping.
The main clean was also impressive as previous models i have had the shampoo goes on easily but the suction and brushing was not good therefore the carpets ends up wet but still dirty. This machine brushed and had good suction so the carpet actually looked clean and dried well.

The first thing that strikes me about this product is that it's comparatively light. A carpet cleaner is always going to be quite a bit heavier than a vacuum cleaner, but having used several shampoo machines over the years, this one is amongst the lightest I've used.

Assembling it out of the box was easy - really just a case of clipping on the handle. The instructions were clear and easy to understand.

So the most important bit - how well does it clean ? Well, being the owner of 3 kids, 2 cats and one dog, our carpets take a bit of a battering. I was very impressed with how much dirt this managed to remove. On some stubborn marks I had to use the pre-treatment kit then give it another go, but this managed to shift the stains. I particularly liked the way the pre-treatment wand had been designed, it's really easy to target small areas. Overall I was very pleased with how the carpets looked when I'd finished.

The other attachment is for sucking up spills. As a bit of an experiment, I thought I'd try the lazy way to clean the kitchen floor ( which is tiled and sealed ). Instead of mopping and drying it, I just sloshed a fair amount of soapy water over the tiles then sucked it up with the machine. Bingo, job done in a fraction of the time it normally takes, and the floor was at least as dry as I usually get it by mopping and wringing out.

Overall a very good machine. And pretty good value if you compare it to the cost of hiring a machine for the weekend - I reckon after about 3 or 4 uses it'll have paid for itself, and it's so handy having it available for whenever one of the pets or children have a little "accident" !