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With 6 kids, 3 dogs, and overall country living, my house is a mess!!
I’ve got dog hair all over the floors, sand and dirt brought in by the dogs and the children, as well as flour because I probably spilled while baking. We do our best to take off our shoes at the door so most of the dirt and sand comes from paws and clothes. We have hardwood floors and rugs in several rooms.
How do I clean it??
I use a vacuum. A Shark vacuum to be specific.
This vacuum was recommended to me by a professional cleaner who has over 15 years of cleaning experience.
What do I like?
It can go from my hardwood floors over to my rugs and I don’t have to switch cleaning instruments. I don’t need to go get a vacuum because I was using a broom and I don’t have to shake the rug out, I can simply, click the switch to another setting and vacuum my rug.
It’s canister is a decent size. I can vacuum my living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and nursery in one shot even if it has been a week since the last time I vacuumed. It is usually full by the end but it still manages it!
It’s cord is a decent length. Yes, cords can be a hassle, and I do get annoyed every once and awhile having to unplug it in one room to move to another, but I know I can use it for hours if I need without the battery dying because I didn’t get it charged or it doesn’t hold that much charge. This is very important to me when it comes to the size house I have and the limited time I have. I don’t like stopping cleaning projects halfway through just because my equipment broke or lost power.
My kids can use it easily. My older two children, who are 7 and 5, use this vacuum nightly and can use it easily. They know to flip the switch between our hardwood floors and the rugs, and they don’t struggle with it being so bulky they can’t maneuver it.
The vacuum’s quality. I struggle to remember to do simple maintenance things so cleaning the filters slips through the cracks. Once the machine starts whining, I remember to rinse out the filters for the motor, let them dry, and shake out the air filter. Sorry machine!!! She has kept working for me despite clogging her multiple times and forgetting about her filters.
What do I not like about it??
While the cord is a decent length, I get annoyed with cords. They are never long enough to plug it in once and not touch it again. I have to unplug it and plug it back in for each room I vacuum. This is the way it is with most corded vacuums and I didn’t like it as a child either.
The roller holds onto a lot!!!!! have to cut the dog hair out of it at least monthly in order to keep it working well. Part of that is the bane of having longer haired dogs, but it does get annoying.
The filters do need to get cleaned a lot. On a regular basis, it isn’t bad, I try to get them rinsed biweekly. I have dumped the dirt off the filter before, vacuumed up the dirt that spilled from a flower pot and had to take the filter immediately back out to dump the fine dirt off of it again. I am glad the dirt didn’t go into the motor but it does get irritating needing to dump dirt off the filters so often.
NOTE: I do not always rinse the filters, there are two machine filters, you can tell there is a lot of dirt on the filter when you take the canister off and I just pull the filter out to knock the dirt off. When I clean the filter, I thoroughly rinse the filters till the water runs out at least semi clear, then I squeeze it out and let it dry completely before putting it back into the machine. DO NOT run the machine while the filters are out of it.
Overall
This vacuum works really well for me and my family. It picks up the dirt, my kids and dogs track in, and while a lot of hair gets trapped in the roller, even more hair gets sucked through and I have been impressed with how much it gets off the floor and my rugs. I love that it is easy enough for my kids to use it. Its noise level is neither a pro nor a con, it isn’t quiet but it also isn’t deafening. Overall, I will continue to use this vacuum for as long as she works!