Cleaning and Household Supplies

Are you confused which vacuum (bagged or bagless) will be efficient, effective, affordable, and make your life easier?

Well, I have both vacuum cleaners, and they both have pros and cons.

Eureka Boss Power Plus

My bagless vacuum is Eureka Boss Power Plus Upright Vacuum that I bought it for $49.00, and my bagged vacuum is Eureka Boss SmartVac Ultra HEPA Upright Vacuum.

If you have read my other posts you know I can be a cheap skate; so I always try to find the best substitute possible.  The two vacuums I have right now haven’t let me down yet; especially I run both of the vacuums every day.

Anyhow, I keep my “expensive” vacuum downstairs since we tend to live down there, and have animals downstairs (they are not allowed to come upstairs unless they are invited).

My cheaper vacuum is upstairs because there’s very little activity going on up there, and I just don’t have to physical power to drag the heavy vacuum up and down the stairs.

I read that “…short term Bagless vacuums offer better airflow through the vacuum, over the life of the vacuum you will get the same, or better, performance in a bagged filter system.  (To Bag or Not To Bag).”

To eliminate the scientific mumble jumble, this is what I feel towards both of the products.

Pros of bagless:
1) Generally “lighter:
2) Can see the stuff you pick up off the floor – it’s really disgusting.
3) Do not need to buy bags (I go through three vacuum bags in two weeks; so $10 every month)

Cons of bagless:

Emptying

1) Hard to keep clean (you think you just need to take the canister and dump it in to the garbage bag – WRONG!  All the little dirt and crap gets all stuck in between the filter) 

2) Dust and dirt flies everywhere when you empty it into the garbage can

Pros of Bagged:
1) Convenient cleaning systems – take the bag and put the new one in!

Cons of Bagged:
1) Can be expensive – keep on replaying bags.  If you leave the vacuum bag long enough in the vacuum it starts to smell – yuck!

To Bag or Not To Bag.  Vacdepot.com  Retrieved from http://www.vacdepot.com/article/126 on (1/15/2009).

Popularity: 4% [?]

I bought Eureka Boss SmartVac Ultra HEPA Upright Vacuum 4870MZ vacuum cleaner five months ago for about $180 (plus tax) at Wal-Mart. 

Eureka Boss SmartVac

I just checked out Wal-Mart’s website and discovered they were selling it for $148.83, and Target is selling it for $159.00.

I hated the fact that I spent that much money on a vacuum cleaner, but they had impressive statements on the box.

For instance, it won the Consumers Digest Best Buy Award, and it outcleans Dyson by 60% at ½ the price.

Also, the sealed HEPA filtration system traps 99.97% of the dust and allergens in the vacuum.

I always wanted a Dyson (from the moment I saw the first commercial), but who the heck is going to spend that much money on a vacuum? 

If you already own a Dyson or are contemplating about getting one than more powers to you – “if you have it then go on and get one!”

Personally speaking, I think I made a great purchase – Eureka has not let me down yet, but there are some drawbacks.

Here are the pros:

1) On/Off Brushroll
2) Sealed HEPA
3) Height adjustment available
4) Suction control switch available
5) Attachments available
6) Vacuum bags
7) Long cords
8) It does clean wonderfully (we also have pets in the house, and it vacuums up EVERYTHING)
9) Quite mobile – it looks all clunky, but it really does moves quite easily

Here are the cons:

1) Weight problem (it’s quite heavy)
2) Hard to flip upright position – press and release
3) Frequent changes of vacuum bags – since it sucks up so much that smell can be a problem (so I buy odor control; which helps a lot)
4) Frequent bag change can be expensive, but it is better than the alternative

All in all, I am very happy with the purchase, and I would recommend this vacuum to all of my friends.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I bought myself a Dirt Devil Broom Vacuum for Christmas at Wal-Mart.  I have seen the product advertised on TV – woman leaping across the kitchen floor picking up dirt, marbles, cereal and etc. 

I thought the product looked awesome since I hate using my broom and dust pan, and my youngest child is always dumping food on the floor. 

As you guys know I can be a cheap skate — do not pay full price and will use coupons; so if the vac was not on sale than I would have never bought it for myself.

In addition to my broom and dust pan I do use my house vacuum and/or power surface sweeper, but it gets too noisy — vacuum noise plus wheels gliding loudly over the tiles – it’s just a headache.

These Dirt Devil Broom Vacuums sells for $50, and comes in variety of colors (from traditional black to pink) – I have the pink one.

You can buy one at Target for $49, or you can go to Wal-Mart for $48 to $25 (depending on the color selection).  Luckily, I got mine at the store and paid only $20 plus tax – it’s a steal.

 Despite the fancy and entertaining commercial it does not live up to the hype for me.  If you are curious about the product, and want to know the full spectrum of the product just read about consumer information ratings.  It does pick up cereal, crumbs, cat hair and other little stuff, but does not pick up anything big – e.g. marbles, M&M, and etc.

I have used the broom about five times now, and it does make my life little bit easier since I do not have to sweep up the entire kitchen 10 times a day.

Overall, I do like the product but do not expect a miracle – you still need to use the broom once a week to get all the dirt off the floor.  However, it does make everyday life little bit easier.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Unfortunately, cleaning and stains are part of life; especially for moms out there.  Don’t you just wish you can take a garden hose and just hose the house down!  I don’t know about you guys, but I feel this way most of the times!

Cleaning tile grout is never fun, time consuming, and never-ever easy.  I have white tiles followed by white grout in my house, and between the kids and the animals in the house it is a full time job to keep it sparkly white.

I researched if getting steam cleaner like Shark Steam-In-A-Bottle for $25 is a great investment to make, but after reading through many customer reviews online I thought it might be just a waste of money. 
Unfortunately, there’s never an easy way out – “if it is too good to be true, than it is.”  So, I went back online to find a good old fashion way to clean it. 

I came across this recipe online, Diynetwork website, and trust me it works.  Yes, it is really messy and requires scrubbing and rinsing on your part, but the end result is beautiful.  Not only it is economical to make your own cleaning solutions, compared to the cleaners you buy at the store, but you probably have these ingredients in your house already! 

For instance, Lowe’s sell Magic spray gel for $5.98 a bottle, but if you have lots of tiles in your house you would probably need at least two bottles to fully saturate all of the area.  I have never used this product, but it probably has heavy chemical scent; which is not good for the environment or your health. 

For people with asthmas or related breathing problems are triggered by heavy chemical scents, and it is not wise to expose children to these harmful chemicals/scents either.  I have a terrible asthma, and I took an initiative to avoid toxic house cleaning products; which means non-toxic living for my family. 

Thank goodness to consumer’s awareness to live healthier and more eco-friendly many of the non-toxic products are readily available online and in stores.

I cleaned my grout couple of months ago, and finalized my master-piece with the grout sealant.  To this day I just cannot believe how bright it is, and any time I have guests over they ask me how I keep my kitchen floor so clean and white.  Boy, I feel so good!

Popularity: 1% [?]

I have been debating, over couple of months, if I should purchase a steam mop or not – it’s a huge financial commitment (~$90 a piece!!).  I searched online to find consumer reviews and best prices – basically getting more for my money.  

I was torn between Shark Steam Mop vs. the Bissell model.  I was able to look and get the feel of the Shark Steam Mop (there were floor models in the stores), but I couldn’t find the Bissell Steam Mop anywhere.  I guess Bissell Steam Mops are not sold in local retailers – I went to Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears. 

So I was back to step one – which one is better? 

I read many reviews on the Shark Steam Mop and Bissell, and basically they were all similar. 

Pros on Shark:
• Floor dries quickly
• Has a long cord
• Can refill water into the canister without mop to cool
• Uses microfiber pad
• Eco-friendly – no chemical required
• Easy Assembly

Pros on Bissell:
• Quick steam power
• 360° swivel mop
• Can see the steam action working
• Long cord
• Reusable (washable) mopping clothes
• Light in weight
• Easy storage – comes with a hook
• No chemical required – environmentally friendly
• Depending the amount of steam you are using, the floor dries pretty quickly
• Easy to assemble the mop

Cons on Shark:
• Flimsy handle – feels like it’ll break
• Mop head doesn’t swivel
• Distribution of water is limited
• Has “small” water dispenser
• Pads do not get fully cleaned, and picks up lint from wash
• Slow mopping process

Cons on Bissell:
• Slow mopping process for textured tiles
• Water container is small
• Has mineral compartment – it purifies the water to protect the machine from build-up of minerals and etc., but it leaves “vinegar” like smell; which I do not like
• The trigger is hard to squeezed down for long period of time (or time you have to wash the entire kitchen floor) – especially for people with arthritis in their hands
• The head does not glide as nicely and smoothly as should 

So, there it is; aren’t you even more confused than before? 

My suggestion is that if you know someone who owns either of these machines just borrow it from them for a day.  Test all of your house floors (on the laminates, tiles, vinyl, and wood) with the mop before making this financial commitment. 

With that said … I bought my Bissell steam mop couple of month ago, and it does work relatively well.  I usually use my Bissell every other day, and go on my “hands and knee” and give the floors good old fashion scrub down once a month.  Thus so far, I am happy with it. 

The prices vary from brick-and-motor stores to online stores.

Shark Steam Mop: Target and Best Buy $79.99, Wal-Mart $79.88, Sears $$89.99, and QVC $67.32 — with 7-micro fiber clothes. 

Bissell Steam Mop: Target and Best Buy $89.99/ Wal-Mart $78.88, Sears $89.99, and QVC $67.32 — with 7-micro fiber clothes. 

Hope this was helpful to yawl.

Popularity: 3% [?]