So your considering buying a new vac! How exciting!
Let me give you some food for thought, to guide you through your process:
• Functionality is key; actually number one. I have run into people who own 3 and even 4 vacuums and they are always upright vacs.
There are two types of vacuums:
– uprights
– canister
In the name of function, canister is the way to go. If you read reviews, homeowners swear by upright dyson vacs. They have features that really suck you in, bagless, ability to to clean parts etc. But NONE of these things aid in functionality, and functionality is necessary for efficiency. With the bulk of your machine on your handle, that causes you to be pushing around and maneuvering the weight of your machine, throughout your entire clean. It wears on your wrist especially, but your body too and stops you from being able to clean for long durations. Pro’s clean multiple houses a day and need to vac everything from flooring to upholstery and drapes in one sweep. This also means being able to switch functions from use of your floor piece, to your wand, to upholstery head, quickly and easily. It is very complicated to switch off/on these features, especially in a dyson version. Also with such a bulky head it is impossible to get under/around furniture and to maneuver in tight spaces that are highly occupied. In the showroom they conveniently demonstrate in an open area and the advertisement videos always show getting under furniture with a pretty decent clearance. You also have to wrap up the cord which makes putting away the vac more time consuming; and because of this fact they usually provide limited amount of cord. Retractable cords do this quick and easily. Canister vacs typically provide 28-36ft of access (that’s up to 1000ft radius)
A bagless vac means that you have to empty it over a garbage bag, and quite frequently at that. I have done deep cleans (stuck using a homeowners vac) where I’ve had to stop multiple times to do so and sometimes the dust and dirt gets stuck in it and you have to actually reach in and touch this stuff to get it out. I have seen homeowners bang it against trash cans trying to avoid touching, dust cloud puffing up and choking on all that CANNOT be good.
•HEPA filtration is the way to go. It’s clean air technology that filters the the air 99.9%
In addition I add a few drops of lemon essential oils to the filter so that the air released is not only filtered and purified but smelling refreshing.
• suction control > absolutely essential, a dyson vac can suck the carpeting right up with the dirt but how about trying to vac a dog bed or a light weight area rug; there is NO control, you will have to bend down and pull off the corner of the rug from your vacs grip each time you come close to the edge of your rug. It’s annoying after a while. Also, there are many dif types of floor surfaces: high pile/low pile and oriental carpeting that all require different amounts of suction. How about animal skin rugs? These require lowest suction, in addition to vacuuming, with the hair from the “spine line” down, as if you were brushing the animal; otherwise you risk bald spots occurring. Try lifting that upright each stroke and putting it back down on the right spot. Unreal. Then hardwood floor and especially tile (it is very difficult to get stuck on grit in the grout off without a bristle brush). Furthermore, the big heavy dyson head is better suited for soft carpeting it often scratches tile and hard wood floor. I have a few clients who have broken dyson vacs, the floor piece has a rotating ball under it’s head that is the sole suspension of this heavy piece, and stops it from hitting the floor. This delicate little ball gets dislodged frequently and causes the vac to come flush with the floor, making scratching inevitable and almost impossible to move it across the floor. Homeowner informed me that dyson willing replaced this piece multiple times and for free which was great but it kept happening and eventually they just got tired of having to do the leg work. I like Miele vacs because they are built well, I have had a Miele Quart, only $329 amazon/bed bath beyond for 8 years and have never had a mechanical prob. I use a Capri and Olympus model in my business and occasionally I have shut a wand or handle in my trunk door or damaged a hose but it is always easy to get replacement parts (even locally) at low cost if not for free as they have amazing warrantee’s.
Just because I love Miele doesn’t mean that’s the only advice I can give, Electrolux sells some wonderful canister options.
This is a lot of info I realize and prob overwhelming but professional cleaners and moms are in the same positions; they both clean constantly and need time and efficiency on their side. So when your buying your new vac, look at it from a professional stand point and I think that will help you get something that will be your “right hand man” 😉
Please feel free to post any questions during your buying process and I will do my best to respond promptly, with any help I can offer.
Best of luck!
Her House 