vacuum shopping

[GlendaNS]

I have "mostly" hard floors in my house. I also have a shop vac. I hate it! It is bulky and hard to use quickly. It blows dust around before I can get it vacuumed up.... not to mention blowing feathers.

I am looking really hard at the Dyson dc17. I like the "no bag" feature really well.
BUT....
I am also leaning towards a central vacuum. ( I would have to save a bit more for that) I have concerns of seeds and nut shells getting stuck in the pipe.

You all know how messy our birds are, I would very much appreciate any help to decide.

[r2rusmc]

I have a iRobot roomba 535 and an older model. I love it! Picks up even the big Roudybush pellets. I use them on hardwood floors, laminate floors and carpeted areas.

Can't beat these for getting underneath the cages and most of the perches.

Works great. Damn near the greatest thing since toilet paper. :D

Birds don't mind it when its going around the house but they don't like it in the birdroom when they're still in there.

[GlendaNS]

Hummmm......... Sounds very interesting. You have me looking at them. Thanks!

[huntress]

I LOVE loooove my Dyson but I think Id like the roomba too,lol.

[Chief's Mom]

I love my Roomba! They also have the 'industrial' one that is meant for a shed. Picks up nails, screws, etc. (Probably something necessary with a 'too!) I don't think any of the birds really notice it except for Chief. She tells it 'Hello' for a good 15 minutes before she realizes it won't talk back

[GlendaNS]

Been to ebay... I am thinking a Roomba 550 or higher. It would be sooooo nice to come home from work and actually be able to kick my shoes off without stepping on nut shells.

It's funny, but Maxie is the cleanest bird ever. There is very little mess on the floor around her cage. I have Honeywell air filters, so very little dust either.

My big mess makers are the finches and Stella the CAG.

OH! BTW!!! Bluebell, my blue Gouldian has laid 3 eggs now!!! She is mated to a blue factor normal Gouldian. (I gotta think of names for the boys. ) This is my first attempt at breeding. Hope all goes well!

[GlendaNS]

I did it. LOL Bought the Roomba 560. It is on sale at HSN and I got $50 off!

THANKS Everyone!!!

[KimM]

Let us know how it works. I've been looking at that for awhile and figured one swipe and it would be full.'

[Chief's Mom]

We normally have to empty it after two passes (by passes, I mean two full cleanings), if we confine it to just the bird room. The one I have (and I think its the same one Glenda just bought), you can schedule it to clean up to three times a day. It comes with little 'towers' that you use to keep it in one room, so that its not wandering all over your house if you're not home. It's really easy to empty as well. You hold it over the trash and a little door opens and the crap falls out. Theres a little filter that needs to be changed every two or three months, but they're inexpensive. The one thing they don't advertise is how often the brushes need to be replaced. It depends on how much they go through, but I've found they don't last much longer than 3 months. They are also inexpensive, but tend to be on backorder at every website that sells them.

I think the neatest part of it is, the machine tells you when something is wrong. It goes back to its' base on its own when needing recharging. It tells you if its dying and can't find the base. It tells you if its full and needs to be emptied or when something is stuck in its brushes. It's very easy to maintain. You can take the brush area apart to clean and replace everything in a matter of minutes with no tools.

As you can see, I really like my Rooma! It's definitely a big help in keeping up with something that needs constant attention. Now, if they could only make a robot to clean cages!

[KimM]

Originally Posted by Chief's Mom

We normally have to empty it after two passes (by passes, I mean two full cleanings), if we confine it to just the bird room. The one I have (and I think its the same one Glenda just bought), you can schedule it to clean up to three times a day. It comes with little 'towers' that you use to keep it in one room, so that its not wandering all over your house if you're not home. It's really easy to empty as well. You hold it over the trash and a little door opens and the crap falls out. Theres a little filter that needs to be changed every two or three months, but they're inexpensive. The one thing they don't advertise is how often the brushes need to be replaced. It depends on how much they go through, but I've found they don't last much longer than 3 months. They are also inexpensive, but tend to be on backorder at every website that sells them.

I think the neatest part of it is, the machine tells you when something is wrong. It goes back to its' base on its own when needing recharging. It tells you if its dying and can't find the base. It tells you if its full and needs to be emptied or when something is stuck in its brushes. It's very easy to maintain. You can take the brush area apart to clean and replace everything in a matter of minutes with no tools.

As you can see, I really like my Rooma! It's definitely a big help in keeping up with something that needs constant attention. Now, if they could only make a robot to clean cages!

Thanks for the info. I'll keep this in mind. I know. I'd love to have a house like the Jetson's. cooks, cleans, eveything at the touch of a button. I think I was born in the wrong century. LOL