CasaSugar

How-To: Keep Your Wool Rug From Shedding

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:15:10 -0700

Wool rugs are beautiful and natural, so they're a wonderful addition to your home. But since wool comes from an animal that sheds itself, rug shedding is inevitable. But it's also not a major battle if you learn a few tricks to deal with the shedding.

First of all, you should put your rug in a low-traffic area. People treading on it causes friction, which in turn causes it to shed its fibers. So a wool rug is better placed under a dining table than as a runner in a busy hallway or in a living room where you spend most of your time. To learn some other tricks to deal with shedding, read more.

You should vacuum your wool rug regularly. At some point, your rug will cease to shed, so if you vacuum it regularly you will expedite that, and you'll be removing the fibers as they shed - essentially forcing them to shed.
Furthermore, when you vacuum, you should use your vacuum's attachments. Wool rugs are sensitive, so this will prevent you from sucking the rug itself up into the vacuum.
As I mentioned, shedding is inevitable. But you can conceal your rug's fibers by purchasing a rug similar in color to your upholstered furniture. For instance, the shedding from a white wool rug will be very obvious on your navy blue sofa.

Casa Beta: Versus Bare Floor Vacuum Cleaner

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:00:46 -0800

The folks over at Bissell sent me the new Versus Bare Floor Vacuum Cleaner ($79.99) to review, and of course I obliged, seeing as my floors can always use a good cleaning and I can always use a little motivation to clean them. After thorough vacuuming and consideration, I've come to a few conclusions about the new Versus.
Here are its pros:

With 12 amps of power, it's got great suction, and works wonders on - you guessed it - bare floors.
The canister is a cinch to empty.
The cord wraps up conveniently around two spokes to prevent a tangling mess.
It's compact and stores easily.
Its v-shaped head rakes large debris into the center suction path as it cleans.

To hear the cons, read more.

Here are the cons:

While the unusual head shape may be great at collecting large debris, it makes it difficult to get into small spaces and corners, which is more important to me.
The vacuum sucks too hard on area rugs and carpet, making it difficult to roll.
Hair seems to clog easily in the brush, but that may just be the nature of all vacuums.
It's not super easy to maneuver - it's certainly no Dyson Ball.

Overall, I'd say it's a quite a powerful vacuum for the price, a good option if you have bare floors and can manage small corners with a dust buster or mop. We'll see how the power holds up in a few months, though; vacuums have a knack for reversing first impressions.

Ask Casa: A Sand-Friendly Vacuum

CasaSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:00:59 -0700

Dear Casa,
I have seen posts on pet-friendly vacuums, but my problem is not just dog hair. It is massive amounts of sand that my beautiful Chow Chow drags in from Crissy Field [in San Francisco]. I need a recommendation for a vacuum for wood floors and carpets strong enough to pick up the sand. Any ideas?
Thanks,
MaryBeth

To hear my response to MaryBeth, read more.

Hi MaryBeth,
Funny you should ask . . . literally just two days ago, I spilled a fine-granule cleaning solution that is very much like sand, and used my Dyson DC24 ($399.99) to suck it up with no problems. I didn't even have to run over the sandy solution twice; first time was a charm! If you read Casa regularly, you may remember that I reviewed the Dyson DC24, so you can read about it for more details. If not this particular vacuum, I highly recommend Dysons in general for your dilemma, as they exhibit great suction power. Some other vacuum brands that I highly recommend are Electrolux (vintage ones are best) and Miele. I hope this helps!
Cheers,
Casa

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Casa Quickie: Vacuuming Quicker

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:00:07 -0700

If you're anything like me, no matter how awesome your vacuum is, it frustrates you to have to repeatedly unplug and replug your vacuum as you clean your whole house. Even if you live in a small studio (trust me, I have), you're bound to have to do so at least once to reach every nook and cranny. The answer to this is to attach a long extension cord (at very least 20 feet) to your vacuum, and plug it in whichever room sits in the center of your house. You may need to replug if your house has more than one floor. But regardless, this will speed up your cleaning time significantly. Just remember to wrap the cord in a neat coil when you finish, otherwise you'll have to deal with untangling it — and that's certainly not a time-saver.
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And the Winner Is . . .

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:30:51 -0700

. . . Marcella!
Congratulations to Marcella, who wins this Dyson DC24 vacuum, which is not even available in stores yet! It's darn good: read about it here.

Win This Dyson DC24 Vacuum!

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:58:01 -0700

To kick off March's theme of So Fresh and So Clean, I thought it would be great to give away a tool that will make your house just that. That's why I'm giving away a Dyson DC24 vacuum ($399.99) to one lucky Casa reader. These vacuums aren't even available in stores yet! I recently tried one out and loved it. Not only is it lightweight and compact, but it's also super-powerful and has a great turning radius, so it gets into hard-to-reach corners of your home.

If you're interested in winning this vacuum, just take our quiz! To enter, you must log in and take the quiz below. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just by completing the quiz once you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a TeamSugar member and log in before you take the quiz. If you're not already a member, just register here for an account. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Contest ends Tuesday, March 11, at noon PST, and is only open to United States readers. Click here for Official Rules.

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Take the quiz

Casa Beta: Dyson DC24

CasaSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 05:04:40 -0800

The nice people over at Dyson recently gave me the exclusive opportunity to test out their new Dyson DC24 vacuum ($399.99). As a disclaimer, I've never enjoyed vacuuming, and try to pawn off the responsibility whenever possible. But, after a few sessions with the Dyson DC24, I was singing in the rain. To begin, I unloaded the box, expecting a dozen parts to put together along with a confusing manual. On the contrary, there were only four (!) pieces to put together, and no manual was required — easy, breezy, beautiful. Then came the vacuuming part. read more

For a few seconds, I looked for a carpet/floor switch on the vacuum, but then remembered, the Dyson DC24 is fit for all floor types. Yay! At 11.6 lbs., the DC24 is much lighter than any vacuum I've owned, and considerably lighter than the 40 lb. Electrolux I grew up with. Since it moves on a ball, rather than wheels, and it's so lightweight, it was really easy to move around and put away once I finished. It's also two-thirds the size of previous editions, so it's compact enough even for a small apartment. The vacuum was also surprisingly powerful, and sucked up all the dust and what-have-you collecting on my floors instantly. Its reversible extension wand was super helpful for cleaning small corners and awkward areas, like the crumby spots under my kitchen cabinets that never seem to get much attention.

The Dyson Ball also doesn't lose suction, due to "patented technology," and while I'd have to test this out over time to see for myself, I can say that the larger model Dyson I've had for the past several years continues to work great and exhibits great suction power. The Dyson ball also empties all the dust and dirt from the bottom of the bin just when you press one button (and no bags, belts, or filters needed), meaning you don't have to touch or breathe in the contents of a stinky bag when you pull it out.

The only drawback is that the DC24 ($399.99) isn't as affordable as other cheaper vacuums in initial cost. However, the Dyson is a good investment because it'll stand the test of time (five-year warranty included), and has amazing features. Buying bulky $70 vacuums that work for only eight months really will add up over time, and having a vacuum repaired isn't exactly cheap either. You're looking at around $50 or more every time you have one repaired.

Overall, the vacuum was awesome. It pretty much remedied all the things I've always hated about the chore. I can give an enthusiastic thumbs up on the new model.

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This Just In: Dyson DC24 Released

CasaSugar — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 08:33:37 -0800

Dyson has just released the new DC24 model ($399.99), the latest in the Dyson Ball range.
The DC24 is two-thirds the size of its predecessors, and has concentrated technology, which can be used on all floor types. It's ultra lightweight, weighing in at only 11.6 lbs. And, its Quick-draw Telescope Reach Reversible Wand instantly releases and extends to clean awkward areas. To hear about other features, read more

It also has the same great features as all Dyson Ball vacuums:

Patented Cyclone technology so that it doesn't lose suction power
Rides on an ultralightweight ball, allowing it to turn on a dime, unlike wheeled vacuums, which only go in a straight line
Expels air with up to 150 times less bacteria and mold than the air we breathe
Washable lifetime HEPA filter designed to trap microscopic allergens (no bags, belts, or filters to buy)
One-touch hygienic and quick-to-empty bin — just press the button at the top of the cyclone and the dust empties from the bottom
Five-year warranty for parts and labor guaranteed by Dyson

The Dyson DC24 is available for preorder now, but won't ship until on or around Mar. 10. Stay tuned to CasaSugar for a special surprise from Dyson before then!
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Dirt Devil KONE and KURV by Karim Rashid

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 05:46:17 -0800

This is your handheld vacuum.

This is your handheld vacuum on good design.

To find out all about these new, stylish hand vacs, just read more

Okay, I don't want to bust the Dustbuster's chops-I'm old enough to remember when it was an amazing new household tool. My grandma and mom went gaga over it. But, as hot as this design might have been when it was developed by industrial designer Carroll Gantz, it now looks downright prehistoric.

Enter the new handheld vacuum designs by Karim Rashid. The Dirt Devil KONE ($42.99) and KURV ($52.99) are just plain beautiful to look at. I love the poppy colors and sleek shapes. They're also both rechargeable and cordless, just like the original Dustbuster. The advantage to these new designs, though, is that I can pretend I'm on a super-mod spaceship while I vacuum up the dog hair.

Congrats to the Winner of the Dyson Vacuum!

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:33:42 -0700

One of the best parts of my job is giving away great prizes to Casa readers. I've gotten to give away Method products, West Elm gift certificates, and of course, our huge $5000 West Elm grand prize (stay tuned! I promise we'll reveal the name of our winner soon, as soon as all the legal paperwork is taken care of!).

This time, we offered a limited-edition Dyson Pink DC07 (retail value $399) created exclusively for Target. Dyson recently re-released this version of its super-slick vacuum in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is this month. Dyson will donate $40 from the sale of each DC07 Pink to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Congratulations to Lorynbuggy, who will win this pretty-in-pink Dyson. Thanks again to Dyson for this great household cleaning prize-I'm sure Lorynbuggy will love it. And for the rest of you Casa readers, if you have a moment, why don't you enter our current giveaway?