Hard Surface Vacuum?

You can't beat a dyson! I know they are kind of pricey but are worth the investment. You never have to buy bags or a filter (the lifetime filter can be hand washed). You will be amazed at how much they pick up too. I just got one after moving out of my moms house (she had one and I fell completely in love with it). I actually bought 2 since we are building a house and I wanted one for upstairs and downstairs. I have decided though that I can drag one downstairs a couple of times a week so I am going to sell the second one. It is a DC14 that retails for $450. I would be willing to let this one go for $350. Let me know if you are interested. I also have an attachment for it that is supposed to be really good for getting pet hair off of stairs and upholstery that I would sell for an additional $30, it retails for 49.99. I have it listed on ksl.com classifieds if you are interested.

Swiffer Vac - it's green. About $20. It vacuums up on the front and then picks up dust and other particles on the swiffer pad. I LOVE it! It's cheap, it's easy, and it works. The trick is to clean off the filter after every 3-4 uses. Then you replace it with disposable filters. I think it's the best!

I use it after every meal, and it's fast and easy. The thing weighs about 3 pounds and you just charge it while it's not in use. No cords to mess with either!

You can always try it - if you don't like it, return it and try a more expensive model. We love ours and now just about everyone in our family has one too.

I hear you! WalMart has a really good selection of "stick" type vacuums meant for hard floor surfaces. I bought one a couple months ago and it has been a lifesaver! It picks up everything - even the play dough pieces that are a lost cause because they are so dried out! I think it was only 19.95 - they do have more expensive ones, but this one does the trick and it has a dirt cup that is easy to be able to empty and it is small enough to get under the cabinets and into the corners, and the handle will come off if I just want a small hand held to do the steps. It is the Bissell 3 Way Bagless. Hope this helps!
cj

A.,

Don't sweat the little things......enjoy the crumbs when your kids are eating a snack. The kids grow faster than you think and before long they will be gone and so will the crumbs, but will the kids remember you sweeping 600 times a day or do they remember you hanging out around the table making crumbs with them. Saying I love you to the kids is important, but showing it, is more of a value to them for the rest of their life and it will even benefit you.

I used to be a perfectionist and my whole family was suffering. I no longer sweat the little things and that's when one day I found my husband mopping the filthy floor, because he figured that the last (however many they were) days I didn't have time to do it. (He's a true GEM!)

I still try to keep a place for everything and put things back in their designated places and are instilling this in the kids (my husband already got the hang of this as we were married for 5 years before baby #1 came around). As the kids grow they are helping with the keep up, by putting things back in their places.

Now, my oldest, who will be a teen in May treats me as her best friend, because I have taken time to enjoy the kids. I had a lot of interaction with the kids for a while as I was home schooling (oldest for 7 years and youngest for 2 years) but when the kids are home after school now I am done with as much of my work as possible so they can get help with the homework and the subjects that they are weaker in.

Your children are more important than the crumbs, but for when the crumbs need to be cleaned up I suggest a DustBuster or a Swiffer Sweaper. Just leave for when you need to touch up and you can put it away in it's place when you're done for the day. In my life I think hauling cleaning supplies back and forth is the big irritation rather than the crumbs.

Good Luck and give your kids a hug for making crumbs for you to clean up.

Since your probably not looking to spend much, a stick vaccum is a great idea (someone else mentioned it, too). You can find them for under $20. And a Swiffer is really easy to use, but if you are sweeping a few times a day, you might find that you're buying a lot of cloths. I have a Dyson that I can turn the brush off and use it on my hardwood floors (my neighbors have one that they use on their tile floors every day). I love it, but they start around $350 and go up. Well worth it though if you consider it a long-term investment.

My mom has a really cool one that does either a dry or wet vacuum, so I often cheat and do that instead of mopping. I'm sorry I don't remember the kind. It's really light weight. When we get our own home again, I'm definitely going that route!

I wait until the end of the day to bother. I have pets, kids here all day and I am a self proclaimed neat freak. Wait until the end of the day, get a swiffer, dry method and I do the wet method once a week. I have a Dyson for my carpets and if I am vacuuming during the day I will switch it to hard floor mode and go over it. After meals if it is a lot I get a damp paper towel and wipe up around the chairs.
Life is too short to worry too much about crumbs or stay on top of it all day, believe me!! :)

Everyone has great suggestions for what you can buy right now to solve your problems. I too have hard floors, and I would like to suggest that when you are ready to buy a home, look for one with a central vac system. We had one installed when we were adding our basement, and I LOVE IT! I actually clean things I wouldn't have had the time or patience for before. And it is so easy to plug that hose in as soon as the kids are done eating, and the floors get pretty dang spotless. Not to mention my husband feels like a real hero for getting the thing installed for me. Central vac has serious suction power, and you don't have to clean out the canister every week. I can go a month or so before I need to clean mine out. For now, I would drop the broom and go for one of the wet/dry vacs, and get the kids involved in helping clean the mess on the floor. Kids love to use the "grown up" tools, and feel a sense of accomplishment when they help mom and dad. Happy vacuum shopping!

Hi,
I use the "Swiffer" on my wood floors. My grandkids make a crumb mess daily. The swiffer does a great job! Unlike a broom which does not trap the dust and pet hair. Also, I use a damp mop on the spills. Hope this helps

C.