Kirby vacuums are all slightly different to use than regular, ordinary vacuums. The 2000 limited edition has a high tech driving feature that self propels the unit to drive on floors and other surface areas. This can be tricky to use during the first time for those that have only used the push variety of vacuums. But it is quite simple and a convenience factor once you get the hang of it. Here are some step-by-step directions for how to use this specific Kirby:

1. Make sure that the dust bag has been installed correctly. It should be attached to the nozzle. If it is not it could cause quite a mess.

2. Plug in the vacuum into an outlet with no obstructions. Next, turn the unit on by pushing the power on pedal near the base of the vacuum.

3. Now be sure that the cleaning component is placed at the right level. Long carpet will need to be at a different level than short carpet or hardwood floor and linoleum type surfaces.

4. The yellow tech drive pedal can be engaged at this point. Be careful to keep the vacuum away from walls and corners until you get the feel for the self propelled function.

5. Vacuum as you normally would and be sure to unplug the Kirby when you are finished. The vacuum should then be stored in a cool and dry area.

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There are a few different ways to see how a rainbow vacuum works. Household and online demos can help you to visualize exactly how all of the high quality components work together to create the machine.

An ordinary vacuum cleaner uses a bag to filter and catch debris, dust and dirt when cleaning. A rainbow differs because it uses a HEPA filter system in some models. A HEPA filter will help to capture even the tiniest molecules of dust and even pet dander. This is very helpful for those with allergies.

Some models work by filtering dirt and capturing the particles in a water unit. This will ensure that the dust is not put back into the air. Many low quality vacuum cleaners without filters that are great quality will simply recirculate dirt back into the air. Within hours the dirt will settle and a room will appear as dirty as it was before vacuuming.

There are several additional items that can be added to a regular model. These feature upholstery-cleaning attachments, blind cleaning attachments and dusting attachments. They all work differently and instructions for these can all be found in the manual. The most popular attachment is the aquamate shampooer.

The aquamate is the shampoo cleaner add-on for a Rainbow. It works to by feeding a hose to a sink with another attachment that attaches to the main vacuum component. Within only a couple of minutes a regular vacuum cleaner can work as a carpet shampooer. This attachment will help to clean stains before they set and to clean high traffic areas in the home.

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Do you consider yourself a green person? Do you care about the planet? We cover this more in detail later but I am old school green who believes we are to be careful stewards of the planet. There is a lot of information out there about Green cleaners but most of it is wrong. We are a old school green company before it was cool but lets consider the numbers for a second. So many of the brands that we sell we see consistently lasting 30 years but lets just say that if you dont abuse your vacuum you get a average lifespan of 25 years out of these brands. To date we have refurbished over 15,000 cleaners. Thats 15,000 that are not filling up the landfills and we are proud of that. Of that 15000 I would estimate 10,000 are the ones that would get the 25 year life span on average. I would also say that they are about 5 years old on average when we refurbish them to new condition. So on average they would last say 20 years. On average the cost for something like that is around 400 dollars (less than half of the price of new). So one of those refurbished vacuums probably lasts about 8 disposable vacuums. Which means to date we will have avoided about 80,000 disposable vacuums going to the landfills. Thats a lot of vacuums! Not to mention the money saved, less of a problem of allergies, and helping the planet.

Do you consider yourself green? Do you want to help the planet? Then buy quality long lasting brands that last for decades. You can buy one vacuum instead of many. Consider buying a recycled or refurbished high end vacuum because the resources used to put that vacuum back into use is next to nothing especially compared to the resources needed to make a new one.

I get a chuckle out of talk that we need to impose tighter pollution controls on American manufacturers. Yet our standards are much higher than the rest of the world which makes us uncompetitive. Remember this is coming from a old school green person that is against pollution. Have you been to China recently? Do you remember the pictures of what the air looked like over there during the Olympics? That our athletes could not even breath (remember that?). So let me see if I get this right. We impose tighter restrictions on US manufacturers, so instead those manufacturing plants then move to China or India or Mexico and produce lower quality products. Since they are now operating in a country with less pollution controls than the US. They are actually spewing more pollution into the air then when those same plants were in the US.

You want to reduce pollution? Pertaining to cleaners consider the 2 following scenario's.

Scenario 1 - You go down to your local big box store and buy a disposable vacuum. Its touted as a green vacuum because it is "bagless". When you pay for it it sends a signal to the super computer to order another one. The factory in China gets the new order and orders more plastic and starts pouring more plastic in all there molds. More pollution enters the air. When the product it is boxed up (more trees are killed) and packed on a ship. It is then transported half way across the world all the while that HUGE ship spewing more pollution in the air. With the disposable vacuums's average lifespan in 25 years this process will repeat............10 times. When your done with one you send it to the landfill.

Scenario 2 - You buy a vacuum made in the US. It is a quality vacuum designed to last 25 years. Pollution is created as it is made and transported about a 1000 miles to your home (not half way across the world). You take it out of the box and take care of it and use that one vacuum for the next 25 years. No more pollution created in the next 25 years.

Which one do you think is best for the planet? Even if scenario 2 uses bags it is MUCH better. Right now I hope that you are laughing at me a little :) Dustin the horse is dead we get your point. OK good then remember....

Buy quality, Buy Once and Buy Right and put the difference in your Kids college fund. - Dustin Chaffin Manager, GreatVacs.com

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