When my ancient Pledge Grab-it floor duster finally cratered (well, my toddler helped it along by ripping off the rubber foot), I decided to try the Swiffer Sweep+Vac.
I often found myself getting out the broom and dustpan to clean up Cheerios that were spilled or tossed on the floor or leaves that were tracked inside by shoes. And sweeping is pretty low on my list of things I like to do. So when I saw on TV that the Swiffer Sweep+Vac is a combination vacuum/duster for floors, I thought it was just what the toddler ordered.
The Swiffer Sweep+Vac would do the same thing as my old Pledge model, which used a dry cloth to pick up dust and dirt. But the Swiffer Sweep+Vac would also vacuum up large particles that wouldn’t stick to the dust pad, saving me from having to sweep and then dust in two steps.
Because I hadn’t read any reviews of the Swiffer Sweep+Vac and because I’m a major coupon junkie, I visited swiffer.com to find a Swiffer Sweep+Vac coupon. I signed up to receive a coupon book by mail. It arrived in a few weeks with a coupon included for $5 off the Swiffer Sweep+Vac, so I set off to Wal-Mart, where I had seen the lowest price for it ($28.92).
Swiffer Sweep+Vac Gets a New Home
I brought my new Swiffer Sweep+Vac “toy” home and unpacked the box. With only three pieces to put together, I didn’t even need the instructions to assemble it. The vacuum/duster end comes already assembled. Even the dirt filter was already where it needed to be.
After putting it together, I did a quick glance over the instructions just in case. That’s when I saw that I needed to plug in my new Swiffer Sweep+Vac for 24 hours before using it for the first time. Seeing as I’m always looking for a good excuse to postpone cleaning, I did that and went on to other things guilt-free. My Swiffer Sweep+Vac needed time to charge, so I couldn’t possibly do any cleaning till it was ready.
The Swiffer Sweep+Vac has a ring at the top of the handle that allows you to hang it up while it is charging, so it’s easy to store. The only problem (for me, anyway) is that it needs to be hung near an electrical outlet so that it can charge. However, between having the charge it and having to replace batteries, I’ll take the recharging.
Swiffer Sweep+Vac Goes for a Trial Run
Thankfully, the 24 hours of charging were up when my son decided to throw a handful of potting soil onto my wooden living room floor, so I looked to my new Swiffer Sweep+Vac to save the day.
I took it down from its hook, unplugged it from the charger, fastened on one of the four Swiffer cloths that came with it, pushed the vacuum’s “on” button at the top of the handle, and I was off to capture dirt clumps across the house!
Freshly charged, the Swiffer Sweep+Vac made quick work of all but the biggest dirt clods in its path. And it was such fun (much easier than sweeping) that I continued from the living room to the kitchen to the hallway to the bathroom to the bedroom.
After about 15 minutes, the roar coming from the Swiffer Sweep+Vac was a little quieter than before and its suction was not as strong. But it managed several rooms worth of cleaning, and I was finished anyway. I tossed the dirty Swiffer cloth in the garbage and emptied the dirt filter. There is an easy-to-find button on the dirt canister that you push to access the filter.
Final Thoughts on This Vacuum/Duster
All in all, I think the Swiffer Sweep+Vac is going to be around a while. It seems to be the perfect floor vacuum/duster for houses with hard floors. I really liked being able to use it in the bathroom on the tile floor to vacuum up hair (I shed like a terrier when I blow dry my hair). So I’m sure that if you have an actual terrier in your house, the Swiffer Sweep+Vac would be a great tool to clean up pet hair.
One thing I didn’t like about the Swiffer Sweep+Vac is that the size of the motor prevented me from sliding the duster under furniture such as my couch. I had always liked the maneuverability of my old Pledge duster, which could fit under almost anything.
Regardless, I think the Swiffer Sweep+Vac is a good value for the price (around $25 with the coupon). There will be additional costs to use it: a new Swiffer cloth each time it’s used and a new dirt filter every so often. But those items are not too expensive, and they are easy to find in most grocery or discount stores. One-and-three-quarters thumbs up for the Swiffer Sweep+Vac!
