FOLLOWUP TO ORDERS ARE LATE - OR NOT AND NEW POST - NO MATTER WHAT ONE PREPARES FOR - SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENS

 First an update – last weeks jeans post – So they were suppose to come on Wednesday, then late Wednesday we got an email that they were delayed and would be coming Friday – so, of course they came on Thursday!  Now most people would think it great to get a day earlier than the amended date of arrival – But what if we had not been home?  What it was raining all day?  What we if we gone away as it was not coming until Friday?  The package would have had a good chance of disappearing!  This is one of the main reasons we don't order things – delivery is so iffy.  (We had sort of resolved this problem, at least items were not sitting out in front of our house, by using a service from the Post Office called “Street Addressing” for our Post Office Box – which allows the Post Office to sign for the items and deliver them to our box (technically the item is being delivered to the Post Office itself, not us, which is how they get around the idea that other carriers cannot deliver to a box intended to receive Postal mail (which includes that box you put up next to your door at home for your mail delivery – which is why the other delivery companies do not put anything in that box).  But since we are not going out, we have to have things delivered to our house – and then keep looking out the door all day to see if the item was received.  It would have been nice if when they left the package, they did not leave it against the door which meant we had to go out the side door to the front door to get the package as we could not open the or walk out the front door.

Now this week's subject -

Our area was just missed by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Henri last weekend.  First it was to hit the east of our Island, then it was going to hit the east end of the Island, then it was going to hit further west along the Island – it finally passed the Island on the east side by a good bit, so we had rain but no wind.  

Wind is what concerns us the most.  Our local electric utility has not done well dealing with major storms to the point that the utility company which was managing and running it was fired and a new company hired a short few years ago.  That company failed in a major way last year with Hurricane Isaias – some people had no electricity for weeks afterward.  Their system to let them know about outages and later get information about restoration time frames did not work.  (A friend of a neighbor worked at the utility and neighbor let us know we would be out for 3 days minimum.  Information was wrong – we were lucky and we were back on that night.)

When a storm is coming we prepare.  Every cell phone and laptop computer, no matter how old (or if the cell phone has service) is plugged in to charge and left to do so until we until we know we are not having an outage.  Why every one?  Well, cell phones can dial 911 if one has no service, so the older phones can be used in an emergency if our current ones' batteries are used up.  Our cable company has wifi running in the street outside our house and we can always use laptops – whether Windows 10 or XP (the assortment of laptops we have) with the wifi to access the Internet to contact someone in an emergency.  Our flashlights are checked to make sure their batteries are good.    We have a camping lantern which runs on batteries or a charge pack – we make sure the charge pack is fully charged is also charged and left charged until we know we are okay.  

I also clear areas where we will be walking.  I got this idea from how rooms were set up in the 1700s.  The furniture was placed against the walls (other than items such as beds) when the furniture was not in used.  When an item of furniture was needed it would be carried to the center of the room (and beds were too heavy to carry easily) and used – time to eat?  Table and chairs carried to center of room and family eats.  Done eating?  Table and chairs put back against the wall.  Main reason was that it allowed one room to be used for many purposes.  A secondary reason (which applies here) is that one could walk through the room without walking into anything even in low light.  I first tried this idea during Hurricane Sandy and it worked well.  We could easily walk around the living room, front hall, and dining room without a flashlight until it was dark at night.  I move items we keep on the upstairs landing of our house into the spare bedroom so we don't trip on them.  (Two low, small tables with bear figurines on it.)  

So we did all our preparations in anticipation of losing our electricity.  We thought how lucky we were that the storm hit further east and our electricity was safe – the main rain from the storm was far west of us in New Jersey and further upstate New York – though we did get a LOT of heavy rain.  It rained from just before we stepped out the door Saturday night to pickup Chinese food (was not raining at all when we ordered it and rain was not suppose to come until late – concert run by NYC got caught in the rain also had to be canceled mid-concert – though I think them foolish for having it once the storm was coming).  The rain continued all day Sunday and well into Monday morning.  

Monday we went out and checked around  - everything thing seemed to be okay.  There was a dove who seemingly was sitting on our side steps as when we opened the door she (our assumption for no particular reason) was flustered or pushed off the steps and was walking around confused.   We then went out for fast food lunch.  On our return the dove was still walking around dazed and confused and we were concerned it had been injured as it did not fly.  (There are usually two of these doves around and we don't know what happened to the other and if this one was waiting for the other or confused as to where it was.)  I tried calling wild animal agencies with no luck and husband went to move her to see what was going on – she then flew off – thank goodness she was okay – just dazed – and we did not have to worry about her not eating.

So all seemed fine and we relaxed.  Monday night we walked into the basement to empty the dehumidifier before going to bed.  Husband said “Why are my slippers wet?”  Since we have never (to our knowledge) had a flood in the basement – we had not thought about same.  From what we can determine rain came in the basement side window.  We were vacuuming up water until almost 5 in the morning with a wet vacuum.  I have been going down often to empty the dehumidifier for the past two days.  The carpet (indoor/outdoor) is seemingly approaching dry – we moved the dehumidifier to a different stop which seemed damper and may have to do so in a couple of other spots.  Also have a fan running downstairs during the day.  We have had to toss a large sheet of card board and when it is dry down there will have to check for which other items need to be tossed – most items are in plastic boxes or bags so hopefully nothing important or expensive is lost.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
No matter how or what emergency one prepares for, something will happen that one did not expect.  Do the best you can to deal with emergency possibilities ahead of time.

MORE INSTRUCTION BOOKS DEALT WITH - WHY ARE ORDERS ARE ALL COMING DAYS LATE THESE DAYS?c

 Well, another week gone by.  I have scanned some more instructions books and just discarded some for items we no longer have.  The last several weeks of books have not been thrown out as I am going to tied them together and put them out when next I put out recycling as I did with the earlier scanned ones when I last put out recycling.

In normal times I out recycling weekly for pickup.  A stack of tied together newspapers, magazines, etc.  and a cardboard box of cans, bottles, and jars.  I recycle the boxes we get into the house this way as some years ago the second plastic box we had from the township for recycling was taken (as was the first one) by the garbage crew as they decided it was too broken to use.  So I keep boxes in our side porch – small ones – for a normal week in normal times and we used 4 soup cans and nothing else to put in.  Big ones for weeks when there is a holiday and I do a lot of cooking with a lot of things to recycle, and medium sized boxes for in between.  These days we can use only one can or two cans in a week.  Combine this with we not are temporarily not getting our newspapers in hard copy, and most weeks if I put the stuff for recycling – it would not be seen.  So I have been putting out the recycling when the carton I use to collect it all in is overfull and I put it in the larger can they gave everyone some years ago – this holds about 2 months worth, maybe more with how many items we are using these days.

So the instructions to be discarded sit in a bag in our office set aside to go out.  

We did go get to go food shopping yesterday – a good sized fill in trip.  Though much more relaxed than the 2 months major shopping we had done through most of the pandemic.  Even used a coupon – we complained about a frozen meal we had bought (main course – lacking in meat) and they apologized and sent a coupon for the next purchase.  I almost forgot not only to use it – but how to do so – husband remembered.  

I ordered 2 pairs of jeans – yes, we ONLY order something if we cannot get it any other way.  I noticed the knee of one of my pairs jeans had a hole – looked in Walmart – they no longer carry these jeans and have no acceptable (to me) alternative.  Husband looked up the jeans company – and we ordered from them.  Jeans were to be delivered today – no, now they may not come for another couple of days, so we even if we wanted to run errands we have to stay home to wait for them now as they are left in front of our house – easy to be seen and taken as we live on a main road.  Add to that bad rain storms over the next couple of days and we could not go out if we wanted to.  Same thing happened with some items husband had to order for his handcrafted business and a different delivery company – also got notice at last minute that not coming on day specified by them.  (Is this a new trend?)  

So more time to scan instruction books and do other housework which needs to be caught up.  Right now, as normal for when I am writing on Wednesday night – our washing machine is washing our clothing.  When same goes into the dryer – the towels go into washer.  When clothes come out will fold in bed while going to sleep tonight and towels will go into dryer.  Towels will be folded tomorrow night while going to sleep.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Lately more things seem to go wrong.  Do you find this to be true?  Just have to go with the flow and take things as they come – and I am not someone who likes that loss of control.

How is your organizing going – anything special which works for you?

APOLOGIES FOR MISSED LAST WEEK'S POST AND FILING/SCANNING PAPERS

 OOPS!!!  When I sat down to write tonight's post I realized I never posted last week.  My apologies.  Have you found that your sense of time passing has been negatively affected by staying home during the pandemic?  Mine has.  Something seems to me that it occurred last week and when I look in my calendar/items done list – it was months ago.  Since we cannot change the past, on to this week's post.

In between keeping up with normal daily and weekly stuff to do, I have scanned and saved, then put into the pile of paper to recycle more of those warranty papers and instruction books.  I have finished the ones for stuff in our office (furniture and other stuff), the ones for our computer stuff, and I am working on our telephones and related items (such as answering machines).  

Today I got in two quick scans as I was finishing up with other work for the day – account reconciliations for statements from the credit unions.  

 I pulled out the first telephone instruction manual to scan – a cordless phone - and looked at the picture on the cover.  Hmmm, it should be over there on husband's office work table  - it isn't?  I know the phone in question is white, I can see it sitting on husband's table – but the one there is … red?  I put the book aside until husband finished what he was working on.   I pulled another “book” out of the pile – the phone on the wall next to my side of our bed.  It is not actually book.  This leads me to mention - “Who the heck designs this instructions?”  Many of them are not books, but rather a large piece of paper folded into sections – the sections as they appear on the paper do not actually always make sense.  In this case at the front of the folds is the title “page”.  After that I was not sure what order the “pages” were intended to be.  I scanned what was there and if the order is wrong – so be it, it is still usable.  I realize the manufacturers do not intend the instructions to be scanned or copied – but!!!!!  Sometimes the pages fit as a letter sized scan, sometimes as a legal sized scan – this one had one set of instructions which started on one “page” continued on the next and then partially onto a third one.  The first two “pages” could be scanned (side by side pages) as a legal sized page, but then the other piece was hanging there with the next section of the instructions!  Another similar large paper consisting of “pages” at one point had the sections numbered in a clockwise direction and then one had to go the next “pages next to them and figure out how they fit into the instructions!    

How do YOU keep track of your various instructions and warranty papers in case they are needed again?

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Filing papers (of any type) may seem to be boring and useless – but one day everyone finds that they need some paper of theirs and cannot find it.  Filing in a logical way helps one keep track of papers that one may or will need some day.  Filing does not have be alphabetical – files can be labeled and used for certain types of papers – as long as papers in files and the files are arranged in some way which makes sense to you – that is what you need.  (In my scanning I have put the same instruction file in more than one folder when not sure  where to put it.  For instance – office telephone instructions scan is in both the telephone and the office files on the drive.)

A GOOD FINANCIAL RECORDS SET UP CAN HELP WITH OTHER ORGANZING ALSO - SUCH AS WHICH AIR CONDITIONER ARE THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOR AND DO WE STILL HAVE IT?

 Did you ever buy something because it seemed like a great idea to help with organizing, not use it right away and forget about it?  

Well, one of the places we go to in Pennsylvania is a farmer's market which is also a general merchandise/flea market.  Most of the vendors are out doors, but there are some buildings with indoor vendors.  For decades and decades there was an indoor vendor who sold tools and related items – he finally retired and sold his business to someone else.  The new owner has expanded the type of items he sells and sells household items and office supplies (and I am sure I have mentioned – I love office supplies, used to play with them as a child and still think of them as FUN).  He is buying at auctions and such so he has a big assortment of items.  I always make sure to go through his office supply aisle carefully.  

When going through his booth this past Friday I was suddenly reminded – a few years ago I had bought a package of tabs to put on hanging folders which one would print the name of the folders by running it the tabs through one's computer.  (These are made by a well known label company.)  I had completely forgotten about these labels.  When we came home I checked and the package was exactly where it belonged – in the plastic stacking trays file holder next to where our printer had been (and our latest printer is) – this holds assorted items to run through the former copier, now printer next to where they are located.  One problem I have been having with going through these hanging folders is that I could not keep track of which ones I have been through and which I have not – plus since the labels on them face forward and this is the bottom drawer of the file cabinet – and add that I wear eyeglasses so when I bend down to read the file labels – my eyeglasses swing out of line – if not off my face – I get confused and start going through folders I have finished with.  

I started printing these new tabs for folders that I have been through – easy to read as name points upwards on the file folder and easy to see which files I have been through.  

One of the folders I went through this past week held instruction manuals for large appliances in our house – air conditioners, refrigerator, dehumidifier, and similar.  I put several instruction books into the recycle pile to get rid of them and then across one which was confusing.  

It was a manual for an air conditioner (we have individual through the wall units in our house).  It was dated as a June 2008 purchase.  I looked up at the unit in the office – not that one.  I knew we had just purchased a new air conditioner for our bedroom last year – this was not that unit, but it could be the one which was there before and had been removed.  The air conditioner in the smallest bedroom (the one most of my teddy bears live in) dates back to the former owner, as does the one in our studio.  It was not for a portable air conditioner, so that left out the one we normally used in the living room or dining room which died last year. Before that we had window unit in the living room, but that had come from our old apartment – and would have been purchased in the 1980s.   Hmmm, There were pictures, but several different ones.  Old bedroom a/c made the most sense.  I asked husband if I was forgetting any air conditioners.  I was – the one in his wood shop (garage).  We were not sure what year we bought same.  We were trying to figure it out – keep as from old bedroom unit or keep as from current garage unit?  I suddenly had a flash of sense!  I use Quicken for our financial records.  I looked up 2008 and in July 2008 – I paid for the air conditioner we had replaced last year in our bedroom.  So it was the one from the old bedroom unit and it went into the recycle pile.  

It is amazing how much keeping good financial records (especially ones which can easily be searched) can help with general organization.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -  

Keeping good financial records is important to do for many reasons, including one's income tax – figuring out which major item was purchases when or how much it cost is part of that.  

How are YOUR financial records?  There are many programs which help with keeping track of where your money goes.  Using the computer to do so takes only seconds when you make a deposit or write a check.  It helps at the end of the year when you do your income taxes as well as making a valid budget to follow in future years – what you spent last year can be looked at to figure out what you can/should spend in this or future years.

SETTING THE RV FOR A TRIP, A PRINTER PROBLEM, AND GOING THROUGH ACCUMULATED WARRANTY AND INSTRUCTION PAPERS

 Still have not gone away – currently planning to do on Friday and we have done more to get the RV setup and ready to go – replaced the paper goods, soaps, and the like which we took out back in the spring of 2020 when we were first in “stay at home” and husband was sure we would run out of same.  It took almost a year before we used any packages of these items and had already bought replacements by then.  

He is just planning a day trip, so I don't have to make up the beds or such, just get everything where it belongs and secured so it won't move around during the trip.  As we started doing this we came up short something – we have 3 spring loaded curtain rods which we put across the aisle of the RV – under the bed when it set up, just across the aisle when it is not, to hold items in the small aisle area in place so they do not come forward if we have to stop short.  The curtain rods are missing?!  I know where I keep them when we are not using them, but we had cleared everything loose out of the RV when we took it in for work on its generator a month or two ago.  Husband put everything back in.  We have checked everywhere in the RV which is a long enough space for the curtain rods to fit into.  We have gone though our house where items from the RV were in the house.  No – not anywhere.  Since they are not expensive items and I had thought the springs in them were going back in mid 2019 when last we traveled, we went to Walmart to buy new rods – none in the right size in Walmart.  So, we went to the other Walmart near us (technically both of these of these stores are in extended walking area of our house in opposite directions – we may not have a Walmart as big as they are elsewhere, but we have a lot more of them) and found them there in silver/grey, doesn't matter to us that they are not white as long as we can find them in the future.  

This past week I have also been going through one of my file drawers.  This drawer holds instructions and warranty information for things in the house and also travel items – maps, brochures (from places we visited, want to visit, or both) and, on the sentimental side, tickets and such from past visits.  The latter items involve discussion with my husband as he feels a need to keep them more than I do.  I did get rid of a good stack of old maps – we can get new ones free from AAA, the roads have probably changed since they were printed and he uses his multiple GPS devices (simultaneously- sometimes they seem to be arguing - “turn here”  “no – turn there”).  

I try to scan the instructions into the computer if they are not large and not likely to need to be pulled out and used quickly.  After they are scanned (and same is backed up) I get rid of them.  I did decided to keep the instructions for his stationary bicycle even though I scanned it – if we were to get rid of at some point by donation or sale it would be good to have the manual.  In going through these papers I came up with an assortment of instruction manuals for items I was not sure if we still had and handed them to him to go through.  This started him looking again for the battery jumper for our RV if there is a problem starting it – we finally ended up finding it as a result of this – he had put in our van when we had to drive our RV to the dealer – 2 states away – and leave it with them for repairs. Our car was “not feeling well at the time and we had to take the van to come home in – this was in 2018 and he had not put the battery jumper back in the RV since, hence it being missing.  So, going through all these papers solved a mystery and we don't have to buy a new battery jumper  for the RV.  

I have folders by year for warranty papers – for example if we buy something this year and it has a 1 year warranty, the warranty papers will go in the 2022 file folder – at the end of 2022 the papers in the file will be gone through and most will be thrown out and the file folder will be used for another purpose.  Right now these folders go to 2026.

We had been having a problem with our all in one (printer, scanner, fax) in the office.  The pages were grey marked all over.  We cleaned the drum per the instructions – dry – no change – then cleaned the drum per general instructions found online -with alcohol – no change.  Husband looked up ordering a new drum – US$170!!  Quite a chunk of money.  While debating what to do we happened to see a printer/scanner in Walmart for US$99.  Hmmm. The all in one can still be used for scanning and faxing (and printing junk items for me that I don't care if they are pristine) and buy the unit for nice printing and husband can scan without having to walk all the way to my desk for $99 or we can buy a new drum for US$170 – and then might need to buy a new toner cartridge also…  Husband started looking at what else is available – fax machines are hard to find these days.  (I would figure that same would mean that people no longer fax – our is used very rarely since we got it and only once in the past year – but that was to receive a fax from someone who had to send me tax info and was at his suggestion, so people must still use fax machines?  (Post to me and tell if you/they do still fax machines please.)   So we decided to buy the new scanner/printer.  

Not as easy as these sounds – well, the buying is, but we needed someplace to put it.  Before this problem we had planned to buy the color printing version of the same all in one machine for husband as he needs to do color printing and is not happy with the printer he has (and we were soooo happy with this unit before this happened).  We had planned to get rid of the photocopier I “inherited” with my dad's accounting practice when he died and put his printer there – having a second copier was important to this as I need to have one for work and cannot trust not having a spare one.  So we had to carry to the copier outside and leave it for sanitation pickup  - or someone coming past our house, finding our house and taking it for their self (which would did happen and makes me happy that it will still be used).  It is from the 1970s or 80s and is rather heavy – and we are rather weak.  We took out the tray and removed anything we could to make it lighter and then carried it down the stairs – one step at a time – and out to the curb.  We then taped the rest of the items – tray, toner in carrier, cord, etc to it.  

So far this setup is working.  Biggest thing we had to do was that the new unit was plugged directly into a wall outlet and we really wanted it in a breaker box.  So we bought a long, heavy duty extension cord.  Husband ran it around the perimeter of the room (not an easy thing – behind furniture, under his work table, under his desk and then up between our two desks).  

So all in all, it was a busy week – RV, instructions and warranty papers, and old copier out, new scanner/printer in.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

Most weeks when I look back not much seems to be have been done.  A week like this one when a lot was accomplished and problems solved feel very good. 

VACUUM FOLLOWUP AND KEEPING TRACK OF WHAT HAS TO BE DONE

 Saturday night last week husband had an idea.  He took one of our older vacuum cleaners, opened the bottom of it and took out the roller.  He then plugged it in and tried to vacuum with it – it works fine without the roller – no roller, no hair problem.  We did find out, which I am sure we knew and forgot over the years since it was used, that the on/off switch is broken on the old vacuum – it is on if it is plugged in – better than being turned off when plugged in.  

We returned the other vacuum we bought.

Husband figured out how to attach hose and floor shaped piece to a small wet dry vacuum we have.  Between the two – we can vacuum as much as we need to.  We only have 3 rooms (office, studio, and teddy bears' room – aka spare bedroom)which have carpet so the floors mostly do not need the roller brush that is the problem with the hair.

And if he will use the vacuum cleaners – yippee for me.  I mostly do the cleaning in the house (and in the RV).

Speaking of our little RV – we went out today with a print out of the list of what we need to have in it for a trip.  While we pushed our July 4th trip back to last week and then pushed it off until July 4th, 2022, we still want to get it ready for a trip, even if only a day trip.  (Moved it back to next July as easier than calling each time we decide we are not ready to travel plus we know we have a reservation for then as they normally fill months in advance.  We can make reservations for trips between now and then as we go along and decide we are going.)

In normal times we keep a lot of common items in the RV – hand soap, shampoo, dish soap, suntan lotion, toilet paper, paper towels…  In March 2020 when husband was in a panic over the coming pandemic and lack of available items in stores, we took many of these items into the house in case we needed them.  Oddly, when he looked through quickly a few weeks ago the holder piece for the toilet paper holder was missing and we bought a new one as we knew we had NOT taken that into the house.  

I have the list and check it before each trip we take just to be sure.  Much of it is items we pack for specific trips – clothing, jackets, shoes (though we keep slippers in the RV), snacks, chargers for everything we bring, plastic bags of all types and sizes, and so on.  In this case we were just checking what items normally stored in the RV we need to replace.  I made notations on the paper as we ran down it.  We found out we need to buy new toilet liquid (goes into the tank to help dissolve the tp and get rid of odors and help make what goes into it into “liquid”).  I put it on the shopping list.  

So now we know (though I am sure we will miss something) what has to go back in in addition to what we put in for each trip.  

In addition to the check list mentioned above, I also have a small checklist of what we need to make sure that when we leave our RV space each day we have done what we need to do – disconnected and put away the electricity connection and the cable wire which we use to connect the RV to the connections in the site.  I also list the water/toilet connections although we generally don't use the water connections at all (we fill the clean water tanks before leaving home) we do need to “dump” the sink and toilet water tanks before we leave our last morning at the campsite (on longer trips also during the trip once or twice).  I have reminders to check that curtains are open around the RV (closed at night for privacy), decorations we put out have been taken and stored, things inside the RV are shut off and put away in place so they don't move about while driving – don't want a plastic box coming at one's head if one has to stop short for example.  Jackets and sweatshirts back in place on the third seat and seat belt around them to keep them there.  Cabinets have to closed and the closures snapped closed to hold them close while driving and so on.  I have all these items listed on this smaller checklist and I check off each item or note that it was needed to be needed that morning with an “X”.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
If you do something repeatedly – make yourself a check list of what you need to do it.  I use a computer spreadsheet – easy to change if needed and easy to print out when needed.  

BUYING A NEW VACUUM CLEANER

 We have several vacuum cleaners.  

There is an upright one upstairs  - actually standing up in the corner of the bedroom as there is no place to keep it.

There is a small wet/dry vacuum in the office upstairs.  (Why there?  Well a vacuum in the office is convenient as lots of shredded paper ends up on the carpet and it is easy to use for same (on the dry setting of course).  

There is another upright vacuum in the front hall closet on the main floor.  It is held standing up against the wall with velcro attached to the wall.  There is also a hand held vacuum hanging just inside the door to basement from our kitchen.  

The basement has a normal sized wet dry vacuum.

The garage/wood workshop has a BIG wet dry vacuum as it goes into clear pipes around the inside of the garage walls and the various standing power tools connect into it so that when the tool is in use one opens a small door where a short pipe from the tool meets the big one around the wall of the basement – this allows most of the saw dust to be sucked into the pipes and then into the vacuum.  

I have never liked vacuum cleaners since I was little – they make too much noise for me.  I use sweeping tools instead.  I have been very bad however, for a number of years and even more so the past year past during the pandemic, at actually using anything to clean the floors or to dust.  Does using the toe of a fuzzy slipper count as cleaning?

Husband had been getting more upset about how the house looks – he claimed that one could get lost in the dust on the floor.  He decided the problem was needed a better vacuum (at least he did not decide that what “we” needed was a better wife).  He has been reading and studying about the newer vacuums and what to buy.  

So last Friday we drove out to the Walmart over the county line as they had the stick vacuum he has seen on TV and he decided was what we needed.  The Walmart near us carries this vacuum also, but all the cartons looked open (should have been a clue).  

We took it home and he immediately set it up.  First problem – the commercials say it stands alone – it only does so if one removes the motor section and hangs it from a hook lower down on the stick – not a great thing to have to take it apart and put it back every time it is used.  He cleaned our kitchen and part of our studio with it.  Kitchen has vinyl floor, studio has carpet.  He tried to clean the air conditioner in the studio with it – using it without the floor cleaning piece – not as successful.  Despite their advertising it does NOT clean up to the wall and there was about ¾ to 1 inch of a line of dirt around the walls which it did not/could not pick up.  We had to dump out the dirt cup twice while using it (okay, there was at least 6 months of dirt on the floor).  Hair is not suppose to get caught around the roller – it does get caught. We had to cut the hair off the roller of the vacuum with a pair of scissors before repacking it.  Then again also, we both have long hair.  

He then took it upstairs to the bedroom and cleaned the wood floor up there with it.  Similar problems and even more hair caught under it and again the dirt cup had to be dumped twice.  We decided it was not for us.  We packed it and did so.  

He then started looking again.  The same company makes other similar vacuums – he decided we needed the next size up.  It actually stands on its own when assembled (no need to take the motor off), holds more in the dirt cup and so on.  He read the instructions online this time to avoid any surprises.

We bought the larger one.  Today we set it up and tried it.  Similar problems to the first problem and much heavier.  So we repacked it to return it.  

We never did get to the living room, or dining room floors – both wood, or the spare bedroom upstairs- carpet and only one of our studio was vacuumed as the other side is covered in “stuff” mostly as a result of canned goods and such being on my work table there  -  so other items were moved to the floor.

While he is the one looking for a new vacuum I realize it all my fault.  If I had kept up with the sweeping (I use a modern version of a broom that comes with replaceable pads which I will not name, although it works very well as opposed to these vacuums) he would not have decided that we need to get a new vacuum and we would not have gone through all of this.  I do use one of the hand held vacuums to pick up the debris left after sweeping.

Now, to be fair, I have had my eyes on a device which holds a bottle of cleaning liquid and vacuums it up  after shooting it onto the floor to clean it, which is used to wash floors. Problem has been that we don't like scents – especially floral scents – which its cleaning liquids have.  They now have a lemon scent which we can both probably deal with and we will buy same.  It is mostly for my kitchen floor which gets dirty of course, more than getting dusty.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK – Always take advertisements “with a grain of salt”.  I know this. Husband knows this and will make fun of people who fall for advertisements.  I knew these vacuums would not be as advertised, but hoped that they would be better than they were – he actually thought that they would be as advertised for some strange reason.  

What do you use to clean your floors?   Well at least the floors are mostly clean right now.