Vacuum Recommendations Request
weather | : | heavy rain | |
outside | : | 15°C | |
mood | : | ![]() | curious |
music | : | Joan Sutherland, Jane Berbie - Lakmé, Flower Duet (Delibes) |
We have a Beam® Central Vacuum System built into the house, but it's a big pain in the ass. Not to mention, it's more of a partial status symbol than a practical household tool. These things have to be built into the walling of the house and sealed in behind the drywall, with only the sockets where the hoses plug in (they look like electrical outlets with a round flap covering a hole). Most people wouldn't have it unless they were building a new home anyway or gutting the whole house entirely. And they're not cheap.
It's way cool to show off at the housewarming party ("Watch! Watch! I just plug the hose into the wall!"). It feels practical for about the first year. Then you realize the hose is long and unwieldy. You spend most of your time managing the hose, twisting it to the length you need, then twirling it back when you're done.
And may all the known Deities of the Universe and their aides help you if you ever get anything stuck in it.
If you're thinking of introducing the kids to chores, then you really don't want this. It's not easy to handle for a person who doesn't have the height, upper body strength, superior hand-eye coordination, PhD-level experiential understanding of plastics, inertia and centrifugal forces. I've lost count of the number of knicks I put in the walls of my parent's house from twisting and twirling the hose. It's very hard to control and it can suddenly whip off in some unexpected direction.
I just want to clean the crap off my floors, thank you. We've just been using the old cylinder vacuum and it's worked fine. We have both carpet, tile and marble floors... some linoleum(?), but not much.
So, what type (category or brand/model) of vacuum do you have? Are you happy with it?
I thought a Wet/Dry Vac would be useful for an all-around housie-cleanie thing, but can you really use the same machine to suck up spaghetti with sauce, then vacuum loose dirt off your carpets? Is it easy to clean? Is it light weight?
Should I get a lighter stick vacuum for the kitchen and another upright for the carpets?