Clean Bees Vacuum Buying Guide 2012

Investing in a new vacuum is certainly not an easy task. Beyond that, justifying spending a fortune on one is even harder. That’s not to say that the most expensive vacuums are the best in the market, however, but chances are the more high-end vacuums are likely to last longer than some of the lower end brands out there. A reliable vacuum cleaner is vital to maintaining a clean home as well as the life of your carpet, but vacuums often times can cause more stress than relief. So, hopefully the research I have collected will aid you in purchasing the vacuum of your dreams.  

Let’s start with the basics: which style of vacuum will best fit your needs? Vacuums come in all shapes and sizes and this alone makes it difficult to start your search for a new vacuum.

Here are some great sites that break down vacuums into their different categories and discuss pros and cons of each style to help you choose the most appropriate for you. Some of them also discuss another question that often arises about vacuums, which is whether to go bagged or bagless. There is not necessarily a right or wrong answer to what style of vacuum is better, so I’ll let you be the judge for yourself.

·      http://www.simplicityvac.com/choosing-a-vacuum/

·      http://ezvacuumcleanerreviews.com/bagged-vs-bagless-vacuum-cleaners/

·      http://www.thesevacuumssuck.com/vac-info-76.html

·      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2v2m3exYB4

I realize this is A LOT of information… but bare with me. We are getting to the good part I promise.

I’ve checked out www.ConsumerReports.org as well some other reviews on the net and compiled a list of suggestions for the best vacuums on the market right now, based not only on research done by experts but also according to consumers just like you. Keep in mind, these are merely suggestions and you may still have to do a little bit of research and reading of reviews before deciding on the best vacuum cleaner for you.

Price Range: $600 and up

If money is no object and you’re ready to take the plunge to spend whatever it takes to get a long-lasting and reliable vacuum, there certainly are a lot of options to choose from. Here are a few suggestions of some of the best vacuums in the higher price range.

 Miele S5281 Callisto:

·      About $900

·      Bagged canister

·      Great option for bare floors!

·      20-year Life Expectancy (according to manufacturer)

·      71/100 rating on Consumer Reports with a 4.5 average user rating (based on 9 reviews)

·      Here’s what people are saying about it:

o   Amazon

o   Vacuum Cleaner Advisor

Miele S 7580 Bolero:

·      About $800

·      Bagged upright

·      20-year Life expectancy (according to manufacturer)

·      69/100 rating on Consumer Reports with a 4.5 average user rating (based on 6 reviews)

·      Here’s what people are saying about it:

o   Amazon

o   Good Housekeeping

o   Vacuum Cleaner Advisor   

Price Range: $300-$600

If you are hoping to be a little more conscious on your pocket, but still are willing to spend a little extra for a decent machine, here are some options for you to pick from. These vacuums are middle of the road in price, but still get decent ratings from both the experts as well as consumers.

Miele S7210 Twist:

·      Approximately $450

·      Bagged upright

·      20-year Life Expectancy (according to manufacturer)

·      72/100 rating on Consumer Reports

·      Here’s what people are saying about it:

o   Amazon

o   Vacuum Cleaner Advisor 

Kenmore Intuition 28014:

·      Approximately $500

·      Bagged canister

·      Great option for bare floors!

·      No good research to determine life expectancy, but with proper maintenance you might get 5-6 years, possibly more.

·      72/100 rating on Consumer Reports

·      Here’s what people are saying about it:

o   Amazon

o   Good Housekeeping 

Price Range: up to $300

We definitely understand that not everyone has an extra $500 in his or her budget for a new vacuum. If this is the case, there are also some great options out there. However, it is important to be mindful that the less you spend on a vacuum the shorter its lifespan may be and the less likely it is to have long-lasting parts or warranties. One thing to keep in mind is just because your vacuum turns on it doesn’t mean it is working! These are great vacuums that do get the job done, until you can save up for a pricier model.

Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Edition U6485-900:

·      Approximately $230

·      Bagged upright

·      No good research available on life expectancy, but with proper maintenance you may get about 2-3 years, possibly more.

·      73/100 rating on Consumer Reports

·      Here’s what people are saying about it:

o   Amazon

o   Google

o   Vacuum Cleaner Advisor  

Panasonic MC-CG902:

·      Approximately $200

·      Bagged canister

·      Great option for bare floors!

·      No good research available on life expectancy, but with proper maintenance you may get about 2-3 years, possibly more.

·      65/100 Rating on Consumer Reports

·      Here’s what people are saying about it:

o   Vacuum Cleaner Reviews

o   Amazon

Hoover Platinum w/ Canister:

·      Approximately $250

·      Lightweight, bagged upright, with canister vacuum for stairs and other such tasks

·      No good research available on life expectancy, but with proper maintenance you may get about 2-3 years, possibly more.

·      70/100 rating on Consumer Reports

·      Here’s what people are saying about it:

o   Vacuum Cleaner Reviews

o   Vacuum Cleaner Advisor

o   Amazon

It’s really unfortunate that there are so many different brands and models of vacuum cleaners out there. I feel like I read millions of reviews but I know I barely covered a fraction of the machines that are on the market in my research. Even though I did not include these on my list, some other brands that are definitely worth mentioning are Riccar, Kirby, Sebo, Oreck, and Simplicity. Also, if you decide you want to go bagless, Dyson is probably the best on the market (although in both the vacuum stores I visited these vacuums accounted for about 70% of the repairs they do).

After all this research I wish I could consider myself a vacuum guru… but that is hardly the case, although I did learn quite a bit. To talk with some real experts, visit one of our local vacuum stores: J&M Vac & Sew  (make sure to mention Clean Bees when you go in!) or Foothills Vacuum and Sewing Center. If you are in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, I sure hope this information helps you in your search!

Our Hive Continues to Strive for Excellence

We are thrilled to announce our recent acceptance of the Angie’s List 2011 Super Service Award for our exceptional housekeeping services in Fort Collins over the past year! Angie’s List is a member driven website that offers consumer reviews on service companies in your area.  Not just any business can join Angie’s List; it is up to the members to report experiences with companies they have hired. The Super Service Award is the highest honor received by companies on Angie’s List. Eligibility for this award is based on a business’s service rating throughout the course of a year. According to the Angie’s List website, approximately 5% of the service companies on the site are eligible for this award and even fewer actually attain it.

Here’s just a snippet of what our customers are saying about our cleaning services on Angie’s List:

“The house always looks, feels, and smells fresh and they do it all!”

“Very professional company with excellent communication skills and follow-up. I got exactly what I asked for and couldn’t be more pleased by the way Clean Bees handled the job.”

“They are exceptional and pay attention to what the customer wants. Their professionalism is extraordinary.”

Needless to say, Clean Bees is very proud to accept the Angie’s List 2011 Super Service Award for our housekeeping services in Fort Collins. A special thanks goes out to our Angie’s List clients for these wonderful reviews about their experiences with Clean Bees. If you are a member of Angie’s List and haven’t written a review about your cleanings yet, we’d love to hear from you!

If you aren’t a member… To read the full reviews about our cleaning services, write your own, or check out what the locals are saying about other service companies in Fort Collins, go to www.Angieslist.com and become a member today! 

Squeegee (aka Emily M.)

Reflections on 2011

With 2011 nearing it’s end, we would like to take some time to reflect on all of the exciting changes that have happened in the Hive. Thanks to all of our customers, dedicated staff, and supportive community, we’ve been able to accomplish some pretty remarkable stuff. We’ve worked tirelessly to improve and grow in many ways this year.

We started the year out with the goal of finding a bigger and brighter space for the hive. In May we found the prefect new home to set us up for success heading into the busy summer season! Once we found a place with growing room, grow we did! We expanded our customer base and with that it became apparent we had the need to bring more bees into the hive. Check out all the Bees profiles.

The new office has opened so many doors we never imagined. The space has provided room for more Bees to be in the office. We now have space for a Quality Control and Training Team, Event Coordinators, and Customer Profile Manager. We also have an awesome new in-house bookkeeper. We have been able to do way more blogging and Facebooking, and we’ve been putting some serious effort into our marketing, with LOTS more to come in 2012.

In July, we lost our long term Office Manager, Erin. A death in her family inspired her to pursue her dreams, and we’re so happy we got the chance to work with such a powerhouse of a woman. Though it was a total shock to our system to see her leave, we took the hand we were dealt and have been made better and stronger company.  Courtney, a half decade old Bee, stepped in to be the new Office Manager. She’s brought so much to the table and we’re so excited to now be fine-tuning our systems. Other Bees have stepped up in so many ways to help delegate tasks and create room to expand our company.

Amidst all the changes, we didn’t forget about commitment to positive change in our community. We were able to support the local organization Care Housing at Provincetowne by participating in their welcome fair and we even gave away a cleaning during the event. We’re looking this coming year to work with even more local organizations, and we’re more than open to suggestions about organizations you’re into.

Our Climate Wise partnership is as strong as ever, and we are proud to have attained Silver status.  We’ve earned it! Climate Wise has provided us with tons of resources and opportunities to become a business that can take ownership and be environmental stewards.  We participated in the City’s Bike to Work Day, and even hope to sponsor a station for the Spring 2012 Bike to Work day.  We’re setting our goals high in 2012- Gold status is in the works. This means we’re working on finding a Climate Wise partner Mentor and we’re doing some serious brainstorming about projects we can take on as a company.  Wish us luck- we’ll keep you posted.

Cheers to 2011. Cheers to Clean Bees for being so committed to our goals and making stuff happen! We’re beyond excited to see what 2012 brings us.

-Torrie

Bikes & Beehives

Bikes and Beehives

Being members of the Fort Collins community and having the opportunity to participate in such a progressive lifestyle gave us a couple of great ideas for our company gifts this holiday season.  Riding our bikes around town, it’s awesome to see other Fort Collins residents pedaling away, in rain or shine or snow. And we love seeing people take sustainability into their own hands by building chicken coops for fresh eggs and beehives for pollinating gardens. So, we decided to take these concepts we hold near and dear to our hearts and spread the love to other communities where these simple ideas can make some big changes.

Fort Collins has an awesome bike-centric mindset. People young and old are able to unite over the simple pleasures of bikes for recreation and transportation. As a company we encourage our employees to ride their bikes everywhere, to and from school, to work, and even when they are out and about on the weekends. We hunted high and low for a way to share our love for bikes. World Vision provided such an opportunity. Through this non-profit dedicated to working with children and their families to tackle issues of poverty, exploitation, and injustice we donated a bike to a young girl in need. This donation of a bike will allow a young girl to continue her education by offering a speedy way to get to and from school. After learning that many girls quit school because of lack of transportation and safety fears, we knew this would be the perfect gift.

Reflecting on the things we value about our city, mainly our efforts to keep things local and sustainable, we looked for organizations that provide ways to share our community values with others. Our searching brought us to Heifer International, a non-profit with the goal of providing a sustainable living lifestyle all over the world. Through this forward -minded organization we gifted a beehive to a community so that they would be able to provide an income to the family tending the hives through the sale of honey and other bee related products. This gift will also help their community as a whole by increasing crop yields through pollination by the bees!

We let our love for the community and all that makes living in Fort Collins great inspire us to find holiday gifts. What inspires you?

-Torrie