I love my kids dearly, but one thing that I can honestly say is that they aren’t as tidy as I’d like them to be. They are kids, and kids really aren’t usually tidy – they can help me around the house fairly well when needed.
But in sheer honesty, having this many people in the house makes me feel like I’m constantly dealing with legos all over the floor, paper in little piles, and lots of dusty areas.
The best remedy against this is to constantly be in motion – I don’t sit for long periods of time, I can’t. It’s just NOT possible to do that. No matter how I feel, things have to get done or the house will turn upside down in a hurry.
The biggest struggle for us has been finding a great vacuum to ward off against messes – after about 12 years, I can honestly say we {finally} found our favorite vacuum thus far, and it has held up for 3 years. So far, it has been the best.
Up until then, we had probably owned almost every vacuum – we got them as gifts, we tried inexpensive ones sold in stores, we saved up for them to buy them when they were on sale. But in the end, they all seemed to have the same common denominator: they didn’t last. Some of them had issues from the start, while some just didn’t want to do the job a year later. With this many people in the house, we needed something heavy duty
Why a Post about Vacuum Cleaners?
I have been wanting to do a post like this for quite a while – but face it.. it’s not exciting to people. Vacuums are boring … they aren’t anywhere as interesting as BuzzFeed Videos, Tasty Videos or even exciting store deals. But a vacuum is something that everyone has .. and at some point or another, you may have perused google to read vacuum reviews.
I have.
And they leave quite a bit to be desired. Many of the reviews are from families that are smaller, who might not be as hard on their vacs as we are. Reviews from most people seem to gravitate towards some of the popular names that, although we have tried, didn’t work for us.
And while this post is definitely not a review of any vacuum in specific, we have not been compensated to write this post and none of these vacuum brands even realize we are going out on a limb to give you our insight, there might be a few of you who are in our situation that are looking for a good vacuum that might appreciate what we have to say.
Not interested in vacuums? NO worries – you can check out any of our recipes – or, read more about Essential Oils HERE or on this site HERE. Or… you can read about the dangers of Tampons and even commercial toothpaste – because face it: we are concerned about those topics more than most people might realize.
What do we Look for in a Vacuum?
I’m not really concerned with what consumer reports says is the best vacuum – or, what the public proclaims to be the best. Or, what vacuum I can pick up at Kohl’s on Black Friday (because, quite honestly, I have maybe shopped there once in my life?)
This is what we look for:
1. Durability
2. NO Canister (we prefer a bag!)
3. Suction – and suction that lasts for a LONG time (not just a year!)
4. Ease of Cleaning
5. Cost of Upkeep (cost of the bags, filters, and basic vac service)
6. Allergen Friendly (most of the HEPA out there on the market aren’t as allergen friendly as they claim to be)
I have tried canisters and I can’t stand them, so anything with a canister I stay far away from. Although my husband will occasionally vacuum, I’m usually the “main” person who uses the vacuum – my kids, even my oldest, are scared STIFF of the vacuum, and cry hysterically when it turns on. Even at the age of 9, my oldest isn’t over that yet. I’m not sure when and if she ever will be (but she better, especially if she plans on having a family later!)
Here is what we Have Tried:
- Dyson Vacuums – which broke for us
- Shark – great for the first year, then not heavy duty enough to withstand the durability we need, not to mention the suction went downhill fast
- Dirt Devils– great for smaller families perhaps – not strong enough and ours broke
- Eureka – also eventually broke for us, about 9 months later
- Hoover – looked great at first and was promising, but a year later did not hold up to the durability we needed
- Bissell – not too much different from Eureka, but so difficult to clean. 1 1/2 years after we bought it, it stopped working
We have considered a Roomba, but it’s not an option knowing that my children would probably destroy it, or it would require too much effort (canister is much too small so someone would constantly have to empty it).
The Best Vacuum Cleaner Thus Far
The BEST vacuum cleaner thus far has been the Riccar Vibrance Vacuum Cleaner.
It’s not available in retail stores, and for that reason you really won’t find too many online reviews about this particular vacuum — it wasn’t something I picked out either.
We stopped in at a Vacuum Store in our area, and as I sat in the car with the kids for over an hour, my husband talked to them about our issues, and at the end, he came out with a huge box, and said “this is the last time we are investing in a vacuum.” I had no idea how much it cost or, what the vacuum was, but 3 years later, I’m thrilled with his decision.. because the vacuum is amazing.
Not only has it been heavy duty, the bags are relatively low cost .. and it’s easy to clean. 3 years after owning this vacuum, it’s still running strong – we have taken it in for regular service (once a year), but it has held up fairly well even with my older kids vacuuming the floor occasionally.
Riccar Vacuums are high quality vacuums that run quite a bit more than the Dyson – some models up to $1,600. They help remove dirt, dust and allergens better than most others, have more than triple the suction and are built to last for years.
They have sophisticated high output motor (or, motors) that are larger and more powerful than those vacs you buy in store – and they focus on both residential and commercial vacuum cleaners. Not to mention, they are great at removing dust and dirt (they mention up to 40% more than Dyson and Shark vacuum cleaners) – but then they are top rated and a step above those you would buy in retail stores.
One of the best features about Riccar is that they are built in St. James, Missouri (so right here in the U.S.) – but they are ONLY available directly through the manufacturer at any of the 10+ retail stores in the U.S… as they can offer full technical service.
In other words, you have to visit a vacuum store to buy one… you won’t find it on a Black Friday sale at Kohl’s.
What vacuum have you had success with?