Armed to the Teeth

Recently a friend of ours started working as a salesperson for Kirby vacuums. At first this surprised me, because he's not someone you would immediately peg as a "salesman." He's not loud or slimy or obnoxious or conniving (which is sort of how I think of salesmen in general). He is fairly quiet, has a pretty dry sense of humor, and is in a rock band (and has the hair to prove it). Oh, and he's 18.

The way these vacuums are sold is basically just like Tupperware, Pampered Chef, or any other in-home sale. You don't go to the store to buy it, it comes to you . . . but without the party aspect. The way this vacuum gets sold is not through high-pressure sales tactics but through the sheer power of the demonstration.

Now, I would not normally be one to believe that there were significantly different levels of vacuums. But after an hour or so with Wil vacuuming carpets and furniture, and shampooing the carpet, and buffing the hardwood floor . . . let's just say he didn't have to twist any arms in our household to make us realize that our old vacuum wasn't cutting it. It was obvious almost from the very beginning that this new vacuum was light-years beyond the one we'd had for the past nine years. And it pointed us both toward a hopeful thought—that maybe, just maybe we were not doomed to live in a house that was coated in fur and peppered with stains from hairballs. That maybe we would replace our pets as they pass away. That perhaps we could win in the war against dirt, dust, and detritus.

That day Wil didn't sell us a vacuum. He sold us an arsenal (there are more than a dozen attachments to this bad boy). And yes, it was expensive. But I don't mind buying something pricey if I will use it, it will last (I believe the guarantee on this vacuum is for 40 years), and it will make my life measureably better. Remember my post on cleanliness and keeping a tidy house? Well this vacuum is one more significant advance the clean army is making on the entrenched battalion of messiness.

Earlier this week I spent a few hours vacuuming everything in our house that could possibly be vacuumed. Carpets, rugs, drapes, hardwood floors, baseboards, couches, chairs, shelves, under furniture, the dog bed, electronics, windowsills. And I actually had fun doing it. Yesterday I noticed that the cat had left a present in the sunroom (right in the brilliantly clean area where Wil had demonstrated the shampoo feature, of course). I heaved a big sigh, as usual, and then sort of smiled to myself. What a perfect opportunity to play with my new toy.