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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: Aug 03 2011 at 4:49pm | IP Logged
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Our new house has LOTS of hard floors (mostly a mix of wood laminate and marble tile), so I'm looking to get an upright hard-floor vacuum. I would also like one that I could mop the floors with. Anyone have one that they recommend?
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kristinannie
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| Posted: Aug 03 2011 at 4:59pm | IP Logged
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I am looking for a similar vacuum for hardwood floors. Our microfiber broom does not do a good enough job!
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SallyT
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| Posted: Aug 03 2011 at 7:27pm | IP Logged
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After killing several cheap vacuums in a row, (eta: that is, *we* killed them, collectively) my husband went to consult the guy at the little Electrolux dealership in our town. What he says about hard floors (we have 1920s hardwood) is that you don't want an upright vac, because the beater bar, which is designed to separate carpet fibers and rake up the dirt from them, is very hard on wood floors. Don't know if it matters so much on laminate or tile, but definitely the beater bar would trash a wood floor over time.
Bummer for me, because I hate canister vacuum cleaners. But what we have wound up with I like: a reconditioned Electrolux canister vac with a couple of different soft brush attachments which are much easier on the floors even than the main attachment for our last Dirt Devil model -- I'm not a wood-floor worshipper, and ours have taken a beating from kids and a big dog, but the thought that I'm *scraping* the floor with every stroke of the vacuum was kind of setting my teeth on edge. The Electrolux is very kind. It does have a beater-bar attachment for area rugs, plus an upholstery attachment which the guy said to use on our stripped mattresses once a month to get rid of dust mites. The whole vacuum is much, much easier to carry and use than any of our previous ones have been.
Electroluxes are expensive, but we got this one -- it had been the model they lent out to customers while their vacuums were in the shop -- for about $450. Still not cheap, but when you consider that we managed to burn up a $75 Dirt Devil in less than six months (and we weren't abusing it in any way; in fact, we were babying it along), it suddenly doesn't seem that expensive.
So that's what we have and are very happy with, after having been really, really unhappy with cheap vacuums. And our floors seem really happy, too.
Sally
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kristinannie
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| Posted: Aug 03 2011 at 8:15pm | IP Logged
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I was thinking of getting the Dyson that I saw advertised on TV. I have a Rainbow that I love for carpet, but I agree about the beaters on hardwood. Laminate is awesome. You can vacuum it with anything!
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Aug 03 2011 at 8:48pm | IP Logged
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All brooms are not created equal either. You might just need to try out several brooms to find a good one. I found one at a more hardware type of store than a walmart type of store. It's synthetic bristles are somewhat on the short side.. it's dense and angled.. soft but not too soft (too soft and it won't brush well and too hard and it won't get the dust well).
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: Aug 04 2011 at 6:46am | IP Logged
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I totally hear what Sally says about not using an upright on hard floors. BUT my Oreck upright has a setting that stops the beater bar from beating. You can use that on hard floors since what you are left with is just suction. Maybe other brands of uprights have this same feature.
Peace,
Nancy
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SallyT
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Oh, yeah, I've dreamed for years about an Oreck! I do love uprights . . . (but now I'm married to an Electrolux).
I also use a Swiffer with a chamois cloth pinned around it for dust mopping. It does a terrific job of picking up dust, dog hair, and wool-rug "shed" that tend to blow up overnight. I especially like it for giving the stairs a once-over when I'm too lazy to drag out the vacuum cleaner.
Sally
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hylabrook1
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Okay  I need to retract part of what I said about my Oreck upright. I was just vacuuming and noticed that the bar was spinning on both the carpet and the hard floor setting. What?! I called the Oreck store and here's what I learned: This spinning bar is not a beater bar! "Most manufacturers stopped using beater bars a few years ago." Hmm.... What it is is spinning brushes that spin much faster on the carpet setting in order to attack the dirt in the carpet more ferociously. The hard floor setting has the brushes spinning somewhat slower and doesn't dull the shine on hardwood or ceramic surfaces. So, I guess I forgot a lot of things that the salesman told me when I bought the thing. 
Peace,
Nancy
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SallyT
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| Posted: Aug 04 2011 at 9:17pm | IP Logged
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Hm, maybe my Electrolux dude is behind the times! We are a small town here, and things move slowly . . .
Sally
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Spawnsmom
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| Posted: Aug 05 2011 at 3:00am | IP Logged
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I have a large kitchen and adjoining eating area. Recently I purchased a Shark Cordless Stick Vac and I love it. It has two rechargeable battery packs, is lightweight and can be converted into a hand held vac. Plus, when I empty the canister, boy am I amazed at the dirt that I didn't see!!!!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Hard-floor vacuum
