Step 23 = Choose a hoover that works.
As a domestic cleaner, I was often asked for hoover advice. I’m quite convinced that at least half of all people who think they need a cleaner, actually just need to buy a better (aka Hetty / Henry) vacuum cleaner. Read on (and on and on - this is an essay!) to find out if a new hoover could change your (home) life…
I would 100% recommend choosing a Henry / Hetty (Numatic) hoover. They are now available in a smaller compact size (the ‘160’ model), which i've found works just as well as the original larger version, and costs a much more purse-friendly figure of circa £110 (and is far less bulky to store and much lighter to carry up / down stairs).
On the topic of stairs, the Hetty / Henry has a fab 2.7m long nozzle so you can leave the bulky body at the bottom / top of the stairs and hoover half way up / down, without having to hold the hoover at the same time as trying not to fall down the stairs. Upright hoovers are lethal to try and hoover stairs with (especially upright Dysons with their impractical nozzle) - so avoid if you don't want to fall down the stairs. Or alternatively shell out for a battery-powered handheld hoover (Dyson, Bosch, Matika and Black & Decker - Lithium Flexi model – all make handhelds which actually have enough suction power to be useful, if you spend enough i.e. over £50) in addition to an upright. Or just ditch the upright, forget the handheld and buy a Hetty / Henry!
I really would not recommend a Dyson - the upright Dysons are really, really awkward if you want to go from using the main hoover to using the hose, to do edges or stairs. This is particularly annoying as the upright Dysons are too bulky to effectively hoover close to edge when in upright mode (meaning you have to regularly battle with the awkward hose-removal-and-replacement in order to hoover to the very edge of the room). Also the upright Dysons seem to be hopeless if you want to hoover hard floors - the larger child / pet -generated crumbs just stay on the floor as the Dyson passes over the top!
Pull-along Dysons are actually great at hoovering, but cost £200+ for the cheapest model and (like the upright versions) need their filter removing and washing and thoroughly air-drying every 6 months to keep the hoover working well. Nobody ever does this! Consequently the suction decreases noticeably over time.
Miele make a great pull-along hoover, which uses a bag (so no fiddly washing of filters is required). The pull-along Miele has excellent suction and (like the Numatic) it is very easy to change from the wide hoover head to the nozzle, to clean nooks and crannies and edges. However a decent Miele pull-along hoover costs £150+, making them considerably more expensive than a (compact 160 model) Numatic Henry / Hetty. However if you are completely against Hetty / Henry hoovers (Numatics can be a bit like Marmite) then a pull-along Miele is an equally good (although pricier) buy.
Henry / Hetty has a bag, so no filter to clean regularly, meaning it never gets blocked by dust or pet hair. The Hetty / Henry has faultless amazing suction on all floor types, but you do have to be careful though that you don't hoover up jewels / money / laptop keys / prize piece of Lego etc, as the suction is so powerful that it will hoover up virtually anything. Oops! Luckily it is easy enough to then feel the outside of the squishy hoover bag to locate the item and then root through the bag (wearing marigold gloves) to retrieve it.
Henry / Hetty comes with a dusting nozzle (a small, circular nozzle with soft bristles on) with which you can dust skirting boards and furniture, meaning that the dust isn't just flicked into the air with a duster. Make sure that you wash this brush attachment in a bleach solution or let it soak in Napisan (at least once every 6 months), and then blot with kitchen paper air and dry it thoroughly before use. You should do this with attachments of any hoover brand, to keep smells and germs at bay. Similarly,at least every 6 months, the wide hoover head should be detached and washed with bleach / soaked in Napisan overnight, then rinsed and thoroughly DRIED (with kitchen paper and then air dried) before use, to keep it hygienic.
I’ve luckily never had to do this with my hoover, but Hetty / Henry can be easily dismantled for a full re-fresh if the worst happens and you hoover up something unpleasant (rancid milk or urine or smelly dog aromas). Simply unscrew the nozzle hose and soak the nozzle hose overnight in a bucket of diluted bleach solution (follow the bottle instructions) and rinse well, then allow to air dry FULLY before replacing. The large white filter (which sits atop the hoover bag and protects the motor) can also smell if you accidentally hoover up liquids. In this case, beat any dust out of the fabric filter (do this outside) and then wash it in bubbly water, rinse it and then soak in warm water and Napisan / Dettol Laundry solution overnight. Rinse it again and then you MUST let the fabric filter air-dry completely before replacing it.
The Hetty / Henry hoover does require you to buy hoover bags. You can buy (unbranded-but-favourably-reviewed) paper hoover bags (which unfortunately still do have a small circle of plastic silicone as a seal). These paper bags cost circa £6 for 10. I find (even in the pet-heavy households which I give a thorough hoover to weekly) that the bags need changing only once a month at most, so £6 for almost a year’s worth of bags isn't bad. If you have a dog it is a good idea to neutralise smells by spooning 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda into the hoover bag, to deodorise it before each use. As a student I would save more money by emptying out a full hoover bag into the bin and re-using it. Numatic do make a re-usable machine-washable hoover bag, but the idea of putting a filthy hoover bag into my washing machine put me off that option…
In my domestic cleaning business, I always suggested a Henry / Hetty to clients (once it became apparent that their existing machines were on their last legs), I think that 6 people I know have ‘invested’ in a Numatic – meaning I could whizz around their homes doing a really thorough job at a much quicker rate, leaving extra time for polishing windows, mopping floors, dusting and tidying. Hetty / Henry would make a huge difference in your home if your current hoover is making you (or your cleaner!) want to weep.