I never claimed to be a domestic goddess, but vacuuming isn't brain surgery. It's not a high skill task. My 2 yo has mastered the art with his tiny Dirt Devil. But I've managed to mess it up a few times.
Back in November, the vacuum I had received early in my marriage died an impressive, smokey death. I believe I sucked up a rock while sweeping the patio. It's not as dumb as it sounds. There is an outdoor carpet on the patio. But the sweeper was dead and we needed a new one. I wanted a Dyson but couldn't justify that kind of money for something I was sure to destroy. I bought an $80 Bissell Powerforce. It was horrible, but I used it for months because, well... because I'd spent $80 on it and I wasn't willing to call it a loss.
Last month, I found a new (to me) vacuum at a yard sale. It was $15. That's a lot for me to spend on one item at a yard sale. But I really really needed a vacuum that would actually remove popcorn crumbs from my carpet. And it was like new and even came with an extra package of sweeper bags. So, I bought the vacuum. I went home and looked it up on the Internet. Wowza! It turns out that I had bought myself a $300, self-propelled Hoover Wind Tunnel, a true marvel of engineering. If Dyson is the King of vacuums, this one must surely be the Queen?
And it worked!! It sucked up popcorn. It sucked up grass. It sucked up dog hair. It'll suck up your foot if you're not careful!!! But recently, it hasn't been working as well as it used to work. And when I'd park it, it would spit out a big pile of the stuff it had sucked up. {SOB} What, oh what, had I done to my new vacuum to make it go on strike?? I suffered for a week or two, until today, when it occurred to me to check the "full bag indicator." Yes, the queen of sweepers has an indicator to tell you when the bag is full. And yes, the bag was quite full. It was filled all the way to top! I've never seen a bag so full! I changed the bag and we're back in business!! So, if you're vacuum is not as efficient as it once was... and if your vacuum upchucks when you turn it off... you just need to change the bag, Stupid!
