A vacuum can be an expensive investment, especially if you want one that will see you through many years of service (you know what they say, buy cheap, buy twice!). Below, you'll find factors you might want to think about before you take the plunge, to ensure you're actually getting the right vac for you. I wander round the house opening cupboards and smiling where before it was energy sapping in the extreme. If anything goes wrong with your cleaner, the SmartWash+ comes with an extended five-year warranty. It has one of the widest cleaning heads we tested at 12 inches, an inch wider than the Bissell ProHeat, and it’s 0.5-gallon dirty water tank was a bit larger than the Bissel’s 0.4-gallon tank. A 22-foot power cord and 8-foot attachment hose give you plenty of room to work. The run time is up to 60 minutes, which is pretty impressive for a cordless vacuum and the 1.7-litre capacity is absolutely excellent if you want a cordless vacuum for a family home. During testing the large vacuum head was noticeably excellent for covering a larger surface area in less time.

After the bubbles have stopped, you can top the stain with the paste you’ve created. Leave it for 5-10 minutes then wipe off with a clean cloth. 5. Use shaving cream on coloured grout The Beko Powerclean is easy to use and comes with a range of attachments that will adapt to any home. There are two brushrolls that can be switched out for hard floors and carpets, as well as a crevice tool, mini brush head and dusting attachment. Unfortunately, slate easily absorbs stains and can become chipped. Not to worry though, just follow these steps to give your floor a good clean without causing any damage.You don’t want to be bleaching anything coloured! Not to worry though, shaving cream is an alternative option and can be used on coloured grout.

Your vacuum path is illuminated by LED lights, and the vacuum even hinges with an elbow attachment that folds down to reach underneath sofas and beds with less bending work for you. This is like Shark's Flexology function, which we're big fans of. The price is incredibly reasonable for this Dyson-rival, and we also liked the stand that came included, which made storage straightforward thanks to the on-board tool storage. Our one gripe? That 0.8 litre dustbin fills up fast. Preventative maintenance is a term we use a lot at Flamecraft. This is because it is so important. It is always better to preform regular maintenance to your hearth to help prevent any issues arising later. A weekly clean is one of the best forms of preventative maintenance, because it helps protect against build ups of dust, ash and other residues. For this reason, we advise that you clean your slate hearth with a very dilute solution of warm, soapy water once a week. The Bissell also comes with an excellent steam-only pretreat mode for loosening tough stains. Compared to other upright cleaners, it’s a much simpler way to pretreat areas and won’t require you to carry the Bissell’s hose attachment or a separate spray bottle for spot treatment. Portable carpet cleaners work best if you’re typically dealing with spills or smaller stains and want a cleaner that doesn’t take up much space. Many of the models we reviewed also include features like pet hair removal tools that’ll undoubtedly be appealing to pet owners. You can also easily move a portable cleaner around if you want to clean a stain out in your car or on a stairwell. There's no doubt that our testing process proved that this vac is worth the large price tag that it carries. Even if you don't have pets, the ease with which this vacuum does away with hair is astounding, and our Ecommerce Editor Molly found that it was unmatched when it came to suction.

Slate Floor Stain Removal Tips

Using a soft bristle brush, sweep the floor for any loose dirt. Ensure not to use a brush with hard bristles—they will damage the slate. 2. Dust the floor The tube is long but telescopic, making this a good cleaner for tall and short people alike. We loved it for its straightforward cleaning power. Its suction is outstanding thanks to a powerful, fast (more than 100km/h) cyclone. The single cyclone design also makes for low noise and controllable power. The cylinder moves smoothly on its castors and perches acceptably on a stair, though it's not the easiest to clean this section of the house with.

With its 5-foot hose, sizable 96-ounce water tanks and attachments like a specialized pet stain tool that combines bristles with hard plastic spikes, the Bissell Little Green Pet Pro is heavier duty and more powerful than most portable cleaners. Despite sporting only a 3-inch head, the Little Green Pet Pro needed just a few passes to remove smaller stains during our testing.

The battery life on the Vax Blade 5 gave us absolutely no trouble, and we completed all of the tasks we needed to that day without having to return for a second charge. Even better, with the Vax Blade 5 you get access to two batteries, which means you should get up to 90 minutes of charge, and you'll never be without your sturdy Vax vac when you need it. With this Dyson, you're shelling out for innovation, with the hard floor head boasting lasers that illuminate dirt and dust that you'd never usually see - a cleaning enthusiast's dream. The anti-tangle feature on the Digital MotorbarTM (the head for carpet cleaning) works as well as offerings from Shark and revealed a huge amount of sunken-in dirt during our at-home tests. The three modes are absolutely perfect for toggling between everyday and deep cleaning too. You’ve likely seen professional carpet cleaning systems for rent at supermarkets and big-box stores, and you may even have hired (or considered hiring) a service like Stanley Steemer when you’ve moved into a new place. But owning your own smaller unit can make a lot of sense, especially if you have pets or small children who regularly dirty your carpets. Slate floors are a great addition to any home. However, they need to be maintained if you want to keep them looking fresh.

One of our favourite things about this vacuum was the clever charging stand, which has a progress bar for battery life. It's a lifesaver if you can't drill a holder into your walls, and makes the whole appearance of this vacuum look more sleek. Use a clean soft cloth to smudge in a small layer of teak or slate oil. Make sure you do this after the slate has fully dried. 7. Apply a sealant To find the best portable and upright carpet cleaners, we tested all nine models for more than a month and ran them through a gamut of cleaning scenarios.

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We also prioritized usability and design during our evaluations. Models that were easy to carry around, clean and maintain earned the best marks throughout our testing.