What kind of vacuum do you use?

I realize this is just about the most boring topic you could ever have, so sorry about that. Can't say buying a vacuum is really something I want to do but just moved into a new place with wall to wall light carpet.

Trying to decide whether to get a Roomba or some other robot vacuum that can get up under the beds & table or the old school kind you push around.

Darkhorse said:

I've heard that the robot vacuums are extremely expensive ($800-$900) and sometimes make more of a mess than a cleanup - especially if your dog has an "accident" indoors!

I have had an Oreck upright since 2000, and it's still going strong. I've replaced several parts that wore out, but parts are well-made and easy to get. It's good on carpets, but only marginal on bare floors.

I also have a 2-gallon Shop-Vac wet-&-dry vacuum which is indispensable for small spaces and picking up water (overflowing toilet, defrosting the freezer, plumbing leak, etc.) I wouldn't be without one. It's about 16 years old and has required no repairs.

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They are extremely expensive. I ended up getting a Roomba that was on sale on Amazon for $229. Folks who'd bought it seemed pretty pleased with it. It's got high ratings. Made the purchase a little more fun with it being a robot, lol.

Some said it worked better on hard floors than carpet, so I'll just have to wait & see how well this works out for us.

jayem said:

Because of this thread, I just realized we have 5 vacuum cleaners:

1) A Royal commercial-style upright for the carpeting upstairs. Our cleaners use it when they come every 2 weeks.

2) A Sears canister downstairs.

3) A Eureka lightweight downstairs for quick pick-ups.

4) A Black + Decker cordless hand vac in the laundry room, also for small jobs.

5) A Craftsman wet/dry shopvac for cleaning the fireplace/garage/etc.

Our household is just my wife, myself, and 2 birds. Do we really need 5 vacuum cleaners?

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My parents have that many. It makes more sense for folks who live in a bigger house, especially if it has more than 1 floor. They've got a vacuum in the basement, which is where us kids used to play all the time and drag in dirt from the yard. It is the only part of the house where you're allowed to keep shoes on. Another on the main floor, and then another on the 2nd floor. They also have a wet vac. Plus they have this Kirby vacuum that is heavy as heck but does a good job if you've got something like sand on a rug. It's ugly but I guess it's sentimental or something? Lol. It'd been a wedding gift. My parents got married in 1991, so that tells you how old that thing is. Plus they've got the dust buster hand held.

I'm sure they would have given one of the vacuums to me had I asked. I like that the Roomba isn't going to take up much space. You can program it to run every day, so that's the best way to make sure the place is regularly vacuumed, lol.

Thanks for your replies to my thread, folks. Thought this was such a boring topic I wouldn't get much of a response so I appreciate your posts.