I knew when we purchased a home just a few short blocks from the beach that compromises would have to be made. To begin with, square footage. We live in a tiny, I mean teeny tiny, house. Space is at a premium, and there is no room for storage or clutter. Living near the beach also means my house seems to constantly be full of sand. I find it everywhere – our bed, in the bathtub, under the couch cushions, on the kitchen counters, in my teeth…you name it.
Even some of the perks of our beach living are actually also draw backs. I can’t tell you how nice it is to not pay for central air. How wonderful it is to throw open our front french doors to let the sunshine and cool breeze flow through our home each morning. It’s like welcoming in a fresh start. Unfortunately, it’s also an open invitation for grass and dust to make it’s way in, only moments after vacuuming. Sometimes I think I clean just to say I did it because by the time evening rolls around (and by the time Ben gets home) you wouldn’t know I ever lifted a finger. With our beautiful dark walnut floors, the house is pretty much impossible to keep clean.
When I was first given the opportunity to review the Bissell Lift-Off® Floors & More PET Cordless Stick Vacuum, I will admit that I wasn’t sure what I would think. I was concerned about the quality or sturdiness, but the rep I spoke with on the phone sang praises high and low about owning this vacuum so I wanted to give it a try. I am truly glad I did. We have been using a full size (very expensive) vacuum that does well on suckage, but is an absolute BEAST. I pushed vacuuming until I just couldn’t stand the mess any more.
When the Bissell Lift Off® arrived in smaller box than I was expecting, I smiled. It was really light too. I of course handed it over to Ben to “please put together” and almost didn’t believe him when he said “done” in a matter of minutes. What? Assembly was so easy Whistler, my 3 year old son, did it.
While I don’t have any pets, I have a toddler and it’s pretty much the same thing right? In fact, I think the toddler may be messier with all the sand and occasional bugs he brings into the house and the food he’s constantly dropping onto the floor. My first love of this stick vac is the obvious – it’s cordless, light, compact and I have no problem zipping around our little home cleaning up the sand and debris. I’m kind of bummed that I don’t have the excuse to avoid vacuuming all week because now it can be done quickly and easily throughout the day. But it’s actually a non-issue but now my toddler can do it for me – HAH!
See how the Bissell even folds to maneuver under things like the chairs, sofas and bed? This is a feature I appreciate because sand seems to spread and multiply while my back is turned. As you can see, the design is basically focused around a traditional hand vac. This is what concerned me at the start because my experience with these is based on a very lackluster brand/model my parents owned many years ago. It was horrible and basically useless. I’m happy to report that this is not the case with the Bissell Lift-Off® Floors & More PET Cordless Stick Vacuum. I’m very happy with it’s ability to pick up both dust and debris as well as food particles.
I also put Whistler on the task of getting all the sand out of the couch (the hand vac is detachable!) and while he’s having fun, I get a few minutes to myself. The slim, compact design also means it isn’t taking up premium storage space. Seriously, this vacuum is one of the best products we have brought into this house for some time! If I had any complaints at all, it would be that takes about 16 hours to charge and only has run time of about 15 minutes. However, like I said our house is tiny, so it actually works great for us and our needs.
Thank you to Bissell for providing me with product in order to facilitate this review and for allowing me to pass off one of my much hated chores to my 3 year old son!
I bet this would work wonders for all the pet hair that sticks to the furniture and my bedding! I want one :)
Oh, how I wish I had one of those so my 7 year old could do the housework!
That looks like such an awesome and lightweight vacuum! I want to get it so my 5 year old can start cleaning, LOL!