Best Vacuum Ever!

Several months ago, my Oreck vacuum cleaner stopped working right.  In my disposable consumer mindset, I set it aside in the back of the closet until I had the money to take it in to get it fixed.  I had a second, very heavy vacuum cleaner that I've been using every since.

I bought my Oreck when my husband was deployed six years ago.  I had gone through three vacuum cleaners in 9 years and I wanted something that was going to last longer.  So, I did some research and bought a commercial Oreck at Costco for $200.

It has done very well for me for 6 years, but in the spring, it stopped picking anything up.  I wasn't sure what to do and I wasn't in the youtube mindset at the time, so I stuck it in the back of the closet, started using our beast vacuum cleaner instead, and waited until I felt there was some room in our budget to take it in.

I hope you don't mind rabbit trailing with me...

Fast forward to this week.  My husband and I purchased an older car for fun.  We both have cars that run.  This car is meant to be a fun Sunday car for me, because I enjoy driving.  He loves driving as well, but his preference is his motorcycle.  My van isn't exactly fun to drive (it can't zip around corners), though I'm so thankful for how well it drives!  So, this new used car is my motorcycle on 4 wheels.

This car has changed my thinking drastically.  Two days after we had it, the check engine light went on.  Ugh.  I talked to my husband and learned that I would need to take it in to have the code read.  But, then the next day, I learned that I could order a code reader online for as little as $15 dollars!  I pondered this but knew I didn't have to take care of it immediately.

I went to the library and I learned from the gal at the circulation desk that I could take it to Autozone and they would read the code for me for free!

I went home armed with this new knowledge, and read online that a loose gas cap is the most common reason for the check engine light to come on.  So, I went back to the gas cap and clicked it a little harder.  I tried to start the car one last time with just a little bit of hope and the light was off!

That afternoon, I youtubed a video to help me see how to replace the battery in one of the key fobs for the car.  I did it!  The previous owner of the car had mentioned youtube and it's helpfulness in replacing the battery instead of taking it to a dealer for them to do it.

I had this great feeling of satisfaction that I had taken care of something instead of jumping the gun and taking my car in for a very expensive inspection!

This morning I woke up thinking about the car, the check engine light, and tackling the key fob.  I decided to pull out my vacuum cleaner.  I googled youtube for a good video and found this one:


I followed the directions and discovered that I had a big (BIG) clog in the main pipe.  I cleared it out and Voila!  My vacuum cleaner works again!!  The video was easy to follow and understand.

I don't think I would ever buy anything but an Oreck again.  It was so simple to fix and I honestly missed (!!!) how light it is.  I haven't asked my kids to vacuum in months because the other vacuum was so heavy.  But, now I can comfortably ask them again!  Yahoo!

What Oreck does well is be simple.  It separated the hand vacuum from the upright and streamlined the vacuum so it could be very, very light.  It is only 8 pounds!  My Miele is 21 pounds and a bear to push.  It does an amazing job, but it is better for heavy duty jobs and the Oreck is nice for weekly vacuuming.  Also, because the Oreck is simple, it can be fixed.  In a day and age when everything is disposable and when something breaks it gets thrown away, I was so thankful to be able to fix my vacuum myself and not spend $170 on a new one.

I know that many people are concerned about HEPA and pet dander features on their vacuums.  My Miele is the pet vacuum edition.  My Oreck is not.  I have three family members with allergies and I don't feel like their allergies were worse when the Oreck was our regular vacuum than with the Mielle the past four months.

If you ever feel exasperated about your vacuum cleaner or you know someone who has a shoulder injury, then there isn't anything out there that compare with an Oreck!