What's Your Issue

We get a lot of questions about vacuum cleaners--so here is a short educational treatise on them, and how to decide on the right one for you. There is NO one size fits all when it comes to vacuum cleaners, because there are many different types, many different functions, and many different issues. SO--pick your issue, and then decide which vacuum cleaner will work best for you. We are not going to discuss specific machines or their ratings. There are plenty of comparisons and ratings available on the internet. We just want to help clarify how to decide what fits your needs the best.

Here are some issues we will discuss:

Hardwood vs. carpet

Animal hair

Bagged vs. bagless

Upright vs. canister

Ultra soft carpet

Cord vs. cordless

 

If you have mostly hardwood, or any hard surface floors, your needs are obviously different from those of a homeowner with lots of carpet. Hard surfaces, which include wood floors, luxury vinyls, laminates, and tile, need to have those floors cleaned of dust and grit on a regular basis, but without a beater bar. Many vacuum cleaners, both uprights and canisters, allow the beater bar to be turned off, so look for one that does.

Carpet as well should be vacuumed on a regular basis, whether you can see the dirt or not. Grit is detrimental to the integrity of your carpet fiber, so keep it vacuumed frequently, especially in high traffic areas. A beater bar is helpful on carpet, as its function is to bounce all those little particles loose and into the path of the suction. If you have been lucky enough to buy one of the new super soft carpets, you'll need a couple of specific features on your machine. Look for a vacuum cleaner with a setting for high (tall) carpet, larger wheels, and/or venting to prevent a suction lock.

If you are a pet owner (or owned by a pet) you'll want to look

for a vacuum cleaner that specializes in getting up pet hair from carpet and from hard surfaces. There are many on the market. An additional tip: We at Enhance are dog lovers, and some of us have found it helpful to spray an anti-static product on the carpets before vacuuming.

The upright versus canister has been a debate for years. Twenty years ago, canister vacs did a better job of picking up because they could form a better seal and create better suction. This is no longer an issue with improvements made in recent technology. There are some very good uprights out there. Your needs and preferences should dictate this choice. Canisters have the advantage of being able to reach farther up under furniture, but may be more cumbersome to store. Uprights in general are less expensive than canisters, although there are exceptions to this. Senior citizens or petite women may prefer a canister so as not to have work of operating the heavy upright. This is a choice that you make based on preference, not need.

The same is true for another feature--automatic cord windup is a convenience but certainly not a necessity.

The last feature to think about is about the end user, not the performance of the vacuum cleaner--bagged versus bagless. Bagless seems great--no more bags to buy or worry about putting in or taking out. However--a bagless vacuum cleaner means the collection cup will need to be emptied. And if you have pets it gets nasty!  For folks with allergies or asthma this may be an issue.

So, the end story is decide which issues are your priority, read the many reviews available, and choose the vacuum cleaner that fits your needs.

January Is The Time To Buy

***Sound Bars---prices tend to drop as Super Bowl Sunday draws near

***Televisions---Discounts are almost as good at the end of January as they are on Black Friday

***Treadmills---Fitness items, even big ones, get deep discounts this month

Design File

We are just a couple of weeks in, but it seems like so long already since the New Year began! There are articles every day on what is trending for 2018, and what is not. White kitchen cabinets are out. Light to medium wood cabinets are in. Beautiful bold geometric tile designs for the floor are in. Succulents are so 2017. Bar carts are over.

What is in are warm neutrals and matte finish hardware. Marble looks are in, and we carry many, in floor tile, wall tile, and countertops. Lately we have remodeled three bathrooms in all marble looks, so gorgeous and classic! So, toss out those succulents, roll those bar carts to the curb, and come in to see us about installing gorgeous new wood cabinets in your kitchen or bathroom, along with some fabulous new geometric tile floors! We are so IN!

I Was FLOORED By Enhance

Lisa in Sandy Springs writes "Enhance put in laminate for me, replacing some old and dirty carpet.  My favorite enhancements, though, are the solid oak treads they put in. They are simply beautiful!  All work was extremely professional and completed in two days."

Thank you. Lisa! We know that you quickly sold your home, and we are sure that the new floors and staircase helped the buyer fall in love with the house immediately.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost to makeover a staircase tends to surprise our clients.  Staircases work is all custom---you can't use a big drum sander on a tread, everything used on the staircase is custom, and the finishing work is done by hand.  But wow! they turn out beautiful!  We recently installed an updated staircase for a client in Marietta.  11 treads plus one larger tread with a return, 13 oak risers, and the finishing detail---sand, stain and urethane coat the new treads and risers for $2400.  (This did NOT include new balusters, handrails, or newel posts.)