Actually, I’ll give you the shit bonerz advice: dump your carpet and get laminate flooring. I did this four years ago and have never looked back. So much easier to clean, no allergy issues, and the latest stuff looks nice too.
Another recommendation for no carpet. Laminates and hardwoods are the way to go.
I’m aboard the Dyson mantrain. CHOO CHOOOOOO!!!
I bought the Bissell “pet hair eraser” when I needed a new vacuum. It was ~$150. I couldn’t afford Dyson or (my favorite) a Miele. Our rental apartment has white carpets. I’m not sure if it’s just the contrast between the Bissell and my previous vacuum (an ancient Sanyo Transformax) but we were very impressed with its power. It’s heavy, though, and the bagless cannister needs to be emptied constantly. But I’d buy it again, because the price was right and it keeps the carpets looking great.
Another suggestion for a Dyson, even though they’re well over your stated price range.
We’ve had one for 5 years and it still works as well as when it was brand new.
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1305013974&channel=1274068589
This video may be helpful
(The Eureka Boss Smart won the Consumer Reports Best Buy thingy)
ROOMBA
They work great, and chicks find them charming but can’t figure out how to disassemble and reassemble them for cleaning and therefore won’t try to steal them at breakup time.
I have to wonder what the homes of these people suggesting Roombas look like.
Cos I once seriously considered one since I have hardwood floors and cats and the combination means if you don’t sweep every goddam day you’re gonna get hair and litter everywhere. Unfortunately, I came to the conclusion that our layout just wouldn’t work thanks to furniture, rugs and door sills.
Another bagless Bissell owner who hates emptying the damn thing. So many damn filters & parts, you don’t want to reassemble it right away after cleaning them with water, and it only gets worse when the cleaning service doesn’t tell you it needs emptying and just keeps packing more and more in.
Don’t do it Bill! I know it’s lonely out there but those new powerful ones can rip it out by the root, son. BY THE ROOT.
Since ElGuapo beat me to the joke (the hottubbing bastard), I’ll just say that if you’re considering spending Dyson type money, at least look at a Miele. We’ve had ours over 7 years now and I’ve never had to do more than replace the bag and filter. It is awesome.
Edit: Adding link to fawning Amazon reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Miele-S4210-Antares-Turbo-Nozzle/dp/B000AAWEK4/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_1_txt?pf_rd_p=304485601&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-2&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0002U378K&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Z46GK1JPZQ768R3935X
Man, I thought I liked my Miele.
Add another check to the Dyson column, especially if you have pets. Yes, they’re expensive. No, you will never find a better vacuum. Plus, my cats are terrified of it.
Our one year old $150 Bissel shuffled off this mortal coil this morning. Which Dyson is best and why?
I’ve used Roombas in a vintage apartment with hardwood floors and big-ass door sills (like two inches of humped hardwood), and it worked great. It finds the wall, turns its side brush to get up against the baseboard, and follows it right into the corner. It could get over the fat door sill leading into the bedroom but not over the one leading into the bathroom, where the floor had settled an additional half-inch or so. As for furniture, it goes under couches, entertainment centers, etc. with ease, and when it encounters chair and table legs it circles them. I didn’t have rugs there. The only problem was power cords, which it loved to eat.
Now I have a newer Roomba in a brand-new apartment, and it works extremely well on the Berber carpet and the kitchen and bathroom flooring alike (some kind of ultramodern waterproof composite that feels like wood and tile, respectively). And the new Roombas are a lot more reluctant to eat cords (I don’t know why). I set the thing off twice a week before leaving for work in the morning, and it picks up all the dust, hair, talcum powder, and whatever I’ve left behind.
Well, I’m Scandinavian so of course my house is clean, light, well aired and full of simple but stylish furniture with unpronouncable names.
Nah, I think I have a pretty normal amount of stuff. After getting the Roomba we’ve tried to plan around it, which means that every new bit of furniture either have to stand directly on the floor or have the official Herbert (that’s what we named the Roomba… how many of you guys name your Dysons?) clearing height, which is 9 centimeters.
He does every room once every week and we just have to make sure and pick up stuff beforehand. Some rooms are carpeted and some are hardwood and our cat seems to leave all it’s hair behind and it’s working great.
We have a Bosch cheapo machine for the emergencies and difficult corners.
I didn’t name my Roomba, but I did stick two of those googly eyes on top of it. It does a shitty job and needs to be run multiple times to be effective which is OK because it’s not you doing it. Nice to run in between maid visits.
Yeah, it’s nowhere as good as a Dyson. But who cares when it’s vacuuming while you’re at work? And you can just make it redo the same floor if you’re not completely happy. It won’t even sulk.
My wife and I bought an Electrolux Lite Z1660 about three weeks ago and I can highly recommend it. If I have to convert from our Monopoly money I’d say it ended up costing us about $100.00.
It’s tiny, light but still feels solid, is 1600 Watts, has a telescopic extention tube and I was amazed at how much crap it managed to suck out of our carpet immediately after I’d cleaned with our old vacuum cleaner.
It’s bagless but is extremely easy to clean as well.
The only downside is that the filter container is on the pinkish side of red, which is cool though because they’re made for women anyway (I kid. I kid.)
Dysons don’t sell at discount…
So, if there’s one time you’re going to use that 20% off coupon for Bed, Bath, & Beyond…
The furniture arrangement in my condo might be a little too challenging for a Roomba. Also, most of my flooring is hardwood or tile, aside from the bedrooms and a couple of large area rugs in the dining and great rooms.
Gahhh, maybe I’ll save up and make do until I can buy a Dyson.
Ex-girlfriends! shakes fist