# Vacuum suggestions?



## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

So, after 7 years of saying we are going to replace our old vacuum cleaner, I finally am.  I vacuumed last night (after the kids were asleep since it scares my 3 yr old) and noticed the floor still felt gritty.  I also noticed it wasn't picking up hair, it was just balling it up (both DD and I have long hair, so this is an Issue).  I told DH last night I was going to buy a new one b/c I thought this one had finally bit the dust (we haven't been very gentle users of this vac, we bought a house that needed a lot of work, so this thing has been used a lot).

My question is, what are good affordable vacuums?  As much as I would love to own a dyson, it is way out of our price range, esp since we just bought a new-to-us car.  I would like to spend no more than $200 on a vacuum that is bagless and does a great job on carpet (only the kitchen and bathroom are carpetless in our house, so no need for one that does barefloors).

Thanks in advance.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I hate bagless vacuums! You still have to empty the recepticle, but you don't have the bag to contain all the dust that flies all over. 

Do you want a canister or upright? I have a Riccar upright, but I have always sworn by some of the Sears canisters. The cheap ones do nothing, but the more expensive ones are awesome.


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

I have a Dyson, and while it works well it is very heavy! That comes into consideration.
For an upright I would suggest Electrolux or Simplicity. Well made and lightweight and lots of suction.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

hamerfan said:


> I have a Dyson, and while it works well it is very heavy! That comes into consideration.
> For an upright I would suggest Electrolux or Simplicity. Well made and lightweight and lots of suction.


Thanks. The only "musts" are price, bag less and heppa filter. I don't even know what brands are good


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

You might seriously consider a Roomba.  We got one and I never want to see a vacuum cleaner or a broom again.  Admittedly, they're better on hardwood floors than carpets, but ours does a pretty good job on the carpet too.  We had a Dyson, one of the very first ones so they may have improved, but I wasn't impressed... especially for how much they cost.  Heavy and hard to handle, and ours got this sort of burnt rubber smell that won't go away despite replacing hoses and belts and everything else.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I have a Hoover Convertible U8188-900 that I like very much (so did Consumer Reports, IIRC). HEPA filter, works in either bag or bagless mode, has pet hair tool. I think I paid around $200 dollars for it at either Lowe's or Home Depot. It may be discontinued now, but might still be sold in some outlets.

Roombas are nice, but expensive at around $300-500. They don't do a very good deep-cleaning job, though (for me). I use the Roomba several times a week to pick up surface dust and cat hairs from the floor, and then use the Hoover once a month or so.

Mike


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## leslieray (Mar 16, 2010)

While I am aware that you would prefer a bag less vacuum, I would agree with the above poster who mentioned that without a bag, the dust/mess can, and does, go everywhere?

I have owned everything from an $800.00 Kirby many years ago to every price range in between since, many were bag less until I realized I was giving myself more work by having to carry the vacuum outdoors to avoid the dust going everywhere while trying to empty the bin. 

Anyway, long story short, my current vacuum was not only affordable (under $100.00), but it picks up like no other vacuum I have owned previously. I initially purchased it based on the price since I was tired of spending a lot of money on vacuums that all seemed to do just an ok job. This one has proven me wrong, and although it does use bags, they are inexpensive to replace, offer 100% filtration and are readily available at Walmart and Amazon.

Best wishes on purchasing exactly what you're looking for! It's very much like shopping for a new vehicle, you will know what you like when you see it!


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

leslieray said:


> Anyway, long story short, my current vacuum was not only affordable (under $100.00), but it picks up like no other vacuum I have owned previously. I initially purchased it based on the price since I was tired of spending a lot of money on vacuums that all seemed to do just an ok job. This one has proven me wrong, and although it does use bags, they are inexpensive to replace, offer 100% filtration and are readily available at Walmart and Amazon.


So what is it?

Weight is a big consideration for me. Hate pushing / pulling a heavy vacuum around.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

Hoover should meet your requirements..


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

leslieray said:


> my current vacuum was not only affordable (under $100.00), but it picks up like no other vacuum I have owned previously. I initially purchased it based on the price since I was tired of spending a lot of money on vacuums that all seemed to do just an ok job. This one has proven me wrong, and although it does use bags, they are inexpensive to replace, offer 100% filtration and are readily available at Walmart and Amazon.





Sandpiper said:


> So what is it?
> 
> Weight is a big consideration for me. Hate pushing / pulling a heavy vacuum around.


Ditto -

I would also add about a Roomba - I had one for a short while; mostly tiled floors; I really liked it, but I'm such a clutter-bug that I had to spend a lot of time moving things around so the Roomba could get a clear path; it was too much hassle. For someone who's got a relatively clutter-free floor area, I think they are great.


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

If you have Air Miles, we bought our Dyson through them. Very cost effective.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

I went to the store after the kids were in bed (what? Time to myself?) and bought a Hoover that is supposed to be really good for pet hair. I was going to wait until I could research a little more, but my carpet felt like the beach and I was pulling hair balls (mine, the were red  ) off of DS. It is bagless, which I've been using for almost 8 yrs and opens from the bottom. The filter is also rinsable and it is self propelled. For a little over $100, I think it will suit our needs nicely, plus it's not so loud so maybe I can vacuum when the kids are awake


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## Mel Odious (Feb 29, 2012)

Alle Meine Entchen said:


> I went to the store after the kids were in bed (what? Time to myself?) and bought a Hoover that is supposed to be really good for pet hair. I was going to wait until I could research a little more, but my carpet felt like the beach and I was pulling hair balls (mine, the were red  ) off of DS. It is bagless, which I've been using for almost 8 yrs and opens from the bottom. The filter is also rinsable and it is self propelled. For a little over $100, I think it will suit our needs nicely, plus it's not so loud so maybe I can vacuum when the kids are awake


You won't regret the Hoover. The bagless WindTunnel series picks up as well as anything, and for those complaining about the mess, we discovered an incredibly clever way of not re-dirtying the house when emptying the can.

Step One: Empty it into the trash _outside_ .


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## leslieray (Mar 16, 2010)

I'm sorry I forgot to put the name in, it's a Hoover Tempo.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

Whatever you do, do not get a Kirby. Although they are built like tanks and will last forever, they are cumbersome and really heavy.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

Mel Odious said:


> You won't regret the Hoover. The bagless WindTunnel series picks up as well as anything, and for those complaining about the mess, we discovered an incredibly clever way of not re-dirtying the house when emptying the can.
> 
> Step One: Empty it into the trash _outside_ .


So far, I really like it. DH was amazed at how much dirt I pulled up from just a few swipes (he was amazed b/c he didn't realize that our old vacuum didn't really vacuum anything the other day, just pushed the dirt around).

As for the mess, I've always emptyed it into a grocery bag. Our old one had a filter you had to clean off to insure proper suction, so I'd put that in a bag, tie it up, take it out side and beat the thing against the house really well then let the dust settle and throw the bag away. I'm so used to a bagless, that the thought of dust doesn't faze me (plus, no one in the house has allergies)


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## leslieray (Mar 16, 2010)

I agree, you won't go wrong in opting for a Hoover! Price wise, as well as cleaning ability, I continue to be impressed with mine!

Lol! Alle, your description of cleaning your vac filter is very much the same way I clean mine, by beating it against the bricks on the outside of our home! Kind of funny when you think about it, but it works! I also would empty my bag less dust into old shopping bags, tie them off and toss them.

I'm glad you are pleased with your new Hoover so far, and most likely will be for a while to come! Best wishes!


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## PAWilson (Jan 9, 2012)

I have to say I love my Dyson. It doesn't have bags, but it contains the dust and it's very easy to empty.


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

I'm not a fan of Dyson, by the way.  Partly because I came to be well acquainted with a salesman at a janitorial supply and vacuum sales/repair center.  He showed me his repair and resale room.  He said Dyson were his number one resales because they had the marketing but were so expensive that people looked for a deal.  He was able to give them a deal because so many people returned their Dyson after a few months for repair and eventually were so dissatisfied they wanted to trade-in for something better.

It's not a budget option, but we wound up with a Miele after many years of less expensive bagless options.  Most of our bagless, even the "pet hair" branded ones, lost suction after a year.  At around $100 a pop for the throwaways, five years of Miele hasn't caught us up in price, but it still works great.  It filters better than any bagless we found for under $200.  Most of those probably filtered fine, but let dust out of any number of bad seals around the canister or other places.

And the Kirby salesmen stopped trying very hard with us, knowing we had a Miele.


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## Mollyb52 (Jan 4, 2009)

I have a Dyson.  I love it.  I got it after I burned out 3 other vacs, (Hoover, Eureka, and something I don't remember), after we bought a new house with the worst carpet ever....it lost so much fiber it killed the vacuums within a weeks.  I wish I could remember just how old the Dyson is but it must be 10+ years.  Still have some of the carpet from Hell, 2 dogs and a husband that refuses to remove his dirty shoes when he enters the house.  Add to that lots of friends and family in and out.  The Dyson has performed perfectly.  Never given me any trouble at all.  My mom got her Dyson around the same time I did and also never had any problems.  It still cleans great.  Every one has there own favorite, but suggesting the Dyson doesn't hold up is questionable.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Martel47 said:


> It's not a budget option, but we wound up with a Miele after many years of less expensive bagless options. Most of our bagless, even the "pet hair" branded ones, lost suction after a year. At around $100 a pop for the throwaways, five years of Miele hasn't caught us up in price, but it still works great. It filters better than any bagless we found for under $200. Most of those probably filtered fine, but let dust out of any number of bad seals around the canister or other places.
> 
> And the Kirby salesmen stopped trying very hard with us, knowing we had a Miele.


For any sort of household equipment, you can never go wrong with Miele. Yes, they are expensive, but so worth it. Miele products last forever (my Mom has a Miele vaccuum from the 1970s that is still working better than the AEG she bought to replace it), they don't break and the performance is excellent. My parents' Miele dryer lasted for more than twenty years and was only replaced because the newer models were more energy efficient. I just replaced my washing machine (broke down completely after only 10 years and had a couple of repairs before that) with a Miele and the difference is amazing.


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

I didn't know Miele made washers and dryer.  I thought they just made vacuums.


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## WilliamEsmont (May 3, 2010)

Mollyb52 said:


> I have a Dyson. I love it. I got it after I burned out 3 other vacs, (Hoover, Eureka, and something I don't remember), after we bought a new house with the worst carpet ever....it lost so much fiber it killed the vacuums within a weeks. I wish I could remember just how old the Dyson is but it must be 10+ years. Still have some of the carpet from Hell, 2 dogs and a husband that refuses to remove his dirty shoes when he enters the house. Add to that lots of friends and family in and out. The Dyson has performed perfectly. Never given me any trouble at all. My mom got her Dyson around the same time I did and also never had any problems. It still cleans great. Every one has there own favorite, but suggesting the Dyson doesn't hold up is questionable.


I've had two Dysons over the years. The first was a DC-14 Animal upright, picked up on sale at Best Buy for about $200. It beat the pants off the old Hoover it replaced, easily dealing with my house full of carpet and pet hair (3 dogs + 1 long haired cat). I was happy. I recommended Dyson products to everyone I knew who was shopping for a vacuum.

Several years later though, my wife and I moved Arizona - the land of tile and area rugs. The upright Dyson didn't really fit anymore. At first, I used the '14 on our area rugs and cleaned the rest of the house with my shopvac. Lugging two vacuums around the house quickly became a nightmare of tangled cords and jumbled accessories though, so I decided to see if there was a better solution. The answer I kept on coming back to was a canister vac. I could drag it around the tile and snap on a different head when it was time to clean the carpeted bits. After a little research, I decided on a Dyson DC-23 Animal. It had great reviews on Amazon. It looked like exactly what I was searching for.

Without really digging into the negative reviews (hey, it's Dyson - it'll be awesome), I clicked _buy it now_.

Wrong. While the '23 was amazing on the hard surfaces, its performance on carpet was abysmal. Worse then abysmal. Horrific. Our area rugs began to change color as pet hair accumulated. I took the thing apart and put it back together several times, searching in vain for the cause of the poor carpet performance.

I gave in a few months later. The machine simply couldn't knock the hair loose from the carpet (unlike the '14). The '23 had to go.

After lots of research, I narrowed my choice of a new canister down to either Miele or Oreck. I already had an Oreck tile cleaning machine, so I decided to start with them. Unfortunately, they didn't have the model I was looking for at the local store. The Miele store however, was right down the road, so off I went. I described my house, our pets, and how I typically clean to the salesman, a nice guy who seemed to know his stuff and really enjoy talking about floor cleaning. He suggested I take a demo model home and give it a try. So I did.

It took only two passes for the area rug to regain its original color. The dog hair was gone.

I was sold.

Bottom line - if I lived in a fully-carpeted house I wouldn't hesitate to buy another upright Dyson. For tile and pet hair on area rugs though, I would look for something else (something with a motorized head, specifically).


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## skyblue (Dec 23, 2009)

I LOVE my Dyson! . I empty the canister into a grocery bag in the garage, tie it up and place it in the garbage.  Easy, and no mess.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

If I could afford a Miele, I would get one in a heartbeat. But those are way out of my reach price wise.  . 

I might be looking at a vacuum too soon. I have a Hoover Windtunnel bagless that is now 10 years old. Good thing is that the parts are fairly cheap, so I put on a new brushroll, all the filters changed. I bought washable hepa filters. I guess it has held up pretty well considering I am really hard on my vacuums and the apartment carpets are really cheap and bad.  It just doesn't suck as well anymore, no matter what I do.  I am holding out as we are trying to move out of the apartment and hopefully find a house at some point. 
So I don't know yet what the floor situation is going to be. 

Miele makes all kinds of stuff. I looked at a house last year that was pretty run down, yet they had a really expensive Miele dishwasher.  .


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

corkyb said:


> I didn't know Miele made washers and dryer. I thought they just made vacuums.


Miele offers the whole range of household appliances including such offbeat products as ironing machines and mangles. Though some appliances may not be available in the US. For example, German washing machines differ quite substantially from those used in the US, which always used to drive my mother nuts.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

CoraBuhlert said:


> Miele offers the whole range of household appliances including such offbeat products as ironing machines and mangles. Though some appliances may not be available in the US. For example, German washing machines differ quite substantially from those used in the US, which always used to drive my mother nuts.


It still drives me nuts after living in the US for 16 years


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

I noticed that the March 2012 issue of _Consumer Reports_ magazine has an article on vacuums with ratings for both upright and canister models. I thought that may be of interest to those of you still considering which vacuum to purchase.


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

WilliamEsmont said:


> I've had two Dysons over the years. The first was a DC-14 Animal upright, picked up on sale at Best Buy for about $200. It beat the pants off the old Hoover it replaced, easily dealing with my house full of carpet and pet hair (3 dogs + 1 long haired cat). I was happy. I recommended Dyson products to everyone I knew who was shopping for a vacuum.
> 
> Several years later though, my wife and I moved Arizona - the land of tile and area rugs. The upright Dyson didn't really fit anymore. At first, I used the '14 on our area rugs and cleaned the rest of the house with my shopvac. Lugging two vacuums around the house quickly became a nightmare of tangled cords and jumbled accessories though, so I decided to see if there was a better solution. The answer I kept on coming back to was a canister vac. I could drag it around the tile and snap on a different head when it was time to clean the carpeted bits. After a little research, I decided on a Dyson DC-23 Animal. It had great reviews on Amazon. It looked like exactly what I was searching for.
> 
> ...


Most Miele's don't come with motorized brush heads though, do they?


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I own a crazy expensive Rainbow, but that thing works miracles.  In general I like the vacuum cleaners that have water containers to collect the debris instead of bags.  The problem with bags is that they are really only fully effective the very first time you use a bag.  When you use it a second time it loses a lot of its cleaning power because the dust inside the bag has now coated the walls of the bag and less air, and suction, is now coming through.  And to top it off, all air is now filtering through the dust-covered bag.  Air that we are now breathing in.  Water, on the other hand, tends to be a great equalizer.  I don't know if there are any affordable vacuum cleaners that use water containers, however.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Another satisfied Miele owner, here. I don't have the motorized brush head as we had mostly wood floors, so I can't comment on how it works in carpeting. But it is amazing on hard floors. I got the cheapest model I could find with the non-motorized head.


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