In 1977, we began with a simple idea, what if people could deep clean their carpets at home? No bulky rentals or having to get a professional involved, just simple, easy carpet cleaning on their own schedule.
The answer was a small orange machine created by Vax founder Alan Brazier. Nearly 50 years later, our carpet cleaners look rather different – but we’re still working on the same challenge: helping people achieve a deeper clean at home, with less effort.
From the original orange Vax to the latest MAXClean range, discover how almost five decades of carpet cleaning have taken us to where we are today.
1977: where it all began
Our story begins in Droitwich in 1977, when founder Alan Brazier became frustrated by the lack of carpet cleaning equipment available for people to use at home. His solution was simple – he developed the first domestic vacuum cleaner that allowed people to wash their own carpets.
Small, cute, orange and capable of washing carpets as part of its 3-in-1 design, the original Vax machine laid the foundations for a new approach to looking after floors at home – and for the Vax we know today.
the 1980’s: the orange becomes a household icon
Alan’s idea quickly caught on. The Vax 111 Orange Tub was initially sold door-to-door before becoming available through electrical retailers and high street shops in 1982. Its bright orange cylindrical design became instantly recognisable as more households discovered they could wash their own carpets rather than relying on separate carpet cleaning equipment.
By 1987, we’d reached another important milestone – becoming the nation’s favourite floorcare company.
The trusty orange machine might have become an icon, but the thinking behind it was more important: find a way to make a difficult cleaning job easier to do at home.
2017: deep cleaning takes another step forward
By 2017, after decades of refining, development and testing, the Vax carpet cleaner looked very different from the original orange machine.
The Dual Power Pro Advance combined multiple technologies designed to tackle the whole carpet cleaning process, including rotating brushbars, SpinScrub brushes and powerful extraction.
Auto Mix took care of mixing solution and water, while a dedicated hose and tools helped extend the clean to areas such as stairs and upholstery.
the roaring 20’s – carpet cleaning becomes quicker and easier
The next generations of Vax carpet cleaners weren’t simply about achieving a deep clean. They were increasingly about making the process itself easier.
Machines such as Platinum Power Max brought together powerful agitation and extraction with features designed around real homes and the people cleaning them.
And then came another change: taking some of the thinking out of carpet washing altogether. With Platinum SmartWash, we introduced a more intuitive way to deep clean carpets.
Motion Sense Technology meant the machine could wash as it was pushed forwards and dry as it was pulled backwards – removing the need to hold down a trigger throughout the clean.
It was a simple idea with a bigger purpose: let the carpet cleaner take care of more of the process, so you don’t have to.
SmartWash continued that original Vax principle in a very different-looking machine – using new technology to make carpet cleaning fit more easily around everyday life.
2026: introducing our newest star, the maxclean range
Almost five decades after our first machine made carpet cleaning available to everyone, our new MAXClean range is the latest evolution of our carpet cleaners.
Deep-cleaning performance is combined with a slimline design that looks, feels and manoeuvres more like an upright vacuum cleaner.
Motion-Sense Technology takes care of washing and extraction as you move. An onboard ready-to-go hose makes it easy to switch from cleaning carpets to tackling stairs, upholstery and other areas around the home. And powerful extraction can leave carpets dry in as little as 30 minutes† when using Dry Only mode.
It’s the result of nearly 50 years spent asking the same question: How can we make deep cleaning easier?
Of course, our objective hasn’t changed since 1977. But our technology has.
Vax Staff