A HOOVER for Lorna aka Lola

A great gal I work with has a problem...several in fact...

Lorna has a darling 6 year old daughter and a cat and a husband. They rent & live in an old dusty two story 'four-square' house. Lorna, of course, is a working mother and we begin 6-day workweeks next week. Husband Van is a superb but mostly out of work Operatic Bass. But this year he is in the chorus of the Toronto Opera and commutes daily. Lorna & Van barely see each other but that's not the problem.

Van is a sweet and extraordinarily handsome guy but to put it kindly can't tell one end of a screwdriver from a pair of vice grips and is not allowed anywhere near mammers, plungers or powertools. Ever.

When Lorna needed a vacuum cleaner for the hardwood floors in the new house after a wall-to-wall apartment Van, well-meaning but clueless, came home with a Dirt Devil Ultra handvac with the little accessory hose and powerbrush from Can Tire. For the past year she has been doing all the vacuum chores with this little beast. I cannot imagine!!! She never mentioned it to me although she knows I know a thing or two.

Well, they looked at and did like the DYSON range but Oh, the expense! Had she asked I would have steered her to a simple economical bagged Kenmore canister from Sears.

Anyway, since they got the cat for daughter Skyler she has been on her hands & knees chasing fur bunnies as needed. Then they got a nice large area carpet for the living room and the cat fur and dustbunny situation exploded. Naturally the Dirt Devil just couldn't cope so Van brought home a cheap Euro/China podvac with a turbo nozzle. Well, that worked for a while but screams like a banshee making her daughter cry and flee to her room along with the cat. Oh, the Humanity!

She kept using the Dirt Devil handvac on the carpeted stair treads but basically she had to scrub the treads to get any of the cat hair. She ended up doing the new 10 x 12 area carpet with a needled cat hair grooming brush. :-)

So, the other day I overheard her wailing about the situation and stepped in with advice. I have in the past provided refurbished used contemporary canisters and uprights to fellow employees I like, suited to their living arrangements so I questioned Lorna and came up with what I think will do all nicely.

She really needs a small light powerful bagged vacuum that has a long hose, wands and a Power Nozzle. The house is narrow and tall with cobwebs and such and she's upstairs and down constantly keeping up with the child, messy husband, cat fur and general upkeep. As much as I wanted to loan her a Compact or Electrolux I just felt them to be too large, heavy and awkward for her immediate needs and conditions.

Anything will be a step up from the DD and Podvac.

I suggested that if they really wanted to invest in an excellent all around vacuum that will last for years and years, when they could afford it they should consider a Miele. A Dyson would be overkill in their case and the bagless dust jug would prove a problem what with the child and Van's voice needs. I always recommend a bagged canister when the potential owner is only interested to the point of needing a super basic vacuum cleaner that will serve them well, take minor abuse (or major F-ups in Van's case) and last a long time. If they could afford to spend less I would recommend a current Sears Kenmore bagged Whispertone.

A bagged upright with hose and on board tools is not the answer for them because the house is small, the ceilings & windows high and the stairs narrow and a LOT of dirt collects on the treads daily.

Wouldn't you know the 2001 Hyundai sedan that Van uses to commute 4 hours round trip is on the fritz again so another trip to the garage tomorrow - which means once again he has to rent. Yes, they are looking into a new vehicle but in the meantime frankly, they have no extra money and he refuses to take the train or bus for fear of catching some bug. can't say I blame him for that caution.

While we wee discussing all this Van called on the cell phone to say he was at Canadian Tire in Toronto and found this really neat cheap Podvac but was really liking the Procter & Gamble Swiffer rechargeable Stick vacuum!

Can you believe it?????!!!!!

Well now Lorna, much the wiser from our chat told him in no uncertain terms to forget it...do not spend our good money on another stupid vacuum; Davy would fix her up with something much better.

I know the 'vacuum' he means. I have one as a dimestore novelty. Yikes, imagine trying to clean your entire house with this turquoise toy crumbvac!

This post was last edited 04/12/2011 at 20:29


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Post# 132107 4/12/2011 at 20:08 (4,760 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes A great gal I work with has a problem...several in fact... Lorna has a darling 6 year old daughter and a cat and a husband. They rent & live in an old dusty two story 'four-square' house. Lorna, of course, is a working mother and we begin 6-day workweeks next week. Husband Van is a superb but mostly out of work Operatic Bass. But this year he is in the chorus of the Toronto Opera and commutes daily. Lorna & Van barely see each other but that's not the problem. Van is a sweet and extraordinarily handsome guy but to put it kindly can't tell one end of a screwdriver from a pair of vice grips and is not allowed anywhere near mammers, plungers or powertools. Ever. When Lorna needed a vacuum cleaner for the hardwood floors in the new house after a wall-to-wall apartment Van, well-meaning but clueless, came home with a Dirt Devil Ultra handvac with the little accessory hose and powerbrush from Can Tire. For the past year she has been doing all the vacuum chores with this little beast. I cannot imagine!!! She never mentioned it to me although she knows I know a thing or two. Well, they looked at and did like the DYSON range but Oh, the expense! Had she asked I would have steered her to a simple economical bagged Kenmore canister from Sears. Anyway, since they got the cat for daughter Skyler she has been on her hands & knees chasing fur bunnies as needed. Then they got a nice large area carpet for the living room and the cat fur and dustbunny situation exploded. Naturally the Dirt Devil just couldn't cope so Van brought home a cheap Euro/China podvac with a turbo nozzle. Well, that worked for a while but screams like a banshee making her daughter cry and flee to her room along with the cat. Oh, the Humanity! She kept using the Dirt Devil handvac on the carpeted stair treads but basically she had to scrub the treads to get any of the cat hair. She ended up doing the new 10 x 12 area carpet with a needled cat hair grooming brush. :-) So, the other day I overheard her wailing about the situation and stepped in with advice. I have in the past provided refurbished used contemporary canisters and uprights to fellow employees I like, suited to their living arrangements so I questioned Lorna and came up with what I think will do all nicely. She really needs a small light powerful bagged vacuum that has a long hose, wands and a Power Nozzle. The house is narrow and tall with cobwebs and such and she's upstairs and down constantly keeping up with the child, messy husband, cat fur and general upkeep. As much as I wanted to loan her a Compact or Electrolux I just felt them to be too large, heavy and awkward for her immediate needs and conditions. Anything will be a step up from the DD and Podvac. I suggested that if they really wanted to invest in an excellent all around vacuum that will last for years and years, when they could afford it they should consider a Miele. A Dyson would be overkill in their case and the bagless dust jug would prove a problem what with the child and Van's voice needs. I always recommend a bagged canister when the potential owner is only interested to the point of needing a super basic vacuum cleaner that will serve them well, take minor abuse (or major F-ups in Van's case) and last a long time. If they could afford to spend less I would recommend a current Sears Kenmore bagged Whispertone. A bagged upright with hose and on board tools is not the answer for them because the house is small, the ceilings & windows high and the stairs narrow and a LOT of dirt collects on the treads daily. Wouldn't you know the 2001 Hyundai sedan that Van uses to commute 4 hours round trip is on the fritz again so another trip to the garage tomorrow - which means once again he has to rent. Yes, they are looking into a new vehicle but in the meantime frankly, they have no extra money and he refuses to take the train or bus for fear of catching some bug. can't say I blame him for that caution. While we wee discussing all this Van called on the cell phone to say he was at Canadian Tire in Toronto and found this really neat cheap Podvac but was really liking the Procter & Gamble Swiffer rechargeable Stick vacuum! Can you believe it?????!!!!! Well now Lorna, much the wiser from our chat told him in no uncertain terms to forget it...do not spend our good money on another stupid vacuum; Davy would fix her up with something much better. I know the 'vacuum' he means. I have one as a dimestore novelty. Yikes, imagine trying to clean your entire house with this turquoise toy crumbvac! This post was last edited 04/12/2011 at 20:29

Post# 132109 , Reply# 1 4/12/2011 at 20:33 (4,760 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes So off to the Attic Stash I went. Tomorrow I will deliver this Hoover Tempo and instruct Lorna how to use it's bits & pieces. It will be ideal for doing the area carpet, throw rugs and hard floors (I'll include a wide Hoover plastic floor tool), nooks crannies & crevices, furniture and general dusting, then she can detach the PN and rest it on the stairs as she climbs. Yes, the bag capacity is small but you can still get three-packs right here in town and she's used to much much less. The Tempo is one powerful little machine pulling 60". This one has the tools on board, a long snaky hose and bonus, a small but snappy scrappy power nozzle. The only flaw with the Tempo imho are the flimsy plastic wands. They break so easily. So I replaced them with Hoover aluminum wands which fir perfectly and add so much more stability to the Power nozzle. I'll toss in an extra wand so she can reach the ceiling cobwebs. I'm thinking I'll loan her a Port-A-Power for the upstairs which will cut down on the hauling. I will take her shopping at SEARS to look at the little Whispertone range because I know they have a Sears card and may want to move up sooner than later. My long range Master Plan for Opening Week at the Theatre, and when I think she's ready (and Van won't destroy it), was to gift them a refurbished Electrolux 89 with Power Nozzle for some serious and quiet cleaning. But if I manage to convince her into a Kenmore my conscience will rest easy. :-) Dave

Post# 132110 , Reply# 2 4/12/2011 at 20:35 (4,760 days old) by hamiltonbeachbo (Milwaukee )
Checkrate/Likes So Davy, How are you going to help these poor folks out?? Really, there has to be something in your vast collection that would do these people justice. So, I'm hangin' here waiting for this great revelations surrounding your incredible contribution in support of calming their lives. So ..... hit it and tell us what you plan to do. Waiting on baited breath .............................. More to come ...... I hope psf

Post# 132111 , Reply# 3 4/12/2011 at 20:36 (4,760 days old) by hamiltonbeachbo (Milwaukee )
Checkrate/Likes sorry .... caught mid post. Thanks. Looks like a good choice considering the recipient. You got my vote.

Post# 132116 , Reply# 4 4/12/2011 at 21:15 (4,760 days old) by szymonrules (Philadelphia, PA )
Checkrate/Likes *What is that,* Black and Decker? It looks nice as a stick vac!

Post# 132150 , Reply# 5 4/13/2011 at 06:22 (4,760 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes As I have mentioned before at Vacuumland, I really do think the Swiffer Vac is the best rechargeable floor vac on the market. My elderly Mom could not survive without it! It is a very simple concept: combine a "dustbuster on a stick" with a Swiffer floor mop. The front suction channel indeed picks up most large pieces and hairs, and the electrostatic cloth removes all the fine dust that even a canister's floor brush can't disconnect from the floor. I am not saying it can replace a full sized canister for proper weekly floor cleaning. But as a daily driver for cleaning bare floors, it really is a great device - very manoeuverable, lightweight and quite powerful. It's also cheap - $40 in Canada, $30 in the USA. I wish Swiffer would make a Floor Pad Nozzle that could be attached to a canister vacuum. Kind of like a Swiffer Bare Floor Attachment! :-) I know that Filter Queen has a floor nozzle that takes Swiffer pads.....must try to find one!

Post# 132159 , Reply# 6 4/13/2011 at 08:48 (4,760 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)
Checkrate/Likes I have that floorbuster.

Post# 132165 , Reply# 7 4/13/2011 at 11:34 (4,760 days old) by jfalberti (Visalia, CA)
Checkrate/Likes *I think she'll be happy with the Tempo* Hi Dave, I think your friend will be really happy with the Tempo. It's so nice of you to help them out too. I like the Swiffer Sweeper Vac too. It is great for quick pickups on the hard wood laminate in my kitchen and dining room. Wouldn't even think of trying to use it as a main cleaner, but it does do what it was designed for quite nicely. :-)

Post# 132172 , Reply# 8 4/13/2011 at 13:17 (4,760 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)
Checkrate/Likes Dave - I think the Tempo is a good choice - it will be easy to carry up and down the stairs. And the PN will help with the kitty hair problem MUCH better than what she has now....J

Post# 132274 , Reply# 10 4/13/2011 at 23:18 (4,759 days old) by petek (Ontario)
Checkrate/Likes Trouble with those Floorbusters. I have one too, is the cost of the replacement batteries.. they're about $17-$20 each and it takes two. My other half years ago bought some B&D power tools that used those batteries, a saw, a worklight, a drill, a mini circular saw, and some others.. Then I saw the Floorbuster and it came with a bonus 2 extra batteries (total 4) for less than the cost of two batteries alone and bought it.. but over the years all the batteries have now failed except the last two gold ones that Dave got for me from Lowes a couple of years ago and even they're starting to lose charge fast now.. Last time I went into Lowes a couple of months ago I didn't see the batteries so I fear the end is near.

Post# 132175 , Reply# 9 4/13/2011 at 13:42 (4,759 days old) by vacman117 (Chicago, IL)
Checkrate/Likes I've got one of those Black & Decker Floor Busters. They are very good stick vacuums, and I love mine! As for the Swiffer, I love mine. I have had it for about 4 or 5 years now and it is great on my hardwood floor! Dave, that is a great choice of a cleaner! You just can't beat 80's/90's Hoover canisters! Chase

Post# 132277 , Reply# 11 4/13/2011 at 23:22 (4,759 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)
Checkrate/Likes Mine are done also, so it sits.