Cat hair, carpet and vacuum cleaners!?

[krielly]

FLBK7.. How did you get that price for the DC17? That's awesome!On line it says $549????? Is that a price at your local store?

[krielly]

I found a "reconditioned" Animal DC17 on line yesterday with Overstock.com for about 150 under the price of a new one. It's tempting, but maybe I should just buy a new one?

[FLBK7]

Oh GREAT!!!!!!!!!
Got on line to check out the Dyson Animal and there are multiple models................

How to choose??????????????????????

GEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I noticed that too, but it seems that the DC-17 is the latest model and that's the one I plan to get. I saw some very positive reviews on the web for some older Dyson Animal models, but most are not sold locally and I hesitate to buy something like this online from a company I'm not familiar with. Be sure to get a Dyson ANIMAL model, whatever you decide. There are MANY models around and it does seem confusing!

[FLBK7]

I'm convinced. I'm buying the Dyson Animal DC-17. It will cost $440 at Bed Bath & Beyond with the $20 coupon. It's a LOT of money for a vacuum, but it looks like it will do the job. Hopefully it will be reliable too, as it appears to be.

I checked and verified that it will work on non-carpeted areas too, such as my ceramic tile kitchen, living/dining and bathrooms -- where cat hair tends to fly and deposit itself in every corner. Sweepig a ceramic tile floor is useless... the broom just blows the cat hair into the corners of the room! Vacuuming is the only way.

A piece of advice from my personal experience to all shedding cat and dog owners: Be sure to vacuum under and behind your refrigerator every month or so! Otherwise the fur will end up clogging the drain pan and the coils and that could cause major repair problems. Happened to me at my old house while I was still married. The refrigerator actually died because of that! Couldn't believe the accumulated hair in the drain pan and along the coils when the Sears repairman showed it to us. We had bought the extended service plan but because this happened due to the animals (we had 1 dog and 2 cats back then) we got only a partial credit towards a new refrigerator. Ever since then I've been very religious with my vacuuming around the refrigerator!

[millerc507]

A testimony for the Dyson DC-17. I have had mine for four years. I vacuum almost daily--3 dogs, 2 cats. It is bagless. I fill the canister on each level. It is pricey but I used to go through a vacuum motor every 6-8 months. I used to run a childcare center and we used the Dyson there as well for daily use. Never a problem.

[krielly]

Oh GREAT!!!!!!!!!
Got on line to check out the Dyson Animal and there are multiple models................

How to choose??????????????????????

GEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FreshLikeADaisy]

Wow, ya'll are all so high tech.

I have a Hoover Windstorm, got it in 2004, LOVE it. Yeah you have to empty the canisters, but my does it suck. My mother had one of these old water based things (what was it called, a Promise? a Rainbow? can't remember) that you lug around and hook all these bits together and whatnot. If it was a Promise then it was definitely not a Promise kept, put it that way. And she labored and sweated over that thing, telling me it was the best vacuum cleaner ever, blah blah blah. I brought in my Hoover Windstorm, and whatever that gothic sucking contraption was, it got relegated to the garage with a quickness. Apparently she spent over a grand on it.... *sigh* I think my Hoover was around $160m maybe? And I've changed the filters and the belts a few times too. But if you keep the seals clean man that thing do pull some serious PSI. And cat hair.

[monkatom]

I have two kids with allergies and two dogs and got the Dyson animal and it is awesome. We got 20% of price by going to bed bath and beyond and using coupon so it was cheaper than anywhere else.

[Flamingo]

You will love the Furminator and I'll bet it's called that in regard to your reference to the Terminator since it really terminates or furminates pet hair! LOL! Make sure you do it outside until you get used to using it. It will cut down tremendously on your household hair accumulation, believe me!

[FLBK7]

Wow, thanks for all the replies!! This forum is the best, even for non-BK-related stuff. I think I'm going to check into the Dyson Animal and pay for it with my tax "rebate." The timing of this "rebate" couldn't be better, huh? I need a new vacuum cleaner anyway, so may as well get one that does the job. That'll be my way of "stimulating" the economy, duh...

Flamingo, when I first read your reply and you mentioned "Furminator" I got a major attack of the giggles. I had never heard of it and the name immediately made me think of Arnold Schwarzenegger AKA the Terminator battling cat hair in California. LOL!!! I looked it up on the web and now I understand what it is. I'm going to stop by PetSmart tomorrow to buy one. It apparently removes the undercoat, so that should help a LOT. Thank you for this tip!

Someone at work also mentioned that in-between vacuuming she runs a slightly damp Squeegee mop over her carpet and it picks up a lot of the cat hair. I tried that a little while ago and by golly, it DOES work! This doesn't replace a good vacuuming, of course, but it helps.

Thanks again, everyone.

[$$only4ever]

I have 2 cats and have an Oreck. It really vaccums about 95% of the cat hair, but like someone else previously stated, if you have cats (or dogs) you will never get rid of all of the hair.

[One Half Full]

I like reading "Dwell" magazine, and most of my stuff is what they call "mid century modern." It is easy to find where I live. People here prefer the victorian "golden oak" look so I can get a lot of great deals. I really prefer to take my chances on garage sales.

Anyway, I've seen these houses decorated by people like me who really prefer to use re-cycled furniture, materials, and even things like flooring. There was one where the person just used sealed plywood cut in squares and finished or painted. It looked really great and was probably was a pretty cheap option. I figure if you can't find it at Habitat, you don't need it.

I want to do my laundry room with this idea. I'm going to cut squares about 12X12 inches and then paint some black and some white and have a checkered floor.

[krielly]

Believe it or not, the leather sofa and the laminiate floors are all about the dog hair........not a vanity thing

They'd look nice of course, but it's more about the battle against the puggie hair then anything else.

I don't even have softwood sub floors, so laminate is my only option! used furniture is also ok in my book........good idea!!!!!!!

K

[One Half Full]

LOL. In my next life "after BK 13 is discharged", I hope to have leather furniture and hardwood in my living room as well. Well, maybe at least Pergo laminate............

Having a cool living space is not about money. In all, I calculate that my total Living room and dining room furniture cost (besides the rug, lamps and wall art) was 613.00 but it took me about 6 years to collect.

It's funny, but the leather furniture is all from salvation army or garage sales. 99% of my furniture is from yard sales, a used office supply store, habitat for humanity, salvation army, and one great chair I picked up on trash day by the side of the road. The only things I've bought at "real" stores are the lamps. I even painted my own pictures!!! The wood floors were original to the house. They are actually softwood. Hardwood is just what everyone writes. I took up the nasty carpet. They are not the greatest, just pine, and have stains and scratches. (Actually they are southern yellow pine-- 100 years old). I want to get them sanded and put a nice gloss finish on them. They will look nice, but there will still be a few "patches. The wool rug, I bought at a hardware store, deeply discounted.

[krielly]

LOL. In my next life "after BK 13 is discharged", I hope to have leather furniture and hardwood in my living room as well. Well, maybe at least Pergo laminate............

For now, I may splurge with my stimulus rebate and buy the Dyson Animal....... After all, I WILL be helping the economy, right? LOL!!!!!!!!!!

K