LESLIE: Lea in California’s up next, from Santa Rosa. And you’re looking for a vacuum recommendation. What are trying to clean?
LEA: What am I trying to clean?
LESLIE: Yeah. Everything.
TOM: (chuckling) Yeah.
LEA: (laughing) Yeah, my floors, my upholstery. And I went to my … the guy that fixes my vacuum – which has broken twice now (chuckling) – and he … I asked him what to look for so I could get a good vacuum. And he said it didn’t really matter. (laughing)
TOM: It doesn’t matter.
LEA: Yeah, he said, “It doesn’t really matter.” I said, “Well, what about the horsepower or should I get one with a bag or without a bag” and you know, all this stuff. And he said, you know … I said, “What’s the best suction?” and he said, “Well, it doesn’t really matter. Horsepower just means it’s going to have a little more power …”
TOM: He’s just upset because you’re going to buy a better vacuum and you won’t need him anymore.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) And not bring it in.
LEA: (laughing) I won’t need him. Yeah.
TOM: There’s a new vacuum that we’re using in the studio now which we really like. It’s called Vax – V-a-x. And it’s nice because it has a retractable cord; it’s got an integrated hand wand … like a wand handle, so you don’t have to have an extra part around; and it’s got a dirt cup so it’s very easy to empty. And it’s a lot stronger than some of the comparable vacuums. So, that’s just one that’s brand new that we’ve had some good luck with. Their website is VaxUSA.com. V-a-x-USA.com.
LESLIE: Yeah, and I prefer the bagless ones only because it’s really easy to empty quite quickly. Also, sometimes you have a really hard time finding the replacement bags. And if you don’t have the exact right one, it’s not going to work. And also, you want to think about HEPA filters and that makes sure that as you’re vacuuming up the dust, the air that’s coming back out of the vacuum is not recirculating any of that dust back into the air. But it’s really important.
On my vacuum, I didn’t realize every six months I’m supposed to pop that filter out and clean it out. And I probably had the vacuum about a year and one day, it just wasn’t working anymore. So I started fussing with it and taking it apart. And as soon as I rinsed out that filter and let it dry – and that’s easy; you just wash it out in the sink and dry it out – and it works fantastic again. So, always look for a HEPA filter; it’s very helpful.
LEA: Oh, OK. So … because you can use it over and over.
TOM: Exactly.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm, same one. It’s like a sponge.
LEA: (overlapping voices) Yeah, because that’s one of the things I was told. That … you know, not to get a bagless because the filters break and then you … it’s really expensive to replace.
LESLIE: It’s just about making sure they’re clean.
TOM: But Lea, don’t forget to send your poor vacuum cleaner repairman, who will now be lonely, a card, maybe, at the holidays. OK? (laughing)
Lea, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.
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