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Recommend a Vacuum Cleaner?

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  • Jan 15th, 2012 4:10 pm
Newbie
Oct 1, 2011
99 posts
104 upvotes
Vancouver

Recommend a Vacuum Cleaner?

So my home has no carpets at all. It's mostly hardwood flooring with some tiling in the washrooms and kitchen. There are a set of hardwood stairs in the home.

Would an upright or canister vacuum work better for me

And anyone have any recommendations?
19 replies
Deal Fanatic
Oct 25, 2003
9294 posts
415 upvotes
How about the Dyson DC35 ?

Edit: Nevermind, this thing only lasts for 15minutes

How about those steamer type mops?
Deal Guru
User avatar
Jun 26, 2005
10111 posts
1966 upvotes
Toronto
Get a roomba !


Saves you a lot of time and effort.
Deal Fanatic
Apr 20, 2011
7747 posts
2750 upvotes
ON
HeChats wrote: Brooms don't get rid of dust that effectively...
and mops just piss me off. And those swiffer things... I got many rooms to clean.. I can't be changing pads every time I sweep/mop.

This is a house.. not a condo or apartment.

But if vacuums aren't ideal for my situation.. that I may just have to put up with mopping.

Thanks for the recommendation and taking the time to answer.

I use a "swiffer" type head, but with a microfibre or "shaggy" sleeve. It's washable and you can use it dry (as a broom) or wet (as a mop)

Works quite well.
Deal Addict
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May 18, 2004
2857 posts
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Ontario GTA
I would recommend a canister vacuum and not an upright.
especially for stairs they are easier to deal with.

also since you don't have carpets you don't need the beater bars that are standard on upright vacuums.

So i would suggest a canister with a good smooth floor head. Miele vacuums are great, last a long time and have great filtration system.
Member
Oct 18, 2006
275 posts
47 upvotes
North York
Miele is the best, 10+ years and still running great. The other brands I tried ran till the warranty expired.
Member
Oct 25, 2009
209 posts
5 upvotes
Canada
The_Madz wrote: I would recommend a canister vacuum and not an upright.
especially for stairs they are easier to deal with.

also since you don't have carpets you don't need the beater bars that are standard on upright vacuums.

So i would suggest a canister with a good smooth floor head. Miele vacuums are great, last a long time and have great filtration system.

I have the same issue. All my first floor is hardwood. Why do you recommend canister vacuum and not upright one? I cannot imagine dragging canister vacuum all over hardwood floor, it may scratch or something and create so much noise. Why upright vacuum does not work for this purpose???
Sr. Member
Jan 31, 2009
626 posts
29 upvotes
Mieles are good but they are pricey - there top vacuum is over $1K. Also be aware that there are two types of Mieles - the vacuums that are sold at big box stores and ones sold at Miele Resellers. The ones at the box stores are made of cheaper material and are'nt designed to last the ones at the resellers are of better build quality. Since your not doing too much vacuum I'm thinking you don't need the best vacuum out there.
Deal Addict
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May 18, 2004
2857 posts
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Ontario GTA
InfinitSilver wrote: I have the same issue. All my first floor is hardwood. Why do you recommend canister vacuum and not upright one? I cannot imagine dragging canister vacuum all over hardwood floor, it may scratch or something and create so much noise. Why upright vacuum does not work for this purpose???
are you serious? uprights have wheels too since all the weight of the upright rest on the head they use support wheels.
besides, if you are afraid that the rubber wheels on a vacuum that weighs less than 5kg will scratch your floor you have some really soft wood
and as far as noise.. do you really think the wheels would create more noise than the vacuum cleaner itself?
if you buy a decent vacuum cleaner they will use good wheels. miele has excellent wheels that rotate on the canister itself allowing you to drag it easily around.

and as i mentioned before, canisters tend to be easier to deal with for stairs and you can get a head for the vacuum just for hardwoods instead of dealing with a hybrid beater bar head you find on uprights which you can not change out.
HeChats wrote: I've heard how good Miele is.

This so called "buying guide" from Canadian Tire: http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/Research ... acuumGuide

says a canister vacuum would fit my needs.

The only thing I'm afraid of, similar to the previous post is that the wheels might scratch the floors. I'm probably just paranoid.

Any specific Miele model you guys use and recommend? I should probably visit a local vacuum store to get more info.


any of the Miele vacuums will do you.
S2's are their entry level vacuums sold at places like the bay and futureshop
S4's are lightweight vacuums sold only at Miele vacuum centers geared towards hardwood and smooth floors.
S5's have electric connections suitable if you ever get carpets.

there is also an S700 at costco, it's assembled in china compared to the others which are made in germany.

personally for your needs i would probably either go with a base S2 or an S4. the S4 special edition midnight purple is a nice one and normally retails around the $499 mark.
Member
Apr 21, 2009
308 posts
8 upvotes
I'd recommend a Filter Queen. Expensive, but worth every penny. My parents gave me their 25-year-old one, and it still works beautiful. I think they've only changed the motor once. But, if you have a lot of hardwood floor (as I do), don't use a vacuum, nor a mop with a lot of water. I would suggest a dry static mop, or try the Swiffer Vac, which will pick up the dust, but doesn't scratch the floor the way a vacuum rolling back and forth will.
Newbie
Oct 1, 2011
99 posts
104 upvotes
Vancouver
The_Madz wrote:
and as i mentioned before, canisters tend to be easier to deal with for stairs and you can get a head for the vacuum just for hardwoods instead of dealing with a hybrid beater bar head you find on uprights which you can not change out.


any of the Miele vacuums will do you.
S2's are their entry level vacuums sold at places like the bay and futureshop
S4's are lightweight vacuums sold only at Miele vacuum centers geared towards hardwood and smooth floors.
S5's have electric connections suitable if you ever get carpets.

there is also an S700 at costco, it's assembled in china compared to the others which are made in germany.



personally for your needs i would probably either go with a base S2 or an S4. the S4 special edition midnight purple is a nice one and normally retails around the $499 mark.
Thanks. That was very informative.
Deal Addict
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May 18, 2004
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apparently now they have replaced the S4's with S6's which are the new generation of lightweight vacuums.
they also have available power connections for the future. so i would recommend any of the S6's

they were just released so may be harder to find
Newbie
Oct 1, 2011
99 posts
104 upvotes
Vancouver
The_Madz wrote: apparently now they have replaced the S4's with S6's which are the new generation of lightweight vacuums.
they also have available power connections for the future. so i would recommend any of the S6's

they were just released so may be harder to find

and very expensive!
Deal Addict
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May 18, 2004
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HeChats wrote: and very expensive!

you pay for quality.


good vacuum cleaners start normally around the $500 and up.
Newbie
Jul 21, 2009
32 posts
6 upvotes
Toronto
What are people's thoughts on the Dyson?
Deal Addict
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Feb 7, 2007
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Mostly hardwood: you'll definitely want a canister. An upright is essentially only for carpet with a tiny bit of bare floor. Ever try using the attachments for hardwood? Go to any vacuum store and ask for a demo. You'll end up with a canister for your requirements.

I'd recommend Miele. It was by far the best vacuum I've ever owned. Built to last, solid warranty, great for allergy sufferers, light, versatile, very good attachments and hoses, wheels are very smooth and soft rubber, retractable cord works very well unlike many other brands, and it's easy to sell a used Miele should you opt for central vac at some point, or decide to upgrade. The only downside was the initial purchase cost. But IMO, it was definitely worth it.
Deal Guru
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Feb 23, 2008
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Brampton
LisaB wrote: I'd recommend a Filter Queen. Expensive, but worth every penny. My parents gave me their 25-year-old one, and it still works beautiful. I think they've only changed the motor once. But, if you have a lot of hardwood floor (as I do), don't use a vacuum, nor a mop with a lot of water. I would suggest a dry static mop, or try the Swiffer Vac, which will pick up the dust, but doesn't scratch the floor the way a vacuum rolling back and forth will.

filter queen +1. You can also buy individual parts for this vacuum from dealers.
Lets Go Blue Jays!!!
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Apr 10, 2008
151 posts
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Toronto
I've had good luck with an Electrolux canister. The biggest complaint would be small replacement bags that aren't widely available ...and expensive.

Do Miele's have replaceable bags or a 'dirt container' like the Dyson's?
Deal Addict
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May 18, 2004
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pdksca wrote: I've had good luck with an Electrolux canister. The biggest complaint would be small replacement bags that aren't widely available ...and expensive.

Do Miele's have replaceable bags or a 'dirt container' like the Dyson's?

Miele uses filter bags, they are not your normal paper bags.
they are designed to actually provide a sealed system and contain the dust which also makes it much easier to deal with when you have to empty them (they self close so you don't get a whiff of dust when you open up the vacuum)

try this little thing if you ever go to a store that demo's both dyson vacuums and miele.
take your clean hand and wipe around the dust container on the dyson your hands will be dirty as they do not have a completely sealed system.. now open up the canister on the miele and touch the filter bags and your hands will still be clean.

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