THISWORX Car Vacuum Cleaner : Indepth Review With Pictures

Is this the perfect tool to keep your car neat and tidy?

Car interiors can collect a lot of dust, dirt, and debris over time if you don’t clean them on a regular basis. For this, you need a portable vacuum cleaner to tackle the job.

The ThisWorx TWC-01 small dustbuster comes with a car detailing kit to clean your car from top to bottom. It’s lightweight, easy-to-use, and has more than 200,000 reviews on Amazon.

But is this little vac the best tool for cleaning your car? Let’s find out!

I tested this handheld vacuum to see if it offers strong suction and easy maneuverability for car cleaning. Read on for my full review of the ThisWorx car vacuum cleaner.

What’s in the Box

This handheld vacuum comes in such a lightweight, small box that it’s hard to believe there’s even a vacuum in there! But when you first open it, you can quickly see that there’s a lot packed into this little vacuum.

Inside the box for the ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum, you get:

• Handheld vacuum base with 16-foot 12V cord
• Flexible hose nozzle
• Brush nozzle
• Narrow tube nozzle
• Storage bag
• Filter cleaning brush
• Spare HEPA filter

Design is an important factor when it comes to any good car vacuum, and this model doesn’t disappoint!

This handheld vacuum weighs only 2.4 pounds and feels light to carry while you clean. Plus, it’s compact, so you can easily maneuver it through your entire car to reach all the nooks and crevices.

I love the ergonomic design of this handheld vacuum. It’s comfortable to hold and move around to find the best angles for cleaning.

The power button is also easy to reach, which is helpful when you’re cleaning in a hurry. Or when you need to switch the vacuum off quickly.

As for the construction, it’s sleek and modern, which makes it look premium. But, in the end, it’s plastic – so it doesn’t feel as robust as a car vacuum should.

Because of this, it scratches easily. But, overall, I didn’t notice any issues with this handheld vacuums durability.

I love the convenience of the car vacuum set tools for cleaning my car detailing. And piecing the parts together is an easy process, thanks to the helpful user manual.

It’s also simple to swap tools and attachments when you need to by slotting them into place. You only have to slide them in and out, which I found easy to do.

The hose, tube, and brush nozzle also feel sturdy when you’re using them. So they don’t bend or break when you’re cleaning in crevices or hard-to-reach areas of the car.

And you can apply extra pressure without worrying about them coming loose or falling off.

I was disappointed there weren’t more features such as LED lights or different modes to make cleaning easier. But for a basic car vacuum, it has everything you need for everyday cleaning.

Because this handheld vacuum weighs only 2.4 pounds, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to push on any car surface. And the handle on the ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner is in a comfortable position to hold.

Moving this vacuum around the car is more than easy, thanks to the ergonomic design. It’s comfortable and easy to grip, so you can vacuum wherever the mess is.

And I also didn’t feel any pressure on my hand or wrist while cleaning.

I love how easy it is to navigate the flexible hose under the seats or in between crevices. So I could easily clean in tight spaces and small gaps without missing any dirt.

My only struggle was with using the narrow tube nozzle. While it’s great for cleaning in small spaces, applying pressure to the tube is hard.

Because most of the weight goes into the handle and base, the tube doesn’t stay directly on the surface. So I had to use my other hand to add additional pressure onto the tube nozzle, which can be uncomfortable to do.

This wasn’t a big hassle, but without using both hands, it’s hard to suction dirt in these areas.

My favorite thing about this handheld vacuum is the versatility to clean my entire car from top to bottom. The attachments make it easy to reach any surface and gap inside the car.

But, you can also use the brush nozzle to clean the rims and door frames. And the long cord means it reaches almost everywhere in the car.

I could easily clean between my car seat cushions and underneath the seats. Plus, I could clean the console, cup holders, and doors.

However, there are some surfaces that this handheld vacuum requires a little more elbow grease on.

Otherwise, it tends to jump around or move in a different direction because of the stiffness.

The flexible hose and brush also require some extra work to clean car mats. Because the nozzle width is so small, it takes a lot of cleaning passes to clean the whole surface.

As for dirt, this little vac is best suited for light-duty tasks. But it’s not suitable for both wet or dry messes because it doesn’t have a wet function.

I live by the beach and also have two dogs. So my car collects a lot of sand and dog hair over time.

And this is where I found this handheld vacuum struggles the most. While it handles everyday dry messes like sand, dust, and crumbs pretty well, it’s not the best for anything bigger.

But it’s great for a quick and easy sand cleanup after a day at the beach. And it does remove a lot of pet hair from hard surfaces like the console and cup holders.

The ThisWorx Car Vacuum has some nifty attachments to provide a decent level of performance. However, on its own, the suction power isn’t super impressive.

It has a high-power force motor and metal turbine that’s meant to provide ultimate suction power with every cleaning pass. But for me, the level of ultimate suction power was disappointing.

It left behind a lot of dirt and residue after each pass. So it took several cleaning passes to notice a big difference in the results.

Luckily the attachments make it easy to use and maneuver, so it doesn’t take a lot of effort to do this.

I tested its performance using washing powder on my car seats to see how it tackles fine particles. The narrow tube nozzle picked up most of the powder in a few cleaning passes.

But, it did leave some small particles behind in the fabric.

It struggled the most with pet hair on soft surfaces. With no brush roll, it wasn’t able to loosen the hair from the fabric to suction it up.

So, it left most of the dog hair behind in this case.

It also leaves small particles, like small amounts of sand and powder behind on soft surfaces. But with a bit of elbow grease, I was able to remove most of the residue.

That said, this vacuum cleans hard surfaces impressively well. It removes almost all dirt and debris from cup holders and also the console.

But expect to put in a bit of work to clean pet hair, especially on car mats and seats.

Because this vacuum plugs into a 12V cigarette lighter, you don’t need access to a power outlet. So not having to worry about needing an extension cord was a big plus for me.

The 16-foot power cord is long enough to reach the back seats of most cars. But, it’s not long enough to do this comfortably.

Cleaning the front of my car was a breeze. There’s plenty of cord length to reach anywhere in the front of the vehicle and even on the back seats.

But, I had to carefully wind it through my car to reach the back, which was a challenge. This is because it isn’t long enough to reach around the outside of the car from the cigarette outlet.

So it was challenging to get from the front to the back of my car while cleaning.

And when it comes to cleaning the trunk, there’s not a lot of cord left. So I had a bit of trouble reaching into corners without pulling too hard on the power cord.

For me, this lessons the convenience of using a portable car vacuum cleaner. Because it limits the portability, it’s not as simple to quickly clean the back of the car when I need to.

But this is still easier than having to use an extension cord! And the power cord is light, so it’s easy to keep out of the way while you’re cleaning.

Because of their small and compact size, most handheld vacuums tend to have smaller dust cups. But, I was surprisingly impressed with how much debris this little vac can hold!

When cleaning my entire vehicle from top to bottom, the dust cup wasn’t even close to being full. So I never have to stop and empty it in the middle of my cleaning, which saves me a lot of time.

And I love that it’s transparent. The transparent trash container makes it easy to see when the cup is filling up before you start losing suction power.

As for emptying it, the process is straightforward. I can just press the button to release it from the base, remove the filter and protective lid, then pour it straight into the trash.

The only concern I have about the dust cup is the extra filter flap that the dirt passes through. This is a small flap near the opening that stops the dust from spilling back out when you vacuum.

In this case, you won’t be able to use the vacuum at all without replacing the whole unit.

The THISWORX Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner is a straightforward machine to maintain. Thanks to how easy the parts are to access, I found it super easy to keep clean.

The release button on the transparent trash container makes the dust cup easy to access. However, the filter can be a bit tricky to pull out.

It tends to stick to the dust cup when you’re trying to remove it. And when you finally get it out, the force can cause a small cloud of dust to escape.

But once you remove the filter, it’s easy to empty the dust into the trash and put it all back together. It’s also easy to rinse and wash the cup using warm water and mild detergent.

And because it’s plastic, it dries quickly.

However, the HEPA filter requires a bit of extra time and effort to clean, mainly because it takes so long to dry.

I had to wait over 24 hours for the filter to completely dry before I could use it again. Luckily, the cleaning process itself is pretty simple.

It comes with a special filter cleaning brush that helps to remove loose dust and debris before you wash it. Then, you can rinse it under running water or wash it in warm water with detergent.

As for the attachments, you can rinse them under running water to clean them. I found this easy to do, and there was no dirt left behind.

And again, the tools dry fast because they’re also plastic.

The only part I find difficult to maintain is the second filter flap. Because you can’t access it, there’s no way to clean it thoroughly.

And you also can’t replace it if it gets damaged.

I can’t fault this handheld vacuum cleaner when it comes to storage. Obviously, the small and compact size makes this easy already.

But the carrying bag makes it even better! The convenient storage bag allows you to keep everything in one place.

So you can store the ThisWorx vacuum and all the attachments in your vehicle for quick access whenever you need them.

And it doesn’t take up a lot of space. I could slide it under my seats or keep it in the glove box out of the way.

I also found it easy to fit everything inside of the storage bag, including the tools and filter brush. The attachments slip in smoothly between the vacuum base and cord.

Plus, it has a carry handle. This makes it easy to carry if you need to transport it for use on the go.

With the right attachments, you can clean every part of your car without a hassle. And the ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner has all the detailing tools you need.

It comes with the right accessories for getting into all the nooks and crannies hiding in your car. In fact, the excellent accessories are what make this handheld vacuum so great for car cleaning.

I find it very easy to switch accessories around because there’s no button or lever to worry about. You can attach them straight to the central unit by sliding them straight in.

This portable car vacuum cleaner comes with a flexible hose, narrow tube nozzle, and brush nozzle. The flexible hose is my favorite, as you can use it almost anywhere in your car.

It has a slim end that fits perfectly under car seats and in between narrow spaces. And because it’s flexible, it adds a lot of extra reach when you need it.

I also love that it comes with a washable HEPA filter. This offers excellent filtration while you clean, so I can trust that particles aren’t blowing back into my car.

But it also comes with an additional HEPA filter. And having a spare HEPA filter means I don’t have to worry about buying a replacement anytime soon.

Plus, it comes with a special filter cleaning brush to keep the filter clean in between uses.

The special filter cleaning brush is small but gets the job done well. It removes most of the dust and debris from the filter without too much effort.

Overall I found the accessories to be very useful and durable, and I haven’t found any need to replace any parts. However, many reviews online praise how great the customer support team is when it comes to replacing defective parts.

Common Complaints

For a complete picture of how well this vacuum works, it’s important to consider feedback from other reviews. Here are a few of the most common complaints I found from other reviews of the ThisWorx portable car vacuum cleaner.

Low Suction

Most reviewers agree that the suction power on this portable car vacuum cleaner isn’t the best. It’s not the most powerful hand vacuum on the market for cleaning tough marks or dirt.

But while they do find it disappointing, they also note that it’s not too bad considering the affordable price point. And it still tackles everyday car dirt and light-duty mess pretty well.

But if you’re looking for a tool to deep clean your car, you might want to consider other models.

Attachments Are Hard To Remove

While the ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum attachments are helpful, users complain that they can be difficult to remove. They often get stuck on the vacuum and need a lot of elbow grease to detach.

This is a pain when you’re trying to clean quickly, and it can add a lot of extra time to your cleaning session.

Hot Power Cord

Some reviewers note that the power cord on the ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum can get hot after a long cleaning time. In fact, some users said their plug melted in the cigarette lighter.

But in these cases, reviewers were able to get a replacement vacuum from the seller.

Alternatives

If you’re not sure if the ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum is right for you, here are some similar options to consider.

HOTOR Portable Car Vacuum

This HOTOR portable car vacuum cleaner is another lightweight tool for car cleaning.

It has a high-power motor and metal turbine for powerful suction to deep clean your car’s interior. And the double filter system traps dust and dirt so it doesn’t circulate back into your vehicle.

Plus, it comes with three different nozzles to tackle any mess in your car. It also has an LED light to illuminate dirt under car seats and in other dark areas in your car.

BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Lithium Ion Hand Vacuum

While it’s not specifically a car vacuum, this BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser hand vacuum cleaner can definitely get the job done.

It’s small, compact, and comes with a motorized tool for powerful cleaning. But even better, it’s cordless. So it offers a lot of freedom for cleaning your car interior and other spaces.

The only things it lacks as a car vacuum set are the detailing tools. But, reviewers note that the crevice and upholstery tools work well to clean car seats and mats!

Additional Remarks or Comments: Best For Light Car Cleaning

Overall, the ThisWorx Car Vacuum cleaner is a convenient tool to have on hand for quick cleanups.

While it’s not the most powerful portable car vacuum cleaner on the market, it’s a strong competitor for its price. And the handy tools certainly make it easy to clean despite the lack of suction.

The compact and lightweight design makes it the perfect tool for everyday car cleaning. Not to mention the impressive dust capacity that can hold more than a car’s worth of dirt.

For me, not having to empty it during cleaning saves a lot of time. And the bag for easy storage is ideal for cleaning when I’m on the go.

I’d say this vacuum is best for anyone who wants a low-maintenance, easy tool for removing everyday dirt from their car.

But the ThisWorx vacuum might not be the best option if your car is full of pet hair or stubborn dirt. Or if you want to clean both wet or dry messes.

In this case, you’re better off looking at more powerful handheld vacuums.