I reuse them because I start with big stuff - whole roasts or a big bunch of chicken parts. After that stuff has been used, I cut them down (maybe 2" lost?) and use them for smaller stuff like 4 pork chops (after thoroughly washing of course). When the chops are used and bags cleaned, the much smaller bags are used for cooked meat for 2 or for soup parts. After that it's toss time. The bags are expensive but then again, freezer burn is much more costly. I do the same with a ton of yellow onions, then cut down for diced carrots, then for chopped peppers, then bits of herbs. I also use the littlest bags for saving heirloom seeds to plant next year - though those never go into the freezer! There is more of the "outside" sealed edges when I get to that point, but they are still safely sealed and air tight. Perhaps you need to start out with really, really big bags of multiple burritos and progress downwards as they are used? I think I use 2" for each succession, but then, I really stuff everything in terribly tightly to start with yet you may want individual servings - which aren't economical for the volume you use over the year's time. Nancy

Carpets can look pretty clean, but once Dyson-ized it's hard to believe what's in that bin. It makes you vacuum even more often, because you start thinking, "I know that rug looks clean, but my daughter sleeps in here..." Carpets require a ton of upkeep, or they are unhealthy. Don't wear your shoes inside. Feel like a jerk telling people to take them off? Me too, so some places in the house we allow it. But mostly I ask right inside the front door. We have 2 Dysons, a DC17 Absolute ("All Floors") and a lightweight. The DC17 has 7 royal blue cyclones and 2 wheels. My DC17 is an amazing piece of equipment and I love it. So don't take these comments as bashing. I highly recommend the product. Some things to know about Dyson - **They have different models in USA and UK, with the US models sporting stiffer bristles that were developed especially for carpeting sold here. **Count the "cyclones" on your Dyson. These are the molded, hemispheric cones encircling the top of the waste bin. The best Dysons have 7. (Unless they make even more now.) The cheaper ones have 5. It makes a difference, not only with how well it cleans, but also on WHAT you can clean. Fewer cyclones are not good with very fine powdery dirt, except in small amounts. **I'm not a big fan of the ball. The lightweight upright has a mini-ball. It doesn't stand on its own so well for storage anymore, and the ball, when you are maneuvering, is not always best, I find. **If your Dyson doesn't have the telescoping wand, you are missing one of the coolest features ever. It puts anything within easy reach. Stinkbugs, bees - not just walls and drapes. I use my DC17 as a "canister" at least as much, maybe more, than a traditional vacuum. The "low reach floor tool", another must have, combined with the wand, makes this vacuum a true convertible, and it follows you around as you clean non-fixed items like area rugs that are too much of a hassle to try to vacuum with the tornado-like suction of the main powerhead. A very fast and convenient method to have as an alternative to regular upright use, especially in the kitchen, under the table, etc. **You may notice an annoying trait of the Dyson - sometimes it pushes dirt along the floor instead of picking it up. I imagine the latest "air muscle" models are even worse, as this new feature ensures an even greater seal between the vacuum and the floor. And this relates to your "so much dust in the bin" comment - Dyson's are great for picking up dust, allergens, dander. They don't do so well with bigger stuff that doesn't easily squish under the powerhead. You're better off making a quick sweep (or pickup) of big debris first, then vacuuming. **Emptying them. Ha! Don't fall for the images of the nicely dressed woman or man sticking the bin well inside the garbage can, pulling the trigger, and walking away clean. Yes, you can do this, but if that's all you ever do, you will soon notice that more and more nastiness remains stuck up inside. To really maintain the suction and capacity of the bin, you have to release the clear bin from the top cyclones, and brush the top clean. Do this OUTSIDE. It's GROSS. Dust flies EVERYWHERE. I wear an N95 mask religiously, but If I'm caught without one, I hold my breath. If it's a windy day, GOOD. At least you can choose a direction and get the dirt to blow away from you. This is such a dirty, dusty, nasty job that you wouldn't want to do it in a really nice outfit. A vacuum with a bag (which I would never go back to) is so much more convenient to empty. Once in a great while I either use compressed air to clean it (horrible!) or I run water thru it. Either way, it's like I'm Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs. I have a woodstove that dries anything near it, so I don't worry about getting the water out. **The HEPA. Dysons have a washable lifetime high efficiency particulate airfilter in their final stage. You are supposed to wash it out once every 6 months. God forbid you decide to do this when the weather is overcast and damp. Since you are specifically warned to NOT use a direct heat source to dry it, most of us would place it in the sun or a warm, dry area. It takes days and days to dry without nice, radiant gentle heat! I can dry it in 3 or 4 hours on the mantle above the wood heater. 12 hours outside, in the summer. **Eee gadz, the PRICE!! I almost forgot. I got mine from a floor display at Bed Bath & Beyond for almost $200 less than what they were selling for in other stores, and I used a 30% off coupon too. It cost something like $330 tax incl., and I was elated because the thing sold for $500 or more everywhere else before tax. Yikes! Not for the faint of heart!! I'm sure there's more. Sometimes you have to take apart the powerhead and clean the brush roller. (You don't have to. The Dyson UK Bobbies won't come to fine you. I'm just fastidious this way.) Disassembly and re-assembly is a breeze. Wonderful. Cutting the stubborn strands of extra-thick USA carpet out of it is tough, though.

Janiner: Congrats on the new floormate and I agree w Lazygarden's observations. I don't know which one I have, it just says Spin and Scrub on the front. We have had it for about 2 years and I love it, given what it is for and how well it does the difficult task of cleaning tile. We have 1550 square feet of tile (the whole house, including the bedrooms), no pets or kids, and I hate housecleaning, so do as little as possible. But the tile is light, so I still have to do it every 6 weeks or so. The worst is always the kitchen, especially under our restaurant-style thick rubber mat in front of the cooking area. It has lots of holes for things to drop through and can be quite a mess. When we bought the floormate, the sales staff were clear in stating that it was for flooring, but not specifically for grout and that the brushes would only reach the grout if is was very high -close to the height of the tile itself. Our grout is darkish, so it is not much of an issue. Here is a tip for you on a way to pre-clean any really dirty stubborn spots: Go to Sears and pick up a Scumbuster by Black and Decker. This little battery operated hand-held device has rotating scrubbers (and several attachments) that will clean any tile or grout, no matter how bad it is. I love it. For floors, it is still hands and knees (or sit on a low stool or chair, which is what I do). I also use it in the shower, though there is not much to do there, since we don't use bar soap. Back to the floormate, my normal process is to use the stick vac to clean up crumbs and heavier dirt, then the swiffer for dust and to get under things, and then the Scumbuster (only if needed, which is not too often) and lastly the Floormate. While I know the floormate will do dry vac work, I have not found it to be very good at that unless you have a wide open area and not much dirt to get up. I still love this useful device, but am dreaming of the day when we can hire a housecleaning service. We can afford it, but hubby "does not want strangers in the house...." Lynne

I like the Glad zipper bags better than Zip-Locs but my (Glad) stock is several years old so I don't know how the new ones compare to the old. I don't like how Zip-Locs always tear at the seam above the seal. And I love the cool blue color of the Glad freezer bags---which has not one thing to do with performance. The Glad bags are not as widely stocked as Zip-Loc brand so you have to kinda' hunt for them. Forgot to mention that I vac seal only beef and pork. Don't bother with chicken because I have a high turnover with chicken. I buy a lot of those bargain 10# bags of leg quarters because I like dark meat chkn far better than white meat. Separate the leg from the thigh, trim excess skin & fat (which goes into the stock pot or pressure cooker to make broth). I stuff the individual pieces into fold-over top sandwich bags...the bag 'sticks' to the chicken eliminating a lot of the air pockets...then the individual portions are bagged in a gallon size freezer zipper bag. This system works well with chicken breasts, too. I always keep some boneless, skinless breasts for a few recipes where I prefer the white meat and the ease of using boneless pieces.