Flex! The Fine Art of Vacuuming
First choose your vacuum. What is needed depends on the owner and how they use their home and how much they want to spend.
Personally, my physical health is a number one consideration. I want a vacuum that is light to take upstairs, can do a range of different jobs with a variety of attachments for nooks and crannies. It needs to adjust to , hardfloors, rugs, carpets and soft furnishings. It needs to have longevity. And I really prefer no flex cable if possible. They present a real risk of trip and fall especially on stairs.
But every choice is a compromise - rechargeable cordless vacuums can be less easy to manipulate under furniture than a classic hose and initial expense is often much higher. There is no judgement here as to which is the right choice for you and your family but I like to share what I have learnt from using 10 different vacuum cleaners a week and sharing a survey among the wider community through social media.
Both my research and other customer surveys found that these are the top five vacuum manufacturers in terms of popularity:
Miele, Dyson, Shark, Numatic (Henry type) Vax
Of these four Miele and Henry have been owned for the most years. Henry vacuums have one particular strength over competitors in that it is easy to get affordable replacement parts and bags and filters are affordable too. One respondent commented that they had practically rebuilt it over time! Often used in offices because they have long cables low initial cost and great suction they are actually less practical for any home with multiple levels and stair cases such as the period homes I often work in. Ideal for a bungalow though, if you have space for that very long hose. Get ready for strong muscles as well as quite a weight to lift should you need to - the winding mechanism is laborious to return the lengthy cable back inside Henry.
Miele C3 and preceeding types have a high initial cost and ongoing running costs for filters, but ithis is a real work horse lasting 14 years plus in my research. The cable and relatively lighter weight make it easier to manouvre and you can do most of the stairs from the ground up using the hose. It tidies its cable away with a press of a button too so no trailing wires once unplugged. Love that you can adjust between different surface types with good attachments for lighter fabrics and curtains not just hard floors and carpets.
Dyson tends to be slightly less long lived, as Dyson seem to prefer to upsell a new product, repair costs tend to come in quite high although they are good for repairs on faults on products under guarantee.
Shark also has a high initial cost, but noticeably offer discounts more readily than other brands. Their owners are big fans and as a professional cleaner I like the headlights - these show me if there is an earring or coin under the furniture preventing it from being swept up by a voracious vacuum. I like the variable suction too.
From my own use, I can recommend cordless versions of Dyson and Shark I especially like that Dyson is easy to empty cleanly and clean/replace filters. This is less true of the Shark version where dirt is harder to clear with just a shake. Dyson also have the best ease of use in terms of charging with a wall mounted unit so any time it is away it is charging. Shark has a more convoluted battery changing and charging system.
For flex carrying vacuums I would have to recommend the Miele C3 its lighter than the Dyson or Shark uprights, pulls along easily has variable suction and though its running costs are one of the highest just keeps going year after year. It isn’t over complicated and yet collects dirt with just one pass. Even where there are pets in the home it is very business like whether on hard or carpeted floors.
Brush rollers eg on a dyson while great when working do need a lot more attention - tending to get clogged - do remember to check these are free of hair and fur etc and check that labels, stickers and litter do not get trapped.
I have no experience of using Vax equivalents but they do come up cheaper so present a more affordable option. Customer sentiment suggests that people generally like their vacuum if it is any of the above brands.
In terms of efficacy a new vacuum canoccasionally be slightly less satisfying than an old one due to changes in law for power rating on domestic vacuums which reduce power for suction. In some cases the new designs allow enough efficiency to compensate.
However, an older Miele has the best suction and I would think worth buying second hand just for this reason for as long as there are consumables available. There are also a number of companies offering a vacuum repair service, so if you have a vacuum you love, take that option to recondition ahead of simply replacing. If you buy electrical items second hand be sure to get it PAT tested or have it serviced by a qualified professional before using it in your home.
I have an Google Sheet of all my findings including links to video reviews, costs, comparisons and what customers loved or liked less about their vacuums. Do just email mary@sunflowershine.co.uk if you would like a copy.
And before you replace a vacuum cleaner make sure you are doing the following regularly:
Clean filters - critical on bagless vacuums at least every three months. Replace as needed
Empty the drum or replace the bag.
This reduces strain on the motor and enhances suction. Check every time - if the drum is more than half full it will compromise suction on a cyclone type.Clear the brush/roller. Stop immediately if you hear the rattle or squeal of something going in and clear it. Clear any blockage in the pipe or hose when it happens or suction will reduce and motor may burn out trying to clear itself.
So how often should we vacuum?
Frustratingly one size does not fit all. It really depends on how often the floor is used, whether there are pets in the home - whether those pets are fish or furry and how many people are in the house for how long each day.
If the floor being cleaned is only used occasionally a less frequent regime is fine fortnightly would be enough for less used rooms. If your floor is in constant use, it will need a little more attention at least once a week and more often if there are pets in the home. Of course to this you must add in whenever there is an accident or spillage. It is really important that you spot clean to deal with spills and accidents. Where there are multiple furry pets and they moult heavily you may need to vacuum at least every other day.
However, much depends on the floor, some vintage rugs and carpets maybe damaged by over vacuuming - with these adjustable suction is kindest) - and for these once a week (on both sides) will need to be sufficient with spot brushing with a dustpan for crumbs etc if needed between. If you have a vacuum with variable power settings remember the highest setting is for hard floors and is not designed for carpet fibres, the next setting down is for carpet and the third is for rugs. The gentlest settings are for textiles eg curtains and dusting. You want to lift the dirt not damage or reduce longevity for your floors.
Hard floors generally are easiest to maintain in terms of frequency and hard wearing vacuuming once a week and hygiene mopping around the same frequency with wipe and dry for spot spills immediately.
IMPORTANT
Not all hard floors can take the same cleaning treatments. Wooden and brick floors - very common to period homes in Suffolk - cannot be treated the same way as everyday laminate, tile and lino and wet mopping with typical floor products can actually cause damage. If you need help with this do contact us for a period home care note.
