Commercial Grade Vacuum

We have finally found the perfect vacuum. No Consumer Reports hype. No whirling cyclone of dust inside a transparent container. Nope. It's a commercial vacuum (I found her at a janitorial supply store) and it broke two of my vacuum rules.

Broken Rule #1: Has to be a Kenmore
Why we broke the Rule: It turns out that Kenmore really is a great brand, but it's not the brand that the "industry" uses. I'm talking about maids, janitors and really smart housewives. We chose a Sanitaire DuraLux by Electrolux SC9180A Commercial Upright. It beats the b'jeebers out of dirty carpet and is quieter, sturdier and lasts FOR-EV-ER! The two different vacuum gurus I talked to said that the Sanitaire vacuums tend to have a lifespan of 20 years. And that beats our Kenmore by fifteen. The price was only 30% more than the top model Kenmore.

I believe that housewives deserve commercial/professional grade when it comes to cleaning tools and supplies. While it's true that I'm not cleaning a hundred hotel rooms a day, I still want high quality tools that will withstand heavy use.

I'm also a stickler for high end customer service (even at low end stores). The gal at the Sears store was under the impression that I enjoyed waiting for her while she complained to her boss about another employee. While it was fascinating, I chose to leave.

Broken Rule #2: Has to have a "dirt sucking meter"
Why we broke the Rule: Does one really need a light up sensor to tell if the carpet is clean? Our old vacuum (bless her heart) had a dirt sucking meter. It was cool, but did it really make our carpet any cleaner? Then only thing it really told me was that the sensor thought there was no more dirt.

Our new vacuum does not have a light telling me that our carpet is clean, but she does have a wicked metal and brush beater bar. And that scares me. There's no way our carpet can possibly be dirty after that good of a beating. (You don't sass this vacuum back.)

I'm happy. And the next time I buy another vacuum, I will be the same age as my mother is now.