How to buy the best upright vacuum cleaner for your cleaning business

 > what you should know

There are a several items you’ll need in order to start your house cleaning business.

The most expensive item is a vacuum cleaner.

Buying a new vacuum cleaner

I know every house cleaning customer has a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, most of them suck (or don’t sucks, which sucks). The customer’s vacuums are almost always too small, too underpowered, or they are on their last leg.

When I started my house cleaning business, I bought two Shark NV352 Navigator vacuum cleaners. Users of a house cleaning forum recommended them. They are excellent vacuums, but expensive at $200. That said, they do what they’re supposed to do, they are light weight, have a bag-less dust collection system, and are easily cleanable.

Buying a used vacuum cleaner

I’m not convinced that you have to have an expensive new vacuum cleaner. I think it’s possible to buy a used vacuum in excellent condition using Facebook Market Place.

Things to look for in a used vacuum cleaner:

1. It needs to be fairly quiet. A loud used vacuum means either the motor is having issues or the vacuum was cheap to start with.

2. Don’t buy used, originally cheap vacuums. Look up the brand on Amazon to see what the vacuum originally sold for new. If it was priced less than $200 you might want to take a pass.

3. Look at the beater brush (the brush that spins underneath the vacuum). Hopefully, the brushes aren’t worn out. If they are, that is a good sign that the vacuum has had a ton of use. I probably would pass on the vacuum if the beater brushes are worn out.

4. If you can see it, the rubber part (the belt) that drives the beater needs to look to be in fairly good condition. If there are cracks or splits, I wouldn’t necessarily skip buying the vacuum. A vacuum that was expensive when new and is in excellent condition but has a worn out belt might work out if you can get to the belt to replace it.

I did a quick search for used vacuums on Facebook Market Place. For our town of 200,000 (St George, UT), there were 14 used vacuums listed for sale.

* Once you’ve vacuumed the floor it will be time to clean the toilet. Busy, busy, busy.

Of those 14, I would consider only this one:

Dyson UP13 – new price $400, used price $150. Listed as “Used, Like New”.

The ad also mentions that the vacuum is in excellent condition. It is being sold by a vacuum cleaner repair shop.

All this said, I wouldn’t buy the Dyson. It is too close in price to a new Shark Navigator vacuum. Better to buy new than used.

In addition, I think you’re paying for the brand name when buying a Dyson, rather than buying a better vacuum.

What to look for in a Facebook used vacuum cleaner ad

Why waste time running all over town looking at crappy vacuums when you can eliminate most of them while you sit in your computer chair?

Pretend you’re looking through the Facebook ads. There are two things to look for in a used vacuum cleaner ad.

1. Price of the vacuum when it was new was high. At least above $200.
2. The condition of the vacuum is listed as “Used – Like New”. If the ad mentions “excellent condition,” that’s a plus.

Bottom line: If you were someone I was helping to start a house cleaning business, today I would recommend the Shark Navigator mentioned above. Not cheap, but worth the money.

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