I thought this to be a bit of helpful advice. I'm going to look into it.
Vacuums and Pet Hair
Friday, October 27, 2006
There are plenty of vacuums on the market that claim to pick up just about anything off the floor. Consumer reports just tested how well they'll dig down deep and get stuff like pet hair that always seems to turn up even after careful vacuuming.
"So much fur,” says Mary Williams. She loves her pets but finds it tough to keep her house clean. “You could vacuum this house twice a day, you still get fur," she says.
Consumer Reports just tested forty-six vacuums to see how well they pick up pet hair. Testers collected pet hair from longhaired cats – sixteen grams for each test. They rolled over the hair to simulate walking on it. Each vacuum went over the hair fourteen times and then testers checked how much was left behind.
The Dyson DC 15 rated poor. "In our tests, most of the hair was either left on the rug or caught on the brush," says Larry Ciufo, with Consumer Reports.
The Orecks were hit or miss. Although the Oreck XL Deluxe Model was very good,
The XL Classic was a different story. "The hair got tangled around the brush, which caused the belt to heat up,” says Larry. “We could actually smell the rubber burning."
In the end, Consumer Reports did find a top pick for pet owners. It's the Kenmore Elegance model 30801, for three hundred dollars. It rated excellent for both pet hair and overall cleaning. Another option, the Eureka Boss Smart Vac Ultra model 4870 performed nearly as well for about half the price –one hundred and sixty-five dollars. Either one will pick up after your furry friend.
You have other style choices too. Consider a canister vacuum if you have lots of bare floors they are quieter than uprights and also better at cleaning stairs. Central vacuum systems are like a canister vacuum but you only have a hose to pull around. However, they are more expensive and generally require professional installation.
Consumer Reports says bag-less vacuums aren't the best choice if you have a pet. Static electricity causes the hair to cling to the plastic containers, which makes it tough to clean them out. And forget robotic vacuums -- they are more of a novelty item.
http://ctv9.ca/olsen.jsp?id=/olsen/stories/2006/10/olsen-20061027.htm