Keeping a home clean is always a challenge; especially when:
a. said home is large and has two stories, and
b. said home contains ten cats.
Little Bit; one of our ten furbabies.
Yes, you read that right: we have ten (10) cats. Housecleaning is enough of a challenge in a “normal” home, but add ten constantly shedding furballs to the mix and it’s a constant war against cat hair. That’s why I was ecstatic when Bissell offered me the chance to take their Powerforce Helix Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner for a test drive.
The first thing I noticed about this vacuum cleaner is that it’s very lightweight. That’s a big bonus in a two story house when you have to carry it up and down the stairs.
It’s also a big bonus when you have to use the vacuum cleaner on the stairs, which I do because the cat hair likes to accumulate there for some reason:
Now before you guys start thinking I’m a total slob, I had vacuumed the stairs the week prior to the above photo being taken. So that’s only one week of cat hair accumulation. (And yes, I usually do vacuum more often… I held off this week because I knew I’d be testing out the Bissell Powerforce Helix and I wanted to give it a good challenge!)
This brings me to the second thing I noticed about this vacuum cleaner: it’s got a crazy long cord. That’s another huge bonus with a big house with stairs: I don’t have to stop vacuuming every five minutes in order to unplug and re-plug the cord. And I was able to plug it in by the bottom stair and make it all the way up the stairs without having to re-plug it. It makes tackling all the kitty hair tumbleweeds on the stairs a heck of a lot easier!
The hose extender and nozzle made vacuuming the stairs a breeze; no more achey breaky back from having to bend over to clean them! And that brings me to the third thing I noticed about this vacuum cleaner: this sucker (pun intended) has some serious power. It made the kitty hair tumbleweeds disappear.
The next test was our office, where we have a black rug with a floral pattern.
As I’m sure you’ve already figured out, black rug = cat hair magnet:
The vacuum cleaner made quick work of cleaning the rug. It not only picked up all the cat hair with no problems, it also picked up all the dust, which is also super easy to see on the black rug. I could really see the difference while I was vacuuming; in the photo below, the rug to the left of the vacuum cleaner is what I had just vacuumed. What a difference!
Once I finished, I checked the spot on the rug where I took the “before” photo – not a cat hair or dust particle to be found!
The final test was to try it out on some upholstery. I have cushions on our office chairs, and they are one of the many favorite places for our kitties to sleep.
Which of course means this:
I used the brush attachment to vacuum the cushion, and once again, the vacuum cleaner made quick work of the job.
The results were unbelievable- it looked like I had just washed the cushions as apposed to vacuuming them!
It was so satisfying to see all that kitty hair trapped in the large capacity dirt cup. That’s yet another bonus- no more extra trips up and down the stairs to empty the dirt cup out!
A few more awesome things about the Bissell PowerForce Helix Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner:
- Powerful suction with the Helix Dirt Separation System for longer lasting pick-up performance.
- The unique Helix cleaning system captures dirt and other debris using internal “ribs” that are incorporated into the Easy Empty™ Dirt Cup. This forces large particles, dust and other debris down to the bottom of the tank instead of up into the filter, helping the vacuum to work more effectively longer.
- And the most awesome-est thing off all? The price is less than $50! I used to think that the price of the vacuum = more suction and cleaning power, but now I know better!!!
*** The giveaway has ended! Thank you to everyone who entered! ***
Bissell is giving away FIVE of these vacuum cleaners! And all you have to do to enter is to leave me a comment below with a summer cleaning tip! How easy is that? The five winners will be randomly chosen by Bissell. Please visit the Bissell page for full giveaway rules. Your comment below signifies that you have read and agree with the Bissell giveaway rules. Giveaway ends May 16, 2016.
Thanks for letting me share my winning the war against pet hair with the Bissell PowerForce Helix Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner!
My tip is to use a damp cloth to dust with. This will grab the dust instead of letting fly loose around the room and making an even bigger mess. Thanks for the chance.
jslbrown2009 at aol dot com
My tip is actually one we use all year ’round. When washing any pet blankets or beds I add 1 (one) cup of white vinegar at the beginning of the wash cycle. This helps eliminate any funky smells that are on in the cloth. It also helps hair release from the fabric too.
I can relate to the hair issue you have with 10 cats. We have 8 cats and 5 dachshunds!
Buy a mop just for the walls, not for the floors. Then you can clean walls with this faster than with a cloth. It’s great for removing cat fur that finds its way to the wall, as well as candle soot and other yucky stuff.
Use a damp cloth to dust off shelves and a mop to clean the walls. The dust and hair stick to the wet cloth so it makes cleaning a lot easier.
I always vacuum my tile floors before mopping – sucks up all the dust and hair (3 dogs and my long hair!) and makes it easier to get the floors clean!
I always vacuum my exhaust fans in my home before cleaning them with a bleach solution and drying them with dryers sheets to send a fresh scent through the whole house.
During the Summer due to having a pool that we love, we have the grandkids over alot. Between the grandkids and our four resident cats it is almost impossible to keep the floors clean! I need the cleaning Force of the Bissell Upright Powerforce to get the embedded dirt and hair! A lightweight Vacuum like the Bissell PowerForce would make it so much easier!
I use warm water and lemon juice to clean all surfaces in the home. Lemon is a natural disinfectant and the citrus smell gives the home a wonderful fresh scent
I have all wood floors and tile with area rugs in certain areas. I vacuum all my floors to collect dirt and dust before, dust mopping. Keeps the air cleaner and really gets all the floors clean.
After Vacuuming. I use old dish towels to mop clean the floors. They can easily be washed and reused another day.
First of all. . . Holy Moly. . . .10 cats! I have one and she makes enough fur. We love her so much, though. Cleaning tip? We keep peroxide in a spray bottle and we use that to clean counters, tables, the stovetop and the sink in the kitchen. That we there are fewer chemicals to worry about.
My tip is for homes with cats. I’ve found that despite my best efforts, the cats are just not as fastidious as I was led to believe. I keep a small dustpan and broom by each litter box, and also use ‘puppy’ pads (don’t tell my cats they’re designed for dogs) under each litter box. If they kick litter out, I can scoop it up in the pad & put it back in the box. If they leave something outside of the box, I can easily replace the pad, and it keeps the floors much cleaner.
Bleach will kill all of the mold in the house.
I vacuum daily for pet hair.
My tip is to go To a resort so the housekeeping staff has to do it while you sip Mai tais on a beach =p
We have a large outdoor mat in the garage to wipe shoes on before entering the house. It helps to keep the house cleaner,but that mat gets pretty dirty too! So, once a week, it gets vacuumed just like the rest of the carpets. My son uses one too in his house and it keeps the grease and oil out after working on vehicles in the garage.
My cleaning tip is to run the vacuum on the sofa and chairs often too. My little dog doesn’t look like she sheds, but there’s always dander and hair when I run the vacuum there. I think it helps to cut down on dust too.
Summer Cleaning tip: Dont forget about the blinds! They can cause a lot of dust and alergies if used a lot in the summer months when we open our windows a lot.
My tip:
Always put things back where they belong. It makes cleaning easier when you don’t have to pick up before you clean up.
My cleaning tip is to vacuum at least every other day so that all of the pet hair doesn’t accumulate. We have 4 animals living in this house, so it is definitely a chore!
My tip is to clean while the kids are sleeping so that you can get stuff done
My tip is to have people not wear shoes in the house. It really helps cut down the traffic dirt.
My summer cleaning tip can be used year round. Always use microfiber cloths when cleaning, glass, windows and when dusting. There is no lint, or streaks left behind to clean up.
I have four dogs and foster and rescuse others as well. Also, I had 9 cats at one time as well as the dogs. Hair is a big deal around our house. Eash of my dogs has their own chair. I bought huge beach towels and stitched them to fit over their chairs. Every couple of days I toss them in the laundry. I have enough to put one set and have one in the wash. I also clean with vinegar, dawn and water with some essential oils which vary. This kills all the germs and leaves things smelling fresh.
Summer cleaning tip: I dust and clean my floors during the day. The sun that comes in really helps with seeing what I have missed.
My tip is Vinegar is an awesome natural cleaning agent that works to freshen your house naturally without all the extra chemicals and artificial scents.
I use my used dryer sheets to clean the bathroom mirror and fixtures
My cleaning tip to use dryer sheets along the baseboards of the house. it helps reduce the amount of dust clinging onto the baseboards!
I use vinager and water to keep my sink faucets sparkling clean!
My tip is to clean and vacuum all intake vents for your air conditioner and/or heat pump. I have noticed a lot of my little dogs’ black hair in the hall where our vent is located. I clean it often and change the filter once a month. A little dab of your favorite Essential Oil will have your home smelling fresh and clean.
Make sure to declutter. Get rid of unwanted, unused items. It will make cleaning much easier.
My favorite summer cleaning tip is to have the kids do it, but the quality of the work is usually sub-par!! Another tip for the outside of the home is a pressure washer. You never realize how dingy your home is until you spray it with a pressure washer.
I watch the grandkids during the summer so I have a chore chart for each of them to help me each morning during the weekday. We get our chores done early in the morning in order to head out for the rest of the day to have some great summer fun.
I have just one cat (would love to visit you and your ten!). I’m slightly allergic to cats, so I dustmop all our floors three times a week (took out the rugs and carpets years ago because of the allergies). I probably need one of these!
My tip sounds silly but I can’t believe how many people don’t do this. When you mop your floor, go back over it with just plain water. You won’t believe the dirt that comes up. Ps. The bissell pet carpet cleaner is my favorite machine on the planet!
My tip is everyone in the house having designated tasks and spending a certain amount of time working together as a team. Thanks for the awesome giveaway 🙂
Renee
fattybumpkins at yahoo dot com
I clean and dust and with all the fields around us it’s hard to keep the dust down in the house. Dust with a wet cloth and use drier sheet to keep the static electricity down.
My tip is start high and work your way down…that way you pick up all the dust you’re knocking down as you go!
Darn to bad I missed the giveaway! $50 for a vacuum that good is hard to find! Also, your home looks very cute!
Thanks so much Sara! 🙂
Wow, that Bissell really did a great job on your carpets. They look nice and clean. Even though the giveaway is over I want to add a tip. When you’re done vacuuming, take a squegee and run it over your carpet to get any fur your vacuum missed. BTW, I LOVE your kitty. <3
Thanks so much Bella, and thanks for the tip! 🙂
Hi, Michelle
That’s a great article for pets lover.
Those worried about pet hair.
Thanks