I was TODAY years old when I learned.....

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Cord holding clip! WHO KNEW?!

Yes, that's right, I've been vacuuming and carpet scrubbing one handed for my adult life while holding the cord in my free hand like a microphone cord. I just learned that my favorite vacuum and carpet shampoo scrubber have this feature! AHHHH!!!!!!

TLDR VERSION: Shark Navigator Lift Away and Bissel Turboclean Powerbrush Pet are the best two carpet cleaning tools I have ever used. Read on to see why.

In my house, we have a wide array of living beings. Even though the dogs are short haired dogs that don't shed a lot, we still have tumbleweeds of animal fur that collect in less than an hour. I have personally worn out some of the "top" vacuums and carpet shampoo machines in less than three months with routine daily upkeep around the pets and people here, and this includes all the flakes shed from psoriasis plaques on my scalp. Roomba has been great for getting the majority of the floor and all places under furniture on a routine basis, but I also need something that can also be used for the couches and mattresses and the like.

This is the Shark Navigator Lift Away. Let me tell you why this is a good deal.

First of all, it's bagless and has two filter systems that trap allergens. That's all FANTASTIC for someone like me who is highly allergic to dust mite poop (blog post about that coming soon...) I can literally empty the canister and then thoroughly clean it to reduce the chance that more allergens are lurking. The filters are easy to replace, and they are pretty cost efficient.

Next, it's lightweight. This is IDEAL for someone like me who has an unpredictable and painful disease that renders me rather weak on some days. The canister that comes off of the main floor part is also extremely helpful for getting the stairs, the crevices in furniture, and all the little places where Roomba and regular vacuuming can't reach. (See why I'm loving this?)

Also - the brush roll does not wrap fur and hair that tangles the roll brush function. It's pretty doggone amazing that I don't have to sit on the floor with an upside down vacuum and a pair of scissors to clear the hair clogs. Let's just say, with my health condition, getting down is pretty easy, but I require assistance on some days to get back up.

And lastly, this vacuum really SUCKS... In all the ways you want it to! The first time I fired up my Shark, I could feel the suction pulling up the fibers of the carpet. I swear it was suctioning hidden dirt and debris from the slab on which the house was built! The lift-away powerful suction literally takes every last crumb and microbe of dust mite poop, leaving the carpet pile looking and feeling like it's fairly new.

In short, there are no downsides to this vacuum, and it's been holding strong for longer than any other vacuum I've owned and used in this house of hairy, furry beings.

Now, with so many pets, we are not a "shoes off" kind of house. We track in dirt often, since we live in a desert type environment. As many litter boxes as we have, and even with training pads down, between 6 cats and 2 dogs, someone has an accident at least once a week. So I use a carpet scrubbing machine at least once a week, sometimes more. I've purchased the super-cheap ones and the really-costly ones and several in between. And I've worn out and burned up just about every one I've ever owned. It seems that I'm buying a new scrubber every 8-12 months.

Enter the Bissell TurboClean Powerbrush Pet!

When I was comparing machines about a month ago (after I blew up the $250+ super fancy one... oops...), I was really hesitant to get this because it looked..... small. I have large areas of carpet that need cleaned regularly, and the smaller "clean water" tank really didn't impress me at first glance. I thought I'd be really irritated with using the machine for a short amount of time, running out of clean water, and having to stop what I'm doing to refill it. Sounds like it would annoy me, right?

I was WRONG. That's right, when I'm wrong, I say it. And I will say it again: I was wrong. The smaller clean water and dirty water tanks make it extremely easy to use. One thing with scrubbing machines is that water gets added, which adds to the weight. This carpet shampoo machine is so much easier to handle than any other machine I've owned. The machine itself is light weight, and having less water makes it much easier for me to use, even on the rough days! Again, with not being reliably able to physically handle heavy appliances, I needed something that gets the job done without weighing a lot. And hands-down, THIS is the machine!

The other super plus is that the dirty water holding tank is very easy to remove from the machine, not too heavy to lift and dump, and it's small enough to be rinsed thoroughly in the kitchen sink. Every single previous machine I owned and used had large tanks that I would have to use pitchers to fill the "clean water" part and a bathtub to rinse and clean the dirty water tank. But this? BEST size EVER!

The only downside is that there are not onboard attachments. But I will say this: with every machine I've owned over the past 20 years, I have used those onboard wand attachments a grand total of 10 times. Yes, that's right, I rarely need to shampoo anything besides a carpet. With the exception of a mattress, I can pretty much put anything else in the washing machine when it needs to be cleaned. And so, while this may be a downside for some, it's perfectly fine for me.

Want to know a bonus secret? The smaller size is exactly the right width for me to just use it on the stairs. That's right, I go up the stairs starting in the center of each step and go towards one side. This also allows half of the steps to be dry for anyone to maneuver up and down. After the first side dries, I come back down and get the other half. It's honestly the greatest system for ensuring that the carpets are all cleaned!

So, to sum it all up, if you want the cleanest carpets with the least amount of physical labor, the Shark Navigator Lift Away and the Bissell TurboClean Powerbrush Pet are THE way to go!

Don't forget, if you want to give these a try based on my recommendation for the best bang for the buck, using the provided links will allow Amazon to recognize that I referred you to purchase, and Amazon will pay me a small commission, kind of like a finder's fee. Kickbacks like that allow me to stay safely in my home and be able to provide for my family while sharing the journey with the world. So if you buy one of these two things.... Thanks!!