vacuum recommendations for low-nap carpets?

17 years ago

My house is 70% hardwood floors and 30% room rugs. The rugs are a jacquard woven synthetic material and have a very dense, short nap. Underneath the carpets is no pad to speak of, but just an anti-skid waffle thing.

I have a hoover windtunnel (less than six months old) and it won't even think about sucking the sand and dirt off the carpets, even on the lowest setting. The wheels/adjustment feature just won't "dig" into the carpet but kinda grazes along the top of the nap.

It's maddening to vacuum for 10 minutes and then find that the vacuum didn't pick up much of anything.

Any recommendations for a good vacuum that'll do well on these low-nap carpets? I'd like something with a beater brush option for the carpets.

Rose

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Comments (15)

grinch_gut
17 years ago
I have to say I still stand by my Dyson.....I have the yellow one and we have it in the 5th wheel now and you can imange the carpet is low nap and probably noooo padding....it is amazing what it gets up everyday.......Stacy
Pawprint
17 years ago
Yellow Dyson for me also!
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I will weigh in here as one of the few people that has experience with both a "traditional" central vac system by Beam, which has the electrically powered beater head, and a Vacu-Maid powered Hide-A-Hose system, which utilizes a Turbo-Cat air powered head. Our old lake house had the Beam system, and when we tore down the old house and re-built, we moved the Beam system over to the new garage apartment. The new main lake house has the Vacu-Maid Hide-A-Hose system. Which do I prefer? The Vacu-Maid Hide-A-Hose system, hands down. In both structures, we have hardwood and tile floors and many area rugs of varying pile height, from flat weaves (Dhurries/Kilims) to Tibetan wools with moderate pile; no shags or anything like that. We also have two very shaggy dogs, who do their fair share of shedding. I can say uneqivocably that the Turbo Cat is plenty powerful enough to clean our area rugs. I love, love, love, the ease of just having the hose sucked back into the wall when I am finished vacuuming. I store one vacuum arm, hardwood floor attachment, and Turbo Cat on each floor, so there's nothing to haul up and down stairs. Although I have Vac-Pans in the kitchen and pantry, I find I never use them because it's so easy to just whip out the Hide-A-Hose and use it instead. Honestly, despite what other posters have said above, I just don't find that the electically powered beater head is so superior to the Turbo Cat. Maybe, just MAYBE, if you have mostly carpeting (rather than hardwoods) or have extremely high pile carpeting you MIGHT find that the regular beater-bar type of head out-performs the Turbo Cat. But if not, it's a no brainer. Go with the convenience of the Hide-A-Hose which uses the Turbo Cat. My research prior to installation indicated that it was very important to use a dealer/installer who is familiar with Hide-A-Hose and who has installed them before. We liked ours, who is based in Asheville, NC. BTW, I first learned of the Hide-A-Hose system through this forum, when viewing Stiles kitchen. Another GW'er steered me to our installer. Just my two cents worth.
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Nita__AZ
17 years ago
I have the Dyson Animal with the roller ball. We have 3 cats and it is amazing how much cat hair and dander it gets up.

In our RV we have central vacuum.
grinch_gut
17 years ago
Nita I bet you have the dustpan that is built in too huh? We have been looking at new ones...but that is a long story on if we decide to get one.....but man I am sooo wanting one...Stacy
wanda_va
17 years ago
Rose, have you checked the belt on the Windtunnel? Or checked the hose for a blockage? I have a Windtunnel that's about 10 years old, and I am pleased with its performance.
lynn_d
17 years ago
Another Dyson lover here, 3 cats and 2 birds....we have the animal.
pplantlady
17 years ago
Dyson....hands down. We have the purple animal and 5 furkids. It gets not only the hair but so much of the dust and dirt in the carpet. (The dust & dirt here the locals call Shadow Hills Gold) lol I'd be rich!
Patti
sue_il
17 years ago
Another Dyson lover here, we have 3 cats and a dog, as well as hardwood floors throughout the house. The Dyson has a bare floor setting, and it picks up everything. I went through several less expensive vacuums before I bit the bullet and got my Dyson, and I am so glad I did. I have the purple one also. The greatest thing about it is if it does get a clog, all of the parts snap off, there are no screws that you have to remove, everything is easy to access and you can get the clog cleared easily. Don't mean to sound like a commercial, but I do love my Dyson!!
lindyluwho
17 years ago
Dyson.

Linda
Nita__AZ
17 years ago
Stacy, our RV does have the dust pan thing. It is so nice just swifer it near the vacuum outlet and pull up on the vacuum and away goes the dust. The vacuum in the RV is really strong too and gets all the pet hair right up.
iowagirl2006
17 years ago
I have a Eureka vaccuum that works great if I maintain it. I need to put a new belt on it about every 6 months. I also need to wash out the foam filter about every two uses.

If I don't do those things - it doesn't work at all. When I do those things - it works awesome.

I did have something stuck in the hose once, that caused other things to pack in around it. The vac was working, just not very well. I finally took it apart and found the clog. Worked great after that.
grinch_gut
17 years ago
Oh Nita I am sooo envious....I want a new 5th wheel so much butttt we are in limbo....do we keep our house and 20 acres or sell get 5 acres build a smaller house on it and get the new 5th wheel? I am all for selling Brian is the one in limbo.....it is just sooo hard to keep up the house yard and acreages when at least half the time we are gone...sTacy
joyfulguy
17 years ago
Linoleum in kitchen and bathroom, short-nap carpet on back stair and through dining, living and bedrooms. Which get vacuumed about three times a year (whether they need it or not).

I have a Hoover with the beater in the body and the bag held up the handle. It doesn't pick up stuff well ... but the carrier that holds the beaters is in pretty bad shape and doesn't hold them as it should.

There's an Electolux tank here, also, with an electrically-operated beater in the cleaning head ... and it does a better job.

I find that, in high-traffic areas, after the usual treatment, I just remove all of the attachments and slide the short hose end over the area ... several times.

No dog.

No cats that are allowed into the house.

And I have such a small amount of residual hair that there's not much of it down there to clean up.

But there's a gravel driveway outside the door ... and I often come in from the garden with boots on that, while usually removed, I may make a quick wwander through parts of the hose for some minor errand.

Acually, I vacuumed recently, as there was too much dust getting on things - including the nooks and crannies here on this keyboard.

ole joyful
jannie
17 years ago
I had a Hoover Windtunnel I hated so much I threw it away. Have tried a Bissell and don't like it. I'm still looking for the perfect vacuum, one that will do care floors, throw rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting (which we have in the bedrooms).
grammahony
17 years ago
I have the purple Dyson too. Love it. Took my Oreck to the cabin/trailer.

vacuum recommendations for low-nap carpets?

Comments (15)

grinch_gut

Pawprint

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