So, what makes this vacuum so special was the question on my mind, and after using the vacuum, my objective opinion is the Progressive is just a good overall vacuum.  It has easy to use features and is a BAGGED vacuum.  If you are a BAGLESS lover, Kenmore makes a bagless version of the same vacuum as well, however, from what I have witnessed, the bagged version has slightly more power.

First, the PRO’s

• Excellent power. The Kenmore Progressive is very powerful, it has a 12 amp motor that produces excellent suction for very tough cleaning jobs including picking up pet hair.  In our experience we used this on a trashed apartment and it picked up everything without a problem.
• No Belt. The drive system on this vacuum has no belt, it is driven by a motor which spins the brush on the bottom of the vacuum.  This eliminates the need for changing belts.  The lack of belt is nice if there is an obstruction like a paperclip or sock, the vacuum with automatically turn off.  A reset button is on the front of the vacuum so all you have to doo is clear the obstruction, reset the button and you are ready to vacuum again.
• Push button controls- I added this to both pro’s and con’s.  Although the push button controls make it easy to switch between carpet and bare floor, as well as letting you adjust the suction control, they can have a tendency to stick and wear out. We noticed this after about 9 months of use, but after service, we have not had any problems.
• Long reach hose- Over 15 feet of on board hose makes this vacuum easy to use for dusting, floor cleaning and crevices in upholstery without tipping the vacuum over during use. We were able to add a few extensions and dust the ledges of a very high mantle without problem, or the use of a ladder.
• Brushroll control- With a direct drive system, the brushroll can be turned on or off during use, or adjusted for hardfloor vacuuming.  The brushroll can be turned on, off or at low speed when working on bare floor or area rugs. Probably one of the best vacuums we have used on bare floor.
• On-board tools- A full set of onboard tools is included with the vacuum including an extension wand, dusting brush, turbo tool for pet hair, crevice tool and floor vacuuming tool.
• Price- We bought ours for around $250.00, which is much lower than other residential vacuums of this quality.
• Stays clean- With a HEPA bag and filter that you can change very easily, the Kenmore stays very clean and does get full of dust inside the vacuum bag area.

Second, the CON’s

• Weight. With the additional weight of the direct drive system, the Kenmore Progressive Upright is one of the heavier uprights at around 14 pounds.  If you require a lighter vacuum, this is not it.
• Pushbutton controls- As I mentioned before, these buttons could wear out or need service over time.
• No metal on the bottom. The plastic bottom is standard on most residential vacuums, including this one.  We wished this one would be the exception with a metal bottom.
• Edge cleaning. Due to the direct drive system, edge cleaning is more difficult since you cannot get right up to corners or edges easily.

Overall, a very good, solid vacuum. In our personal experience, we used this vacuum daily without any problem, the weight was noticeable, but not so much that it hindered performance or our ability to use the vacuum.  The bag is easy to change and priced fairly compared to other vacuums.  We have only changed the HEPA filter once in over 12 months of use.

So, do we recommend this vacuum, the answer is yes, in many cases.  If you have a great deal of carpet, this vacuum is a good choice.  If you have a small apartment, you might want to look at a different vacuum.

Also, if you have pets, this vacuum is the way to go.  If you are a senior citizen with health issues, you might struggle with the weight, otherwise, the Kenmore Progressive Upright is a good choice for most home vacuuming needs.

Mike George has 15 years in the cleaning and maintenance business, testing hundreds of vacuums both for residential and commercial use. Mr. George has detailed photos of this vacuum including current discount pricing on the Kenmore Progressive 35922 along with links to bags for the  vacuum, visit the review website,

If you are like most renters in the Minneapolis area, you are required by your management company or landlord to get your carpet professionally cleaned before you move out of your apartment. It pays to set this service up yourself, you can sometimes save up to 50% or more of what the management company or landlord will charge. So, how do you know who to choose, there are about 50 carpet cleaning companies in the Minneapolis area!

Here are a few tips:

1. Some companies are equipped to do empty apartments and some are not. The difference is price. You will normally pay more for company that usually does mostly homes than a company that has experience cleaning empty apartments. You can get a good job done at a fair price by company that can clean empty apartments efficiently without sacrificing quality. Our company, happens to do both. We have cleaned hundreds of homes and apartments throughout the area.

2. Up-front pricing. Usually, empty apartments can be priced over the phone if you give the company you are calling enough information. If you are shopping for the best price by phone, be sure to give ALL the details about the size of your apartment and if there are any spots or very soiled areas. This can affect the price. A carpet with spots, stains and traffic lanes will take longer to clean than a carpet without these problems. Most people understand that more time equals more money. Hiding details about the condition of the carpet just means that when the cleaning technician gets to your apartment, the price could be more. Our company has very easy to understand promotions for renters depending on if you have a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartment.

3. Sometimes bigger is better. A larger company can have more resources available to make sure they can fit you into the schedule at the right time for your move-out. Our company employs many technicians that are at your disposal to get the job done.
   

   Hopefully, these tips will help you save money during your apartment move-out.

   If you would like to see our current company promotions visit our site at: www.minneapolismncarpetcleaners.com or give us a call directly 952-960-8561.
   

Many times, we run into situations of very high traffic areas that have light colored carpet. In most cases these are walk-through areas near the entry and exit points of homes. In our latest carpet cleaning job, we encountered a home that has a living room between the entry point, and is a walk-through area to the kitchen and the deck going out the back. The living room obviously has furniture, so a path is created in which there is no other option to walk through the home.

This creates a carpet that looks like this:

So, you can see that it is very ground in traffic soil, along with a lot of wear. Our process for cleaning this included, pre-treating the carpet with a soil and oil releasing detergent, a wait time of 15 minutes for the chemicals to work, followed by deep agitation with a carpet grooming tool. Then, we extract and rinse the carpet. We repeated the process twice, and did a final cleaning and grooming.

Here was the end result:

Better? Absolutely. Perfect? No. This is an example of what cleaning can and cannot do. You can clean and rinse a carpet but if the carpet fiber has a good amount of wear, there is not much you can do since the fiber has broken down and is naturally more dull than the surrounding carpet under the furniture that has not had any traffic at all.

By Your Friends at http://www.minneapolismncarpetcleaners.com

Call 952-960-8561 for more information

There have been many, many jobs, to numerous to count, in which the homeowner would have replaced the carpet if it did not get clean- and after cleaning, decided to keep the carpet.  This is probably the tip of the iceberg.  Estimates show that there are roughly 40% of homeowners that DO NOT clean their carpet at all, for whatever reason.  Carpet is expensive, and is one of the most expensive furnishings in your home.  Periodic cleaning can keep it looking good, for a long time.

This can save you money in the short term and the long term, here is why.  If you have a carpet that you think is just too dirty and needs replacement, give us a call.  Our opinion and estimate is free.  If you were to invest $150-$250 to get the carpet cleaned and it looks great, rather than getting it replaced for 5 to 10 times that amount, you made a great investment! If you are still unsure, have the company clean a few areas first to see the results.

That is what happened in the example below, the homeowner was unsure whether to keep the hallway runners, steps and carpet in the living and dining room.  Facing a $1000 plus replacement cost bill, we told the homeowner why not let us try cleaning the runners and the steps.  As you can see, we cleaned up the runners nicely, and we got the green light to clean the rest of the carpet.  The homeowner saved a great deal of money and we got to clean the whole house.

So, if you have a question, leave a comment below or call 952-960-8561  (local call in the Minneapolis, MN area)  You can also see our site at Minneapolis MN Carpet Cleaning.

This is our first post!  We will be adding a number of great articles and information that you can use to keep your carpet and upholstery looking great.  We will try to add information as often as possible   The purpose of our blog is to update you on the following:

1. Techniques that you, the homeowner, can use to keep your carpet and furnishings looking great.

2. Ideas that will keep your carpet looking great for years.

3.  Information on cleaning products you might find useful.

Thanks again, we look forward to providing you information and service here in Minneapolis!  You can visit our web site at Minneapolis MN Carpet Cleaners.
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