When you have a big family who are home all day, plus a ridiculously hairy dog (honestly, we thought Rottweilers were short haired and a no-mess kind of pet. Huh. No one warned us they have a double coat which they shed completely twice a year – six years now, and we’re still flabbergasted at the amount of hair that drifts off her every 6mths) vacuuming is a bit of an endless chore.
But actually? *whispers* it’s the one I enjoy most. I know I’m not supposed to admit to being such a sad act, but I do. It’s active, effective, and satisfying.
But dragging the big upright vacuum out daily? Ugh.
Because unless the dog is mid-shed-fest, we don’t really need a whole-house daily vacuum. What we need is a spot vacuum.
Which is where the Vax SlimVac totally excels.
Personally I’d never see this as a permanent replacement for a big solid corded upright – we’re too messy, and have too much house to make it really practical.
But.
For small households, quick clean ups and spot cleans? This is where it’s at.
First up, like most wand cordless vacuums, you need some wall space – this thing does not stand up unaided, and you’ll want to make use of the wall bracket to hang it with its tools. It should be noted that the bracket doesn’t charge the SlimVac, so it doesn’t need to be stored near a plug – great news if that’s an issue, but does mean you have to remember to charge it!
Once the unit is charged (around 4hrs) you get a maximum of 24 minutes use – but that’s masses of time if you’re using it for the daily clean ups of spilt cereal, between-cupboard grunge and the cobwebs up in the corner.
It’s a total lifesaver when you realise you’ve got guests arriving in 20 minutes – just grab and whizz. Skirting boards, corners of the stairs, shiny surfaces, post-breakfast crumbs on the surface and kitchen floor… all are gone without a second thought.
Craft time clean up (ye gods, how do they spread the glitter, sequins and tiny shreds of tissue paper so far and wide??) is no longer a bother either.
And because you can remove the long stainless steel extension pole to use it as a short handheld cleaner, it really doesn’t matter if you’re cleaning the floor or a table top, both are just as easy.
And then there’s my favourite, the pet hair tool, It just totally works. It’s fabulous. Honestly. The red rubber edging to the narrow tool just grabs that hair, and magical clean spots appear amidst the black sheddings (other coloured dogs work too).
The trigger design is simplicity itself to operate, and the lock on the trigger (exactly the same as a garden hose trigger) saves a lot of hand ache on longer clean up sessions. The cylinder isn’t huge (0.6l), but again more than capable of taking in regular rapid clean-ups – and you really wouldn’t want a bigger cylinder messing up the balance of the machine. Emptying is a simply button switch for the bottom to plop open, and the filter is easily reached when it needs a clean.
The standard foot is incredibly maneuverable, and once you’ve got used to the unexpected twisty-ness it allows you to really zip around awkward chair legs and kitchen units, under the coffee table and over the doormats without really stopping.
Suction power is astonishingly good on all floor (and surface!) types, and the versatility of the SlimVac means it’s not going to be sitting gathering dust itself. You’ll be reaching for it when the car needs a clean, the kids will endlessly steal it to sort their bedrooms out (so much less effort than hauling an upright to their room), and a million and one other small jobs that suddenly seem totally worth bothering with, now it’s not quite as tricky as it used to be.
The Vax Cordless SlimVac Vacuum Cleaner can be bought in most electrical stores – direct from Vax it’s currently just under £140.
20 January 2017
This looks like an amazing product, specially for people with bad backs.