Aug 22 2008
Why I Love My $400 Vacuum
This post is about my vacuum - but by way of explanation I need to start with another appliance. Our microwave broke about a month ago. It started making this horrible sound and smelled like smoke so we promptly removed it and never got around to replacing it. When my husband and I bought our first house we didn’t have a microwave for a long time so I’m pretty good at going without it. I finally got fed up and headed out today to pick up a new one.
As I was completing my microwave purchase I happened to glance at the nearby display of vacuums in the store. The woman who was ringing up my purchase noticed and said “Those are supposed to be really good vacuums.” Then, leaning over and lowering her voice she added, “Although if you ask me it’s crazy to pay $400 just for a vacuum.”
I debated about telling her in equally hushed tones that I actually own one of “those vacuums.” A few people thought we were crazy when we bought it but here was the scenario: We have a large living room and a ton of carpet. We also have four large dogs (50 lbs, 65 lbs, 80 lbs, and 95 lbs), one of which is a husky mix. Yeah. We burnt up two $200 vacuums in two years and I was beside myself at having to perform major hair removal surgery at least once a week on our vacuum.
In desperation my husband plunked down just over $400 for a Dyson vacuum. To risk sounding like a commercial - it’s been three years and I still love this vacuum. It rarely clogs and when it does cleaning it out is a snap. I wash the filters every so often, let them dry, put them back and it’s as good as new. I vacuum just about every day.
I decided to let the sales lady off the hook and not mention it. Some of my friends still think we’re crazy for spending that much but overall it has been a much better investment than the $200 variety of vacuum. Now, if only Dyson would make a self-emptying dirty diaper pail - wouldn’t that be spectacular!
