i bought that shop vac because i needed it to clean a filthy space and it was cheap because it was on sale. it wasn't a high quality device. they gave me back cash for it rather than replace it. but it's no longer on sale.
i want to get a new shop vac. do i want this shop vac? not at this price, not really. it was a steal at half price. it's a rip off at full price.
further, i already cleaned the laundry up. i just don't need the shop vac in the same way that i did, then. that's no longer how i'm going to be cleaning in here regularly. yes, i need a shop vac, but now i need a better one for cleaning up bigger messes, not a cheap one for cleaning up piles of rat shit. i can actually get a better shop vac than that on amazon for two thirds of the price.
what i need now, today, is a way to clean up the dirty floors. the lysol and wet wipes worked ok, but it took all day, it wasn't much fun and i seem to have gotten sick from it. i bought an electric spin scrubber for cheap, and it seemed to lift a lot of dirt off, but it came right back, and that's not enough. i need more than that in here. i find mops to be gross and question how well they work.
so, i used the $55 they gave me back for the exploded shop vac to buy a $130 spinwave corded steam cleaner (regular $199), which is both a steam mop and an electric scrubber and is what i actually need in here. so, that uses the money i got back to advance the purpose i need for cleaning now, rather than previously. i then bought a $60 stanley shop vac with the same power rating as the one that blew, but that is a little bigger, has a longer cord, has more accessories and comes with some dust filters. this will behave more like a normal inside vacuum, that i can use to zap up dirt and shit.
i also need to replace my dustbuster because it was used on the concrete floor in the back, after having been previously smashed. it's been worn right down. it still works, but not so well - it dies fast. it's held together with tape. it has busted through holes in the bottom of it's discoloured plastic. the only part of it that works is the motor; it's nor worth fixing, it's done. i'm looking at getting something i can charge via usb.
the floors are ok just right now but i want the spotless and i want them to stay spotless.
what about the shorted shop vac?
it's a 4.0 hp mastervac with an 18.9 L bucket. it's not their cheapest model, but it's their cheapest more expensive model. after looking at my options, replacing the motor looks like it might be hard. i might be better off looking for a similar model secondhand. i should make certain that there's not a short somewhere else and i can't salvage it, but the light show seems to suggest the short circuit is pretty certain. i may find myself buying a second hand shop vac for cheap instead, and just letting it break as i clean up the garage. i will need some other option for in there. i'm not breaking either of the vacuums i just bought in there, or a new dustbuster, in there. these are going to last a while.
the other two vacuums i have are a pet lover eureka that i bought when i moved to windsor and may just be clogged but that i've had difficulty opening to clean and decided wasn't worth the time in the previous basement (i'll try again) and a buture vc50 that i found here and that i actually think works but that might need a new charger. either of these would be good general vacuums, but the latter is maybe more likely to actually get fixed. i'm going to have to fix or give up on that pet lover pretty soon.it was a great general vacuum, but it wouldn't get the floors clean in here the way i need them cleaned.
so, that's it.
- the mastervac may be unsalvageable, except to buy a similar used one, and i may buy something else to start and look for something used in the long run. it will go in the garage and stay in there.
- i have a better replacement shop vac coming for less. it will stay inside and be a general inside vacuum to clean debris off the floors. it may not be so good for carpets.
- i've got an expensive $250 steam mopper coming at 40% off and the refund, for a total of 57% off, which will clean the floors (tiles mostly and some hardwood) up good and be pulled out for periodic use. it's a great tool to have.
- the versatile electric scrubber i bought for $30 will be better used as a tool to clean in harder to get to areas, baseboards, doors, etc. it's pretty good for what it is, but it's not enough for these floors.
- i've got a usb dust buster coming to replace the very used dirt devil, which does have other parts, too. i never really used it as a general vacuum. but the parts are still available to use for the next dust buster. i haven't usually had a dust buster but i'm going to in here, after shifting to the shop vac as a general vacuum. a little device in the kitchen is a good idea.
- i'm pretty sure that i can fix this buture stick vac i found here, which is itself apparently worth $200. i think i just need to charge it. i would use this mostly for the carpets in here.
- i bought the pet lover vac cheap second hand, list price: $350. i'm not sure if i can disassemble it to clean it or if it just doesn't come apart. the device was engineered for dog and cat hair, which was great for me, because i drop a lot of hair. it never clogged. if i can fix it, great. if i can't, i might have to let it go.