That process of converting George between wet and dry modes isn’t particularly difficult but it’s an undeniable faff. He can be used as a dry vacuum, or swap his tools and filter to use as an outstanding carpet and upholstery cleaning machine.

There is a hook on the unit designed to hang the cord from, but it’s not as clean and simple as winding it in. We took an in-depth look at the George vacuum cleaner, to give you an idea of whether or not he is right for you. It’s an incredibly logical move to combine a wet and dry vacuum cleaner with a carpet cleaner and the George gets it mostly right.And with other accessories that come with the George, you’ve got a vacuum cleaner that can clean furniture, carpets and hard floors around your home. However, the right amount of patience and attention to detail will leave your soft furniture as good as new. For car cleaning, nothing is more comprehensive in its ability to transform a tired-looking interior than the Geroge.

George’s hose is slightly longer than the majority of other Numatic vacuums, which means he should be able to reach the top of an average flight of stairs. It’s also a hefty unit with a box weight of 15kg, not a deal breaker thanks to the four wheels and obvious quality feel, but worth bearing in mind if you intend to lug George up and down stairs for cleaning.

When using George in wet mode, there’s a clean water tank – which has a huge 15 litre capacity – and a mesh filter. Simply spray the solution onto the hard floor, use the scrubbing brush to agitate the dirt, then flip the tool over with your foot and vacuum the slurry away. The same reasons that the George performs well in the car is the same reason it performs well with your upholstery.

He also is the only vacuum in the Numatic range that has a shampoo facility, so if you want a carpet cleaner as well as a hard floor wet vacuum cleaner, George is a great option. This leaves the air almost allergen free, giving you the best chance at a normal life (minus all those sniffles). When using George GVE370 for wet vacuuming, a simple exchange of the dry filter for the safety float valve allows any number of wet tasks to be achieved. George is comfortably the most powerful vacuum cleaner from Numatic’s Henry Hoover range, and with great power comes great suction.

The George sits in a very unusual spot in the vacuuming market, there aren’t that many products that combine a wet and dry vacuum cleaner with an extractor, on the domestic end of the market anyway. Having said that, once you’ve hauled it out of the cupboard, its weight is relatively inconsequential, because it happily trundles around on its four coaster wheels. For smaller surfaces — stairs, sofa and in the car — George's Upholstery Tool does the business every time. Totally acceptable, as long as you can keep it spotless… and George lets you keep it as clean on the inside as you keep it on the outside.