DeeDoo’s Digital Scrapbooking Blog

Ah, cleaning the house. My FAVORITE!

Probably no one hates housecleaning more than me. It’s not the DOING of it, it’s that it doesn’t STAY done. Seriously, 30 minutes after I’m through with my marathon day of cleaning everything the furballs and dust have already begun to gather upon floor and table. So frustrating. And with three dogs and six cats (yes, I said six), and two humans, more dander, skin cells, and dirt are let fly inside this house than is medically safe, I’m sure. So clean I must, and frequently, lest we be buried alive and left for dead. Well, I guess it’s not quite that serious. Still.

Years ago I was gifted with an old Kirby vacuum by my then mother-in-law. I was thrilled. Those Kirby’s could almost suck the carpet itself off the floor, so you knew they were getting the dirt. Trouble was, they weighed 100 pounds and by the time you finished vacuuming a couple of rooms you needed the paramedics. I learned to hate vacuuming AND that old Kirby.

Fast-forward to four years ago. After going through several different upright vacuums I finally purchased a canister Kenmore from Sears. I must say that the relief, the pure ease of cleaning with this vacuum did for vacuuming indoors what the self-propelled lawnmower did for the outdoors. I could actually finish the whole house, not call the paramedics, and the dirt was GONE. I was ‘in love.’

A couple of months ago my little Kenmore’s motor began to sound very weird and the suction just disappeared. Repair costs were uncertain. It would have to be shipped to Dallas. It could cost almost as much as buying a NEW vacuum. (And, aren’t vacuums supposed to have a little longer life than 4 years????). What to do?

Don and I both researched vacuums on the Internet. I absolutely refused to get an upright, so that helped narrow the possibilities by a lot. Guess what. Another Kenmore was in my future. But not the most expensive one, way to pricey for me at close to $600. Nope, I bought the ‘cheap’ $300 version. I knew it would work just as well, even though it didn’t have as many bells and whistles.

I was right. It does work just as well as the one that remains unrepaired in the cleaning closet. What did I sacrifice by not buying the expensive Kenmore? Well, about 4’ of flexible hose and about 10” of metal wand. Not much, you say, and I would agree, if not for EXPERIENCE. The new vacuum’s hose and wand are too short to reach many things, like the furnace return air vents in the ceiling and the tops of drapes. The canister follows annoyingly close behind me, and I’ve turned and tripped over it more than once. I’m very disappointed, but I’m stuck. Still, $300 seems like a lot of money for a longer hose and wand and a dirt sensor…

I’m now searching on the Internet for a “Ghostbusters’ harness so I can carry the darn thing on my back as I sweep. Not really. But it’s a thought.