Welcome Henry!

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For several years now we have had vacuum-cleaner problems. I used to have an older model, I think it was Electrolux, which I bought second hand and it worked just fine. But when we were doing some work on our last house, which necessitated taking down the crumbling lath-and-plaster ceiling, the huge amount of dust that generated just overwhelmed the poor thing and it expired. We were in urgent need of a replacement so we had to rush to the nearest electrical shop where we were shown several makes and models. However unlike when buying a second-hand model privately (when I got to try out the vacuum cleaner before agreeing to buy it) we couldn’t try any out and the staff member basically knew nothing about any of the models other than what it said on the label. So we bought a Dyson, as they had a good reputation. That was a mistake. I was convinced that machine had it in for me, it would do anything to avoid sucking up what I actually wanted to clean up but would go out of its way to annoy me, for example it would suck in the curtains but when I pulled them out of the nozzle the cobwebs would still be on them. It would suck up the carpet without removing any fluff or hair. It would trip me up or fall on me whenever it could. I think it fractured my toe once when I was trying to vacuum the car. And it was very noisy. Next we bought a Vax, which doubles as a carpet-washing machine. This has similar maddening features to the Dyson with the added annoyance that it is even noisier. It states on the box that it produces 89 dB (the limit for a workplace is 90 dB and anything over 70 is considered damaging to hearing). Whoever was using it would need ear defenders and the rest of us would have to leave the house or be shut in one room with the door closed, and preferably some intervening door also closed. This was quite a problem because my partner generally does (or is supposed to do) the vacuuming. But he’s at work during the day all week, and evenings are often busy, so the only available time is at weekends when either we might all be away somewhere, or if we are at home we can’t stand the noise, and no-one can do what they want as we all have to leave the house. Finally, the hose on that is starting to break apart so instead of replacing the hose, he agreed to look for something quieter. These little ‘Henry’ models seem to have a good reputation and they are used by many commercial cleaning companies, so I managed to convince him that we should get one of those. He even bought the ‘eco’ model. Hallelujah! It’s so lovely and quiet! It wheels around behind the operator like a little pet. And it sucks up the fluff, dust and cobwebs. I’m so pleased. The girls are happy too. They came home from school, heard the vacuum and started to bellow ‘HELLOOO’ then realised they didn’t have to! Should have got one years ago. Do you think household appliances are too noisy? I’m convinced they must be contributing to the rising levels of hearing problems. All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2024.