What type of vacuum do you use?

Kiwibird

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Well, after several years of abuse, the POS vacuum I got at the flea market has finally crapped out. Well, more the thing that held the hose cracked so the hose is flopping (which is going to drive me NUTS) and much to my dismay, the spinning thing with bristles on the bottom that picks up dirt doesn't spin anymore even after cleaning (just discovered that, who knows how long thats been broken for). My little floor sweeper also broke (or I think needs new rechargeable batteries, just don't know where to find them).

Anyways, it's time for a new vacuum. One that will take the, er, abuse I put on it. I need to find a new one that is DURABLE, and good to pick up seeds, feathers, dried poop (of the parrot variety:eek:), thread (I do a lot of sewing) and of course general household dust and whatnot. I hate the idea of having to replace those filter/bag things, so it would have to be the kind you can just dump out and wash the filter. I vacuum daily, so it needs to withstand a good amount of use and abuse. I was kind of thinking one of the Dyson 'Pet" vacuums, but wondering what you all use for your bird messes and in general?
 

labell

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I really would do a commercial for Dyson for free if I was asked, the price is steep but it is WELL worth every penny. I am also quite hard on vaccums and going through cheapo's every year or two finally got me to spend the big bucks, I have not been sorry once!

I did recently purchase a smaller shop vac for the eclectus room not because the Dyson couldn't handle it but I pick up some pretty gross stuff (soft food) in there so I wanted something that I could just use in that room and empty more often.
 

MonicaMc

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Used to have an Oreck. My grandmother swears by that brand, although I never really cared one way or the other.

Then moved into a home with blue carpet. It was, disgustingly, a large piece of velcro for pet hair. No matter how often we vacuumed with the Oreck, the hair just never came up!!!! A navy blue carpet was turning white....


I got frustrated with it, and started using an industrial floor scrubby to get all the hair out of the carpet! It worked! But it took forever and it was hard work!




At the time, I worked at a computer retail shop and the old boss used to be a vacuum sales man and he swore by his crappy vacuum that was worth "hundreds of dollars". My sister and I have coined vacuums like his as "They suck so bad they blow!". This building gets a lot of pebbles inside from food traffic, and this vacuum couldn't even pick the pebbles up! Instead, it was shooting them out!



When the new boss took over (a current employee of the company), he made away with the old vacuum and replaced it with a Hoover T-Series WindTunnel Pet Rewind Bagless Upright Vaccum, UH70210.



At some point or another, we borrowed the vacuum from work and used it to vacuum the house up. Our white carpet turned navy blue!!!!! :eek:




Needless to say, we bought our own vacuum of the same model! And then one of my aunts, hearing how great this vacuum is (and who lives all the way across the other side of the country! and also owns cats and dogs) bought one for herself!



After my sister and her family came back to the states, then finally got a place of their own, my sister kept borrowing the vacuum indefinitely and not returning it...... so another vacuum was bought!




Only downsides I've come across is that the cord can get hot... and a couple of times the machine has gotten too hot to work right.... but other than that, it works well!



Other than that, I hear shop vacs are great for picking up bird food, pieces of toys and other things! :D
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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Thanks. The other thing I'm torn on is whether to get another upright or one of the "canister" (not sure if thats the right term) type. I do use the hose on mine A LOT. I vacuum Kiwi's seed guard/between the bars, I vacuum the base of his play tree, the couch, and usually pretty much all surfaces in my home (yes I'm a tad lazy and tend to use the vacuum over traditional dusting and need a long hose to do that efficiently lol). I'm not sure if one of those canister models might be better for the odd ways in which I utilize a vacuum. Any insight into that? I've never thought that much about vacuums before. Ours was a flea market find before we ever got Kiwi. I doubt it was ever "top of the line" or intended for the kind of use and abuse I put it through with the bird cleaning. UHG, I hate having to buy new things like this, it's always.....confusing....
 

Bundiibird

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I have a Dyson upright. It cost me about A$700 about 7 years ago and is still going strong. I vac everyday as well, doing the floor, seed trays and under the sofa near Bundii's area. It is bag less and you just hit a button and it empties the canister. It has a HEPA filter that you wash out every couple of months and that is it. Easy maintenance.

I to don't do the dusting thing every well. So I use my vac for it. It has a great range of attachments and a long hose and wand that you can use separately. I can take a pic later if you like. (I am still in bed as it is only 7am on Sunday here).
 

strudel

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It has a bag, so if you are set on a bagless it won't suit, but my main vacuum is a Miele (Parkett & Co). I would marry it if I could, I love that thing. :D

In addition to my Miele I have a Roomba. It does a fantastic job of picking up seed and it does it all by itself.

EDIT: I'd definitely go with a canister so that you can use the attachments. Pretty much essential when you've got birds, I'd say. I have a dustbuster, but the "proper" vacuum leaves it in the dust for really picking stuff up.
 

labell

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It has a bag, so if you are set on a bagless it won't suit, but my main vacuum is a Miele (Parkett & Co). I would marry it if I could, I love that thing. :D

In addition to my Miele I have a Roomba. It does a fantastic job of picking up seed and it does it all by itself.

EDIT: I'd definitely go with a canister so that you can use the attachments. Pretty much essential when you've got birds, I'd say. I have a dustbuster, but the "proper" vacuum leaves it in the dust for really picking stuff up.

I have heard of Miele vaccums, they look awesome, I was shocked that they were actually more expensive than the Dyson but the reviews are all praise and the warranty that I saw was impressive!

I have considered a Roomba and wondered if it would pick up seed, nice to know that it will. Now my only concern would be if it would drive my dog crazy enough to eat it!:eek:
 

Kalidasa

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I don't have carpet, bit a few rugs. I have a shark hand-vac near the budgies cage, and I use a Sanyo shop-vac in general, as well as a dirt-devil upright for rug-jobs. So glad to hear that the Roomba actually works with bird "stuff", I think that will be my new thing, they're on sale at bed bath & beyond. :)
 

Kalidasa

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It has a bag, so if you are set on a bagless it won't suit, but my main vacuum is a Miele (Parkett & Co). I would marry it if I could, I love that thing. :D

In addition to my Miele I have a Roomba. It does a fantastic job of picking up seed and it does it all by itself.

EDIT: I'd definitely go with a canister so that you can use the attachments. Pretty much essential when you've got birds, I'd say. I have a dustbuster, but the "proper" vacuum leaves it in the dust for really picking stuff up.

Just wondering, does the Roomba pick up a lot? It seems so small, like it would have to be emptied twice a day? And do you have the one that mops also, or just the vacuum?
And, most importantly, does it go from floor to rug and back again? Does it crawl over the edges of rugs to clean?
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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The robot vacuums are so cool, but I only have so much to get a new vacuum and sadly, those have very limited use options. I have used an upright since I've lived on my own. My mom has an ancient canister vacuum, which works well, but I remember it being cumbersome to move around. That's kind of my hold up on the canister vacs. These are the 2 I'm torn between:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008SG536E/ref=s9_simh_gw_p201_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=17QEX70DWTFHNNN1J91J&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200422&pf_rd_i=507846]Amazon.com - Dyson DC41 Animal Complete Upright Vacuum Cleaner - Fuchsia - Pink - Household Upright Vacuums[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076ZGCJK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p201_d0_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_r=17QEX70DWTFHNNN1J91J&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200482&pf_rd_i=507846]Amazon.com - Dyson DC39 Animal canister vacuum cleaner - Household Canister Vacuums[/ame]

Both have good reviews, and they're at the upper most end of what I can spend (the animal complete is on ebay refurbished for $300). I'm sure there are much better models out there for more money, but I sure don't have $500+ to spend on a vacuum lol.
 

strudel

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Just wondering, does the Roomba pick up a lot?
First thing: I have timber floors, not carpet. Yes, it picks up an enormous amount. I could post "before" and "after" photos but I'm too embarrassed by the absolute squalor of the "before" :D

It seems so small, like it would have to be emptied twice a day?
It's a small receptacle for the "junk", but there's no bag or anything. You just pull it off and empty it. It doesn't go for a day, its battery only lasts so long and it goes "home" to recharge. My house is a pigsty, I have the birds and I have dogs who have free access to the outside. Even in full "squalor", I've never felt frustrated by having to empty Roomba. Cleaning his brushes is easy. He complains if he gets stuck or "eats" something that stops him and you just go and take it out.

And do you have the one that mops also, or just the vacuum?
I actually have one of each.

And, most importantly, does it go from floor to rug and back again? Does it crawl over the edges of rugs to clean?
Yes, it just goes onto the rugs and then back onto the hard floor. It would only have trouble with a shaggy type rug, it's basically a sweeper so it would "eat" shaggy. It doesn't eat normal lowpile rugs or carpet. Also, it won't fall off stairs, it has a "seeing eye" thing that will stop it "killing itself".

I really can't recommend Roomba highly enough. Mine's had a 'hard life' dealing with birdseed and dog mess and it's little wheel recently wore out and I bought him a new one and he's as good as new. Even though it was expensive, I've had my money's worth.

As for my miele, I have another vacuum as well which I'd bought on the recommendation of our consumer magazine. I hated it (it works, it just isn't good enough for me) and ended up forking out for the miele while the other one was practically brand new. Whenever there's a "vacuum" thread, I've never heard anybody say they hated their miele. Whatever else they may do, they make good vacuums (don't know whether the different models vary, but mine is very good). The balance is good, you don't have to drag it about.

I'd happily again fork out the enormous amount of money on either.
 
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getwozzy

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Ohhhhhh I'm having the same dilemma- finding a vacuum lol so far we've had crappy uprights; hubby wants a canister vac -we had one growing up, and it really is the way to go if you utilize the attachments because you have the length of the hose and the wand part- which is much longer than an upright has. But! I don't want to pull something around behind me...and we have hardwood floors throughout the house with rugs here and there. So I'm thinking of a decent bag-less upright...

A roomba would be nice too!
 

Freespin

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I have a Miele of some kind. When i went looking for a new one i couldnt believe how expensive they were! I needed one for pet hair mainly but after talking to the guy at the store her recommended this particular one. Its not sold for pet hair in particular like some but it has all of the same features. I ended up buying it because i know nothing about vacuums so trusted this man and only when i got it home and used it for the first time did i realize "THIS is why they are expensive..." It is seriously amazing haha
 

Freespin

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Oh and i thrash mine too. Im lazy, why would i pick up that bit of plastic wrapper or bobby pin when i could just cringe as my vacuum does it for me?!
 

MikeyTN

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I've got a Dyson as well, got it 7 years ago as well. It is still going strong!!! It's the ONLY vacuum we will use after trying all different ones prior....We use it on a daily basis due to all the animals we have....
 

strudel

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I don't want to pull something around behind me...
With my Miele, the pulling is pretty much effortless. It is so well balanced and it moves about very smoothly. That's one of the reasons I abandoned my other one, you had to drag it everywhere and it was a pain in the neck. The Miele sort of just follows you about, without effort.
and we have hardwood floors throughout the house with rugs here and there.
So do I. You just need to put down the brushes or not depending on the surface you are doing. It also has adjustable suction, so if you've got a light rug you can stop it being sucked up.

The only thing to consider with an upright is the effect of the rotating brush on your floor. The brushes are terrific on carpet (in my last house, the carpet was this old beige berber, the miele turbohead brought it up like new), but they may scratch timber. You'd need to check that the brushes are soft so they won't scratch.
 

Mike17

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I have a Dyson upright. It cost me about A$700 about 7 years ago and is still going strong. I vac everyday as well, doing the floor, seed trays and under the sofa near Bundii's area. It is bag less and you just hit a button and it empties the canister. It has a HEPA filter that you wash out every couple of months and that is it. Easy maintenance.

I to don't do the dusting thing every well. So I use my vac for it. It has a great range of attachments and a long hose and wand that you can use separately. I can take a pic later if you like. (I am still in bed as it is only 7am on Sunday here).

I had a Dyson upright too, which was also around AUD700 mark. Best vacuum I've ever owned (yes, I'm male, but I do 90% of the vacuuming in my household :)) despite losing a drive belt for the power head (I had to buy both the belt, and an extra-long Allen key to be able to get at it!). Unfortunately, that vacuum went AWOL when I moved to WA. The mob who oversee moves my employer organises gave me 100 bucks compensation for its loss. Talk about incompetent removalists. I've since bought one of the wall-mounted Dyson Animals (well, it would be wall-mounted if the house were mine :)) but it's not as good as the upright despite costing around AUD400. In fact, I also bought a cheapie vacuum for the large area of carpet in the house we're now in.
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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So I did decide to get the Dyson animal complete upright after sleeping on it. Got 'last years' model (which I really don't care about), factory refurbished+warrantee from Dyson on ebay, and after I used a coupon, I only ended up paying $270. Free shipping too. I guess I can't complain when it was a $650 vacuum last year.:jumping40 Though, it is pink (like no other color option for the model), so not that he ever vacuumed before, but now my hubby has one more excuse not to:rolleyes: Gotta wonder why they make their top of the line vacuum pink, do men not buy vacuums too?

Anyways, we shall have to see how the vacuum holds up to the Kiwi:22_yikes:
 

Mike17

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So I did decide to get the Dyson animal complete upright after sleeping on it. Got 'last years' model (which I really don't care about), factory refurbished+warrantee from Dyson on ebay, and after I used a coupon, I only ended up paying $270. Free shipping too. I guess I can't complain when it was a $650 vacuum last year.:jumping40 Though, it is pink (like no other color option for the model), so not that he ever vacuumed before, but now my hubby has one more excuse not to:rolleyes: Gotta wonder why they make their top of the line vacuum pink, do men not buy vacuums too?

Anyways, we shall have to see how the vacuum holds up to the Kiwi:22_yikes:

Good price for the Dyson, Kiwi! That model is closer to AUD800 here. I thought my Dyson was called an "animal" too, although it's really a large hand-held rechargeable with a long tube and a power head. One thing I've found with this one's power head (i.e. sweeper brush) as well as the previous, now lost, upright is that the heads pick up long threads (my daughter's long red hair, when she was still living with us) and fishing line (from me preparing lines/rods in the lounge room) and these will stop the power-head turning.

As for colour, Dysons are "funky" at least if they're not pink. The upright was mostly grey with a yellow cord and purple bits (at the time, I saw similar ones with purple cords). The rechargeable is mostly grey with a few blue bits.

I too did a test on carpet with new and old cleaners when we bought the Dyson upright. The previous vacuum was a Vax, a then Australian-made bagged/canister cleaner which is still around as I use it on the back verandah, so it has a hard life. The non-turbo head is nearly worn through as I use it on brick pavers. I will keep it as it's also a very effective wet vacuum. The Dyson picked up a lot of dirt the Vax missed, in carpet. I actually detest carpet and will hopefully limit the amount of it in our house when we retire.
 

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