Home Depot is launching a new Ryobi 18V cordless spot cleaner, the SwiftClean.
The new Ryobi SwiftClean is designed for life’s everyday spills and messes, with the brand adding that it delivers rapid stain removal with powerful suction for quick cleanups.
It features a powered scrub brush, for agitating and lifting debris, and can be used on upholstery, car seats, stairs, carpets, and other such surfaces.
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The Ryobi SwiftClean cordless spot cleaner has clear components, and easy tank removal for quick emptying. It delivers up to 17 CFM of airflow, and 17 IOW of sealed suction power.
According to Ryobi’s spec sheet, the SwiftClean spot cleaner delivers up to 75 minutes of runtime, although the context is unclear. For a product like this, I would expect and be satisfied with roughly 15 minutes of runtime with a 2Ah battery.
Update: Ryobi says you can expect up to 75 minutes of runtime with a 6Ah battery, and up to 25 minutes with a 2Ah battery, although runtime performance is going to be application-dependent.
Cordless spot carpet and upholstery cleaners aren’t a new product category, but this looks to be the first such product from Ryobi, and the first such product to be powered by an 18V cordless power tool battery.
The 18V SwiftClean has a 0.6 cup solutions tank, and comes with a 6oz bottle of ready-to-use OXY cleaning solution.
The dirty water collection tank has a 1-cup capacity.
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The tank is also top-rack dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
The agitator brush can also be removed for cleaning.
Pricing and Availability
Tool-Only (PCL756B) – $119
Kit (PCL756K) – $159
The kit comes with a 2Ah battery and charger.
ETA: September 2022
Discussion
I could definitely use something like this. I have a corded carpet/rug/couch cleaner, but I don’t use it much due to the hassle involved in setting it up and cleaning it.
I also haven’t been interested in cordless carpet cleaners or spot cleaners, due to not wanting more cordless equipment that might not be used very often.
The Ryobi SwiftClean seems convenient and capable.
It’s also worth mentioning the Hoover OnePwr cordless carpet and upholstery cleaner as a potential alternative. The Hoover has a removable hose, while the Ryobi is styled after a traditional one-piece hand vac.
The Hoover kit is priced at $139-$149, which is less than the Ryobi kit, and it also come with a removable battery.
Hoover is owned by TTi, the same company that develops Ryobi cordless power tools for Home Depot. If the SwiftClean works out well, perhaps this will be the first of Ryobi’s cordless spot-cleaning solutions.
rob
I am with your Stuart, I like the idea for a quick clean up options. I also have a couple of other steam cleaners I use to clean the cars and such. But this would be handy for quickly cleaning stairs, a spot on furniture and floor mats. Not that it takes forever, but the process of taking out the steam cleaners, setting up the cords etc it’s often a deterrent.
Also of note, you don’t even need to add any cleaning solution, just add hot water. You can spray a cleaner on the spot to be cleaned ahead of time and just use the hot water and accomplish the same thing.
John
I like to use vinegar mixed with water in these types of cleaner. They don’t get all the residue out, so if you use soap you’ll leave some in your carpet (unless you do two cycles, first with soap and then with water). So I like using vinegar, or just spraying it with cleaner from a spray bottle and then using plain water in the vac to scrub and rinse.
MM
This has some great features. I like how the rotary brush can be removed for easy cleaning. It’s also great that the cleaning solution and the collection tanks are both transparent so it’s very easy to see how full they are.
The air flow sounds very weak though. Only 17 CFM? I have a Dewalt DCV517 whose airflow I consider marginal and it’s rated at 39 cfm. Now perhaps the Ryobi is capable of stronger suction? But just looking at the numbers it seems fairly anemic.
Adam
I have a feeling its because its not an apples to apples comparison. Other Ryobi vacs have much higher CFM. The 6gal wet/dry is 80 cfm.
David Z
Re: 17cfm, I wouldn’t think of this as a vacuum, I don’t think. It’s really sucking up just small amounts of dirty water, so lower cfm may not be an issue.
MM
I’ve never used one of these cordless units but I’ve used larger units like the Rug Doctor and a Bissell corded “steam cleaner”, among others. I’ve found that the higher airflow is very desirable since it does a better job of getting the cleaning liquid (or water, from a steam cleaner) out of the carpet. Some of these cleaners leave the carpet very nearly dry to the touch after they pass, others leave it feeling obviously wet.
Now like I hinted at and Adam mentioned too, CFM isn’t the only variable here, there’s also the suction power, as in how many inches of water vacuum it can pull with the inlet blocked off. It is entirely possible that this device can pull a strong suction even though its flow rating is fairly low.
Jared
This looks great! I might prefer a removable hose/wand for precision, but that’s not a deal breaker. I’m surprised Ryobi didn’t already have one of these. I think I’ll pick it up when it’s available in Canada.
Steven B
This is smart! I would never buy Ryobi tools and am happy to pay the premium for DeWalt, but this is just not something DeWalt or Milwaukee does. If Ryobi one competed outside DeWalt’s strengths, like for routine home stuff, I’d be an eager customer.
My one suggestion: Ditch the ugly lime green. It’s not a job site. You want my wife buying this and she doesn’t want it looking like a yard tool or something that belongs in a garage. Make it pretty like Dyson and give it a new name, but use the Ryobi batteries and I imagine the audience would double and you can probably even charge a premium, similar to the “pink tax”
Jared
I think “routine home stuff” is exactly Ryobi’s wheelhouse. They’ve got a ton of interesting stuff not available from any other brand.
James (a different one)
Agree they have a lot of interesting stuff. Random stuff like this is great for the Ryobi portfolio. I probably won’t be getting this at the list price, but maybe during a sale picking it up for spot cleaning carpet. I really don’t like the hassle of cords and have enough Ryobi batteries lying around.
Bill R
James, I think you’re “spot”-on… Many won’t buy at list, but this is a great cleaning solution that will be great for the next Ryobi Days at Home Depot. I’d buy another set of batteries to get this for free, or buy this sucker to get a free 6Ah battery. I’m not 50/50 Milwaukee and Ryobi in my shop and very happy with both.
Jeremiah Ducate
Agreed, his take was off on that. Hes not a fan of ryobi though so I forgive not knowing what their lineup entails. I do think he may have a point about the color for their household tools being a turnoff to some people.
Stuart
Ditch lime green?
Make it pretty like Dyson?
Give it a new name?
Bam: https://toolguyd.com/hoover-onepwr-cordless-vacuums/
Hoover Onepwr.
April
As a woman I can say the lime green is absolutely not a deterrent in willingness to purchase. Quite frankly I would never buy anything that’s pink or any other “girly” color. Admittedly though, I’m not your typical “girly” female and am very much a tomboy. I love the lime green and black color combo and have a decent Ryobi tool collection. Might have to add this little cleaner to it.
Gordon
That look WAYYYY too similar to the B&D Spillbuster cordless. I’m pretty surprised that TTI would copy a SBD tool that closely. I mean, it’s down to the location and shape of the sprayer nozzle.
https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-spillbuster-Cordless-BHSB320JP/dp/B086T5FFZW/
Jared
Good catch! There are some pretty striking similarities between the two. I wonder if there was some sort of collaboration or if Ryobi would just claim the design similarities arise from the nature of the tool.
Scott F
I finally gave in and entered the Ryobi platform, for reasons just like this. Cool unique tool that my girlfriend will use/enjoy as much or more than me. Thanks Ryobi, now to wait for the sale.
Ray
I have a minivan, 6 kids, and already own some Ryobi power tools. This was made for my family!
Ball_bearing
Sometimes you step on animal or people’s bodily waste, sewage, all kind of nasty stuff without realizing it (or even aware of it, and you try your best to wash your shoes), and then step into your car or truck.
Would you really put something that you used to clean your car’s carpet into the dishwasher? You use the dishwasher to clean the utensils you eat with…
MM
That does sound a bit gross when you think about it, but a dishwasher gets hot enough to sanitize the things inside it. The heat will kill whatever nasties are in there the same way it kills the nasties from the raw chicken juice all over the cutting board.
That said, I do think it’s unnecessary, what’s wrong with just rinsing out the tank under the sink with some hot water and soap?
Collin
These are a good idea in theory. However, I wish that Ryobi went with a different design.
I’ve tried a lot of different spot cleaners, and I’ve came to like the ones with a tank and hose.
I have tried the Black&Decker model that looks just like this Ryobi one, and I found it exceedingly cumbersome in actual use.
The main issue is weight. No one wants to hold all that water. There’s a tank for the cleaning solution. There’s a tank for the dirty water. There’s also a massive battery–I can’t imagine using this thing with a giant 6 Ah battery, as Ryobi implies with its 75 minute runtime. There’s a reason the B&D has a runtime of like 10 minutes. They used a small battery to keep the weight down, but even that’s not enough.
The wastewater tank also has a small capacity (notice just how low the “max” fill line is on the Ryobi). Also, it’s annoying when the water sloshes around and the suction falls off momentarily when the thing is at an angle and the max fill line is exceeded. Not to mention the constantly shifting balance of the tool as the water moves from one tank to the other tank. Oh, and the sheer number of gaskets on a cost-cut tool like this. The B&D suffers from complaints of leaks. I’d be surprised if these make it more than a few years without leaking.
Once the novelty wears off, I expect that most buyers of this thing will either forget about it in the closet or return this to Home Depot. It’s simply cumbersome to drag around 2 tanks of water to clean small messes. The Hoover/TTi model with the stand-up tank and separate hose is far superior in ergonomics.
David Z
Remember, it’s a spot cleaner – your not going to hold it for 75 minutes at a time. You can use a 2 Ah battery for weight and the amount of time “spot” implies. Also, it only holds 12.8 oz (.6 + 1 c) of liquid combined if I read it correctly. That shouldn’t be too horrible on the arms.
Saulac
The brush is very special feature for its class. Removable and seemingly motor driven, vs vacuum, makes it even more so. I wonder if the brush is powered by it’s own motor or somehow powered of the vacuum motor.
Kevin
Very true. I’m not aware of very many motor driven brushes on vacuum hose attachments.
Mike
Will Def pick one up for my next puppy – that Hoover corded one wasn’t very convenient.
George
I wonder how this compares to the Bissell spot cleaner I use now (https://www.bissell.com/spotclean-pro-portable-carpet-cleaner-3624.html). Would certainly be easier to pull out for small stuff.
To the issue of putting the pieces in the dishwasher, I’d be more concerned with ensuring grit-type debris didn’t end up in my dishwasher. That will ruin the grinder really quickly.
Tim
When will this ryobi spot cleaner be available?
Stuart
As mentioned in the post, September 2022. This could change, but it’s the only estimate available so far.
James
Has anyone heard any updates on when this will be available. It was supposed to be in September, it is now 3 weeks into October and I haven’t seen it available on home Depot app yet (despite checking multiple times per week).