Susan M.'s Profile

These are beautiful, and so inspirational! It has been raining FOREVER in Pittsburgh and the whole region, so it's nice to see some sunny summer shots to keep me going.

For anyone who wants to go beyond annual edibles and potager gardens, I really think the future of edible gardening is forest gardens!

http://www.edibleforestgardens.com/

I currently have a bagless, and it is frustrating how quickly it loses suction, and the filter is impossible to get cleaned out in between uses. That said, my next purchase isn't going to be a bagged vacuum either, and here's why:

In our last house we had a central vacuum system. Yes, they are expensive up front, but if you're in a house I think it's worth it.

1. They are bagless, so very little additional waste to go with all the dust and hair.
2 The canister is HUGE so the cyclone effect really works like it's supposed to, plus you don't have to empty it nearly so often.
3. Amazing suction. (My husband used to tell people "Our house sucks," and laugh at the confused looks.) It's actually so strong you have to be careful what's on the floor when you're working with it.
4. Long-lasting and durable (at least ours was/is), so you recover the up-front cost by not having to buy bags, belts, bearings, beater brushes, and a new upright vacuum every few years.
5. You can locate the motor and canister in your basement or garage. Yes, you still get some dust flying when you empty it out, but not enough to negate the cleaning effect in your house, IMHO. (I always empty the canister before vacuuming, so I can clean up any mess when I start the machine.)
6. All you're toting around the house are the hose and attachments.
7. Speaking of attachments! There are lots, so you can even kind of geek out on your vacuum. There are short hoses, long hoses, stretchy telescoping hoses, pet brushes, keyboard cleaners, ports for your kitchen kickboard, ports to make a dust collection bin for your woodshop, and much more.

I realize that there are many apartment-dwellers among the readers of AT, so this won't work for everyone. But if you have a house and are in the market for a new vacuum, you should at least take a look at what your local dealer has to offer.

You can get them in the US through www.magiccabin.com - we have had one for several years.