Shannon in TN Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I've been searching through the threads and have found several helpful discussions, so I'm sure this will have some repeat responses, but here goes: We will be replacing the carpet in our house very soon. We have an older upright that seems to get the job done (but we have hunter green carpet now, so there's no telling how dirty it *really* is) but I'm looking at a new vacuum for the new carpet. Silly, I know, but whatever. We have two dogs and two children, plus I tend to be a bit messy, too, so we would definitely need a good vacuum - we're planning on a light beige color carpet. We also have solid-surface floors in our downstairs area, so it would be nice to have something that I can use there, too. Which vacuums do you prefer? I've seen most people talk about canisters, but Dyson and Kirby have come up, too (both with positive and negative reviews). Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I would love to know too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I had a VERY expensive cannister and I hated it. There were some things I liked, it was good at getting under tables and furniture and I wish I had it now for my stairs. For the most part though, it was a pain in the rear and I gave it away.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 For wall-to-wall carpet, and upright is better. For hard surfaces, a cannister is better. If you have mostly carpet, you use the upright for the carpet, and the hose/wand attachment for the hard surfaces. It's possible that some cannisters have attachments for carpet; I think Miele has a good one (it needs to have its own power, I believe). I have two Electroluxes: an upright and a cannister. The cannister has a carpet attachment, but it works best on area rugs and stair treads, not so well on *carpet.* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I got a refund and bought a $60 upright vacuum from Amazon that had good ratings. Three years later, it's still going. Is it this one from Amazon? When we bought ours a few years ago it was $60. It's still going strong. We had two canisters that became useless on us after 6 months a piece :glare:. I doubt I'll ever buy another canister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I just went through this process of buying a vacuum and our house is half hard wood and half carpet, so it needed to work on both. Two major limiting factors for me were budget and weight. I didn't want to spend more than $300 and I have joint problems, so it needed to be very light. I wound up buying a Riccar RSL1A http://www.riccar.com/products/8-pound/?prod=RSL1A and it is super light, and seems to pick up things really well (I've only had it for one day). The only downside for me is that it does not have a hose or tools. It is just an upright. If money, in particular, were not an issue, I would have tried the Miele Titan or Callista because those are both supposed to be very good on hardwood and carpet and I know I am going to miss having a hose attachment. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I've had my kenmore cannister vac for about 15 years now - I love it - and I hope it lives forever!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckabella Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 LOVE LOVE LOVE my Dyson. I have the DC7 Animal one (purple), though we did not end up getting a dog that we were planning on getting. Man, can that vacuum suck some crazy dirt out of EVERY carpet I have tried it on (three houses). As long as $$ were not an issue, I would buy one again in a heartbeat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I'm not going to comment on the vacuums, just the proposed light beige carpet. Two kids, two dogs, household on the messy side. EGADS! Don't go light beige. Been there, done that. After several years of living with impossible-to-remove stains, we finally replaced the carpeting with a wood laminate that holds up beautifully and is warm to walk and sit on compared to our tile areas. We have a (dark) area rug on half of it. If you want carpeting I would suggest something darker than light beige. Ours only looked nice for about a month before we started fighting the Stain Wars. (Darth Vaccuum was not able to overcome the my boys' Rebel Alliance) Also, we DO take our shoes off in the house. Just trying to look out for your longer-term future... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 LOVE my Dyson. Back when I got it, we had two cats (who shed TERRIBLY) and two dogs. The Dyson was the only thing that consistently sucked the hair up. Now we're down to two dogs (turns out I was allergic to the cats) and now we have a lot of wood floors, but I still kept my Dyson for the carpeted bedrooms. It's awesome. If you have pets, Dyson is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon in TN Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 I'm not going to comment on the vacuums, just the proposed light beige carpet. Two kids, two dogs, household on the messy side. EGADS! Don't go light beige. Been there, done that. After several years of living with impossible-to-remove stains, we finally replaced the carpeting with a wood laminate that holds up beautifully and is warm to walk and sit on compared to our tile areas. We have a (dark) area rug on half of it. If you want carpeting I would suggest something darker than light beige. Ours only looked nice for about a month before we started fighting the Stain Wars. (Darth Vaccuum was not able to overcome the my boys' Rebel Alliance) Also, we DO take our shoes off in the house. Just trying to look out for your longer-term future... :D Believe me, I'm not looking forward to the dirt and stains but we're actually putting our house on the market very soon and right now the carpet we have is really dark. We need to lighten it up a bit. I'm actually looking at some that are closer to a dark khaki and less like a cream but hardwood laminates (like we have downstairs) just isn't in the budget. It sure would make cleaning up after dogs/kids much easier, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I have one of the Dyson Animal ones. I love it. It works great. I have had it more than five years now and have never had any problems with it. It is a PITA on the stairs though and I am looking for a canister to use on them. It would be nice if it had an upholstry attachment, a duster and a corner crevice attachment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Believe me, I'm not looking forward to the dirt and stains but we're actually putting our house on the market very soon and right now the carpet we have is really dark. We need to lighten it up a bit. I'm actually looking at some that are closer to a dark khaki and less like a cream but hardwood laminates (like we have downstairs) just isn't in the budget. It sure would make cleaning up after dogs/kids much easier, though! Our property managers told us that the standard light beige carpet is the easiest to clean up (after we had put in a darker grey berber :confused:). Go figure . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 When my elbow was messed up last year, we had a cleaner in who used an industrial-style canister vacuum. The first time I was finally able to vacuum again myself, I filled the Dyson upright with dirt each time I vacuumed a small room. Now, with weekly use, it's more like having to empty one or twice for the whole house. I don't know if some canister cleaners are more efficient than this, but I wasn't impressed. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeneralMom Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 When we got married almost 7 years ago, I used wedding money to buy a Dyson upright. I used it in two houses and loved it. When all of our things were destroyed/broken in the move, I was so sad about the Dyson being shattered to bits. Recently, I was finally (after 2 years) able to replace it, and chose a Dyson canister because I needed the maneuverability of the the hose (I have to go under, around and behind a lot of things). I also grew up with an Electrolux canister so am just more comfortable with them. In terms of the Dyson, I do not see a difference between the cleaning ability of the upright and the canister. BTW I have 2 giant breed dogs, 3 cats, 4 kids and a backyard that is nothing but dirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 That explains why all our apartments always had light beige carpet. I hated that color! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LND1218 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 We have light beige carpet - going on 10 years now! I personally don't like a canister. I will only have an upright. We vacuum with a Dyson. I have had it 6 years. I love my Dyson!! We have a stair attachment otherwise the Dyson is a pain on the stairs. There are 6 of us and 4 pets using one main room all day everyday. We live and school on the first floor, the Dyson takes good care of my carpet. It is used daily. I love it. With one kid and one pet and another vacuum, I couldn't keep my floor as clean as I do now with 4 kids and 4 pets and a Dyson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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