Best Vacuum for High Pile Carpets

[westtexman]

Hello All!

I finally pulled the plug and hired a person to clean my house every two weeks. I have hesitated in doing this for years as I'm a bit OCD and there just aren't many people out there who clean as well as I think I clean! These days, however, I'm finding it very difficult to manage a house, the yard, running a growing business that requires some travel, the laundry, maintaining a vehicle and general home maintenance, maintaining somewhat of a social life all while keeping the house as clean as I like. The lady I've hired is great, and she also works for some friends of mine so she came highly recommended.

After her first cleaning this week, she let me know that she struggled a bit with my vacuum cleaner as I have very thick, plush carpet and the vacuum cleaner is difficult to move across the carpet. I have a Shark upright, which is really a great vacuum, but it is a chore to move it across the carpet. It really is quite a workout. She offered to bring her Dyson, which is adjustable (must be an early model), but I have a thing about people brining foreign vacuums onto my carpets. I know that I can adjust the suction on the Shark, which should theoretically make it easier to move about the room, but the lower suction makes me think that the carpet will not get as clean.

Therefore, I am considering getting a new vacuum that will be easy for her to use. Any recommendations?

 

[liamy1]

Don't know...

If they're that widely available in North America, but I have a Miele Upright vacuum, and that deals well with my carpets - which are very thick.

 

[mardieinmi]

Royal

I would recommend a Royal Commercial Upright. Excellent suction, adjustable height, built like a tank, and will last a lifetime.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
May I respectfully suggest you consider this Blueline Sanitaire.
The Royals are great but are not as straightforward a vacuum as this one.
This Sanitaire is quieter, offers an easier belt change, an enormous top fill bag, much more comfortable handle...really an all around superior machine and much preferred by my mother's maid over any other vacuum. I collect vacuums and have dozens around my mother's home and this vacuum has been the go to vac, not the Royal seen above which I also own...as good as they are.
I link to a great deal below, much less than you will find on any metal Royal.
Other than this Sanitaire, on deep pile carpet I might suggest a self-propelled Hoover WindTunnel bagged vacuum, available on Hoover's website.

The key info you provided was "maid" and "deep pile carpeting". Not a lot of options make as much sense as this. [this post was last edited: 10/5/2016-23:38]

http://www.vcdiscounter.com/sanitai...A_7YQO66nq91SF-AxV-eIFaxoCaq_w_wcB&fullSite=1

 

[gusherb]

I second the suggestion for a blue line Sanitaire. I wouldn't trust a cleaning lady (or anyone else for that matter) with anything else and not have them destroy it somehow. Sanitaires are indestructible, and if the rare case of one getting destroyed does happen, all parts are easily replaceable. Oh and not to mention they clean very well.

 

[funktionalart]

And for SERIOUS high pile...

A vintage Kirby Omega with Shag King attachment really does the trick

 

[abcomatic]

I like my Filter Queen for carpets. We have a cleaning lady too and she likes it a lot. Gary

 

[mjg0619]

I third the vote for the Sanitaire S675. I would be lost without mine and the matching straight suction canister. It's a FANTASTIC vacuum cleaner, indestructible, and works beautifully.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Though I collect vacuums, and mine is a Kirby House. If you are having a cleaning person using the machine I would vote the Sanitaire as well. Good filtration, easily and inexpensively repaired. Very good overall carpet cleaner. I would recommend the disposable bag system. Easier, and cleaner to maintain.

You can go high tech, and way more expensive, but your cleaning lady won't treat it any nicer.

 

[mattl]

I've got a couple of self propelled Kirby's and am always impressed with how easy they move on my thick carpet.  Of course I did not buy them new, but gave them a good scrubbing before they went into service on the main and second floor of my house.

 

[gusherb]

On the note about cleaning ladies with Sanitaires, my great aunt and uncles cleaning lady uses a dirt cup Sanitaire. Not only was she using a decent vacuum but left perfect carpet lines, and not to mention the rest of the house was spotless. I want a cleaning lady like that (she's too far away)

Oh and she looked like a younger Rosario.

 

[alr2903]

The hardwood floor craze has made many G series Kirby's available on Craigslist and Ebay very affordable.   Kirby's excel at zipping through wide open heavy traffic area's.   That said, a good canister with a motorized brush is needed for under beds and low furniture.

 

[brucelucenta]

Kirby

I also have a couple of self propelled Kirby vacuums. A G5 and an Ultimate G. They both are very easy to run and do an excellent job at cleaning carpet. I think that probably any self propelled vacuum would solve the problem.

 

[askolover]

Ditto Kirby

self-propelled all the way!  I bought one for my mother too, she loves it as long as she doesn't have to pick it up haha.  But very easy to push and pull.  I've always wanted to try a Royal but haven't had the chance.

 

[ricky5050]

My mum had similar problems

Her dyson was actually too heavy and powerful so we got a sebo x5 this has an electronic system that checks the speed of beater bar and raises or lower front wheels automatically as the machine moves from carpet to hard floors etc. It's a very good machine in other aspects too.

Richard

 

[yogitunes]

my experience with commercial vacuums is they don't have a great beater bar as home models do....they have 2 at most, where as home models have a quadraflex 4....

I have several vacuums....even a Kirby G5 with every attachment they make.....not as great as you would think.....the power drive is nice, and that's about it.....I don't even want to lug around all the tools, not to mention changing the machine over for them to fit.....I can't imagine a cleaning person wanting to mess with all of that......

time is money.....something with on board tools would be better.....

a few suggestions......Hoover Windtunnel with powerdrive and on board tools.....or as mentioned, any machine with powerdrive.....

Shark Rotator Pro....finding them to be a powerful machines, easy to clean, and plenty of tools for any surface.....in fact, the new lift-aways are beyond convenient to use, especially the powerhead that fits under furniture

best of anything, buy a few for trial and error......keep what fits you best, and return the others....

 

[volvoguy87]

Vacuums.

My mother has had a Royal upright since 1984. It's a great machine that cleans well and is tough as nails. It's a bit crude, however. The attachments are a huge pain to use and removing and re-installing the belt is tough, even with the included tool. It has a low amperage draw, however, and it shows just how effective a well-engineered machine can be, without need to use a ton of power.

A Kirby is more complex than a Royal, but is much easier to use. Kirbys are easy to set up properly, and once set up, they can clean carpet like nobody's business! It's far easier to use attachments on a Kirby than on a Royal. I like Kirbys from the 1980s for ease of use, simplicity, and performance. Kirbys from the 1990s and newer are self propelled and might be just what you're looking for. The self-propulsion can be a real treat on thick carpeting. I sometimes use my grandparents' 1965 Kirby DS-50 and it will give any modern upright some stiff competition in terms of getting the carpet clean.

I really prefer using a canister vacuum on a daily basis. Old metal-body Electrolux vacuums are my gold standard. The bags are super-easy to change, performance is quite good, and they are easy to keep running. That being said, a Filter Queen is really a vastly superior machine. If you have concerns about filtration, get a Filter Queen.

If you want an upright, I'd go with a G-Series Kirby. For the best versatility and filtration, I'd go with a Filter Queen.

Just my two cents, your mileage may vary,
Dave

 

[xraytech]

In my opinion the best deep cleaner for deep pile carpets was the Hoover Concept, sadly they haven't been made since 1992, however once in a blue moon you can find an unused one out there.

However for a new vacuum I'd say a self propelled Hoover Windtunnel bagged upright is a great choice.

 

[mattl]

I live alone and things don't get that messy or dirty, but I'm still amazed at what my Kirby's pull out of the carpet.