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This is your typical love story. Girl meets vacuum, girl falls in love with vacuum. You’ve heard it a million times. Why is my story different? Because this girl THOUGHT she loved a vacuum, but just recently learned what true love really means.
Long time readers will remember my “budget fairy tale moment” when I found my D-word vacuum on super clearance. I was SO HAPPY. Before I found my D-word vacuum, I was using a very dinky and practically useless vacuum I purchased while on a tight budget when I moved away from home. It pretty much ADDED dirt to the carpet whenever I vacuumed. I got my D-word vacuum home and was amazed at what it picked up! In my tiny 800 square foot apartment, I had to empty the canister twice during my first go through. So much cat hair. So many cupcake crumbs. It was a beautiful thing.
At first it was hot and heavy, but over the years, the relationship started feeling more the chore that it actually was. The truth was, the machine was literally HEAVY and getting tougher and tougher to push. I started putting off our date nights and then trading chores with hubby so I wouldn’t have to do it. I had fallen for the hype and eventually became disenchanted with my D-word.
When I was at Alt Summit earlier this year, I walked by the Shark Cleaning exhibit a number of times, and always heard exclaims from fellow attendees such as, “Oh wow, it’s so light!” and “I can’t believe how quickly the floor was cleaned!” I know it’s tough to get excited over a VACUUM so it took me a while to stop by and actually say “hi” to the Shark Cleaning reps. “Can I try our your vacuum?” are words I never imagined myself saying EVER, yet here I was.
The Shark rep dumped a little bit of confetti on the floor and handed me the Shark Rocket to clean it up. She showed me how to turn it on and boom, off we went. And yes, I couldn’t believe how light the Shark Rocket is, only 7.5 pounds. Just a little heavier my cat. They showed me how to use all the attachments and how to empty the canister. Easy Easy Easy.
Then one day not too long after Alt Summit, I received the most magical package in the mail – my very own Shark Rocket!! *cue angels singing* And it arrived just in time to clean up before (and after) my in-laws’ Spring Break visit. I love my husband’s family but cleaning up after our two little nieces, not to mention my father-in-law, does not fill me with delight. I was dreading pulling out the D-word in preparation for their arrival.
Mr. BFT put the Rocket together (he likes those sorts of things) and then vacuumed the living room rug without me even having to ask. I was shocked to see the canister was almost full just from vacuuming the area rug! Granted, I hate lugging around the D-word so I couldn’t even remember how long it had been since I vacuumed (gross, I know). Also, the Rocket goes from rug to hard flooring with just a simple button switch. Next thing I knew, hubs had the whole living room cleaned. His only complaint? The Rocket doesn’t stand up on it’s own when in use; it’s top heavy so you have to lean it against something when you’re moving around furniture to vacuum underneath. I don’t see this as a huge problem because there’s always going to be a wall or sofa to lean it against but it would be nice if there could be a vacuum kickstand, or something. Haha. When you’re storing it, though, the handheld top part comes off and stores at the base, so it stands on its own.
What impressed me the most was the handheld attachment. The top part of the vacuum, including the bagless canister, comes off to create a hand held vacuum that is completely separate from the base, which means you can carry it as far as the cord will allow. With the D-word, you had to carry the entire (HEAVY) base around with you when using the hose attachment. With the Rocket, cleaning up messes on the sofa left by tiny fingers snacking on Cheerios was a literal breeze. I could have done it with one hand tied behind my back! The handheld vac is also great for cleaning Vela hair off the bedspread, something I’m a little OCD about. Now with the Rocket it’s super simple. One thing I did notice is that the dust container is fairly small. It filled up completely after our first use, which means most people will have to empty it every time they use it, or even multiple times depending on how large your home is. But emptying is very simple, literally with the push of a button. And for me, I would trade the lightness of the machine over a larger canister any day.
Overall, I’m shocked at how hard I fell for this powerful little Shark Rocket … and how good it felt to kick out my old D-word. I want to thank Shark Cleaning for sending this little gem my way.
