The Elephant in the Room

Sigh.  Or perhaps, a double-sigh followed by a wistful "alas" is more appropriate.  Today marks exactly one year since our lives were turned upside-down and Matt began this long journey of joblessness.  I won't dwell on the negative aspects of the past year, though I remind myself of them often;  today I choose to avoid them and post some light-hearted blather instead.

Let us discuss Vacuum Sweepers.  This family abuses that appliance like nobody's business.  Think about it...we are a family of ten with our house on the market.  We sweep our floors nearly everyday. While Matt and I understand that the hoses and motor are not intended to process Legos, Popsicle sticks, hair barrettes, 8-1/2 x 11" sheets of paper, shoelaces, crayons and pieces from broken CDs, our children tend to forget. As well, there are five females in this home, all of whom shed hair constantly. We have to de-hair the sweeper's roller brush at least once a week.

When we moved three years ago, we researched vacuums so that we could get the most bang for our buck.  After shopping price and reading plenty of consumer reviews, we decided to go with a Bissell Healthy Home.  We paid about $225 for it and  found it to be worth every penny.   Sure, I had to replace the dirt canister once when I whacked it too hard while emptying it into the trash can; and the main hose was patched with duct tape, the result of someone trying to suck up wood chips from the flower bed (don't ask...).  But still, I loved that vac.  However, it lasted just over two years.  A certain child broke the handle clean off while sweeping too aggressively. It was unrepairable and I sadly relegated the Bissell to the curb for the weekly trash pick-up. 

Bissell Healthy Home

That was February of this year, during a time when we were showing our house regularly and needed the floors looking spiffy at a moment's notice. So...off to Target I went to find a cheap replacement.

Dirt Devil #1

Enter the first of our Dirt Devil models.

Dirt Devil #2

 It lasted 3 months. We had to replace the belt once twice three times before it just gave out altogether. By that point our finances were at a serious deficit so I went with an even cheaper Dirt Devil that I suspect was designed for a small college dorm room.  The hose clogs every time we use it.  EVERY TIME. We started allowing extra cleaning time for showings just so we could unclog it.  Oy vay!

Our Open House two weeks ago was the last straw.  It took Matt over two hours to vacuum 2646 square feet because the dang thing clogged constantly.  We finally gave up.

Hence, our most recent purchase: a 12-gallon, 5.0 horse-power wet/dry shop vac.  This bad boy works GREAT and is (so far) indestructible. No roller brush to contend with, no dirt cup to empty, no belt to replace. Just pure sucking power at the flip of a switch.  Sure, it takes a bit longer than a conventional sweeper since it uses a hose attachment instead of an upright, but it edges along the walls effortlessly and fits under any piece of furniture to get those hard-to-reach places. I think our brood of vacuum-sweeper killers may have now met their match. Bring it on! 



Rigid Shop Vac