I know, I know. The title is so uninspired and predictable.We've been in this apartment for, coming up on, a decade and have never really had the carpets cleaned. They are original to the construction of the building which makes them close to twenty years old in total. To add insult to injury, they're beige. At least, we never wear shoes around the house.
Having professionals come in to clean would be a major pain as I'm not sure where all the furniture could be put while they were working. Also, it has always seemed like too much bother to rent one of those steam vacs which can be found at the grocery store. So, the only maintenance the nap fibers have seen is a few of those cans of aerosol carpet cleaner. Those were mostly for when I knocked over a glass of red wine or tracked dust in from the balcony.
Furthermore, buying an upright unit didn't make a lot of sense. Spending $250 seems a bit excessive when the whole apartment is less than 750 sq ft and the actual carpeting is just two thirds of that.
This week though, I saw the little Hoover F5505 advertised in a London Drugs flyer. It looked round, red, and sexy. The handle folds down so it can be easily stored. At $94, I thought even if it were cheap and plastic, I'd find it useful. I had to try it out in the hallway. It is a bit flimsy but seems to work better than I expected. It does a great job of sucking the cleaning solution into the side tank.