I need your help

[Pappybear]

We have a relatively chunky Edwardian house. 4 beds, quite a few stairs. Old and creaky. We can’t afford a cleaner, but was thinking about using some money to invest in some products that will make my life easier when trying to keep this place clean.

I’m thinking:

• A cordless stick vacuum to keep on top of the dust on the stairs during the week.
• A robot vacuum to do the downstairs hardwood floor whilst we sleep

Is this overkill? Could I just use the stick vacuum to also go over the floors in the kitchen? What about those electric mop things? Are there any other appliances that would make my life easier and could maybe get in Black Friday, or am I hoping that throwing money at the problem will make up for my basic cleaning laziness??

Do you have mainly hard floors or carpets or a mix of both?

Cordless hoovers are good for quick spills but you still need a corded vacuum to keep on top of dust. Especially in large, older homes. Henry do a deal on a cordless and a corded machine which I think is a good investment.

One of my clients has a robot moppy thing and it works well between my visits. She did tell me she got one which was relatively pricey. I'm unsure if that is what makes it so good.

The thing with those steam mop type things, or even a flat mop, is that it creates a lot of laundry and extra purchases as you buy, wash and replace the pads. I use them to dry/buff a floor that I've just mopped with a spin mop. Spin mops are good because you can really wring them out which over time, protects hard flooring. You do have to wash/replace the heads regularly for best results but not as often as a flat mop pad in a busy home.

Steam mops are also not great to use on hard floors regularly. It's a bit like viakal. It's great to use on a occasional deep clean to work on buildup. It isn't great on surfaces when you use it for your weekly bathroom clean.

That’s so helpful, thanks @Lexibletheflexible . I definitely don’t want more laundry or lots of extra costs so this is good to know.

We have carpet on stairs and hard floor downstairs. We’ve already got a Miele light hoover that I’ll do big cleans with, but it gets so dirty/ dusty on the stairs that I want something easy that I can just use as I walk upstairs!

My house sounds very similar, with the the addition (or not) of every skirting board or architrave being rough. It's so hard to clean!

We used to have a roomba which was great but it was a right hassle to tidy enough to use it. So, when it died after about 8 years we replaced it with a battery operated vacuum, but that wasn't strong enough, so got a Henry. They are heavy so maybe not ideal for stairs. Ours stairs are wooden so I can just sweep them.

For our wooden floors, kitchen and bathroom floors I have a spray mop with microfiber pads. I only mop once a week, so it's no hassle to put the pads in the washing machine. It's been a revelation! So much easier than a wet mop which we used to use, the bathroom floor always looked streaky. I bought the liquid from Lakeland and this mop from Argos. I now quite like mopping! www.argos.co.uk/product/8025070?utm_custom6=LIA&deeplink=true&gclsrc=aw.ds&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157|acid:898-274-0554|cid:20247640952|agid:|tid:|crid:|nw:x|rnd:17182295320828743747|dvc:m|adp:|mt:|loc:1006678&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20247640952&utm_term=8025070&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=&utm_custom2=898-274-0554&GPDP=true&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19663889715&gbraid=0AAAAAD9II9nXp32bxZXoXESU90VZJUGkA&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnsvXBhCqARIsAHKgGNaGJlOE_0h9cxupkFsGkQ-G2VNDS9fpXiqPNm-xJmC0M28-V13IAd0aAn80EALw_wcB

Would one of those hand held dustbuster type things be useful just for the stairs? I haven't used one myself so can't recommend any brand.

If I could, I would have a vacuum upstairs and down. We stayed in an Airbnb that had a rechargeable stick in the kitchen, it was brilliant for a quick hoover and I'd love to have one!

You know what the fancy Americans have that looks so handy? They have vacuums built into the wall at various places around the house so you just open a little cupboard, pull out the hose, and vacuum that portion of the house.

Husband has already vetoed that regardless of how many lottery wins we have

@CheshireSplat thats interesting about the mop. I always thought those things would be a total pain to use, don’t they get caught on floorboard nails etc? I currently just mop with one of Vileda rag type mops and a bucket but totally up for new ideas like yours!

@PamelaColmansMustard yes exactly, but I thought a stick might be better so I’m not having to bend over too much. See how lazy I am!

Ha! Amazing!

Lazy? not at all! - I was in my late 40s when I got my Henry - and it's a brilliant hoover, but I didn't realise how cumbersome it would feel now in my 60s. We haven't any carpets so I just use a broom most of the time.

I was coming here to say get a decent powered Hoover, I have an upright cordless Miele which I love, but, it’s a fraction too heavy to hoover stairs with so it needs complementing with a lighter cordless Hoover. I see you already have a Miele!

roomba - as per another commenter, we used to have one, but I spent so long tidying up for it, and so long moving it when it got stuck, that when it broke I didn’t replace it

Can I ask what you mean by tidying up for it. Do you mean shoes off the floor etc??

With carpet on the stairs and hard floors downstairs I'd just get a cheap light stick for the stairs and leave the robot idea alone for now. We had a robot and I spent more time tidying the floor for it than it saved me, honestly. You've already got the Miele for the proper cleans, so the stick only needs to cope with the daily dust.

Your husband is wrong. If you win lotto definitely install one of these. My parents had it in their old house and it was fantastic. Made it so easy to clean.