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I Need Some Help…
Posted in The Kitchen Sink on Wed, July 21, 2010
Around my house, I do the floors. As in vacuum, sweep and mop. No kidding. For some reason my friends hear this and they say, “Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
Anyway, my vacuum died.
It’s eight years old and it just completely gave up the ghost. I don’t have time to go research ‘Best Vacuum Cleaners’ and then buy the wrong one. So, with that in mind...would all of you please pitch in here and tell me what you have that works or doesn’t and would you recommend it. And yes, I am being totally serious. I am sure this will come across as silly...okay, so flog me...but this is serious stuff. Cause, if momma ain’t happy...ain’t nobody happy.
Happy wife. Happy life. ;-)
P.S. To all you guys: Learn how to do floors. Trust me on this one.
I have a Kirby upright vacuum. Bought it 13 years ago and it’s still going strong! Wouldn’t buy anything else. They are expensive, but worth it. Went through too many other vacuums in the past and if I DID want something else, I might be waiting a long time for this one to die. By the way, my 16 year old son does the vacuuming now and my husband does the mopping when he’s home (works in Alaska and so he’s gone a lot). Got to train these guys right! :D
We’ve had a Panasonic for probably 10 years and it is wonderful. We needed a new one for our upstairs so just bought another one (they’re around $150). Before we got the first one, we were going through vacuum cleaners every few years and none we half as good as these.
Oreck!! its the best in my opinion. my husband does lots of housework too, and he’s an author too. ("Surrender, the Way Out” by Rob Flammang. More info on robflammang.com) You guys are AWESOME!!
We’ve had two Panasonic uprights. The first one is 20+ years old. Screams when you first turn it on but still works. Good for carpeted floors but if most of my floors were non-carpet, I’d probably get a canister-type.
I’ve had a Filter Queen, a Kirby, and an Oreck. I like Oreck the best. I cleans really well and they (Oreck - the company) provide several free tune-ups as part of your purchase.
I have had a Rainbow vac for over 30 years and it has worked like a charm the entire time. I’ve had it serviced just twice. Pretty pricy, but I like that the dirt/dust goes directly into a container of water and none of it goes back into the air. That’s what sold us on it. Good for you on doing the floors! Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that!!
Definitely an Oreck...small, lightweight, and great suction!
Remove the carpet!! Wood, tile, marble....whatever your heart desires.....put it down!!!!!!!! Dust gone, allergens gone, vacuum GONE!!! You can still do your floor duty; just now they will shine!!!!!! Wanna talk about a happy wife life???? Thank me later! ;)
Okay! I’m really impressed that you help with the housework. My husband helped with the chores when we both worked full-time outside the home. Now I stay at home with a 5 and a 3 year old. They really are not ready to do major chores. I have them do small things they are capable of. To be honest, I want the floors done a certain way at a certain time and I would prefer to simply do it myself. My husband’s only chore is emptying the trashes and those are usually spilling over before he even notices them. I blame my mother-in-law for not teaching him how to help around the house. He has no household responsibilities growing up. I plan on teaching both of my children how to be helpful and work as a team around the house. I guess I’m just grateful he is out there working hard to provide.
Oh yeah...I have a Kenmore and it is just fine. I have only had it for about 5 years, though. If it dies on my any time soon, I will use some of the above suggestions for myself.
Love your books, so I guess I’ll help you out . . . we really like our Dyson. Love the feature where it detaches very easily so we can do our stairs & also appreciate not having to buy bags, thus you can see all the junk you got off your floor in the see-through cylinder.
Well we use the Kirby and the Oreck… Kurbby for carpet and the Oreck is for hard floors. Both are great but I prefer the Oreck, just because its so light weight. (; Haven’t read any of your books but I might read “When Crickets Cry.” Looking forward to it. (:
I have a small Dyson and it is all they say it is, You would probably need the larger heavy duty one like my girl has . Also those little swiffer dusters for other than carpet is great.
Well, whatchagonnaget
jac
Do NOT buy a Eureka!!!! Mine lasted about 6 months. If that!
Chiming in a little late...but we have a dyson. Love it!
I love my Electrolux . I have had it 19 years and it runs like a charm. Just finished “The Mountain Between Us.” LOVED IT!!! And I am not surprised you help with housework. From the way you write, I would guess you are very considerate of your wife!
If you really want mama happy put in a whole house central vac. My husband did this for us several years ago and I love it!!! It is one of the best things we have done for our home.
I buy What Consumer Reports likes best..the last one was at Walmart: Eureka Boss..Important is the fact that you only have to turn a dial to go from floor version to attachment use.
I do not know what is the latest fave of Consumer Reports but they are my decision maker! BTW it is better to pay $125..every 5 years and start with clean and fresh and new, than make an investment into a dinosaur..like a Kirby-which I did twice....Love your books!
We’ve had a Dyson for several years and my significant other loves it! Yes, he does the vacuuming. We researched them and bought the one he wanted and he is completely happy.
Love, love, love your books. Keep ‘em coming!
We have a cheapy Wal-Mart vacuum, bagless and does a very good job. Has all the attachments and is lightweight. If we ever have to replace it, we will buy the same. Good for you to share the housework....Are any of your children old enough to help and allow their dad to write more books?? God bless you and your family.
My hubby is not the best vacuumer in the world, he is a pretty mean cook though, and an excellent engineer. So, when he researched the Dyson and loved its engineering we bought one. I must say it is the best vacuum we’ve owned in our 20 years of marriage. Dang, I hate it when he’s right. Really nice machine at an affordable price. NOw just to get him to use the wonderful vacuum that he picked out! BTW, I just finished your “Mountain” book today. Needless to say I didn’t get much of anything done, including vacuuming. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow! Loved it!!!! Keep up the wonderful writing!!
I have a dyson canister and absolutely LOVE it! It has wonderful baseboard cleaning brushes and you can empty the canister easily. It is light weight and just wonderful! It really does the job. I’ve had an electrolux, and others but love my dyson and I like canisters better than uprights......Only thing I don’t like about it is the cord could be a bit longer....... I just finished “Mountain Between Us” and now my hubby is reading it! I bought 3: my sister in law, son and myself! We wait patiently for each book and my son is in medical school and got hooked with “Crickets Cry” but I KNOW this one will be his fav!!!!! I’m a literacy coach in a small Georgia town and people come to me for what to read next....... your books are my favs!!!!! Keep it up!
The cheaper the vacuum, the shorter the life it will live. Along with that, they just aren’t made the way they used to be. Manufacturers are loving that they can create a cheaper product and you have to buy 3 to live the life that the same product 20 years ago would have lived. Sad for us consumers! I recommend you buy the one with the best warranty. But I will say that I do love the Dyson Ball and the Oreck XL.
I have a Rainbow we purchased some 20+ years ago. It works great. Nice to know I am not alone. By the by, thanks for “The Mountain Between Us”, best fiction I have read since “When Crickets Cry”
Hey--thanks SO much for asking this question! We need a new vacuum as well, and it’s provided a wealth of information.
By the way...I just finished “The Mountain Between us.” Beautiful, beautiful book. There is so much there that is worthy of discussion…
Just finished reading The Mountain Between Us...absolutely the best, but I say that about all your books...what a blessing...loved the verse at the end of the note to the reader...TRUTH!!
Thank you for writing as you do, what a blessing for those of us who might be weighted down and sorely in need a bit of an escape!!!!Well done!!
We have a Dyson ball and love it. Leaves me more time to read! When my son was growing up, it as his job to vacuum and he chose to do it before school :) I loved it. Now he has a family of his own and he does the vacuuming - he thinks when the floors are done, the house is clean! If he had time to read, he would love your books. I’m ready for the next one!
Get a Rainbow vacuum cleaner. It uses water. The dust and stuff drops in the water. No dust back in your home. It makes your home and the air in your home clean.
I would vote for the Rainbow vacuum cleaner. I have had my Rainbow for 25 years still is GREAT!!
Riccar--expensive but worth every penny.
Hope you found your vacuum....just FYI my husband does our floors, and a mighty good job he does. I love it. So...you aren’t alone!
O.K. I consider myself a bit of an “expert” when it comes to vacuums and washers and dryers. We have five children, 130 lb. french mastiff ,who thinks he’s the sixth child,(with good reason) and two long haired guinnea pigs. All in a 280 year old single house in downtown Charleston. This means up and down lots of stairs, lots of dust and pet hair,etc… ( if not vacuumed daily). I have honestly owned every vacuum mentioned above, with exception of the Riccar, and can say, hands down, The Dyson ball - Animal is outstanding! Nothing to lug around behind you, nothing to fill up with water and continually empty in a strainer and nothing to take apart and reattach just to do the stairs , baseboards,etc. and no expensive hepa filters to buy, already built in.
It is THE most effective on dust and allergens and even fine hair removal ( we’ve even vacuumed the dog,,,,he LOVED it!) yeah, well, that’s another story. Needless to say, we give our vacuum a rigorous workout. It even makes vacuum “tracks” on my orientals, you know, where the fibers stand up, making them look and feel like new again! My husband finally surprised me and bought it for me, while I was out of town, so he kept sending me pics, of all he was getting up out of the rugs and off the floors that we thought were “spanking clean”....Suffice it to say, If somebody tries to take my Dyson....they’re libel to “draw back a nub”.
Charles, this should be enough recommendations to make a purchase. By now, your house would be condemned if it hasn’t been vacuumed. It is time for you to write! I’ve read them all, loved them all, and recommended them to all my friends. Thumbs up - but get on it!!
errg. a topic i hate. my vacuum also recently died - and i bought a new one - and i hate it. the ond one was less than 4 or 5 years old. how is it that i have a 30 year old vacuum at my fathers that has outlasted a 5 year old vacuum? I hate buying new ones becuase i always just am counting the days til i need to replace it again : /
Housecleaning is not my forte. And my floors seem to get dirty really easily. So I love my Roomba and Scooba. The Roomba robot vacuums my rugs and floors. The Scooba robot mops the floors. And yes, they really work. I just turn them on and shut the door to that room. For larger rooms, there are “virtual walls” you can set up. Have fun!
Simplicity is the vac for you! If I could afford one, that’s what I would buy.
TRISTAR!!! ours is soooo maneuverable and was actually developed for cleaning airplanes, so it works even standing on its side (it was originally carried like a backpack.) It’s been running 15+ years and still as good as when we got it.
I think Eureka launches some really good quality ones. Most of my friends prefer Eureka including me.
Cocker Spaniels tend to do a good job! :-)