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Hoover Vibra Brush Carpet Shampooer (5481) review

Priced at $299.

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CHOICE Expert Rating

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CHOICE Expert Rating

This is the product's overall performance score, based on key tests conducted by our industry experts in the CHOICE labs.

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Good points

The product's best features and benefits

Bad points

Drawbacks or issues you need to know about
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Hire model or buy model View more details.

Whether the carpet shampooer is a retail model you buy outright or a hire model.

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Recommended View more details.

We recommend carpet shampooers with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 70% or more.

CHOICE Expert Rating View more details.

The CHOICE Expert Rating consists of 70% performance and 30% ease of use.

Performance score View more details.

Performance consists of carpet cleaning (80%), stain cleaning (10%) and residual wetness (10%).

Ease of use score View more details.

Ease of use makes up 30% of the total score and consists of ease of filling emptying/tanks, mobility, controls and head movement.

Carpet cleaning score View more details.

Carpet cleaning makes up 80% of the performance score. We replicate ground-in dirt using a combination of sand, clay and oil.

Stain cleaning score View more details.

We stain carpets with red wine, gravy and coffee, let it dry, and assess how much stain is removed. Not all carpet shampooers claim to be suitable for removing these types of stains, and the solutions we use are targeted towards general dirt build-up, so this only makes up 10% of the performance score.

Residual wetness score View more details.

We assess how much residual wetness there is on the carpet after a number of hours. This makes up 10% of the performance score.

Shop Ethical Rating View more details.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. N/A means there is no rating for that company.

Warranty (years) View more details.

The stated manufacturer warranty. A three-year warranty for these products is reasonable, while a one-year warranty is poor.

1
Power measured (W)
750
Power stated (W)
800
Country of origin
China
Availability View more details.

'Tested model' refers to carpet shampooers that are currently available in shops and online. 'Discontinued model' refers to carpet shampooers that are either out of stock, or actually a discontinued line from the manufacturer.

Discontinued model
Price View more details.

We test carpet shampooers you can hire or buy outright. For hire models, we list the typical hire cost for 48 hours (though 24-hour hires are available). The cost listed does not include cleaning solutions or additional upholstery tools that may not be supplied with the unit.

$299
Year tested View more details.

The year tested indicates which test batch the products were part of. As some conditions change, 2022 results are not comparable with earlier ones.

Suitable to clean upholstery View more details.

Whether the carpet shampooer is suitable for upholstery such as lounges. In some cases you may need to buy additional tools.

Yes
Cleaning solution used View more details.

The solution we used for the carpet shampoo test. Many manufacturers claim you should use compatible solution or risk voiding your warranty. Most manufacturers sell a wide range of cleaning solutions; we use what we think is indicative of a general use solution. Note that manufacturers may change formulas for the shampoo from time to time which may affect performance scores.

cleanUP Carpet Cleansing
Reach from power point (m)
7.2
Weight (kg) View more details.

Weight does not include the weight of the tank when it's full.

6.8
Noise (dB)
Website
Cleaning solution supplied View more details.

Whether cleaning solution is supplied with the carpet shampooer. Most of the time only a small 'sample' solution is supplied. For rental machines, you'll need to buy solution at the point of hire.

No (a low foam solution is recommended)
Cord retraction
No
On-board storage
No
Crevice tool
No
Upholstery tool
Yes
Brush tool
No
Can be used as a dry vacuum cleaner
No
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