I didn't think this *very* cheap carpet cleaner would be able to tackle the dirt and stains on my carpet – it quickly proved me wrong

When you need to give your carpets a refresh but don't want to spend hundreds on a premium carpet cleaner, budget options like the Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner start to look appealing.

That's why I put this £79 carpet cleaner through its paces with deliberate stains and real-world testing to see if you can get decent results on a shoestring budget. While it won't tackle deep stains as efficiently as the best carpet cleaners on the market, it's a decent enough device for the price point.

In a nutshell

The Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner is a no-frills, budget-friendly option that does exactly what its name suggests – refreshes carpets without breaking the bank. With an RRP of £79, you'd be hard pressed to find a more affordable carpet cleaner, and while it won't win any awards for power or advanced features, it does offer a straightforward solution for basic carpet maintenance.

After using it for two weeks, I found the cleaner did a good job of refreshing my carpets and leaving them clean. It also handled wine, coffee, and tea stains well – each stain lifted after a couple of minutes of continuous passing. The red wine did leave very faint marks, but you wouldn't be able to notice these unless you got down on your hands and knees to inspect the carpet closely.

It's simple in its design, which for some will be all they need. But it lacks the advanced features found on more expensive models, like spot cleaning attachments or specialised brush systems.

If you want a device that will clean your carpets to a satisfactory level and are aiming to keep costs to a minimum, the Russell Hobbs model could be a nice pick.

Specifications

• Watts: 600
• Power cord: 8m
• Weight: 6kg
• Dimensions: D42 x H109 x W26 cm
• In the box: Main unit, Unit handle, Carpet shampoo (500ml bottle)
• RRP: £79.99

How I tested

Katie Sims

I'm Katie, one of Ideal Home's regular digital contributors. I've tested a variety of home appliances, including dehumidifiers, air purifiers, coffee machines, and vacuums.

I reviewed the Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner for two weeks in my home in Leeds. I tested it during controlled tests, which involved throwing wine, tea, and coffee on carpet samples. I also tested the carpet cleaner by using it to generally clean the carpets in my home.

Unboxing, set-up, and first impressions

The Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner arrives in a black box covered in information and images of the appliance inside. So, I know exactly what to expect when I pull the carpet cleaner out.

I had no issue carrying the box around by myself, thanks to the lightweight nature of this appliance. It only weighs 6kg in total, so I know instantly that the carpet cleaner should feel effortless to manoeuvre.

In the box are the main unit, the handle unit, and a user manual. I know from the information on the box itself that there should also be some screws included, so I spend a good few minutes hunting for these before I realised that the screws were already attached to the unit.

While I often feel a slight sense of trepidation before assembling an appliance, setting up the Russell Hobbs Carpet Cleaner couldn't have been easier. I simply needed to unscrew the two screws in the main unit, place the handle in position and put the two screws back in to secure it in place. This took a couple of minutes, after which the carpet cleaner was good to go.

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I was relieved that a 500ml bottle of carpet shampoo was included in the box, too. It's always nice when you can start using an appliance straight away, instead of faffing about placing separate orders.

I will say that it would have been nice if only recyclable packaging had been used to protect the carpet cleaner during transportation. Two large sheets of plastic were covering the main unit and the handle, which was a little disappointing. While this type of plastic can usually be recycled at larger supermarkets, my preference is always to be able to put all the packaging in with my regular household recycling.

However, once I assembled the carpet cleaner, I could appreciate the all-white body and the contrasting blue water tanks. I wouldn't describe it as sleek - in fact it looks pretty basic - but I don't think it's an eyesore either.

Using the Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner

To prepare the Russell Hobbs Carpet Cleaner for its first use, I followed the instructions on the carpet shampoo bottle and added 20ml of solution into the water tank along with one litre of water. The carpet shampoo created quite a frothy mixture, which looked promising. I appreciated the handy markings on the water tank showing 1 litre and 1.8 litre (max) capacity, which made measuring straightforward.

Putting the water tank back into the machine did feel a little awkward – there isn't a clear click to indicate it's properly in place, and I had to fiddle around quite a bit to get it seated correctly. Water was starting to leak out of the bottom of the tank as well, which is supposed to happen once everything's in place, but it did make the process a tad more annoying.

Once I plugged the appliance in and switched it on, I noticed there was no indicator light or sound to confirm it was actually running. The machine also lacks an on/off switch, suction settings or different modes, which does mean you're limited in terms of customisation for different carpet types or stain severities. But for a carpet cleaner at this price point, this isn't surprising.

To start using the carpet cleaner, I used the handy foot lever at the bottom to drop the handle backwards – it can drop to pretty much horizontal, which I thought would be useful for reaching under furniture. Following the guidance in the instruction manual, I began moving the carpet washer over my living room floor, holding down the lever on the back of the handle to release the cleaning solution.

I wasn't entirely sure anything was happening at first – the machine doesn't sound particularly powerful, and there's no obvious visual feedback. However, after a few passes, I could see that the water in the tank had gone down significantly, and there were satisfying carpet streaks appearing on my living room floor. This gave me confidence that the machine was indeed working.

The cleaning process is straightforward – you push forward while holding the trigger to spray the cleaning solution, then the machine extracts the dirty water. After running it across the room, the carpet didn't look overly wet, but it was damp to the touch.

After the first use, I decided to fill the water tank to its maximum 1.8-litre capacity and double the amount of recommended carpet shampoo to save the hassle of refilling frequently. The water and shampoo solution does go down fairly quickly, which was another indicator that the carpet washer was doing its job.

Annoyingly, the carpet cleaner isn't suitable for cleaning under certain pieces of furniture, despite the flexible handle. Because of the dirty water tank, it wouldn't fit under my pouffe, for example. It would have been nice to be able to access all areas of my home with the cleaner without the hassle of moving furniture around.

To get a clear visual on how good the Russell Hobbs Carpet Cleaner is at tackling stains, I poured 50ml of red wine onto a carpet sample and left it to settle into the fibres for 24 hours. I usually rely on a dedicated spot cleaner to remove stains like this, so I was curious to see how the Russell Hobbs appliance would fare.

At first, I was pretty concerned the wine wasn't going to come out at all – the red stain was still showing clearly against the light grey carpet. But, after a few minutes of continuously passing the carpet cleaner over the marks, they did start to lift. The cleaning solution and water extraction gradually lightened the stain, and by the end of the cleaning session, there were only very faint marks left.

While the carpet cleaner didn't achieve the complete removal you can expect with more powerful models, the results were better than I initially expected. You can still see the marks if you look closely, but only faintly – and for a machine at this price point, I was fairly impressed.

To give the carpet cleaner the best chance of getting rid of the wine, I filled the water tank to the max line, but noticed that a fair bit of water was spilling out the back when passing it over. This was a little annoying, and going forward, I decided not to fill the tank up quite as much.

Next, I poured black coffee onto the carpet sample and again left it to set for 24 hours. By the time I came back to the sample the next day, the coffee stain had deepened and created a dark, noticeable mark that would really put the machine to the test.

After a few minutes of passing the cleaner over the stain, it had pretty much lifted. I was pretty impressed with these results – for such a budget-friendly model, I didn't expect the cleaner to remove such a dark stain so quickly.

For the final test, I poured tea onto the carpet – I went with a green tea that had been left to brew for a good 20 minutes or so, as I felt this would contrast well against the grey. Again, it only took a couple of minutes of passing the cleaner over the area for the stain to disappear almost entirely.

In general, I was pretty pleased with how the Russell Hobbs Carpet Cleaner performed, both in general use and in the stain removal tests. I'm sure more advanced models would lift stains more efficiently, but for a budget buy, the Russell Hobbs cleaner left me impressed.

Cleaning and maintenance

The colour of the water in the dirty water tank after each use was a little shocking. While it was slightly embarrassing to see that much dirt had been lurking in my carpets (especially after what I thought was regular maintenance), it was also oddly satisfying to see tangible proof that the machine was working.

There's nothing on the machine to indicate when the dirty water tank is full, however, so you do need to keep an eye on the water level yourself. The dirty water tank lifts out easily enough, and I got into the habit of emptying the water down the sink each time I finished using the machine.

The filters also need to be washed once a month with cold water. These are easily accessible, though re-inserting one of the filters back into position was a little fiddly.

The most annoying part of the maintenance routine is probably re-inserting the clean water tank back into position. After two weeks of testing, I still find that I have to fiddle around with it, and I'm never 100% certain that it's locked in place.

Storage is straightforward enough – the cord wraps around the handle neatly, but the device's less-than-slimline design means you might need to create a suitable space for it.

How does it compare to similar models?

When comparing the Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner to other models on the market, its budget-friendly price tag makes even more sense. For example, the Shark CarpetXpert HairPro Pet Deep Carpet Cleaner EX250UK (RRP £279.99) offers significantly more power and features. Lauren - Ideal Home's resident floorcare expert - awarded the Shark model 4.5 stars, praising its integrated spot cleaner and superior stain removal capabilities.

Where the Russell Hobbs cleaner left faint marks after the red wine test, Shark's model achieved complete stain removal. There are also dedicated pet-focused features and accessories included with the Shark, which you won't get with the Russell Hobbs.

And compared to our 'best overall' carpet cleaner - the Vax Platinum SmartWash Pet-Design Carpet Washer (RRP £349.99) - the Russell Hobbs model seems even more basic. The Vax cleaner comes with seven accessories, an odour-eating solution, and Heatblast Technology for faster drying. Our reviewer awarded it 5 stars during testing.

But the Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner is a much more affordable alternative. Our current favourite budget carpet cleaner is the Vax Rapid Power Revive (RRP £199.99), offering antimicrobial treatment, deep and quick clean modes, and innovative SpinScrub brushes that rotate in different directions. These features mean it's still a lot more expensive than the Russell Hobbs model - but, it would likely be able to lift stains more easily.

Should you buy the Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner?

The Russell Hobbs Upright Carpet Cleaner is a no-frills, budget-friendly option that does what it says on the tin – refreshes and lightly cleans carpets. Its strength lies in its simplicity and ease of use. For surface cleaning and general carpet maintenance, it does the job and won't break the bank.

I think this device would struggle with challenging stains or deep cleaning. It's got a modest suction power which wouldn't be suitable for heavily soiled carpets, and there are no doubt more powerful alternatives that will get the job done quicker.

For light, regular maintenance of carpets in good condition, the Russell Hobbs carpet cleaner is a solid choice. Just don't expect quick miracles, and be prepared to exercise a bit of patience when cleaning stains.