In the early history of the vacuum cleaner, Jim Kirby was one of the first inventors to use water as a filtration system to capture dirt.
While it was effective, it wasn’t easy to get rid of the water. So use a canvas system to pick up dirt.
This led to the era of the bagless vacuum cleaner until the early 1980s when James Dyson unveiled the first bagless vacuum cleaner.
Most of the vacuums I’ve been showing on this blog over the past few years come with a bag or dependent filters and dirt cup.
Rainbow is bringing back old school by reintroducing water purifiers to the market.
While it is effective at picking up dirt on carpets or mattresses, it is very bulky and heavy. But before you ignore the rainbow, you might want to consider it if you have issues with allergies and bed bugs.
Features at a glance
- One of the very few vacuum cleaners on the market that uses water purification
- Besides water filtration, it also has a HEPA neutralization filtration system that captures nearly 100% of dirt/contaminants.
- The dolly has swivel wheels that work well in terms of maneuverability
- Powerful products for cyclone motors around 1.5 HP – powerful enough to deep clean carpets and mattresses
- Comes with attachments for cleaning floors, upholstery, nooks and crannies
- This also doubles as an air purifier as it sucks the air along with the pollutants inside a bowl of water leaving a clean environment smelling fresh.
Positives
- Water is used to pick up dirt – there are no bags to replace or filters to clean.
- Doubles as an air purifier that absorbs allergens
- Caster wheels make this somewhat maneuverable despite its weight
- The main cleaning tool has bright LED lights to aid visibility especially when tracking dust bunnies
- Strong suction makes this deep cleaner very good on carpets and plush mattresses (more on that later)
Negatives
- Expensive – that’s well over $1,000
- Too heavy for a vacuum cleaner – if you add water to the total weight, it weighs over 20lbs.
- There are complaints about the poor quality materials used at Consumeraffairs.com
Table of Contents
What do you expect from a rainbow broom?
When you get this one, it comes in a huge box that weighs between 30-40lbs because of all the accessories that come with it.
This machine is huge for a cylinder vacuum cleaner. The good thing though is that the dummy has wheels underneath that aid in maneuverability.
There is no pole
Unfortunately, the main cleaning head does not rotate.
One of the biggest benefits you get from the device is the purification of the water that you use to pick up dirt, allergens, hair, dust bunnies and all the other nasty things that are hiding under the carpet.
Since there are no filters can clog. No matter how fine the dirt is, this machine will not lose suction.
But…
Previous E series models I’m showing here didn’t come with a HEPA filter so really fine dust like drywall dust or wood ash won’t stay inside the water but the E series solves this because it has a HEPA filter inside.
The one thing I love about Rainbow is the versatility.
You can use it on floors, upholstery and even mattresses…
If you thought your mattress was clean, think again.
We had our mattress professionally cleaned by a company that uses rainbow vacuums and the amount of contamination I picked up was really disgusting.
Out of the box, you will get a myriad of tools.
Aside from the main cleaning tool that you use to clean floors and mattresses, it also comes with a hardwood floor tool, crevice tool, upholstery tool, and dusting brush.
Yes, it comes with a tool that can clean refrigerator coils.
How cool is that?
With a machine that has water purification, the maintenance will be slightly different.
Instead of cleaning the filters, you have to clean the water separately at least two to three times a year…
Since this is an expensive purchase, be sure to buy it from an authorized distributor such as Amazon so you don’t have issues with warranty claims in the future.
bare floor performance
Between the main floor tool and the bare floor accessory (combined with the powerful suction from the 1.5 HP motor), this machine is fully capable of cleaning bare floors.
The great thing about water purification is that dust bunnies will stay inside the water bowl until you get rid of it.
carpet performance
This is where this product shines.
When you combine water filtration, powerful suction (80 cubic feet per minute) and a well-designed floor tool with its own motorized brush.
You have a powerful deep cleaning machine that is able to clean even the finest particles of plush carpet without losing suction.
Let’s compare how it performs against Kirby upright…
Now the Kirby used in the video has a pretty strong suction, but cleaning up the fine dust negated it because the sand had clogging the filters inside, so when the rainbow was used to clean the same area, he was able to pick up a good amount of sand.
Another demo on a very dirty rug…
upholstery performance
One of the unique properties of the rainbow is its ability to clean mattresses.
And if you think your mattress is clean, you are wrong.
Despite its clean appearance, our mattresses collect a lot of dirt, especially dead skin and bed bugs.
If your child suffers from some type of skin condition like eczema, cleaning your bed with a machine like Rainbow will go a long way in preventing this condition from getting worse.
I already showed you a video of Rainbow cleaning a new mattress earlier, and here’s another.
Pretty gross isn’t it?
You can even use it on other types of upholstery like these bar stools…
I mentioned earlier that it comes with an upholstery and duster tool for cleaning other types of furnishings around your home.
Attachments and accessories
Out of the box this machine comes with six…
- Floor and wall brush
- dust broom
- upholstery tool
- slit tool
- Indoor Cleaner & Blowing Tool
- Refrigerator coil tool. It also has a tray where you can store these tools on it
Besides all these goodies, it has an Aerofresh Bag where you can put pillows or pillows that Rainbow claims can remove odor.
Aside from those tools included in the package, Rainbow also sells other accessories if you need them like the Aquamate that turns it into a carpet cleaner, RainJet, MiniJet (this looks like a tool for cleaning carpeted stairs), SuperMop and RainbowMate.
So with all these tools at your disposal, it does everything you need to keep your carpet floors clean.
rope length
Rainbow does not specify the exact length of the power cord.
Maintenance Tips
Since this machine uses water filtration and not the standard cloth or paper filter commonly found in most vacuum cleaners on the market today, there will be some nuances about how to maintain this product.
If you follow these basic guidelines, expect your Rainbow to last 20-30 years because it’s a very powerful machine.
Let’s go through them one by one.
Here are some basic maintenance tips from what to do after flushing out to cleaning your roller brush…
The latest E-series vacuum cleaner uses a HEPA filter to truly capture fine dust. There are two types available, washable and disposable.
Here’s a video on how to maintain these filters and instructions on extending the life of your disposable HEPA filter…
To put it all together, here’s a video guide from Rainbow themselves on how to use this device…
Guarantee
Based on the information on their website, it says it comes with a 4 year warranty for the cleaning system and accessories and an 8 year warranty for the vacuum cleaner motor/electrical console.
product specification
| attachments | Floor and wall brush
dust broom upholstery tool slit tool Indoor Cleaner & Blowing Tool Fridge File Cleaner included box Aerofresh bag |
| rope length | Unavailable |
| Automatic wire winding |
 |
| motorized brush |
|
| Brush on/off switch |
|
| rotates on axis |
|
| the Flashlight |
|
| Filter clogging indicator |
* Uses of water purification |
| bin full indicator |
|
| without bag |
* Uses of water purification |
| multi surface |
|
| self-propelled |
|
| Net weight | 19 pounds |
| Purchase Weight | 35 pounds |
| hose length | Unavailable |
| cleaning path | Unavailable |
| dirt capacity | Unavailable |
| filter type | Water + HEPA filter |
| Energy | 1.542 hp (high speed)
.067 hp (low speed) |
| Voltage | 120 volts |
| Made in | China |
| Price | Check Price |
Customer Reviews
Based on customer reviews, people either absolutely love it or hate this machine because this machine is completely different from any other vacuum you see on the market.
Since it uses water purification, taking care of this will be different from a traditional vacuum cleaner that uses a dust bag or cup.
Cleaning essentials for this product
One consumer in particular recounted the basics of caring for this product. First, you’ll need to shake off the water before it’s completely full or raw.
Second, clean the water separator periodically (I shared the video above).
Third, do not store this in a damp aquarium as moisture will destroy the motor.
All of these are very basic and will go a long way in increasing the life span of this machine.
some issues
There are complaints about bad after-sales service and poor quality control (broken accessories, etc.). So be sure to buy from an authorized dealer to avoid warranty issues.
In terms of performance, this machine performs really well without a doubt. It doesn’t matter if you’re cleaning a plush rug or a mattress, it will pick up dirt.
Again, I cannot stress enough that in order for this machine to operate in peak condition, be sure to follow the maintenance tips I shared above.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy this Vacuum on Amazon where the price goes up to around $1800 for a brand new E2 series.
BUY NOW FROM AMAZONto finish
This vacuum would be great for people with allergies or kids with sensitive skin like eczema. The multiple capabilities of this device rid your home of allergens, bed bugs and sticky allergens.
strong suction
As you’ve seen in the videos above, the rainbow is capable of picking up sand under strands of plush carpet even after cleaning it with a powerful vertical vacuum cleaner.
Great for mattresses
On a nice looking mattress, I saw how much sticky stuff it could pull out. This includes dead skin cells, and bed bugs, the latter of which should be a concern if your child has a skin condition such as eczema.
You can also use this device as an air purifier.
Remove the hose and it will absorb invisible allergens that can trigger an asthma attack. If you live in a dusty environment, give it a serious look.
If you are concerned about the high price, consider it an investment for your family’s health. Remember that if you know how to take care of this machine, it will easily last for 20 or 30 years.