Is Your Vacuum an Animal? Learn how to TAME that wild, wayward creature!

If you are up to date on television and printed advertising, and/or a fan of the Home Shopping Network, you may believe that an "Animal" vacuum is the long-awaited solution to your challenging home cleaning routine! Perhaps you already own one and sing its praises every day. Perhaps you own one and feel like chucking it out the window for the amount of trouble it gives you.

For those of you in the market for a new machine and eyeing up those aforementioned "Animal" vacs - pay close attention! There is a lot of misconception and blatant misinformation out there regarding the best machines for pet-owning households. We will work on straightening some of that out right now! And if you already have a vacuum you're generally pleased with, yet often struggle to keep it performing like you expect, you'll enjoy the helpful tips laid out in this article too. 

  

WHAT EXACTLY IS AN "ANIMAL" in the world of vacuums?

If it is a Dyson brand vacuum, that means it's PURPLE. That's right, color is the only real difference between any Dyson of the same model series. The main body, motor, filters, brush roller; all the same! What do change are the accessories packaged with it. A Dyson DC65 "Animal" will have an additional turbo tool and possibly a low-reach, bare floor tool (versus a standard DC65 model.)  There's nothing at all wrong with that setup, per se. Most other brands follow this naming pattern. An "Animal," "Pet" or "Cat & Dog" model vacuum will usually come with a special set of tools to remove pet hair from challenging surfaces like upholstery and stairs. The issue is that most consumers are under the false impression that the vacuum has more suction, a bigger motor, or better filtration; not necessarily true.

For example, a Miele C3 series Cat & Dog, Marin or HomeCare canister vacuum would ALL handle pet hair incredibly well. Why? In addition to a large capacity filterbag, these "siblings" are also power-teammodels. That means that in addition to raw suction power they are equipped with a robust electric power nozzleto deep clean carpets and rugs. But with the "Cat & Dog" you'll also enjoy a BONUS handheld turbo brush to easily blast through embedded fur on above-floor surfaces like upholstery, auto interiors, pet beds and more! Lastly, instead of the standard HEPA media exhaust filter (used for allergen control) the Cat & Dog's filter cartridge is chock-full of odor absorbing activated charcoal to combat stinky dog smells. All C3 series canisters are otherwise the same size, with the same motor and suction power. See the pattern?

 

Why does your vacuum behave like an errant puppy?

Your particular vacuum may not be an "Animal," but it sure may act like one sometimes. Has yours ever chewed up a delicate carpet, eaten your shoelaces or puked stuff back out on the floor? Regardless of the brand or type of vacuum you have it is bound to misbehave at some point.However, more often than not, it's not really the vacuum's fault. As the owner, YOU are in charge of keeping your vacuum healthy and giving it what it needs at regular intervals. If you don't take your dog outside in time he's likely to have an accident inside. Similarly, if you don't change your vacuum's bag or filter in time, it will clog and spit debris out. Develop good habits of "grooming" your vacuum's brushroller to remove excessive hair and string. Also, don't run your vacuum where it doesn't belong. Many vacuums are too powerful and aggressive to safely clean delicate area rugs or bare floors. You wouldn't take your Rottweiler through a stroll through a nursery....not worth the risk, right? Also schedule to bring your vac in for regular, professional checkups (with yours truly) or at the first sign of "illness!"

CONCLUSION

Sure, you may feel disappointed or even cheated that an "Animal" model isn't any different than its relatives. Trust me; the special tools packaged with one can make all the difference in pet hair removal. But they're only helpful if you use them. AND you still must maintain the vacuum as required in order to keep it working at peak performance, Animal or not! 

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To Warranty or NOT to Warranty? Using our "CSI" skills to decipher your vacuum's eligibility...

To be perfectly honest, warranty is not a fun topic to discuss. It is a wildly misunderstood part of our industry and often makes for cranky customers...Imagine you buy a $500 vacuum and within 3 months it is up in smoke and inoperable! So let's clear up the confusion.  What is warranty, how does it work and how can you get the most out of it? (Keep in mind - this applies to lots of products, not just vacuums!) 

What is WARRANTY?

When a manufacturer produces product, it makes a promise to the consumer that the product will work, as intended, for a given period of time. They are usually a "limited warranty" meaning that there are reasonable exclusions. It is NOT a "100% Guarantee" and it is timely! It's very logical, really. And luckily your entire warranty contract (as well as maintenance requirements) are all included in your owner's manual. Yes - you must read your manual! You run the risk of poor performance, permanent damage and voiding warranty if you don't follow the "rules."

What IS covered? 

"Defects in materials and workmanship"...That's it. The company protects you from defects in their manufacturing.Things like burnt-out switches, bad computer control boards or batteries that won't charge are typically covered. Occasionally, a plastic clip, cuff, bracket or internal valve cracks. But clogs, broken belts, filters, damage by animals or falls, sucking up water are a few examples of excluded issues/items.  A true defect is usually easy to spot. It's something that a consumer in no way could cause to happen!   

Although your car may encounter potholes, it's not meant to drive into them.Your auto dealer cannot cover damage from hitting a pothole under warranty. If the fuel pump relay went, sure. Similarly, cracking your vacuum's housing on the coffee table or sucking up wet cheerios or socks is not coverable.  

So really, how do you tell a defect from accident/abuse?

        ...This is where we get all "CSI" on your vacuum!!

Simply put, the forensic evidence speaks for itself. Remember, we fix things for a living and we see it all. Little details speak volumes especially when compared to the bigger picture. Ever look carefully at a broken piece of plastic or metal? Excessive bending and wear make distinctive stress marks near the break. A defect in the tempering of the metal will result in a break that looks totally different. Similarly, we can tell exactly what caused a vacuum's belt to break just by looking at it: Brushroller bearings seizing, something got stuck in brushroller, vs crooked installation.  

How did WE get in the middle of this?

Manufacturers make things, but most of them can't fix a sandwich. They need authorized third parties repair facilities like us (nearby their customers) to perform the repair work when something goes wrong. We maintain warranty contracts with nearly every major vacuum manufacturer (Hoover, Dyson, Dirt Devil, Bissell, Miele, etc.) So if you call Dyson because your DC50 upright won't stand up, they'll send you to us!

We are the manufacturer's eyes and ears, but we follow their rules of warranty eligibility. We are bound by a strict contract! They send us customers in need of help. If the vacuum's age is still within the period of time offered in the warranty (usually at least 1 year) we must then perform a lengthy, multi-point inspection and submit our findings in a paper or digital claim. We must order/buy genuine repair parts in advance, repair the vacuum in good faith, and submit for reimbursement (at a rate lower than I care to discuss.) It's quite a process. For the customer it is all done for free, but it (understandably) takes a bit longer than a regular service repair.

Don't shoot the messenger! 

We sometimes encounter problems that the manufacturer does not cover nor pay us for. The customer must pay if these are to be remedied by our staff. But we always call with an estimate and thorough explanation before anything is done or charged!Folks can still get pretty miffed about this, but trust is the "glue" in this whole process. We are here to be a fair, expert, impartial party between the both of you! Read your owner's manual and understand the warranty. Take good, careful care of your machine and that will make it easy for us to decipher any genuine defects that may arise over time. That makes processing warranty a snap, saving us all time, money and frustration!

>> CLICK HERE for is a detailed yet concise printable form explaining warranty! 

WARRANTY HANDOUT (printable PDF)