From The Mundane To The Sublime, Or What I Bought This Week

Dyson V11 Animal cordless vacuum. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Well, this really sucks…and that’s a good thing!

We’ve run through a few vacuums over the years. Since we replaced carpet with hardwood floors a few years ago, we’ve mostly used a cordless hand vac with a floor attachment. We only pulled out the heavy old upright for the larger area rugs occasionally. The cordless vacuum was an inexpensive model, never meant for kind of use we gave it, and lasted much longer than we expected (or deserved). But last week it finally gave notice.

A friend recommended this one. She has two dogs and says it’s really great for pet hair. (While both of our dogs have now “crossed the rainbow bridge,” we do plan to adopt another dog later this year.) We decided to make the investment in something that would be more powerful and be up to an eventual canine resident.

It arrived a few days ago and Oh. My. Gawd. This beast picks up not only lint, hair, and visible debris on the floors, but also fine dirt. LOTS of fine dirt and dust that’s been in our large area rug for who knows how long. Bucketfuls. It was scary. And even lingering dog hair that our old “powerful” upright had just skimmed over. It charges quickly, and the charge seems to last a good long while. It’s easy to use and empty, and the attachments are a snap to change out. Two enthusiastic thumbs up! 👍👍

A treat for the feet…

HoMedics bubble foot spa. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

With California’s “four-stage” reopening plan, it will probably be a while before we see the inside of a salon again. (Don’t get me wrong: that’s not a complaint. I’m with the majority of my fellow Californians who favor a more slow and cautious approach.) I’m fine to do my own pedicures, but the one bit I miss is soaking my feet in a nice warm, bubbly bath. So I took a chance and ordered one of these. For the cost of about 2 pedicures at a salon, I can treat my feet to some TLC anytime.

Love at first sniff…

Gabrielle Chanel Essence eau de parfum, my new favorite fragrance. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

You’re right, it wasn’t that long ago that I was all about the No5. But I received a sample of Gabrielle Chanel Essence eau de parfum with another beauty purchase recently and LOVED it. I went head-over-heels for the fragrance immediately, and was still smitten a few hours later. It’s a fresh floral, neither cold (as some white florals can be) nor cloying. And not too heavy for warmer months. It’s not overpowering but does last a good few hours.

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Bon weekend!

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34 Comments

  1. My vacuum gave up 2 weeks ago, i finally got a Roomba, i can’t believe i waited this long. I love this thing, i love love love that I can be in the shower and vacuuming the dining room, that it doesn’t care how boring vacuuming is and try to rush the job.

  2. Good to know about this vacuum! My Miele is almost 30 years old and I’ve been contemplating a newer model…I have the Dyson hair dryer, and can attest to its excellence! Glad to hear the vacuum is equally a winner! Thanks, always for your reviews and honesty!

  3. ROOMBA!!!! I have 3 working and can’t say enough good things about them. The finest particles are picked up. In the past the best sweeper I had was a Rainbow. All the dirt was sucked into and contained in water- you disposed of it easily and no dirty dust filled bags lingering in your home. I have never understood vacuuming and keeping all that dust in a bag in the closet! Thank heavens for these new fab models.

  4. I have a Dyson vacuum and it is the worst designed appliance I have ever purchased. Perhaps the worst designed ANYTHING I have ever purchased. Good luck with yours. But don’t worry, if the battery goes out in less than a year (just one of the bad things about my DYSON) they will send a new one. I Will NEVER buy any over priced DYSON item again.

  5. When we built our house, my husband wanted carpet in the bedroom. I had a Miele and was unhappy with it. New carpets tend to have loose fibers, which the Miele should have pulled up. Two years later, the Dyson upright took care of that and the dirt the Miele missed. We now also have a portable Dyson and love it too. It is the only brand I will ever buy. Yes, you can find cheaper vacuums, but you get what you pay for.

  6. I’ve been a Dyson fan for a while. Have gone thru several. Love the no cords and that it’s easy to get out and use for a quick job. We have a very big and fuzzy golden retriever that sheds year round. . (Have been thinking about a Romba so nice to read the comments!)

    1. My oven stopped working. I don’t want a new one bought sight unseen, and dropped on the driveway, as the stores are doing now. I would like it brought into the house, installed by a gas fitter, and the old one taken away. In other words, this purchase will be waiting a while. Currently, I’m making creative use of the rice cooker, baking artisanal bread! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  7. I recently also purchased a Dyson. I could not believe how much dirt it was getting out of my rugs. I agree with all you said about it, I love the being cordless. Vacuuming has become a breeze!! And it can hang on the wall while recharging!

  8. I have 3 dyson vacuums and a new dyson hair dryer. I use the stick model for my two flights of stairs and quick clean ups. I have the bigger dyson for carpets and upholstery. And, the smaller dust buster type dyson for my grandson’s mess. The hair dryer is a special mother’s day present from my husband. I’ve only used it once but like it! Since we are doing our own cleaning these days, I’m really glad we have the tools. Cleaning the dyson filters is pretty easy, recommend doing this regularly.

  9. We also have a cordless Dyson and I love it, though my husband is less convinced. Here in the UK we tend to have more carpet than you seem to have in the States but it is a dream to wiz round the kitchen and living areas.
    It has always amazed me the quantity of dirt and dust a Dyson picks up. Seeing it always makes me feel guilty and a poor housekeeper. (We do share the housework, just in case I’m painting a poor picture of my life

  10. Had a cordless Dyson a few years ago. I don’t remember the model, but it only gave about 10 min of vacuuming time. It was not worth the cost, though it was a cheaper model than those in the article. Now I have a cheaper plug in model, Shark. It’s cumbersome, but works great.

  11. We just got a Roomba and absolutely love it. Because it involves no work on our part, we use it more often. Plus, as Karen mentions above, it does a more thorough job because it doesn’t get bored out of its little robot mind. Because it is so slim, it goes under all kinds of things that never got vacuumed under before. Overall, our floors stay much cleaner. We have it programmed to vacuum the main floor at night while we are asleep, and it is easy to move to other parts of the house and then just let it loose. Your purchase of a foot spa inspired me (I often get aching feet after working out and soak my feet in epsom salts in a plastic tub), but they are all sold out…I can’t find one anywhere. Ah, well, first world problems!

  12. We bought a smaller Dyson vacuum a couple of years ago and love it. You get it out to suck up some visible lint or dirt and it’s eye-opening when you dump Iran’s see all the dust you didn’t see in your rug. Highly recommend it.

  13. My daughter bought that vacuum last week and sent me text after text raving about how wonderful it is. She even sent a picture of all the dirt and stuff it picked up that her “big upright” never sucked up! It was a lot of dirt and hair.

    She says she loves it and is vacuuming every day and if you knew her you’d be shocked. I am! So, it must be one hell of a vacuum. I want to try it out myself. I’m a canister vacuum gal, who knows I may give it up for one of these?

  14. We have had a cordless Dyson stick vacuum for a number of years and love it. I noticed that Consumer Reports took it off their recommended list tho because they were getting a lot of complaints that they were dying at about the 5 year mark. I have had two Roombas also. An old cheap one that is 6 years old that I just gave to my grandson, and a shiny new one that even empties itself. The new one is pricey, but I love, love, love it. It will clean the whole house at once. It will return to the base to empty itself and then go out for more, and it will return to the base to recharge and then go out to complete the job.

  15. The Dyson is so lightweight and great for dog hair. I also have a Roomba. LOVE that it can vacuum for me when I’m in shower or when I used to be out of the house. It’s slow and steady and does a great job. I’d recommend the Roomba in a second.

  16. I had a Dyson cordless hand-held vac that would not hold a charge for 3 minutes. It was an expensive waste. Their rechargeable batteries seem to be a problem.
    On the other hand, I have two regular upright Dysons with cords that are still going strong after 10 years.

    I read somewhere that most people love their Roombas so much that they give them names. I like my Dyson vacs, but not enough to name them.

  17. That’s funny about bags of dirt in your closet!! I love my Miele with the bag and filter. I hate revisiting my dirt while emptying a bag-less vac.
    Our motor home came with a small 6 volt cordless Dyson and I have to say, it works well, especially in dust buster mode.

  18. Have a Dyson and love it. Really good at sucking up hair that my other vacuum misses. Has anyone tried the Roomba (not sure that’s the brand) that mops the floor? That has been intriguing to me as I seem to need to mop the kitchen floor almost daily.

  19. We purchased our first Miele (canister) in the early 2000’s and finally replaced it with another canister last year. It has done a great job for us (we had 4 cats at one point) and definitely picked up the cat hair. However, when we need to replace it, we’ll take a look at the Dyson Stick. Glad you are happy with your new vacuum. And, glad to hear that you plan to adopt another 4-legged baby. Good for you!

  20. I have the Dyson Cordless Animal 8 which is amazing and a great price. Since buying it all 4 of our kids have gone out and bought one too. If you run it on the less powerful setting I can do our whole apartment and it’s incredible how much it picks up, even when the place doesn’t look that dirty….disgusting! We love it!!

  21. Wow!
    I have had a bottle of Gabrielle on my dressing table along with a few other fragrances and suddenly, right about the time the quarantine began – I became obsessed with it! So much so that I ordered a bottle of the shower gel. It’s a gorgeous, light, happy floral but not cloying or too sweet.

  22. You will have the Dyson cordless for years. I love mine and have had it forever…it’s still going and suction is as good as the day I bought it. We have Dyson’s canister vacuum as well. So worth it but the cordless model really gets a workout. The housekeepers love them too.
    We have a Roomba as well which I love and is great with two black cats in a mostly white house!

  23. Just got a Dyson V8 last month….don’t have pets, but needed a light vacuum with lots of power. I LOVE THIS – so easy to use, empty, and right at your fingertips for a quick clean up. Will have to try Chanel Gabrielle Essence….love #5, but it did not seem to “stay” on me. Enjoy your new vacuum…isn’t it funny how excited we get about these things ???

  24. I am considering a Dyson exactly like the one you purchased Susan. But I’m wondering if it’s hard on your hands or wrists with all the weight at the top of the handle???Love your blog. Thanks.

  25. I have 2 Dysons. One is cordless, the other is the Animal version, which lives in the basement. The cordless one doesn’t hold a charge as long as I’d like. The Animal is fierce. There are also attachments to comb your dog with. My late dog Dave loved it – my late dog Pippin HATED it. Haven’t tried it out on Seamus yet.

    It’s wild when you brush out your dog and there’s so much hair that if you could blow the breath of life into it, you could have a second dog.

  26. Floor cleaning might be my least favorite chore. I call my Shark Rocket a poor man’s Dyson. It has a cord, sucks up all sorts of dust and stuff from the carpet in the bedroom/closet, area rug. One attachment has a microfiber pad for hard floors.

  27. I got the Cyclone V10 just over a year ago and I love it! I have cats and use it almost daily. It’s powerful and holds a charge plenty long. It exceeded every expectation I had. I don’t expect it to last as long as my old canister, but if I get a few years out of it I’ll be happy and buy another.

  28. Where does the dust and pet hair go in that thing? That is mostly what I’d need a better vacuum cleaner for – I have no carpets, except little rugs at the doors to keep outdoor dirt from coming in. I usually wash those by hand and hang them on the line. Mostly old hardwood floors.

    I’m combing and brushing Livia every day now, and she is a shorthair cat. I could also produce a second cat…

  29. I have a Dyson corded and a cordless. Unfortunately the cordless one when run on max started to lose all its power after 3 minutes. If we leave it on the lower suction, it is still running fine after 5 years. I would suggest only using the max power when absolutely needed. That means when I want to vacuum well on carpet, I pull out my corded vac. That was not the original plan. Can’t say enough good about the corded one; I also had that omg moment when I saw how much gunk my previous vac missed!

  30. It’s been too cold to expose my toes this Spring but the forecast is predicting summery temperatures later in the week so I am going to do my feet soon. I’m looking forward to being able to slip my feet into sandals.
    The Burts’ Bees cuticle oinment you mentioned a while back is also good for dry heels 🙂

  31. I love my Dyson. I have the same or a similar one. We use it all the time. But we also have a robot vacuum cleaner. Bought years ago but it got stuck on the metal legs of our chairs. Now we have different chairs and I am in the process of revitalising this piece of household equipment. Once I really have it going again, it can do the hard work. (Mind you, when you read how much maintenance this baby needs, you wonder if it isn’t simpler to vacuum yourself.)
    Greetje