What Kind Of Vacuum Do You Have?

Nobody has a Miele? I've got 2 and I love them. I've tried uprights, but they don't go where my canister Miele goes. And yes, they take bags, but I don't mind.

Terry, I have never heard of a Miele. I must live a sheltered life--LOL!!

I bought mine from a local guy, who has since passed on. I have no clue what I'll do if anything happens to these 2. Not likely anything will, but you just never know. I can't remember how old the one upstairs is. Like cars though, the one upstairs is boxy, the one downstairs is rounded LOL Here's a place that sells them, you can see what they look like

http://www.bestvacuum.com/miele.html?source=goog&kw=[miele]&wcw=google&gclid=CKax9uvNqJECFQYNgQodsky7YA

Nice website. They seem to have them in all prices, too. I like the yellow one--LOL

My newest one, which is still something like 7 yrs old, is the White Pearl. Such fancy names they give them!

could be a perfume !

LOL Sally! It sure could be!

Wow, a ton of responses here. This is great info, thank you everyone!

Thanks for posting the Consumer Reports info. We just got an offer from them in the mail and I'm thinking about subscribing. I am definitely going to check out the Kenmore Progressive Direct Drive (that sounds more like a car part than a vacuum to me!)

I had never heard of a Rainbow vacuum either. I did check out the website. They remind me of R2-D2.....and about dumping the icky water in the garden, I think that's a great idea folks! I was wondering the other day what the bags for different models were made out of and if they could be composted.

The Hoover Fusion we have right now that is bagless also empties from the bottom, but I still think it's a pain. We had an Eureka (can't remember the model but it was bright lemon yellow) and it's bagless thing emptied from the top. I think half the idea of these bagless models is to let you see all the dirt and dust and animal hair, then you THINK they are doing a great job whether they truly are or not.

I have a Hoover (I think it's Hoover) carpet scrubber and have used it at a few friend's homes. They are always embarrassed at the color of the water and how much gunk it pulls up....but every single time I've ever used it the water is like that. It doesn't matter whose house or how clean they keep things....or what type of vacuum we just used on the carpet before scrubbing it. I try not to think about it too much or it could really freak me out...all this hidden dirt (doing the spider dance now!)

I'm still leaning towards the Oreck simply because of the low weight. DH just announced last night that we may be getting new carpet before I thought. He had a list of "want to's vs. needed" so we'll see what happens when. He just replaced our water heater last night at 10 pm, so at least that's out of the way now! HA! What a mess.

That is the bad thing about carpets. They do hide dirt very well down in the fibers. This house, a 112 yr old house, no longer has carpets anywhere. It was completely carpeted when we bought 3 yrs. ago and the first thing we did was to pull up carpet to expose the beautiful hardwood floor. I wouldn't want carpet now☺

I'll bet you exposed a whole lot of dirt and dust when you removed the capet, too.

We put a laminate wood in our entrance and I love it. Of course we still have to have a big area rug so the dogs don't do the Bambi on ice thing. I've actually thought about not doing carpet at all. The living room and upstairs will be the only carpeted areas we'll have when we are done with this. Area rugs somehow don't seem as bad for some reason....maybe because you can pick them up and clean under them....hose them off if they really need it...and they are much cheaper to replace (in most cases). The wood is soooo much easier to clean and keep up with....just sweep and mop....and you can even get lazy and let it go for a while if you feel like it. Carpets need more attention, especially if something is spilled or if a dog has an accident. Now I'm thinking forget the whole thing and put in Pergo!

Oh my Bubba, you have no idea! The carpet here on the first floor and up the front stairs, was at least 30 yrs old. I base that on the condition of the pad under, which had turned to dust, and that the style of the carpet was something you saw 30 yrs ago. We all wore masks, so the dust wasn't that bad to our noses. Our eyes however, were a completely different story!

I have small rugs in the kitchen, 2 in our daughters bedroom (spills? wash the rug!) and 1 beside my husbands side of the bed. We have a 7'x12' rag style rug in our bedroom, that I can wash in those huge machines at the laundry mat. Unfortunately, it fell apart somewhat in this last wash. All my other rugs are wool (2 are being cleaned right now). They honestly only need cleaning about every 3 yrs. We aren't a shoe indoor wearing family, so I don't need to worry about dirty shoes on any of the rugs, except at the back door, where we come and go from. But that's a washable rug.

On hardwood, or Pergo, I love the dustmop, or the ease of my vacuum, and yes, then a mop. Dirty paw prints? Wet paper towel and they clean right up. They aren't all over the carpet! I have a girlfriend who priced either something like a Pergo or carpet. Same price.

If we did Pergo or something similar we would be installing it ourselves so that may save some $. Carpet won't be a DIY job, we've done that before and it just never comes out well. And, yepper, any mess in between moppings on the wood floor here just get wiped up with a Clorox Clean Up wipe. Couldn't be easier.

Well, there you go! Easy to mop and keep clean, ease of installation that can be a DIY project to save even more money!

Hi,

I saw this thread and just wanted to add that I just bought a new vacuum about 6 months ago and love it! I went out and got the consumer reports book and got the Kenmore Progressive Direct Drive and have had no problems with it. I have a dog and cat that both shed like crazy and this vac cleans up rather nicely. I also like the direct drive-makes it easy to push. I have been pretty lucky over the years with all of my household stuff I buy from Sears. I like that they have a good return policy and things are easy to get fixed if needed and if you need extra parts for stuff they are usually carried in stock. And it seemed for this vacuum that the "extras" like filters andbags did not cost an arm and a leg. It has worked well for me and was in my price range so I can't complain.

Have fun shopping!

I'm glad you mentioned it's easy to push, mysticmoonshine. That's one thing that's important to me. I have to go have a look at that one. My sister has had her Kenmore so long that it's getting too old to fix anymore and she was interested when I told her about this one. Thanks for the extra info.

Thanks for posting about having the Kenmore Direct Drive sweeper. I'm really interested in checking it out. I agree that Sears is a great place to buy stuff and that they usually are great about fixing things and keeping parts in stock. I may end up going with this sweeper because it's easy to push and just do the steps with the hose.

I'm still considering getting a subscription to Consumer Reports, I think it would be so worth it for us right now. We are looking at getting some pricey things in the next year or so. If I do get it I'll let y'all know and we can put our heads together on best buys! :-)

I really do appreciate everyone's input here. You've all given me some great ideas of what sweepers to look at and the best features on them to compare. When I finally do get a sweeper I'll let y'all know what we get....and how happy we are with it.

Thanks!
Heather

I have a central vacuum, and would never go back

I don't have the option of a central vac, but I wish I did. I've heard a lot of great stuff about them. But, I do wonder where does the dirt go to? What happens to everything you suck up? Is there a bag/filter somewhere in the basement that you have to empty?

Yep...a bag in the basement that collects all the dust. I empty it approx 2 times per year. Great suction power and very convenient.

Wow! 2 times per year? I could deal with that easily. 2 times per year sounds wonderful compared to what the rest of us are doing now.

I have a Miele and I love it - the hepa filters are awesome and I'm quite allergic. I have orientals, plush carpet and hardwood floors and it does really well on all of them. I haven't tried a Dyson but am worried about the allergic factor with cleaning the Dyson, etc.

This message was edited Feb 10, 2008 6:40 PM

My mom has a central vac and I hate the darn thing. Hers "tank" is in the garage. The hose is too long, too clumsy to drag from room to room, just clumsy all around. I also haven't had good luck with Sears fixing their products, and that's in 2 states. To me, Sears is a hit and miss, unless I'm buying Craftsman tools with the lifetime guarantee. And even that depends on what it is you bought. Unfortunately the Craftsman cordless drill isn't covered and they won't fix it, they won't even look at it. It quite working shortly after the year warranty had expired. It wasn't the battery, my dad has the same drill and we tried his battery. I've pretty much given up on buying from them anymore. My girlfriend has stories about trying to get her warrantied appliances fixed.

My Dad has a central vac system and I have to own up to really having a blast with it when I'm home. He has outlets in every room plus little suction thingies under the cabinets in the kitchen...you can sweep the floor over to one of these hit the open arm with a toe and it opens to full suction and away goes the pile of dirt. LOL not to mention no sound so I can chase my Dad's snotty poodle with it and suck her with it...I know it's terrible but this dog really is a DIVA!

I love mine...It's a Beam...had it for 5 years and never once had a problem

It depends on what you "really" want your vacuum to do; I have several that I use for different reasons in both houses.

If you are really into "clean", the Kirby does it; They have made improvements from their old heavy ones. But most people don't care about being "that" clean.


This message was edited Feb 11, 2008 10:40 AM

Eureka Bagless Optima. I love it but now I want a Roomba. :( lol

A nice long flexible hose is really nice accessory for an upright vac. Not sure if it came wiht it or was an option to order, but my extra piece of hose gives me at least 20 feet of reach..

sounds like your sears experiences really have been hit and miss terryr. not me. i've been going to the same sears appliance store for a long time and have always been able to walk away with good products. not to say I will never have a problem....just haven't yet. my advice to anyone looking is to test drive any that you think you might like. most stores will have them plugged in so you can play with them. narrow it down to a few, then go for it!

I'll have to go look at their vacuum but, like terryr, DH and I separately had bad experiences with Sears. Not products, but business practices. Wonder if theirs is made in the US?

riccar radiance. well built and a lot of suction. My sister give me a cheap one, dirt devil, but i got tired of all the hoses coming loose and not aware of it until i couldn't p/u a tiny speck. There's nothing like almost getting finished vaccuming and realizing you really weren't! I think simplicity makes them. I hope this is my last vaccum.

kaperc i think with sears it just depends on the model and who makes it, if it's anything like their other appliances.

Rainbow, hands down, don't have to deal with the dust in emptying the bag, and everything is trapped in water, which promptly goes into the compost heap. Will never have any other in my house.

Hey you ALL,
nice thread!
But here is how I buy a vacuum. I own Rentals and I have my own cleaning staff!
I go to several (2) vacuum repair shops. My guy in town and another town close by. They have real small shops. So they repair 'em and put up front for pick up!!
When I stop in I talk to the repair man and see what is being brought in for repair. THAT is how I buy my machines!! WORKS EVERY TIME!!!
They are also very up front when it comes to telling me which machines are they best INSIDE and OUT!
Julie

i have an oreck xl. our vacuum died on christmas eve 12 years ago or so. a hoover i think. we went to the local vacuum store and got the oreck. it's great! it cleans well and is very light. the small vac. is included with the upright and it works very well also. we have had to replace the small one in the past 12 years, but that's much better than the one vacuum every 18 mos or so we were doing before.

we have always had dogs and have had cats, birds, bunnies and guinea pigs in addition to the 3 kids...add to that a lot of gardening and camping and there is always lots of...ummm...debris?...in our house...even now that the kids are grown. when we do get around to vacuuming it picks it all up, no problem and it doesn't wear you out because it's so light.

I have to qualify this with we live on a farm, no blacktop. I have 3 kids of my own, and on a given day, any number of extra kids here in and out. We've had up to 5 dogs in the house, now have 3 plus 2 cats, one long haired and one short haired. My daughter and I both have hair well past our shoulders in length. I had a Kirby years ago, it was simply too heavy. I gave it to my sister and started buying hoovers... I say started buying because a year is about all one would last with the pet hair, human hair, and dust and dirt. After about a year the suction would just go away and I'd end up buying another one.

About 3 years ago the dyson commercials finally got me, and I bought the Animal, and I will never own anything but a dyson again. It still picks up cat and dog hair like it did when it was brand new... it sucks up human hair, it picks up so much dirt that I wonder how that much dirt could accumulate in such a short period of time. It is AMAZING. It's lightweight and easy to use.

I love the wand, it's so easy and convenient now to use the wand and hose, and like someone else said, the reach for the wand is amazing. Mine came with a mini vacuum head so I can get under furniture just like a cannister vac, plus it's easy to do the stairs and furniture. But, the biggest thing for me, is right around 3 years use and it still picks up as well as it did day one.

Sure are some good testimonies on more than one brand.
I was thinking, as I pushed my Kenmore today, that it is not the lightest weight tool I can imagine. Consumrer ratings, and opinions, don't always take into account what a ny one person's 'primary' need or want is.

Well, we have a 7 mo old GS puppydog, and I heard german shepards shed, but....I had to change the bag again yeasterday and I know I changed it after Christmas. after the pinetree needles ya know. A full bag in a month? My house is not that big, and I don't vac all that much! So the bagless concept is getting more appeal. And out of curiousity, I cut the bag open and dumped in compost- all dirt and hair and very little carpet fuzz. Some time earlier I put a bag of it in compost but could see the carpet fuzz, and it made disgusting non-rotting wads in the pile.

My sister bought a Dyson and she loves it. I will say though, that she looked at the animal and the only difference is the turbo thing. I believe it's hand held? Not sure. She has hardwood, so the turbo wasn't a necessity. The other one has the same motor, same everything, but a lot less money that the one marked as the animal, just no turbo. I want to borrow it sometime, just to see. Do a comparison. With one long haired Chihuahua that sheds enough in a day to make a couple more dogs, I'd like to see the difference. I just don't like uprights. That's the biggest thing. Plus my Miele is really a great vacuum! And no matter the vacuum, that's not going to stop Zoey from shedding the second I vacuum.