This Vacuum Sucks
When it comes to our cleaning routine, we get a surprising amount of inquiries about how we keep house. Well, allow me to introduce my bff when it comes to tidying up. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Dirt Devil Kurv:
No this is not a paid endorsement. Nor did Dirt Devil send me one for free. I paid for one just like the rest of the world, and let me tell you that it was the best money I ever spent.
See, before the Kurv came into my life I spent about an hour a week feebly cleaning up crumbs in the kitchen and dust bunnies on the hardwood/tile floors of each of our nine rooms. My three failing methods were these: a dustpan (crumbs and dust flew everywhere but were never all collected), a vaccuum cleaner (far to bulky to maneuver easily and plugging it in everywhere I went was a drag so it took forever and scared the bejeesus out of the dog), and a swiffer duster pad (great for grabbing dust at first but they so frequently need to be replaced once they’ve maxed out in the dust-grabbing department that I easily went through ten to clean the whole house- what a waste!).
And then this baby came to live with us. Now I can un-crumb and de-dust our entire home in less than five minutes. I am not exaggerating. It’s probably closer to three minutes actually. Say someone’s on their way over but there’s hair on the bathroom floor. No problemo. In the time that it takes your forthcoming friend to arrive you can clean the whole house instead of spending five minutes trying to pick up those aforementioned bathroom floor hairs with your fingers.
The power suckage, cordless design, and long skinny nose get into every corner and cranny- I can even slide it along the base of the kitchen cabinets in a second (where all those crumbs hide under the cabinet lip). I simply walk through the house aiming the nose at each corner, along the baseboards, under the table, etc. And with one pass dust is hasta la vista, baby. It’s even great for sucking up little fern leaves that my plants decide to drop when they’re done with ‘em. And things like heavy duty kitchen crumbs are no match for this stronger-than-most-real-vacuum-cleaners contraption. And this is coming from someone who always had a dustbuster laying around and hated the thing more than the vacuum. The Kurv is not a dustbuster, it is a godsend.
So for anyone with hardwood and tile floors looking for something a bit less cumbersome than a vacuum and a bit more thorough than a swiffer duster pad or a dustpan, feel free to court the Kurv. If you don’t wanna marry him I’ll be seriously surprised. Of course we still rely on our vacuum for the area rugs throughout the house, and give the wood floors a good scrub every few months. But for maintenance there’s really nothing like the Kurv.
Oh and although it’s hardly ugly, it isn’t really pretty either. So we don’t buy into the whole “it’s like sculpture, have it on display” suggestion. Ours charges behind our white armchair in the den, so no one’s the wiser but it’s always on hand. The only thing we’d change would be the capacity (it does need to be emptied with each use- but that’s not the biggest deal considering I could empty it about a hundred times in the time it saves me when it comes to cleaning).
And while we’re on the subject, I thought I’d ask you guys for your favorite cleaning tips and tricks. Has any product or technique improved your routine so majorly that you want to shout it from the rooftops? I’m definitely looking for more shortcuts in this whole housekeeping game, so by all means feel free to come clean.
Images courtesy of Amazon.com.
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You were so sure it wasn’t the kurv’s fault I did a little investigating!
Update: I live in an old apartment building and after a lot of consideration I had decided to plug in the Kurv in the bedroom where I could hide it better. Come to find out ONLY ONE of the electrical outlets in the bedroom is connected to the light switch above it. When I turn off the lights (like everyday all during the day) it turns off the power to that outlet too! I didn’t know this because I never use that particular plug for anything (thus why I picked it out for the kurv). Problem solved. I moved the kurv to a new outlet in the laundry closet and the light is on all day so I know it’s charging. I used it yesterday for the 1st time since I got it to clean up litter and bathroom hairs and the suction was worlds better! We also found a livingroom and a sunroom outlet that did the same. The sunroom is where we keep the computer and we always thought that plug didn’t work, but now we know what the dealio is.
Hey Jessy,
So excited that you cracked the case! Enjoy your fabulous Kurv!
xo,
Sherry
The dysin ball is on woot today if anyone is interested.
I haven’t used the Kurv, but I am very tempted to get one after I read these post. However, I highly recommend the Swifter duster, it makes my life so much easier. Before I got it, my routine looked a lot like Sherry’s, but since we got a German Shepherd puppy, who sheds like crazy it was impossible to keep our light hardwood floors hair-free. This electric broom picks up hair, crumbs and dust off the floor at the same time. 3-in-1 :)
Can I just say again how much I love your site? I was walking around my house this morning cringing at all the dog/Kate hair tumbleweeds and bemoaning the fact that I hate our Dustbuster and the Swiffer is too much of a hassle. Enter YHL and the amazing Kurv! I just ordered mine in Spice from Amazon, $29.95, no tax & free shipping – gotta love a deal like that! Thanks again youngsters!
I was also really excited to buy the Kurv and have been thoroughly disappointed with it. Mine doesn’t suck well and sometimes it blows light things around like dust, cereal, etc. I thought this would be a relieve to help me clean up after my kid but it was only a waste of a Christmas gift. Sorry to be a hater!
Hey Christina,
If you scroll up you’ll see that someone else was having problems with suckage and actually discovered that it was a certain outlet in her house that wasn’t charging it properly. Maybe that’s your issue? Otherwise perhaps you have a defective one and should switch it out to see if you can get your hands on a working one. They really are amazing- and if you scroll up and read all the comments there are many others who agree!
xo,
s
“It really is the best thing since sliced bread, and while it probably can’t suck up sliced bread, it can certainly handle crumbs with ease”
Lol, Sherry, just the giggle I needed at 8:20 on a work morning.
I have a Dirt Devil Kurv, and I used to absolutely love it. I, too, needed it to pick up cat litter tossed by the cats. Somehow the filter was lost, so I had to replace the filter. Bed Bath and Beyond ordered the correct filter (F17), but it’s NOT the same filter that I used to have. This filter is little, and it seemed to just float around inside. And now when I try to vacuum anything up, there’s air that blows out of the little hole where the top and bottom piece screw together and it blows away whatever I’m trying to vacuum up. I bought another generic filter that actually is supposed to fit another model of Dirt Devil, and while this one more closely resembles the original filter, I still have the blowing out air problem. Can anyone help?
Hey Delane,
I would definitely try to send a letter or call Dirt Devil directly and I’m sure someone would be happy to send you a filter that perfectly fits your Kurv. You can try googling them and I’m sure they have a customer service department. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I was wondering how you guys clean your hardwoods. More importantly, what kind of mop and cleaner do you use?
I can’t seem to find a good mop that’s easy to use. So far, my favorite floor cleaner is Pledge for Wood Floors….
Good question! I like Method’s washable headed mop (called the oMop) from Target and we use a bit of all-purpose Mrs. Meyers liquid soap (we looove the Lemon Verbena scent) and we are sure to rinse and dry the floors since our refinisher said it’s bad to leave wood floors wet. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks, Sherry! You are always on the ball with quick reponses – I don’t know how you get so much done!
So, if you don’t mind answering one more question, do you use a different mop with water to rinse the floors with?
Nope, I just rinse/squeeze out the same microfiber mop head that comes with the oMop and use it to wipe everything down (and then make sure it’s thoroughly dry with the mop all squeezed out (followed by a towel wipe-down at the end to be sure). Hope it helps! Happy floor cleaning…
xo,
s
My sister has all hardwood floors and two long haired cats. She has a Swiffer Vac and it is the best thing EVER! I sometimes use it at her house because it’s so satisfying. My problem with a swiffer was that it didn’t do crumbs well and left a line of dirt when I was done. The swiffer vac takes care of that!
I have to throw in another Roomba comment. I bought one off woot ($129 refurb) two months ago and I’m in love. All I do is hit the button before I leave for work and when I get home all the fur is gone! We have all hardwood\tile floors and 2 dogs and 2 cats which causes a lot of fur tumbleweeds. They can form in 2 days if I don’t do something about it. Thankfully, with the roomba, no tumbleweeds!
The secret to easy housekeeping? So glad you asked.
There are 2 secrets really:
(1) Make sure your rug matches your local dirt (this varies geographically)
(2) Make sure your sofa matches your dog (if dog isn’t of a non-shedding variety)
Your Kurv seems to have solved the floor issues, and it is clear that Burger and your upholstery are on the same spectral wavelength, so I’d say you have it all under control.
In my next home, I should like to try one of the Roomba contraptions if only it forces me to keep the floors UNCLUTTERED so it can work!
Picked up one last night on clearance at Target for $19! Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve had my eye on it since you first talked about it!
I’m surprised you two haven’t tried out the Shark Euro Pro Steam Mop for your place. It SAVES our hardwood floors and it makes the act of mopping so easy that I’m inclined to do it about once a week after I vacuum up the dust bunnies. The nice part? It cleans the floors with plain distilled water, no chemicals! It’s about $100 or so but I got mine as a Christmas present! Yay!
The same company also makes a handheld steamer for clothing and cleaning purposes but I haven’t tried this one yet.
We’ve heard great things about it so we’ll have to check it out! Thanks for the suggestion!
xo,
s
Is there a difference in Kurv models? In looking at amazon, there are a few different colors, but I wasn’t sure if the models were different as well. The spice one is on sale for under $28 and looks like a good deal, but there amazon reviews are pretty horrendous. Do you know if this one compares to the one you guys have?
http://bit.ly/dpLAMs
Hey Jessica,
Hmm, no idea. Perhaps you can compare the power and the other features on that one to the one that we linked to (just to see if they’re the same or if they’re different models). After a while of very regular use we’re still extremely happy with our Kurv and if you read the comments you’ll see tons of other people who love it too. Happy vacuuming!
xo,
s
I am just seeing this review but I am super happy because I got one about 3 weeks ago from Target on clearance for $6.98!! Woo Hoo!!
Thank you! This has to be the best cleaning purchase I’ve made. It’s great at getting that pesky cat litter up.
So glad you’re loving it!
xo,
s
Do you clean your whole floor with the Kurv? It seems small for such a job.
Nope, you can scroll back through the comments for more details, but we use the Kurv for corners and quick clean ups while we vacuum or wash the majority of the floor less frequently. It’s amazing with hardwoods how much stuff collects around the perimeter of the room, so by zipping the Kurv around the edge of a room it looks like the whole floor was thoroughly cleaned! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hello Sherry and everyone else!
Just wondering if anyone has tried the kurv on cat litter? My one cat goes to town when she’s in her box. I wake up every morning to litter all over the bathroom floor…and I’m wondering if the Kurv would be a bit better then my dollar store hand broom and dust pan.
Thanks!
Julia
Good question Julia. Anyone have any answers for her?
xo,
s
Hey Sherry,
I just discovered your blog, and I love it! We are currently in the process of redeeming our “new” fixer-upper, and your ideas are super helpful–although I wish I had read the paint color section earlier…we have more of a rainbow at the moment. My husband also retiled our shower with subway tile (we have the same exact cast iron tub as you), and I’m wondering how you clean your grout lines. What cleaner do you use, and how often do you clean it?
Thanks!
Jess
Hey Jess,
The secret is to seal your grout once every 6 months to a year. You can buy sealer at Home Depot or Lowe’s and just have to follow the directions on the bottle. Of course you don’t want to seal grout that’s dirty, but if you scrub it clean (we use Mrs. Meyer’s soap and a rough scrubby sponge-like thing from Target) and then seal it you won’t have to clean it for months. We haven’t cleaned ours since we sealed it back in January- and it looks brand spanking new!
xo,
s
So… First off – I just found your site tonight and I’m OBSESSED! I have been on it for over 2 hours when I have plenty more to do (like pick out a baby name for our baby who will be arriving any day now!) Secondly, I use my Eureka cordless stick-vac about 2-3 times a day to pick up yellow dog and white cat fur that sticks outs like a sore thumb on our dark hardwood floors. It works pretty well – but after reading that the Kurv changed your life – I’m interested. Does it have an handle extension? Also, do you have an opinion on the Rumba? Our neighbors have recommended that as well. Thanks!
Hey Allie,
It doesn’t have a handle extension, but many people commented about the ErgoRapido (we think that’s how it’s spelled) since that has a nice long handle like a Swiffer. Apparently it’s amazing (albeit a smidge more expensive than the Kurv). As for the Rumba, I guess we just envision it cleaning the same strip of the floor over and over again or getting stuck in a corner, but we could be totally off base with that assumption. Maybe check it out on amazon.com and read the reviews? Good luck!
xo,
s