Using the Rainbow

[nycwriter]

Kitty Litter ...

"Kitty litter is designed to pick and absorb moisture. Why would anyone think to try and add that to a vacuum bag,bin or in this case a water basin?"

"Common sense would tell me now to vacuum up clay litter in a water filtration vacuum anyway"

Um, WRONG.

"Common sense" would tell me that I should be able to sweep up anything and everything with my $3000 Rainbow that I used to with my Fantom or Hoover.

You apparently have never owned cats. We're not talking about sucking up the whole damn litter box; we're talking about sucking up the stray *clean* litter that kitty tracks all around the house.

So if you own a cat, apparently that headlight on the power nozzle is now of VITAL importance; as you're sweeping, if you see ANY grains of kitty litter on the carpet or floor, you must immediately shut off the Rainbow and fetch your OTHER vacuum to finish the job?

 

[williamr1248]

Using My Rainbow

NYCWriter,
You would need to understand that most posters on this web site collect and love their machines, so no matter what make or model I would not pick up kitty litter in one of my machines be it a Hoover or Fantom or Rainbow.
As we were talking about earlier,I don't think this particular make machine would be a good fit for your requirements.
I am sure any make machine would be able to pick up a reasonable amount of kitty litter and even with a Rainbow IF the user has followed instructions and emptied the machine and rinsed the basin,there would be no reason it would have been that difficult to clean out.
The same idea with a substance like cement dust or fireplace ash. I COULD pick it up with any machine but I would not do it as it stops up the bags pores and filters and in the case of the Rainbow the cement dust would mix with water.

As you saw in my pictures I have used my Rainbow to clean the dirt from my garage floor for years but I never left it in the basin just the same as I would not leave dirt dirt in a paper bag or bin to breed bacteria and odors in a beautiful old Hoover or Electrolux.

 

[nycwriter]

Kitty litter ...

"You would need to understand that most posters on this web site collect and love their machines, so no matter what make or model I would not pick up kitty litter in one of my machines be it a Hoover or Fantom or Rainbow. "

So what would you pick up the kitty litter with, if not a vacuum?

 

[countryguy]

I use my Lux '89 every morning to pick up the kitty litter that gets strewn around the litter box.

Gary

 

[mark40511]

NYCwriter

I do own two cats and so if clay cat litter is made to absorb moisture and clump into balls of clay, that's no common sense? MMMMKKK

Take your 900 dollar Miele and clean out the fireplace ashes with it. It's a vacuum, right? That's what it's made for!

 

[williamr1248]

Using My Rainbow

NYCWriter,

I got right on the phone and called a good friend that has 4 cats and asked him the same question. He is NOT a vac collector or has any interest in vacuums. He uses his non electric carpet sweeper on his carpets and a wisk broom and dust pan on the hard surface. He never uses any vacuum unless it is just a few particles from their paws as they leave the box.
It was funny as he could not imagine why I would ask such a question.

 

[williamr1248]

Using the Rainbow

NYCWriter,
I just thought this example mght help:

I cook 2 meals a day. If I were to let the dirty dishes and pot and pans sit they would be very hard to clean. As soon as dinner is done,I get up wash the dishes and put them away.

Same with dirty clothes. As soon as I get a load of dirty clothes they go right in the Magtag. If I were to let dirty gym clothes sit all week,they would be more difficult to clean.
Thats all I was trying to point out. I would not pick up kitty litter in any large quanity with any machine but it sure would not work in a water filtration system if you were not going to rinse out the basin after each use.

 

[rainbowd4se1]

Rob, that Rexair looks great!! And I agree about the older vacuums being built good. I have a 46 Hoover and it still runs strong.

 

[tolivac]

Fireplace ash and vacuums

Yes,you could use any vacuum for that matter to clean your fireplace-excepting a Rainbow and most bagless vacuums-IF you use the your bagged vacuum to clean out your fireplace----PLEASE for the sake of your home-or your LIFE and others in the house--remove the bag from the vacuum and put it in a METAL container OUTSIDE your house until trash pickup day.Fireplace embers can remain alive for weeks or even a month buried in ash-ash is an almost perfect heat insulator.Have seen more than one vacuum damaged beyond repair and houses burned down or almost burnt down from vacuuming ash and the householder put the vacuum away to find the embers vacuumed up fanned to being hot again from the airflow in the vacuum cleaner.And ash will clog and fill bags quickly.BEST -use the ash shovel and brush-and the metal ash container for fireplace-woodstove cleanups.

 

[mark40511]

My point being

there are just some things you don't want to vacuum up that isn't good for your vacuum.

 

[nycwriter]

"there are just some things you don't want to vacuum up that isn't good for your vacuum."

But kitty litter that the cat has tracked all over the house is most definitely the "usual" stuff you need to vacuum up on a regular basis.

 

[williamr1248]

Using My Rainbow

Rex,
Thanks for the tip about the fireplace ash. I did not realize the embers would would last so long. I wwll sure be more careful about what I put them in now.
I have been guilty of dumping them in a plastic trash bin in the garage.
Good Advise!

 

[mark40511]

If you use

Clay cat litter, then a Rainbow is not for you.

 

[floor-a-matic]

Shop vacs

If you're vacing fireplace ash or clay kitty litter, use a Shop Vac!

I use either my 1988 Craftsman 8-gallon wet/dry or Ridgid WD1956 or WD1670 for those jobs that can ruin ordinary vacuums.

 

[floor-a-matic]

Shop vacs

If you're vacing fireplace ash or clay kitty litter, use a Shop Vac!

I use either my 1988 Craftsman 8-gallon wet/dry or Ridgid WD1956 or WD1670 for those jobs that can ruin ordinary vacuums.

 

[nycwriter]

"Use a shop vac" ...

That's great if you actually have a *workshop* in your home ...

 

[mark40511]

Or you could just

NOT use clay litter if you have cats. I hate the stuff. It's bad for your cats.

 

[stricklybojack]

What is a good entry level Rainbow vacuum?

Meaning is something like a d2 worth trying out? Or is the performance level just too inadequate & a later model would be better to look in to...

 

[tolivac]

Shop Vac for ash-if you use one of these-be sure to use a Shop-Vac Drywall paper bag inside-so much easier to get rid of the ash-The yellow colored bags you can find at Lowes.And be sure the vac has the pleated HEPA filter.Keeps ash residue out of the fans and motor and your room.Originally Shop Vacs weren't designed to filter real fine debris unless equipped with the proper bags and filters.If you use the Shop vacuum without the bag and the filters alone-it will clog quickly-and what a MESS!Ash is sticky-difficult to clean off filters and the vacuums drum.

 

[tolivac]

williamr1248:I have seen so many fires caused in homes from people picking up ash from fireplaces and wood stoves in their homes-even ash that is a few months old.One vac dealer had a burnt Sharp upright on a pedistal in his shop and pictures of homes burned down from vacuuming ash--he used to say "Stupid People""They never learn!"This was when I lived in the Manassas,Va area near Wash DC.If you frequently clean fireplaces and stoves-all metal ash vacuums like what was discused for the cremations are available.Frequent woodstove users have them.It is amazing the insulating power of ash---after all--tiles made from ceramic "ash" insulated the Space Shuttle on ReEntry back to Earth!My Dad always used the metal ash shovel and brushes for cleaning his fireplace or stove-and he put the ash in the metal ash bucket.And then he put the ash in a metal trash can for trash pickup-even trash collectors can be leary of ash-it can cause trash truck fires!