Hoover was dreamy. We first set eyes on each other just two months before our wedding day. He was big, tall, and stronger than the others. He stood out from the crowd. He looked at me from across the room- and we just knew.
Our first few years together were magical. He was there for me when I needed him. He didn’t do much, but when he did, it was something that stayed with me for days… until I needed another “pick me up”. He didn’t leave a mess. In fact he was the exact opposite. Always willing to finish the job and leave our home cleaner than before. He was my dream come true.
And then, a couple more years passed. I noticed that Hoover just wasn’t the same. He didn’t have that determination or appeal to me as he had before. Not only was he becoming weak, but he wasn’t even able to do simple things that he was once able to do. Instead of making his appearance and helping around the house, he left an odor, and what were once clean, beautiful lines left by his magical rotating brushes was now piles of dust and dirt that were being moved around from place to place. I should have let him go then, but instead, there he stayed in my closet, where he would sit and only be allowed to come out when I was feeling desperate. Desperate for the love we once shared, seven years prior.
And then it happened, that fateful day. It was just like the first time with Hoover, except I wasn’t expecting it. Like a Shark sneaking up on you in the ocean, it crept up on me. The beautiful attachments that screamed “easy stair cleaning” and the empty dust canister that yearned to be filled to the brim with dog hair and fish crackers. The crevice tool that whispered in my ear “spider-free corners.”
That’s the day I left my one true love, Hoover, for a Shark. And, it was the best decision I have ever made.
So, you ask…did Shark sponsor this post and ask me to tell you all how awesome their vacuum is? Absolutely not. But what I wanted to get at in this post today is how having the RIGHT cleaning products/tools can be a game changer. Because for me, it literally was! There was NOTHING I loathed more than vacuuming before I changed vacuums. I got my Hoover after I had registered for it for our wedding and I loved it the first couple of years. It did everything I needed it to do. But after 7 years, it just wasn’t functioning and instead of even sort of cleaning, I felt like it left my house smelly and dirtier than before. And we all know that having kids and pets can do a number on your house, so when you clean, you want it to work, right? After I switched vacuums, I couldn’t get enough. I still can’t get enough. There is nothing more addicting or rewarding to me than dumping out that canister and seeing how much I got off my floors, even though I had just vacuumed the day before. It’s honestly my favorite now.
My other most recent change in cleaning supplies was my mopping situation. Another thing I hated doing but now enjoy doing. I used the old combo of swiffering before mopping, and then using an old mop with a bucket of soap technique. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this technique, but for me, it wasn’t working. I felt like all I was doing with the swiffer was pushing piles of dog hair around and the mopping was just getting way too messy (I will just say, my 18 month old loves buckets of water so that was fun trying to keep him out of that.) I was getting way too stressed out when I was trying to do basic things like vacuum and mop. So, I invested in a new mop. No bucket, no swiffer, no babies trying to swim in merky water- only a quick sweep before the mopping and a quick spray handle mopping party.
Obviously you don’t have to run out and buy all brand new things and spend a fortune on new cleaning supplies. But maybe treating yourself once a year and updating your cleaning styles will help you get out of a cleaning rut. Because if we gotta clean, we want it to be as productive as possible, right? So ditch the old Hoovers in your lives and get yourself a Shark…or a Dyson, or new Hoover, or Kirby, or Oreck….the options are endless…. 🙂
This cracks me up! I totally agree!! …I had been holding on to a crappy vacuum that barely worked until we brought our daughter home and clean floors seems 100x more important. I love my new vacuum and use it pretty much everyday!
When I was pregnant with my 3rd, my husband let me buy a Roomba! That was a LIFE changer! Now I can say I’m vacuuming while running errands or working out or washing dishes, the list goes on! I just turn it on and let it do it’s thing. Love my Roomba!