Need a new vacuum cleaner, suggestions?

[ducklite]

I need to buy a vacuum. Consumer Reports says the Hoover Wind Tunnel is a great vacuum, but then I read on Epinions that some people had issues with them while others loved them.

As some history, I'm pretty gentle on my vacuums. We've had a Dirt Devil for going on seven years, my big complaint is that it smells up the closet I keep it in. I think that problem will be partially alleviated by getting a bagless model where the cup can be emptied and rinsed out after each use. I vacuum a couple times a week, more if needed, sometimes only once a week I have asthma and allergies, so I was looking for something that wouldn't just pump dust back into the air, hence the HEPA filter.

So, tell me about your vaccum.

I want an upright, bagless, with a HEPA filter. If you have one, I'd love your comments!

Anne

 

[floridafam]

Hi there,

We have a Eureka The Boss SmartVac with a Hepa filter.

I HATE IT!


I had a different Eureka before-a much cheaper model and loved it. It did the job without a lot of bells and whistles. I vacuum every day so I really put my vacuum to good use.

I have a little Dirt Devil that seems to work well.

 

[Christine]

I have a Miehle and LOVE it. If you can afford the expense, go for it. It is one of the few that are TRULY HEPA. By this I mean that the vacuume cleaner is totally sealed. A lot of lower end vacuums claim to have a HEPA filter (and they do), however, the vacuum is not sealed and they still kick out dust while their HEPA does some filtering. Big deal. For years, I owned Hoovers and I liked them well enough, but after having this one I will never go back. It is so quiet that I can talk on the phone while vacuuming (not that I do!!!) but I can. The only drawback of the Meihle for me is that it is a canister style. I have always had uprights and this takes some getting used to. Also, all the Miehle parts can be replaced at your distributer very easily. Everything gets broken down into small sections so if one little part fails it is easy to get another without replacing a huge component. It is also great if you have hardwood floors. All the brushes are made with horsehair and they are made so that none of the plastic sufaces of the vacuum come into contact with the hard surface. Please go try one out!!

Edited to add: I also have two dogs and this is the FIRST vacuum that never smells! I guess because it is sealed you don't get any of the offending odors from inside the vacuum coming out. This important because I store it in my coat closest.

 

[barrett7890]

We have a Dyson and I love it......never hoovered before we got it (that was hubbies job!!), now i don't mind pitching in

 

[Kimberle]

Hi,
First, your house looks beautiful! Can't wait to see pictures of it when it's finished!! So, does this mean no more Disney vacations????

I bought a Hoover Windtunnel a couple of months ago. Boy, does it have suction power. We have 2 cats so we're (that is dh is ) constantly vacuming up kitty litter. It's also very easy to manuaver.

We also have carpeted stairs. The windtunnel comes with this little power head attachment that REALLY sucks up dirt. It's so nice to finally have really clean stairs.

I'd say the Windtunnel is an excellent mid-priced vacume.

If you want to go to the higher end, an Electralux is the way to go. My Mother has had her's for over 25 years & it still works like a charm. When her friend built her house, she kept borrowing my Mom's vacume as it was the only one that would get up that "new house sawdust".

 

[AZKathy]

We just got a Dyson. It works great. I am not fond of the yellow color, but it does a great job.<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/12/12_1_1.gif' border=0></a>

 

[DISshopkeeper]

Originally posted by Kimberle


I bought a Hoover Windtunnel a couple of months ago. Boy, does it have suction power. We have 2 cats so we're (that is dh is ) constantly vacuming up kitty litter. It's also very easy to manuaver.

We also have carpeted stairs. The windtunnel comes with this little power head attachment that REALLY sucks up dirt. It's so nice to finally have really clean stairs.

Ditto what Kimberle said. The stairs are cleaner than ever. And even without the power head that hose for the attachments has GREAT suction. I have hardwood floors in some areas and that hose sucks up all the pet hair (2 cats AND a dog) in the vicinity where you aim it.

It' a bit heavy though. That's the ONLY drawback.

 

[FloraFauna]

We bought an Oreck vacuum cleaner last year. It only weighs 8 lbs., and it really cleans. When you want to clean under your bed or sofa, you just bring the handle alll the way to the floor and push it, and it reaches all the way.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

and she swears by her Oreck. I mean this woman has OCD or something, she cleans obsessively. She could do a commercial for the Oreck. You might want to check it out.

 

[tar heel]

We have a Wind Tunnel with bags (When I bought it a year or so ago, Consumer Reports was not recommending the bagless.) and am reasonably pleased with it. Before that I had an Oreck, and I must be the only person in the world who hated it. I wasn't too unhappy when it broke after 5 years and didn't consider getting it repaired.

The only real issue I have with the Wind Tunnel is that the attachments won't stay on (I mean on the back -- they stay on fine when you're using them!) -- I took them off and put them in one of the closets, which means I can never find them when I need them. It also is sort of hard to get the bags on right, but not as hard as the Oreck was -- I actually called the company and complained about them. They told me I was the only person who had ever complained about them.

I use an old Kenmore in the garage and for the car that still sucks like mad. It only has one wheel or I would probably bring it into the house and use it.

 

[atlnewf]

I've had a Hoover, burned it out in 2 years. It didn't pick up pine straw very well either. I now have an Electrolux. I don't think they have a bagless version, though. I love my electrolux.. it takes a beating and keeps on vacuuming!

Ashley

 

[RRBB]

We have a Rainbow. I love the way it cleans. The dirt and dust are trapped in water that you dump when you're finished vacuuming.

 

[mcnuss]

DYSON!!!!

I burned out a Hoover in a year. It was awful, and I regretted spending so much money on it.

I adore my Dyson. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats, and it does an amazing job. DH has become addicted to seeing how much dirt he can pick up.

BTW- my cleaning person has an Electrolux that she swore by until she tried my Dyson. Now she says she can't wait to vaccum at my house!

 

[Kim&Chris]

We started out with a Fantom, which was wonderful for the first year. Then it pooped out, and Fantom went out of business, so I had no choice but to replace it.

We went to Sears and the salesperson raved about her Hoover WindTunnel, so we bought one. I swear this thing is excellent! We have two cats and a dog, and I could construct 10 more cats from all the cat hair this thing pulls up!

My mom just bought one also....she loves it as well.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Dyson The one I have is lime green and purple...it's the same as "The Animal" (purple) but with an extended warranty.

 

[PamOKW]

I'm curious about the "bag" vs. "bagless". Seems like all the new vacuums are the bagless type. Does it work out okay or is it a big mess to deal with?

I've had a Hoover WindTunnel that's been great but it is getting old. I'm also not sure whether the self-propelled ever really worked as well as it should have. But, the cleaning has been excellent.

 

[Kim&Chris]

Bagless vacuums have better suction, which is great for pet owners.

Bagless vacuums can also be a mess when emptying the canister, so I always remove the canister and take it into the laundry room or garage for emptying. I get one of those plastic shopping bags to dump all the stuff into - - if you dump it into a trash can, you can expect alot of dust to drift up which defeats the purpose.

My Hoover Windtunnel is also self propelled, and it works very well. The salesperson at Sears was extremely knowledgeable about these vacuums, and told me never to lift the vacuum by using the handle (which I was very guilty of doing with my old vacuum when going up & down steps). She says that severely screws up the self-propell mechanism. My Windtunnel has a handle in the back for lifting.

I'd buy another one of these in a minute.

 

[RRBB]

That's the beauty of the Rainbow, no bag AND no dust when emptying. All the dirt and dust is trapped in the water. There's no chance for it to get back into the air or the carpet and you dump it outside, no need to worry about getting all the muck into a garbage bag or anything.

 

[AZKathy]

BTW, you are living my dream with that home of yours! Will you adopt me????<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_1_6.gif' border=0></a>please??????

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by RRBB
That's the beauty of the Rainbow, no bag AND no dust when emptying. All the dirt and dust is trapped in the water. There's no chance for it to get back into the air or the carpet and you dump it outside, no need to worry about getting all the muck into a garbage bag or anything.

We were a referred 'demo' for a friend that bought one - she got a free attachment set or something for it for referring 5 people that did demos (I think).

While it was really cool, we couldn't justify the expense of buying one. It was neat that you could put Aroma oils in the water and it turned it into a 'air freshener'.

We'd probably buy one on Ebay if we ever needed to replace our current Hoover.

To the OP, the best vaccuum to get is one that really SUCKS!