Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Vacuum?
Unfortunately, there is not a single answer to that question. The perfect vacuum for my home may not be the perfect vacuum for your home based on flooring type, pets, kids, square footage, etc. That is where our expertise comes in. Gathering from years of experience, we talk to you about your floorcare needs before making a recommendation. We want the vacuum you choose to work for your needs.
Is Bagless Cheaper To Own?
Not necessarily. Bagless machines, even Dysons, have filters in them that need either washed or replaced on a regular basis. Washable filters can only be washed a number of times before they stop filtering and start to disintegrate. To make a long story short, if you change your filter when you are supposed to, bagless machines will typically cost the same to own if not more than a bagged model. If you don't maintain your filters, you will see a loss of cleaning performance over time and potentially premature failure of the machine.
Can You Compete With The Internet?
Yes! Because the internet fluctuates, we may as much as $1 more or $1 less than the same product online, but we will always match the current low price from key online or brick and mortar competitors. We will only match prices on like products from authorized resellers including, but not limited to:
Items sold by and shipped from Amazon
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Best Buy & Sears
Home Depot & Lowes
WalMart & Target
Oreck Stores
Who Will you Not Price Match?
Any non-authorized, clearance house or grey market resellers. This includes:
Ebay
Groupon
Rakuten
HomeGoods
Overstock
QVC & HSN
Items not shipped and sold by Amazon (3rd party sellers)
Refurbished, Reconditioned, Serviced, Restored or Used Vacuums
These products are indeed often cheaper than other online resellers and HoV. However, it is important to remember that warranties on these machines are often voided by the manufacturer even if brand new. These products may also be counterfeit, especially for Miele branded items.
Can you really help with allergies?
We can definitely improve the air quality inside your home. Miele & Sebo vacuums are two of the only companies with a fully gasketed vacuums that forces 100% of the exhaust through their filters. This means the air exiting the vacuum has been 99.95% filtered at 0.3 microns minimum. Both brands meet EU filtration certification EN 1822 which is much more stringent than standards in the USA.
In addition, we sell Boneco air purifiers. Using true AMSA rated HEPA filters, they will reach filtration levels greater than 99.95% at 0.3 microns and 95% at 0.03 microns. Coupled together, a quality vacuum and a reputable air filter makes an effective defense against airborn allergens.*
*House of Vacuums does not make any claims regarding medical treatment of allergies or asthma. Items advertised are for "relief" purposes only. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, you should speak to your physician or allergist right away. Allergies and asthma are potentially life-threatening conditions.
Do You Sell Used Vacuums?
We only deal in lightly-used Sebo vacs, Miele canisters and Riccar uprights on occasion. We do not sell used machines by Electrolux, Kirby, Dyson, Shark, etc.
So we will occasionally have a pre-owned vacuums available from the brands we sell. These are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. We do not have a waiting list and these are the only used machines we sell.
Do You Buy Used Vacuums?
No, we only take them as trade-ins, giving a credit toward the purchase of a new vacuum. Please contact us for information and limitations on trade-ins.
What about the environment?
It is absolutely terrible that so many inexpensive vacs end up in the landfill. That is why House of Vacuums only sells high quality machines that will last the owners decades, not months. This is the easiest way to lower the waste created by our disposable culture.
Why Can’t I Buy A Great Vac For $100?
Let’s talk about inflation. Your grandparent’s $130 Electrolux purchased in 1960 would cost $1100 in today's money. When you buy a vacuum for $130 today, that is the equivalent of around $15 in 1960. At that price, you simply cannot make a product that will last more than a couple years. That is why the cheap vacuums purchased today simply don’t last.
The good news is that with improvements in manufacturing efficiency and assembly automation you can get a quality, German-made vacuums for significantly less than the $1100 your grandparents paid for their Electrolux while maintaining similar quality.
What Vacuums Do You Guys Own?
Nobody really asks this (but they should!). It is telling nonetheless.
Rex Douglas - Manager
Riccar Vibrance Premium - 16 years old (handle repair at 14 years old).
Miele Complete C3 Alize - 1 year old for the bare floor in their new house.
Riccar RSL3 - Formerly used commercially, it still runs great.
Royal Pony Canister - Just plain old, new motor installed circa 2005.
Matt & Jen Douglas - Owners
Miele Complete C3 Brilliant - 2 years old (no repairs).
Sebo E3 Premium - 2 years old (no repairs).
Miele S6 Quartz - 8 years old (no repairs).
Miele HX1 TriFlex - Brand new for in-home, real world testing.
Dyson V10 Absolute - Brand new for in-home, real world testing against the Miele TriFlex.
Dyson V6 Motorhead - 4 years old, used to compare to other cordless vacuums tested. Also used as a test mule for replacement batteries.
Bosch Formula Electro - 15-ish years old, Matt’s collecting obsession.
Bosch Premium Electro XXL - 15-ish years old, purchased NOS, also part of the Bosch collection.
Hizero (2 years old... amazing product!).
Simplicity S5 Hand Vac - Rare, limited run hand vac.
House of Vacuums Shop
Miele Plus S251i - 19 years old, heavily abused. A customer vacuumed up ash into it and it melted some of the bag chamber. Still runs great!
Miele S2 Olympus - 9 years old (1 repair: New switch)
Miele S2 Titan - 11 years old, no repairs.
Sebo/Windsor Versamatic - Very old, runs amazing!
Dyson V6 Motorhead - 8 years old, used as a replacement battery test mule.
