cleaning technology

We don't have a cleaner (except me!) and my daughter bought a new vacuum cleaner that was supposed to be all singing all dancing. The first time of use it was fantastic, the carpet had never looked cleaner! Then the issues started. It is designed to fold in half for easy storage but - the flexible bit of pipe that lets it do that is far too narrow and, in my opinion at least, has been put on the wrong way so that fluff gets trapped on the edges and blocks the tube completely! And, judging by the amount of hair that gathers on the bristles bit (and stops them picking anything up) we must have a family member who is now completely bald - there is no easy way to get this off without resorting to a knife and tweezers to pull the trapped hair away. I always empty the cleaner and do all the necessary maintenance each time I use it to make sure the tube is clear and the bristles hairless but if one of the grandkiddies uses it they just plonk it back in the cupboard. Clearly whoever designed it didn't have it tested in a busy household with young kiddies!

I've never swept before vacuuming- but then I don't wash dishes before they go in the dishwasher either....

I have a Henry. It's my second one. The first one sucked up more than cocktail sticks when the children were small (!) but still lasted 15 years before the suction diminished.

I think if your vacuum can't suck up larger items you could have a quick look round before the cleaner arrives and just deal with those few things ahead of time. Alternatively you could ask the cleaner to do this maybe? Or your other half?

All these first world problems.

I’d tell her the vacuum is a bit selective, so can she try and keep a watch for big bits, like the paper or sticks, as she goes and pick them up herself and not let them go up the tube! That’s what I do when I’m vacuuming anyway, doesn’t everyone? Obviously not your cleaner

I have a weekly cleaner who has been on holiday so I may have to be restrained from hugging her tomorrow on her return. She sweeps the kitchen floor and even if I have swept it the night before she still has a pile of dust . There are people who can clean and it baffles me. She uses the hand held dyson for piles of dust and a Miele for carpets. DH is a sort of Green Man when he comes in from the garden as he sheds leaves and twigs all over the place and I need to hoover more often. He also has random sandwiches and cheese and biscuits while watching tv so has his own little nest of crumbs around him.i still love him though.

If you have a good honest cleaner look after them and forgive any occasional mishaps. I have had 2 cleaners and both were hopeless. The first did very little apart from making tea and telling me about her marital problems. The second was from an agency. First week great, second week left half an hour early never even touched the kitchen, third week only hoovered half the stairs. My friend at work had similar and found things missing from drawers after they left like camera, expensive binoculars that wouldn't be easily missed until she went on holiday.

I had one of these cleaners and used to spend hours unclogging it. I could never do a quick hoover as it cleaned for 10 minutes and then I spent half an hour unclogging it. I hated it. Got a much better German make now which is a dream.

I agree I am from Australia and have never heard of sweeping g before vacuuming

Why are cocktail sticks on the floor anyway? and why does your husband get away with no vaccing?

Wouldn't sweeping the carpet before vacuuming just cause lots of dust?
I have the latest version of Dyson and it's a massive improvement on the older versions but it can still get clogged as can any vacuum even with me picking up anything large before vacuuming. I have never swept carpets and never will quite frankly, sounds to me the cleaner is somewhat OCD or justifying her existence.

Neither have I and I would not dream of ever doing it, I am like Kitty a total slut and rarely clean between my cleaner's weekly trips here. I do not think I possess a sweeping brush for indoors.

In days of yore, we had a manual carpet sweeper. (Ewbank was it’s name). It was wonderful and lasted ages. When it had to be replaced, it’s successor was not nearly so good and now lives under the stairs, dismantled. I found it yesterday while looking for something else. We have had a Goblin, Hoover Constellation, Vax etc amongst others forgotten, and now Henry lives with us and co-habits quite cheerfully alongside the Gtech.
Am I going to be hauled over the coals for name dropping?
But, I have never swept the floors before using a vacuum, of any name.

ninathenana I very often sweep my hall carpet. It is only a small area but leads directly into my kitchen from the front door. So everytime i sweep the kitchen i sweep the hallcarpet and the dust etc goes onto th kitchen flooor and is collected up all together. I can remember as a young mum my cleaner broke down and we couldnt afford a new one so the only option i had was to sweep carpets everyday as with three young children at the time it was a necessitiy. It was hard work but quite satisfiying to see the amount of dust etc that comes off a carpet when it is swept. After all our older relations use to sweep all the time and i can remember my nan beating rugs on the washing line.!!!!

A thread about hoovering?
(Other cleaners are available)
My cleaner brings his own, a larger model of a Henry, very popular in the profession apparently.

There’s a YouTube video on how to unblock Mr. D’s purple stick. It happened to both me and my mum so it must happen a lot.
Especially to those of us who don’t sweep before vacuuming.

I assume the OP has all hard floors, how would you even be able to sweep a carpet before you vacuum
Not that I see the point in doing both anyway.

What PECS and Minimoon said!

What PECS said !!

What's the point of a vacuum cleaner if you sweep first?

If you have the same model as mine, (it's a cordless stick type), you really ought to clean and wash the filters monthly. I do this and have never had a problem.
I don't have a cleaner, and do my own vacuuming.

Sorry, I don't mean to offend..... but I initially thought you were having a laugh when you say about brushing the floor before using the vacuum.

I don't know anyone who does this. I use my cordless purple vacuum on ordinary power and if there is something a little big for it to lift I give it a quick squeeze on the Max.

Well I've never swept a floor before vacuuming but I do pick up anything too large to go up the hoover,not that it is a hoover. I have several vacuums some corded and some not on the whole the corded are better at picking up larger pieces.

I must be a complete mucky pup because I have never even thought of sweeping a floor before vacuuming it One or the other I actually prefer sweeping a floor so my hoover which has no particular name and cost very little doesn’t come out that often

I too have a cleaner and do no cleaning at all between her visits (I know I'm fortunate and a slut!)

I have a vacuum made by the same company and I quite often come home to find it left out with a note saying it's not picking up properly. So, I deploy it and put it away.

That bit of aggro is worth not having to clean myself and exchanging village gossip with my lovely cleaner.