Does anyone know of a good vacuum cleaner with a long reach for picking up poop?

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tabelmabel

tabelmabel

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hiya everyone - now that my c&c is 2 story, I have had to come up with a better method of cleaning the downstairs which is fleece - it's not practical to take up the fleece and shake it each day like it was before.


So - the part I can easily reach I do with a dustpan and brush and it works great.

The far away part I have been using the long tube from my Dyson - it is marvellous for poop that lies along the cage edge, as I simply run the dyson tube along the metal of the cage and it sucks up the lot.

For poop in the middle of the cage though - it's far too powerful - it tries to pick up the fleece.

My cage is 5 foot long and I need to be able to get right into the back part with some sort of vacuum that is powerful - but not so powerful it sucks in the fleece.

Also it must be good at dealing with some bits of hay. Any recommendations please?
 
I personally love shopvacs to clean pig cages. With there direct hose and container they suck up just about any your pig will "throw" at you. (Just make you you get a powerful one tho) They're easy to clean and with most you can clean the container in water (outside) They came with different hose sizes and accessories to fit your needs.
 
Many thanks for replying - but I don't know what a 'shopvac' is - does anyone in the UK perhaps know if we have a different name for it here - sounds ideal!
 
"Shopvac"
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/ShopVac-Vac30Wet-Vacuum-Cleaner-5870829/dp/B008PPIBBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351366892&sr=8-1"]ShopVac Pump Vac30Wet / Dry Vacuum Cleaner 5870829: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors[/ame]
 
Many thanks for the link but 'ouch' at the price! That's maybe a bit more than I wanted to pay just to clean out the pigs' cage
 
Handheld? I know there's a good black and decker for £25 somewhere, my sisters uses it for dog hairs, or there is an argos one for £15! The reviews weren't great but poops can't weigh much?
 
I've got an earlex wd1000 which was cheaper than that; I think less than £50. Problem is that for hay, you need something which doesn't have any fixed bends between the nozzle and the dustbucket, otherwise it gets clogged up. The earlex doesn't have any bends, dysons have several. But the earlex may be more powerful than you want, and is very noisy. I suspect that only a hand vac wouldn't be powerful enough to pick up the fleece, unless you make some holes in one of the tools or something, to weaken the airflow.
 
lissie said:
"Shopvac"
ShopVac Pump Vac30Wet / Dry Vacuum Cleaner 5870829: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors
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IHorseCarzzy5 said:
I personally love shopvacs to clean pig cages. With there direct hose and container they suck up just about any your pig will "throw" at you. (Just make you you get a powerful one tho) They're easy to clean and with most you can clean the container in water (outside) They came with different hose sizes and accessories to fit your needs.
Click to expand...

SophRuss5 said:
Handheld? I know there's a good black and decker for £25 somewhere, my sisters uses it for dog hairs, or there is an argos one for £15! The reviews weren't great but poops can't weigh much?
Click to expand...



That's much more the price! But do the hand held ones have a pipe that can reach 5 foot? I must check them out - thank you!
 
Dear me - how did I manage to quote all those! computer has taken a hairy!



Anyway - not too much hay downstairs as I have the upstairs hayloft and only a 'tidy feeder' downstairs with a little hay.
 
tabelmabel said:
Many thanks for replying - but I don't know what a 'shopvac' is - does anyone in the UK perhaps know if we have a different name for it here - sounds ideal!
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Perhaps a pic my be helpful.
images


images


( Hope this helps )
 
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-69349-600-Watt-Handheld-Cleaner/dp/B0001KA0YA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1351413705&sr=8-7"]Draper 69349 600-Watt Handheld Vacuum Cleaner: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike[/ame]

This sort of thing? Or just buy a handheld with out a pipe and attach a broom handle or something to make your own?
 
thanks - i can.t check the link from my phone (crap phone) but i'll look at it when i'm on the computer. I suppose i really wanted a cheap, small thing just for the cage clean. That shop vac is a bit big. My dyson would be perfect if only i could turn the power down. Maybe i should write to james dyson and see if if can.t come up with a variable power dyson. Or glue the fleece to the floor . . .
 
yes - and would you believe it i can.t find the brush one?! I think you've hit upon the solution there - i tried it with the crevice tool but it was useless and blocked with poop so i.ve been using no attachment. I'll have a look for the brush. It.s somewhere in the house. I'm now wondering how spinning nickel cleans her cage. Mine is a copy of hers. Hmmmm. Thanks for your help!
 
All you need is a cheap cylinder vacuum cleaner that has a switch allowing you to adjust the suction power. I have this one:

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZAN7294-Bagless-Vacuum-Cleaner-Yellow/dp/B002OF1DJ6"]cylinder vacuum[/ame]

I bought mine from an electrical stall at our local outdoor market - i paid £20 (brand new), I'm sure if you shop around you'd be able to pick a similar one up for less than £30.

I get through so many hoovers, when it comes to the pigs they have to be fairly powerful with all the hay/poops it has to clean up, but they also have to be cheap enough that they can be replaced.

I made the mistake of paying over £80 for a hoover for the purpose of cleaning out the pigs - 6months later i had to replace it as the suction has completely gone and it kept blocking up all the time.
 
tabelmabel said:
yes - and would you believe it i can.t find the brush one?! I think you've hit upon the solution there - i tried it with the crevice tool but it was useless and blocked with poop so i.ve been using no attachment. I'll have a look for the brush. It.s somewhere in the house. I'm now wondering how spinning nickel cleans her cage. Mine is a copy of hers. Hmmmm. Thanks for your help!
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Dundundunduuuuun, here I am! :)

I use my Dyson (DC25 Animal, I think). But... I do it the annoying way. Let's see if I can explain. o.0 You know how the long hard part of the attachment disconnects from the flex tube? I disconnect it and use the flex tube. This means sitting or kneeling by the cage and leaning in, but it gives me more control over the ridiculous power. I just hold the very end of the nozzle and keep it horizontal against the cage floor. Because the suction is then skimming over the top of the fleece, I only get problems with it sucking up the fleece at the corners, which I just leaned across and hold taut while I vac there.

It isn't the easiest thing, but it still only takes a minute, I promise. My point is it's more about technique than the vac itself.

Do not bother with a handheld. Seriously. I have one, which according to Amazon reviews is one of the best in the lower end of the price spectrum. It's great for my wooden stairs or round my kitchen cabinets, but I have tried it with the fleece and it is wholly useless. Handhelds don't have ENOUGH power, the canisters are tiny (as in, have to empty in the middle of your cage cleaning tiny), the filters need constant cleaning with heavy use, the nozzles are barely wide enough and will clog in an instant when you hit a stay hay pile.

A cheap Henry-style (shopvac) will probably do the trick nicely if you can find one, but in the meantime feel free to have a fiddle with the Dyson tubes if it sounds like an option and see if you can make it more usable. The fleece suckiness is one of my main pet peeves, I'll admit, but my Dyson copes so well with the hay etc. that the little blighters are forever dragging down the ramp...
 
ah there you are! Thanks for that - i.ve been trying that exact technique with my dyson all floors model. I also bounce the end of the pipe up and down a bit with some success. Maybe i just need more practice. It's certainly a quick way of cage cleaning! Piggies are absolutely loving this cage and so am i! Thank you!
 
I sympathise. It is my great enduring pet peeve about fleece. I can't be bothered removing it for shaking out and haven't managed to come to grips with a dustpan and brush, so vacing really needs to work and the tendency to try and suck the whole thing up is incredibly annoying. mallethead
 
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