apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I often use an old fashioned carpet sweeper on my rugs. It actually works great, costs under $20, and uses no electricity.

I have this rug from Pottery Barn http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p6791/index.cfm?pkey=cprwrugwoo and the instructions say not to vacuum it. How can you not vacuum a rug (especially one that sheds that much)? So I used to vacuum it with the attachment, crawling around until it was done. My husband revealed that he vacuumed it using the highest setting on our vacuum cleaner. It works great! Here is a link to our vacuum: : http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-Velocity-Cyclonic-Upright-Vacuum%252d/dp/B000J67JL8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1206749490&sr=8-1

I have a Bissell Lift Off Revolution Pet. If you don't have pets, It's not necessary, but Bissell is definitely a good line. My specific vacuum has a switch to turn the brush on or off, so you can choose whether it runs or not. So..you could vacuum the rest of the house with the brush, and the rug without!

I have a Dyson DC17 and it is both powerful and gentle. It picks up every iota of dust without tearing up even my FLOR rug tiles which are only adhered to each other. You can turn off the beater brush for area rugs or bare floors, which would probably work for your situation.

http://www.dyson.com/store/productmodel.asp?model=DC17

Pricey, but SO worth it.

Roomba, any kind of roomba...why do work when a robot can do it for you. I got one a month ago and my life is better for it

miele canister--dead quiet, hepa filter, easy to store, light to lift, and the clean design makes it a joy to look at. attachments fit into top, under lid. bags not too expensive, but your air quality is worth any price--epidemiologic intelligence leading up to 2020 indicate top 10 diseases will be mostly pulmonary. so, think about air as you vacuum. fibers on new carpet are voluminous.

Another vote for the Dyson. I love mine.

Roomba. Best money I've ever spent. Shouldn't have a problem going up over the edge of your rug, and great for hard floors.

I love my Dyson as well and will be keeping it if I ever get to move to a new place. The Dyson does wonders with the feline shedding. The realtor didn't even know I had cats for about an hour.

Any one want a gently used 3b/2b townhouse in Chattanooga? No more wall to wall for me.

Question for the roomba fans: Does it discriminate between hardwood and rugs/carpet?

I don't think you should be worried about the rubber backing causing a problem with your floors. If you've seen a darkened area under rugs, it's because the sun has bleached out the areas left uncovered. I've never seen a wood floor retain the pattern of a rug backing, but I can imagine if you had a varnish that was not applied correctly or something... maybe, but not the wood itself.

Anyway, nice rug. I remember this room from an earlier question.

I think a good carpet pad (not one of those rubbery tack sheets) from overstock is a good idea for any carpet, to protect your floor AND the carpet. Any moisture in the air could cause the rubbery carpet backing to stick to the wood floor. That's nasty for both, because bits of carpet backing could stick to the floor when you pull it off.

I'm a big fan of a small miele canister with hepa filter. It will last forever. Great customer service. German engineering. Easy to use bag system. Works on wood floors, too, and easy to store in the hall closet. I have a felt rug and use the non-roller brush attachment to vacuum it, and it had worked out just fine.

I love my Miele canister. It transitions seamlessly between wood floors and rugs, and the genius German design means the little brush swivels and fits under dressers, beds, etc. (most vacuums would hit the top of the bed once you pushed it so far, so you'd have to go around tot he other side to get the rest of the underbed area). Super quiet. Super efficient. And quite lovely. See if your local vacuum shop will sell you a refurbished one.

Dyson, of course. It is heaven!

as a side note... can you tell us anything about where/how you got a good deal on such a lovely rug?

Another vote for Dyson. Best vacuum, hands down.

I have a Dyson handheld and an upright and I love them both. They're incredible.

Another Miele fan here, for all the reasons described above.

Whatever you buy, don't use a beater bar on the rug - that's what will damage it. I also highly recommend a good rug pad (not rubber), it will extend the life of your rug. I bought mine (and my area rug) at ABC Carpet in NYC. If you're having trouble finding a good rug pad in Chicago, although I cant imagine that would be difficult, perhaps ABC could ship one to you.

I recently bought a Riccar canister. I love it! Light and powerful. Great for both hardwood floors and carpets. You can turn off the brushes. Hepa filter. Awesome vacuum.

We used Consumer Reports ratings and tried most of the machines (Fry's and Sears lets you try them out in the store) before we decided on the Kenmore (Sears) Progressive with Direct Drive 36932. It's #2 on CR's list (a Kenmore with a bag is #1) and we got it on sale for $270. I was pretty serious about a Dyson when we started shopping, but the only Dyson in the top third of the list is the Absolute Animal (list price $550). The other Dysons (DC17 Complete, DC07, DC18 Slim) were in the bottom half of the CR list and only rated "Good" on carpet (vs. Very Good or Excellent). When we tested them we found that the Dyson's don't stay flat as you roll the machine towards you, so it was only really vacuuming during part of your arm movement. Whatever you decide on, I highly recommend looking at the CR ratings and testing out the machines yourself. We were surprised how accurate the ratings were and we've been really happy with our Kenmore.

another vote for a miele canister. incredibly light, works extremely well, and is very quiet!

I recently bought the Kenmore Canister Vacuum in green from Sear's for $180, but it's on sale now for $150. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02026212000P?vName=Appliances&cName=Vacuum Cleaners %26 Floor Care&sName=Canister Vacuums
I did a lot of research on consumer reports, etc. looking for a great vac that I could afford. I couldn't be happier with it, especially for that price. Like you, I have wood floors with area rugs and this vac is for both. It has attachments for rugs and upholstery, is easy to use, and has excellent suction. The best part is that I don't sweep anymore. It's great having one appliance for rugs, tile, wood, furniture, drapes, and even kitty litter messes.

If this is a decent rug, any decent vaccuum will work without destroying the fibers.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

My main concern is about fraying the fibers... re: Patrick too - I don't really consider it a 'decent' rug as it was cheap cheapity cheap but dang it looks good! As I mentioned, it's purportedly made of recycled plastic and I don't know what to expect.

Llllacy, I love this story. But it's likely to frustrate anyone else.
I needed an 8x10 but as you know that size typically starts at $450. And I'm VERY frugal.
I live in Denver and drove back to Nebraska for a visit, planning to swing by the famed Nebraska Furniture Mart in Omaha to check out their clearance area (there's always something great there!) All found was the perfect rug in the wrong color for $300, pretty reasonable. So I went back the day I was driving back to Denver just to take a photo of the tag and see if I could track it down elsewhere. A sales clerk spots me doing so and I think I'm in trouble, I mentioned I'd like it in cream or beige. After a few computer clicks she announces there is an 8x10 in Sweet Cream in the warehouse, and it's an additional $100 off!!!! Lady, I say. If you can track it down in the next hour, you just made a sale!!

Yep. 8x10 for $200!! We unrolled it on the dock... folded it up to fit in the back seat of my car for the 9 hour drive home and we've been happy together ever since!!

Vendor: Shawi Style: Cloud Nine Color: Sweet Cream

I just went through the same dilemma a few weeks ago, finally breaking down to buy a 'good' vacuum cleaner. I have a few medium-high pile carpets that let out a good bit of fibers/etc and also a dog that likes to contribute the occasional fur. After doing some extensive searching and testing, I took the plunge and invested in the Miele Callisto Canister, it's got the HEPA filter on board, and also carries a hefty warranty, with free servicing yearly for 15 years. It's a tad on the pricey side, but after about a month of use I've noticed a huge improvement in my apartment. Another bonus is it's nice and quiet so it doesn't disturb the neighbors nor frighten the dog as much. Good luck in your search.

MIELE! Miele Canister Vacuum: Pisces S5280 In the Test Lab

re: roomba question
Differentiating between wood floors and rugs - I have a newish-one, which can get itself on and off my rugs and back onto the floor with no problem, but I don't think it does anything different, cleaning-wise, based on the surface. Hope that answers the question.

And, yes, I love mine too.

I guess it just proves if you want to go cheap, you're gonna spend some time on your hands and knees. Wait...

funny Patrick too!

I got an area rug awhile ago, and went through this (as previously I'd only had hardwoods). I ended up with this Eureka on the recommendation of the woman who worked at BBB that found me staring at the uber-expensive vacuums. She helpfully told me it would be silly to get a Mielle/Dyson for one rug, and I think she was right. The Eureka has worked great so far. Thank god for that woman.

I have very dark hardwood floors, and I had one of those rubber mats under one of my rugs that left little dot imprints on the finish, so now I use the kind that's actually for carpet-on-carpet and put the sticky side up. My rugs are natural, so they shed a lot and the rug guard catches fibers and keeps the floor from being stained/scratched. Also, since these floors show every little blemish and scratch VERY easily (as I found out the first time I tried to vacuum), so I've been very afraid to use a vacuum anymore. Do you think the Roomba is safe?

Thanks Jennifer in SF.

Since I sent in the question I've been looking at a Eureka.

Turning off the brush feature is appealing to me... as I moved my old rug into the bedroom and that one would like roller brush!

I too think it would be silly to spend hundreds of dollars to vacuum two fairly small rugs. $50 - $60 sounds more reasonable.
Don't tell Patrick TOO, but I'm cheap!