Another Favorite Thing

Favorite Thing #2: Hoover Linx Lithium Ion Cordless Vac

There is a common myth that short hair dogs do not shed. WRONG. Fat Murph has short, semi-wiry hair and sheds worse than any other dog I've ever met. Worse than my sister's golden retriever with his long, flowing hair. Worse than a sheepdog. Why, knowing that our dog sheds so bad, did we get dark hardwood floors throughout our house? We ask ourselves every day.

No matter how much I hate to clean, I've tried to sweep. For the first few weeks we lived here, I swept daily. But, our distressed floors don't sweep well. They seem to trap the dog hair. So, I gave up and left it to our cleaning lady to handle every other week. It sounded like a good idea -- just leave the cleaning to the professional. However, when dog hair tumbleweeds begin to form and float around your house, it gets embarrassing. I felt defeated by dog hair.

One day, it donned on me -- a stick vacuum. We have so much surface area, that cordless seemed ideal. But, none of them get more than 15-20 minutes per charge. Most of them also had rollers, which might scratch our floors. Most use bags. Most have hard plastic wheels that may mar the floor. Vacuum after vacuum people just complained. Until the Hoover Linx. It got decent reviews. So, I went to Target. Bad news -- it was $179. Again, I was defeated. Seriously, $179 for a cordless vacuum that only works for 15 minutes before recharging. In a low moment and with my clothes covered in dog hair, I stuck it in my cart.

The initial charge took 6 hours. I thought it would never be done. Finally, it turned on. I ran around the house as fast as possible so I could complete the floor before the charge ran out. SUCCESS! My floors were dog hair and scratch free.

I cannot tell you how much I love this vacuum. It's totally worth the price. It has a setting that uses the roller (for carpet) and a setting that doesn't use the roller (for wood). It is bagless and the canister is easy to empty. It stands on its own. It keeps a full charge for about 15-20 minutes without fading. It is so amazing that I use it an average of 5 times a week. And each time, I fill the container up...like in the photo below. My mom was impressed, too. After using the vacuum at our house, she went out and bought one.

If you have a dog or kids or hate to sweep or have wood floors, you seriously need to check this out.