aeoliandave
Well-known member
A great gal I work with has a problem...several in fact...
Lorna has a darling 6 year old daughter and a cat and a husband. They rent & live in an old dusty two story 'four-square' house. Lorna, of course, is a working mother and we begin 6-day workweeks next week. Husband Van is a superb but mostly out of work Operatic Bass. But this year he is in the chorus of the Toronto Opera and commutes daily. Lorna & Van barely see each other but that's not the problem.
Van is a sweet and extraordinarily handsome guy but to put it kindly can't tell one end of a screwdriver from a pair of vice grips and is not allowed anywhere near mammers, plungers or powertools. Ever.
When Lorna needed a vacuum cleaner for the hardwood floors in the new house after a wall-to-wall apartment Van, well-meaning but clueless, came home with a Dirt Devil Ultra handvac with the little accessory hose and powerbrush from Can Tire. For the past year she has been doing all the vacuum chores with this little beast. I cannot imagine!!! She never mentioned it to me although she knows I know a thing or two.
Well, they looked at and did like the DYSON range but Oh, the expense! Had she asked I would have steered her to a simple economical bagged Kenmore canister from Sears.
Anyway, since they got the cat for daughter Skyler she has been on her hands & knees chasing fur bunnies as needed. Then they got a nice large area carpet for the living room and the cat fur and dustbunny situation exploded. Naturally the Dirt Devil just couldn't cope so Van brought home a cheap Euro/China podvac with a turbo nozzle. Well, that worked for a while but screams like a banshee making her daughter cry and flee to her room along with the cat. Oh, the Humanity!
She kept using the Dirt Devil handvac on the carpeted stair treads but basically she had to scrub the treads to get any of the cat hair. She ended up doing the new 10 x 12 area carpet with a needled cat hair grooming brush.
So, the other day I overheard her wailing about the situation and stepped in with advice. I have in the past provided refurbished used contemporary canisters and uprights to fellow employees I like, suited to their living arrangements so I questioned Lorna and came up with what I think will do all nicely.
She really needs a small light powerful bagged vacuum that has a long hose, wands and a Power Nozzle. The house is narrow and tall with cobwebs and such and she's upstairs and down constantly keeping up with the child, messy husband, cat fur and general upkeep. As much as I wanted to loan her a Compact or Electrolux I just felt them to be too large, heavy and awkward for her immediate needs and conditions.
Anything will be a step up from the DD and Podvac.
I suggested that if they really wanted to invest in an excellent all around vacuum that will last for years and years, when they could afford it they should consider a Miele. A Dyson would be overkill in their case and the bagless dust jug would prove a problem what with the child and Van's voice needs. I always recommend a bagged canister when the potential owner is only interested to the point of needing a super basic vacuum cleaner that will serve them well, take minor abuse (or major F-ups in Van's case) and last a long time. If they could afford to spend less I would recommend a current Sears Kenmore bagged Whispertone.
A bagged upright with hose and on board tools is not the answer for them because the house is small, the ceilings & windows high and the stairs narrow and a LOT of dirt collects on the treads daily.
Wouldn't you know the 2001 Hyundai sedan that Van uses to commute 4 hours round trip is on the fritz again so another trip to the garage tomorrow - which means once again he has to rent. Yes, they are looking into a new vehicle but in the meantime frankly, they have no extra money and he refuses to take the train or bus for fear of catching some bug. can't say I blame him for that caution.
While we wee discussing all this Van called on the cell phone to say he was at Canadian Tire in Toronto and found this really neat cheap Podvac but was really liking the Procter & Gamble Swiffer rechargeable Stick vacuum!
Can you believe it?????!!!!!
Well now Lorna, much the wiser from our chat told him in no uncertain terms to forget it...do not spend our good money on another stupid vacuum; Davy would fix her up with something much better.
I know the 'vacuum' he means. I have one as a dimestore novelty. Yikes, imagine trying to clean your entire house with this turquoise toy crumbvac![this post was last edited: 4/12/2011-20:29]
Lorna has a darling 6 year old daughter and a cat and a husband. They rent & live in an old dusty two story 'four-square' house. Lorna, of course, is a working mother and we begin 6-day workweeks next week. Husband Van is a superb but mostly out of work Operatic Bass. But this year he is in the chorus of the Toronto Opera and commutes daily. Lorna & Van barely see each other but that's not the problem.
Van is a sweet and extraordinarily handsome guy but to put it kindly can't tell one end of a screwdriver from a pair of vice grips and is not allowed anywhere near mammers, plungers or powertools. Ever.
When Lorna needed a vacuum cleaner for the hardwood floors in the new house after a wall-to-wall apartment Van, well-meaning but clueless, came home with a Dirt Devil Ultra handvac with the little accessory hose and powerbrush from Can Tire. For the past year she has been doing all the vacuum chores with this little beast. I cannot imagine!!! She never mentioned it to me although she knows I know a thing or two.
Well, they looked at and did like the DYSON range but Oh, the expense! Had she asked I would have steered her to a simple economical bagged Kenmore canister from Sears.
Anyway, since they got the cat for daughter Skyler she has been on her hands & knees chasing fur bunnies as needed. Then they got a nice large area carpet for the living room and the cat fur and dustbunny situation exploded. Naturally the Dirt Devil just couldn't cope so Van brought home a cheap Euro/China podvac with a turbo nozzle. Well, that worked for a while but screams like a banshee making her daughter cry and flee to her room along with the cat. Oh, the Humanity!
She kept using the Dirt Devil handvac on the carpeted stair treads but basically she had to scrub the treads to get any of the cat hair. She ended up doing the new 10 x 12 area carpet with a needled cat hair grooming brush.
So, the other day I overheard her wailing about the situation and stepped in with advice. I have in the past provided refurbished used contemporary canisters and uprights to fellow employees I like, suited to their living arrangements so I questioned Lorna and came up with what I think will do all nicely.
She really needs a small light powerful bagged vacuum that has a long hose, wands and a Power Nozzle. The house is narrow and tall with cobwebs and such and she's upstairs and down constantly keeping up with the child, messy husband, cat fur and general upkeep. As much as I wanted to loan her a Compact or Electrolux I just felt them to be too large, heavy and awkward for her immediate needs and conditions.
Anything will be a step up from the DD and Podvac.
I suggested that if they really wanted to invest in an excellent all around vacuum that will last for years and years, when they could afford it they should consider a Miele. A Dyson would be overkill in their case and the bagless dust jug would prove a problem what with the child and Van's voice needs. I always recommend a bagged canister when the potential owner is only interested to the point of needing a super basic vacuum cleaner that will serve them well, take minor abuse (or major F-ups in Van's case) and last a long time. If they could afford to spend less I would recommend a current Sears Kenmore bagged Whispertone.
A bagged upright with hose and on board tools is not the answer for them because the house is small, the ceilings & windows high and the stairs narrow and a LOT of dirt collects on the treads daily.
Wouldn't you know the 2001 Hyundai sedan that Van uses to commute 4 hours round trip is on the fritz again so another trip to the garage tomorrow - which means once again he has to rent. Yes, they are looking into a new vehicle but in the meantime frankly, they have no extra money and he refuses to take the train or bus for fear of catching some bug. can't say I blame him for that caution.
While we wee discussing all this Van called on the cell phone to say he was at Canadian Tire in Toronto and found this really neat cheap Podvac but was really liking the Procter & Gamble Swiffer rechargeable Stick vacuum!
Can you believe it?????!!!!!
Well now Lorna, much the wiser from our chat told him in no uncertain terms to forget it...do not spend our good money on another stupid vacuum; Davy would fix her up with something much better.
I know the 'vacuum' he means. I have one as a dimestore novelty. Yikes, imagine trying to clean your entire house with this turquoise toy crumbvac![this post was last edited: 4/12/2011-20:29]
