At last count, my household has gone through four vacuums in the past five years. The sad part about that is that in the past five years, we've lived in one house with carpeting: the one we live in now, that we moved into in February. So those vacuums died after not being able to handle the amount of dog hair that accumulates on rugs and hardwood floors when you have two golden retriever mixes.
On Friday, I dug out the Phillips-head screwdriver, pried off the vacuum backing, and checked the vacuum's belt, figuring maybe this time it would be an easy fix. It wasn't. There is something wrong with the motor, and for a vacuum we spent about $80 (an estimation), I don't see it being worth a trip to a repair store. It's just going to break again.
For years, I've been dreaming about owning a Dyson, but have never been brave enough to make the investment. I mean, they cost $500 brand new! But then I added up the approximate amount we've spent on vacuums over the past five years, and I realized we'd been spending more money on vacuums than we would if we invested in one that was supposed to last for five years. And I have several friends who have Dysons and swear by them (seriously, people swear by this vaccum), but, still -- $500 for a vacuum?
Yesterday was do-or-die: I hadn't vacuumed in a week, and the house was starting to get hairy. I went to Target, expecting to plunk down another $150 or so on a new vacuum...and found that the Dyson I'd been coveting, the Animal, was on clearance. I emailed my husband, we checked our bank accounts...and decided to go for it.
I was starting to freak out as I reached the check-out counter, thinking about what the grand total of my Target shopping spree would be (of course I also needed to get necessities like dog food and shampoo), when a woman walked by, glanced at my cart, and said over her shoulder, "You will LOVE that vacuum cleaner. Seriously. It is worth every penny. I wish I had two of them."
That was all it took.
I got home yesterday, put my new toy together (can a vacuum be called a toy?), and took it for a test drive on my week's-worth-of-dog-hair carpet...and it was awesome. So far the best part is that you don't have to bend down to turn it on, empty the canister, or even plug in the attachments. And it has an extra-long cord so I don't continually have to plug and unplug. I also suspect it picked up dog hair that my now-deceased vacuum had been missing for months.
The Dyson Animal is the vacuum most recommended for houses with pets--so I'm crossing my fingers that my little furry boys' shedding won't prove too much for it to handle. So far, I'm impressed. Will I still be impressed a year from now? We shall see.
3 comments:
You will still love it a year from now. We've had ours for more than two years and it's not lie. They never lose suction.
Oh my gosh, I've wanted a Dyson FOR FOREVER, and the fact that it's on clearance is just about enough to push me over the edge. I can sell a kidney, can't I?
Does it work well on hardwood floors, though, I wonder. I know you have carpets so can't do a test run for me, but I'd love to know. I have cat hair dust balls that have lives of their OWN. Seriously: entire universes exist in those cat hair dust balls.
Holly: I don't have hardwood floors, true, but I did vacuum the linoleum in my kitchen, and it sucked up dog hair, dog food, and whatnot like a dream.
It has two settings: one for carpet, one for flat floors.
I say get thee a Dyson.
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