That vacuum is HOW MUCH???!!!

It's time for a new vacuum. My nice little canister vacuum has seen better days and it doesn't seem like it's picking up as well as it should. Which makes me wonder.....what is it leaving behind? I've been miserable lately with allergies (yes, the neighbors down the street CAN actually hear me sneezing....) so I want anything that can be sucked up by the vacuum to actually be sucked up! I want all of the dirt, pollen, etc off my floors and out of my house!

I found a website that is sponsored by the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America. They have "Certified asthma and allergy friendly" products. So, in my search for a new vacuum, I thought I would see what the experts recommend. Click here to see what I found.

You may notice something when you pull up the web page-almost all of the vacuums are Dyson's. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just that I don't have $500 in my budget for a vacuum! Sheesh. I have kids that like to eat, you know. They're kind of picky that way!

Here's  quote from the website that shows what they test for when they are looking at vacuums:

"The Vacuum Cleaner Certification Standard testing includes:

• Evaluation of capability to remove allergen-containing test dust from carpets
• Evaluation of airborne allergen levels during vacuuming
• Evaluation of the integrity of the air filtration system
• Assessment of the performance of the vacuum cleaner immediately prior to activation of bag replacement / receptacle emptying signal and filter change signal
• Assessment of exposure to allergens during bag change or receptacle emptying"

Since we have wood floors, the canister vacuum works best for us. Has anyone else found a good canister vacuum that's well under the $500 price range? I did find a Kenmore canister, but it was almost $400. If anyone has found a good quality canister vacuum, let me know!

Until then, all the people coming to my house better take their shoes off at the front door and put them in the basket. This means you family!