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need more than hand vac/less than full vac for pet hair

13 years ago

I have my Dyson for regular vac up of dog hair. I got a cone type vac but it picks up two furballs and is full. Is there any recommendations for something small that can suck up the balls that accumulate around the edges of my room without my having to empty the cup every few feet or drag out the huge Dyson when I am not needing to fully vac the whole house?

I realize daily brushing will lesson the amount of hair in between vacing the whole area. We seem to get balls under the kitchen cabinets and under the kitchen table. I normally drag out the huge dyson and use the hose to suck up but that is cumbersome. The handheld was great but does not hold much.

Thanks in advance.

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Comments (7)

athensmomof3
13 years ago
I have a Hoover platinum cordless rechargeable vac (upright not the hand vac). LOVE IT! So much that I am adding a plug in my broom closet so I can keep it charged always without putting the charger on the kitchen counter.

It only lasts 10 minutes or so but that is plenty to pick up the dog hair, dropped cheerios, and tracked in crunched up leaves. I use it multiple times a day and rarely drag out the big vac except for a major clean.
warmfridge
13 years ago
I don't have pet hair, but I have feathers and bird food that I have to vacuum up 100 times a day. I love my Hoover Flair S2220, which is a stick-type vacuum. It has a built-in power brush so it works great on carpet too (nothing like birdseed embedded in carpet).
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Well, since I've had experience with all of the vacuums you are considering, I'll through my 2 cents worth in. I've had a Dyson Animal, and although it did a good job of picking up pet hair that thing was a beast to push around the house. It gave me tendinitis in my shoulder that took forever to go away. The Dyson broke after 2 1/2 years, and I replaced it with an Electrolux Oxygen canister vac. The Electrolux works fine, although I was disappointed that it didn't seem to be as well constructed as the Electrolux that my mother was so proud of when I was a child. I have only had the Electrolux for about six months, but so far it's working fine. My daughter bought a refurbished Electrolux recently, and it seems to be working fine and it was a great deal. I haven't been 100% happy with my Electrolux because it just doesn't feel like a quality, heavy duty machine. I recently decided to move that vac upstairs and buy a new vac for the downstairs, and today I bought a Miele for that purpose. I just unpacked the Miele and gave it a trial run, and I have to say that this is the vacuum I have been looking for. It just feels like a well made machine and the suction and cleaning are amazing. In my opinion, the Dyson and Electrolux machines are not in the same league at the Miele. If you want a vacuum that is well constructed and that will last a long time, go for the Miele. They have a 7 year warranty on their motors, you won't find that on a Dyson or an Electrolux.
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andersons21
13 years ago
I can tell you what NOT to buy; I have three cordless vacs
- Dirt Devil Quick Power (not good)
- Shark (not bad for carpet, but not good on hard floors)
- Swiffer Vac (best of the bunch, but the dust cup is small and you have to clean the filter; by the time I get the filter clean, the dust cup back in, and the disposable cloth on, I wonder WHY I thought this would be more "convenient")
westvillager
13 years ago
If the floors are carpeted, any stick vacuum will be less cumbersome and offer a larger receptacle with good power. They have corded and cordless, bag and bagless.

I go old skool for the minor/daily tasks on bare floors and use a good, natural bristle broom. :\ There are a ton of microfiber dusters too which people seem to love.
ffreidl
13 years ago
If you can find yourself a Sanyo Transformax, they're excellent for pet hair. They're discontinued, but only recently I think, so you might be able to find one. They're really great - I'll be sorry when mine dies.
Shannon01
Original Author
13 years ago
I am thinking more in the line of a tiny shop vac. Something small that I can carry in my hand, not run on floor like a stick vac. Which is why the Kone thing was great but just not big enough dirt cup.

What I really need is a contraption that is built into the baseboards that when the door opens it sucks really hard, pulling all the hairs floating on my wood floors and into the door. That would be cool.

When I lived in Atlanta my house had a whole house fan. When on, all the hair would come to middle of house, wood floors, and ball up. Simply take vac and suck up. My house now is two story and so the whole house fan does not work like the one in my old single story. I guess I could always move back- lol!

Thanks for the hints. I do use a broom and then vac when I have to do a total clean but for the inbetween days I just need to suck up a few here and there. Maybe I could shave my dog? Wonder how a shephard would look shaved? He might not let me take him for walks anymore. hmmm
dakota01
13 years ago
I have a Eureka I can't remember the model - but it's purple and it's thier pet version. I LOVE this sweeper! I have the Dyson pet version and I NEVER use it.

The canister/filter does get clogged fairly quick - probably need to empty/clean around filter after every room.But, that's with running over new carpet, that sheds more than my dog!! But, I tolerate it since it really sucks up the dog/horse hair and it's small and lightweight.

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