the great vacuum review

I probably need a 12-step program for vacuumoholics. I have 7, not counting the shop-vacs. In order of seniority:

1. I really like my Oreck Classic Vacuum Cleaner which I bought in 1995. I like it because it does the job well and is -- as advertised -- only 8 pounds. This means that my children can easily handle it and I can use it even when I am wimpified by arthritis or asthma. It's also very handy for staircases. Once every 4-5 of years I spend $40-60 dollars on maintenance and a bit on bags.

2. Second up is the little cannister vac that came with my Oreck. I think they call it a Buster and it works fine. Nothing special, yet no complaints. Because the little bags cost money, we save this for things that can't be swept, like cleaning out the couch crevices.

3. iRobot Roomba: early model, named Robbie. Oh how I love my Roombas. I don't quite think they were manufactured with rooms as furry as mine in mind, but the Roombas do a fine job. They zip around and vacuum while I am in the tub, or blogging, and there is something very gratifying about having a robot vacumm. I feel like Mrs. Jetson. I spend more time that I want to cleaning out furmats from the wheels, but as most people do not have 6 housepets, this is probably a flaw of our home, not a flaw of iRobot.

4. iRobot Roomba more recent model, red, named Robin. Robin takes care of the main floor, Robbie does the upstairs.

5. No-name purple no-bag cannister vac. At first I thought these bag-free vacs were the best idea yet, but this one has taught me that disposable and replaceable bags act as filters to protect my non-disposable non-replaceable motors from small children who want to vacuum up, say, flour or talc, or - even worse - damp flour or damp talc.

6. Dirt Devil Extreme Power Stick: This was the one we all reached for, it does a great job on fuzzy corners and small spills and touch-ups on the area rugs. The cannister is easy to empty and the whole thing is light-weight. It is a bit loud.

7. Swiffer Sweeper+Vac: this is the new kid on the block, sent to me as a present from Swiffer. I like it a lot. It is basically the Dirt Devil with a dustpad attached, so all the fluffy furry dusty stuff clings to the pad and the other stuff goes into the cannister. It puts a better shine on the floor and runs a bit quieter; the cannister is easier to open and close. Thus far, I'm favoring it over the Dirt Devil which may move upstairs to help Robbie with the kid fuzz.

So there you have it. More than anyone really wanted to know about the state of my vacuums.

:: edited to add that you can learn more about Swiffers at Maid's Express' Swiffer Sweeper review.



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