Vax S86-SF-C Review

The Vax S86-SF-C is a combination floor mop and hand held steam cleaner. Unlike many other such combi mops, this model scores highly with most customers for both the mopping power and as a hand held device.

Users were very happy with the way the mop left hard floors – wood, laminates and tiles. It gives deep cleaning power and removes dirt and marks with little effort. The model comes with a carpet glider attachment and although the manufacturers describe it only as ‘refreshing’ carpets and rugs, customers reported that it was efficient at removing long-standing marks and ‘fluffing up’ flattened pile.

The mop is easy to manoeuvre, lightweight and has a nice, long 8m lead. It produces steam for about 20 minutes and only takes 15 seconds to heat up. Some people found that it left floors a little wetter than they would have liked, but this was a fairly minor criticism. The manufacturers recommend that the steamer is used with a Vax detergent, saying that this increases the cleaning power by over a third. They also say that it creates a seal which repels dirt and bacteria for up to 7 days. Whilst this claim might be hard for users to test, they reported that the detergent leaves a nice, fresh smell in the home (it comes in a choice of 5 perfumes). The mop heads clean easily and the unit itself feels nice and solid. The handle isn’t height-adjustable , but none of the users felt it was uncomfortable to push.

Click here to see what more than 20 Amazon.co.uk buyers thought – the majority rated it 5 out of 5!

The mop comes with 10 different attachments and the handheld unit can be used to clean a multitude of surfaces: ovens and hobs, glass, grout, upholstery (subject to the type of fabric), curtains, tiles and barbecues. It also de-creases and refreshes clothing efficiently. Generally customers felt that the handheld unit worked well. There was some concern that you had to hold down a button to produce steam, which wouldn’t be easy for someone with arthritis in their hands. It did a good job on glass and ovens and most other surfaces, although the consensus was that it isn’t fantastic on grout.

A slight annoyance was that the model comes with a QuickStart guide and the user is then referred to the website for more detailed instructions, but these aren’t easy to locate. For your convenience we’ve assembled a full set of video instructions for the Vax Steam Fresh Combi range here.

Overall, this model was praised for standing out as a combi mop that really does mop and multi-surface clean efficiently.

Take a look at the video below to see this mop in action…