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Need Consumer Reports Canister Vacuum
QUESTION: I just got married in October. My wife is a sweet woman and doesn't
hate cats. However, she *is* a fastidious housekeeper, and cat hair
really drives her up the wall. Our current vacuum cleaner is a simple
canister type without a motorized brush (or "carpet beater") and it
doesn't get up all the hair from the carpets. I want a new one - I
love my wife, and Winter in Montreal is mostly an indoor event. Also
if I can't solve this problem now, no telling how she will react next
June when Liz REALLY starts to shed.
If anyone has information or experience trying different vacuum
cleaners on cat hair, I would appreciate some assistance on what
brand or type to get - "Consumer Reports" has probalby not looked
specifically at this issue.
I assume a motorized roller-brush picks up hair better, but I've never
really tested that. Also I don't know if horsepower makes that big a
difference.
I'm leaning toward an upright, since they're easier to get out of the
closet and start using (I may be vacuuming every day). The "Dirt-Devil"
upright ads seem to imply they do a good job on pet hair, but is their
vac as good as their commercial?
I've used one of those new Rainbow water vacs and they seem to do a
good job; however, its a lot of extra work to empty and refill the
container with water 3-4 times per housecleaning. Also I can't afford
one at over $1000. I'm more interested in the $100-350 range.
Advice, suggestions, or opinions will be appreciated -- before this
cat-lover winds up in the dog-house.
ANSWER: The vacuum that I bought (because I saw my Mom's incredible one) is the
Regina Housekeeper! Absolutely incredible on cat hair..and even better
on our dog's (he's a dalmatian with hairs that weave into everything) I
have been really impressed with this vacuum..I have tried others but
nothing compares. I didn't think it was that expensive compared to
others I've looked at. My mom also bought a steam cleaner for houses but
I can't remember the brand at the moment..I don't think it was that
expensive and she says that it works really well. With only one cat you
probably won't need to go that far...my parents have three black cats and
beige carpets so they need the extra cleaning!
..but take a look at that Regina Housekeeper in the larger amp upright size!
I made the switch from a canister vac w/o a beater brush to an upright.
I bought a Panasonic which has a sensor that measures the debris content
of the air flowing into the vacuum. There are red and green lights and
a high/low sensor switch. My cat is black, and I have beige carpeting,
so the sensor is good for making sure I get all those loose hairs that
I can't see till I get close to the floor. When the green light comes
on steadily, I know I've gotten all I'm going to get out of the carpet.
Upright vacs are rated using amps instead of horsepower. My Panasonic
has 8.0 amps, but they're now selling an 11.0 amp machine for the
same $199 price. I've found the 8.0 amp machine to be more than
sufficient ... and vacuuming in my nightshirt to be quite hazardous!
You have to try out all the different models, because manufacturers
use different methods for rating their machines. The more amps a machine
has, the more electricity it will use. Hoover has a strange rating
system, indeed. (I forget the specifics, but I believe they give you
amp-effectiveness rather than the number of amps itself. Something like
that, so their number is unrealistically high.)
I was also told to choose a machine that is *not* self-powered, because
that mechanism is what most frequently goes wrong. My Panasonic has
wheels on it, so even though all the power is mine, it still feels as
if it's got some oomph of its own. I think I made the right choice.
I have a problem with getting hair off the stairs, though. I *can* use
the Panasonic, but I've thrown my back out doing it. I generally use
a hand-held Dirt Devil with a beater brush, and it does the best job of
anything I've seen. Getting the underside of the stairs clean is a real
tough job, though. When I buy a house, I'm getting a ranch. And instead
of curtains, we'll definitely have vertical and/or mini blinds!
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