Housewife Hacking

Some may call it an obsession, I call it clean floor hacking.  When my husband and I were first married we were gifted our first really nice vacuum.  This beast did an amazing job in our 600 square foot condo, meeting all of our vacuuming needs.  But as our lives have grown with two kids, a dog and a larger home so has our need for more specialized vacuums.  Here are the 6 vacuum cleaners that I have strategically placed around my house.

1. 1. Neato Botvac. Automated vacuum cleaner. This is hands down the most amazing investment I have ever made.  My husband actually proposed this idea, and to be honest I was a little reluctant.  These babies are expensive and I thought to myself “I can vacuum my house for that price.”  But waking up to vacuum lines in your carpet is just as motivating as the best cup of coffee.  Read more here about how much I love this little vacuum.

2. 2. Dyson Cordless Vacuum . This is on my ground floor that stays in my pantry near my kitchen. My floors on this level are mostly hardwoods with some carpeted rooms.  This vacuum transitions seamlessly between the two.  It is also great for the stairs.  I love that it is light weight, cordless and the head actually fits on each step.  It is also great for quick cleanups when the kids get a bit crazy in the kitchen.

3. 3. Dyson Animal – this is my upstairs vacuum. Our entire upstairs is carpeted other than the bathrooms, so this vacuum is perfect.  I don’t have to worry about lugging this monster up and down the stairs and it is definitely the best fit for such a large amount of carpet. It has the edging attachment that allows me to get along base boards. The wand extends to reach the cob webs that are found in the corners and the basin is large enough that I am not having to empty it after every room.

4. 4. Dirt Devil under my bathroom sink. Have you ever noticed having handfuls of hair fall out when you are blow drying your hair? I’m positive it is not just me.  And it got so much worse after having kids (nobody tells you all the crazy things that will happen to your hair when you have babies).  Well, where do you think all that hair goes?  On the floor, I am pretty sure that I have grossed out my husband on more than one occasion with the amount of hair that he has found piled up in the corners of our bathroom.  Now I have my handheld Dirt Devil hiding right under my bathroom sink, so that every time I blow dry my hair I can pull it out real quick and suck up all that lost hair in a matter of seconds.

5. 5. Shop Vac in my garage. This is my heavy duty vacuum that gets used outside only.  After finishing an amazing DIY project that has created an insane amount of dust in my garage I can quickly pull the bad boy out and it is as if the project never happened.  This vacuum stays stored in our garage and has never come inside.

6. 6. Black & Decker Cordless Mini Canister Vac. This little guy is perfect for quick clean ups of Cheddar Bunnies or Pirates Booty in the back seat of our cars.  It is light weight and small enough to store right in your car.  No matter where our family adventures take us this little guy has been up to the cleaning challenge.

Having 6 vacuums around the house may seem a bit excessive, but it has made my life so much easier. Messes get cleaned up so much faster when the right tools are within arm’s reach. Because let’s be honest, who has time to be running around looking for their one vacuum.