Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Eureka!



A little over ten years ago, Ty and I used our handy dandy wedding registry account at the now defunct ZCMI to purchase our very first vacuum. Approximately three months and three uses later, ol' Hoover (Hoov to friends and family) was completely useless.

Luckily we never had carpet. Until a year ago when we moved here. My vacuuming efforts have been futile, but vacuum I do, if for no other reason than to trick myself into a false sense of cleanliness. I don't like to sit on my carpet. Heck, I don't even like to touch my carpet. It is disgusting. And so it is that I began a focused online study effort on behalf of my vacuum logic-deprived brain.

I have looked at all the big names. They all claim to be the best, and for varying amounts of cash. So many, many choices! It reminded me of my search for a dryer last spring. I was feeling despair. How would I know which vacuum to choose? What if I chose the wrong one and had buyer's remorse for the rest of my life? By mere coincidence, my research led me to an article about vacuum belts. Belts, you say? I had never heard of such a thing! Apparently vacuums depend quite ferociously upon these tiny bands of rubber. I decided to investigate. Armed only with a screwdriver, I dove right into Hoov's beastly underbelly. What do you know? The belt was mangled and torn beyond recognition. Further inspection revealed that the agitator brush (another new-fangled contraption revelation) no longer rotated.

Useless brush in hand, I rushed to the nearest vacuum supply shop for an emergency part transplant. $20, many downloaded user's manuals, one bleeding finger, three broken (but luckily not important) plastic pieces, and two curse words (okay, and a bit of a temper tantrum...but that's another story) later, and voila! My carpet looks as though it is breathing a sigh of relief. Each tiny tendril of polyester is standing at attention, unfettered of hair, gravel, and the occasional leftover birthday confetti (note: DO NOT attempt an indoor pinata if you don't have a decent vacuum).

Hoov gets the 2008 "Most Improved" award.

I hope to claim the title for myself in 2009!



Happy New Year!

8 comments:

Michelle said...

Now I know why you were envious of my PINK vacuum! Before we purchased our I-would-only-purchase-a-pink-vacuum-if-was-on-sale vacuum (if that made any sense at all) I hadn't vacuumed in a very long time either. I figured it didn't matter because I don't have kids crawling around. It was a bit nasty when we (meaning my husband) had to empty all the dirt after only one vacuum.

Amber said...

So I have this thing for vacuums. It's an obsession really. I want a Dyson. Badly. We have always had mediocre vacuums, but I have big dreams. Someday, I will own a vacuum with a swivelly head and a non-stop suction and it will rock my world and take all of my hatred toward daily vacuuming away. So, yeah for your working vacuum. Oh and how Handy Manny of you!

Higham Family said...

You are McGiver!(I don't know if that's spelled correctly, because I don't really know who that is, yet I still think I've used it somewhat correctly). Anyway... well done on saving some serious cash and buyers remorse.

Sharlee said...

Ahh, what a triumph my dear, what a triumph! I wonder how much money I could have saved myself these many married years had I been as studious as you. You inspire me. Perhaps I'll go read up on my dryer now.. Toodaloo!

Sharlee said...

And by the way...WAY cute picture!!

Christy said...

Ok I swear I read this and commented the day you posted it, but don't see my comment-I probably messed up on the word verification and didn't even notice! I am sure my comment was fairly dumb anyway, but dang it- I want to comment! haha. All I had to say was that I am glad you found, what sounds like a killer deal and a great vacuum! I, myself vacuum a ton. My husband says I am obsessed. I am in denial, but I know I am. But let me explain why... Our carpet is this short emerald grean color that shows every little speck on the floor, which drives me crazy enough to pull out the vacuum at least twice a day if not more. SO you can see why I get vacuum crazy. ANyway cute picture too!

Stephanie said...

Hello, Andrea. It's Stephanie (Gerard/Mann-whichever)Niepraschk from ID. Was checking up on Debbie Youngberg which led me to Amber which led me to you (I'm avoiding housework:P). Just thought I'd drop you a quick note and say hi. I'm at niepraschknews.blogspot.com if you ever want to stop by. And, by-the-way, way to go with the vacuum repair; I'm constantly taking things apart to try and fix them...glad you had success :)

Palmer family said...

We bought a new Hoover a few months ago from Costco and I LOVE IT! We had a Dirt Devil before that (it lasted about 8 years) and it was fine, but our new one is much better...i think!
You are killing me that you didn't know about the belts. :)
Oh, I did my research on vac's before we purchased too. I went to the public library and checked out all the consumer report magazines for the past year that talked about them...it helped! I learned a lot.
Enjoy vacuuming now. :)