Part of my Christmas present from my parents was money for a new vacuum cleaner. I lust after a Dyson, but they gave me $300, and I can’t afford the other $300. Plus, it’s big and clunky, and I live in a small apartment. I’m planning on getting one if maybe five years, when we’ll have a bigger place (I hope).
So. I have hardwood floor, two cats, and no rugs. I need something that will be good on hardwood. I am thinking about the bagless Dirt Devil that they have at Costco for about $150, and a customer at work just highly, highly recommended this vacuum as the one with the best suction she’s ever had. (Heh)
Tell me of your vacuums, particularly if they’re not too expensive, and smallish.
You can get a Dyson for 350-400. And I highly recommend doing so. I’ve spent far more on multiple crappy vacuum cleaners for the past 10 years than I did on my Dyson, and I have no reason to complain. It’s also amazing on hardwood (which I have), as it just grabs everything instead of blowing it all around.
Honestly, I think you’ll be far, far happier spending the extra 80 bucks or so.
If there is a store (besides the ‘Marts’) that sells vacuums near you, you could check to see if they have any floor models/slightly used vacuums on hand. That’s what we did, and were able to get a much nicer vacuum than we could have afforded otherwise.
The Shark Plus Canister Vacuum. I LOOOOOVE it. And so do all my friends who also own one. It’s often on sale at Canadian Tire but even at regular price it’s cheap because it’s so great.
It’s small and very powerful, and the best part is, when you carry it around you look like a Ghostbuster.
I have a Dirt Devil Breeze, which costs about $100. I got it specifically because it is a canister vacuum (I hate uprights because they are hard to get under furniture and hard to do stairs with), and because it does not have a beater brush, which do not work well on hardwood floors, in my experience.
I have been extremely happy with it, and my sister bought it on my recommendation and loves it, too!
I have hardwood floors and I sweep them. When they need cleaning, I have special hardwood floor cleaner.
Why do you want to vacuum hardwood floors?
Still, a vacuum cleaner is nice to have for odd jobs. I’ve always had a shop vac style. I’ve never had to use it wet, but it’s to know it’s there when I need it. I just got a new one for $40…six gallons and two horse power. It’s great for vacuuming in areas I can’t get to, such as behind the bed, cracks and crevices, etc.
I came in to post about the same vac. I’ve had mine for a year and it’s going strong. I have 3 dogs and a cat and all tile floors, and this vac rocks. It would suck the paint right off the walls, I swear. It’s quite loud, though.
For about the same, or a little less, you can get a Roomba. I believe they work on hardwood, too. It does work, even if you have cats, and it will go to any part of the floor that isn’t actually blocked, like under beds and tables (both important as cat-hangouts, and hence important as vacuum hangouts as well). We got ours about 8 months ago, and have been extremely happy with it.
Roombas are quiet too. I can play acoustic guitar, read, or watch TV in the same room where the Roomba is working.
My sister and BIL have this combo. Sister has mobility issues, so the light weight is important for her. BIL is a housecleaning maniac (where DOES one find a husband like that?) who has pretty high standards for a vacuum, especially in regard to dog hair.
I vacuum because I have two cats, and hardwood floors. Also, I have waist-length hair. It means a lot of dust bnnies hiding under furniture. Cat litter (the bloody cats kick it around) is pretty hard to sweep up perfectly.
We’ve thought about a Roomba, but we’re a little worried about the deaf cat having a heart attack. He doesn’t even like it when the couch sneaks up on him, and it doesn’t move.
Yes, indeedy. A good friend who is a cleaning fanatic, bless her spotless little heart, used to go through a $100 vacuum every two years or so. She’s a seriously heavy user. She’s on year seven with her trusty Oreck, and it seems pretty much brand new. She fully expects it to last till her kids are out of college (they’re 6 and 8). Besides which, she likes it much better than any other vacuum she ever had, which is worth a lot if you use it as much as she does.