[Marilyn]

I love my bagless because it seems to get the carpet much cleaner than the other vac that I had. It is messy to empty the container that holds the dirt and clean the filters, but I didn't like changing the bags either. Also, I hated having to find the right bags to buy and would forget them. I've actually cut a bag open before, emptied it and stapled the bottom shut again. The main thing is to have a machine that works well that you like to use.

My steam cleaner is an old Hoover, one of the first they came out with. It still works like it used to, though it's been serviced a few times, and the hose has been replaced. The hand held unit doesn't work right any more, but the main machine gets the job done. I keep running it back over the wet carpet sucking out as much of the water as possible, and like Diana, the carpet is dry by evening with the AC on and the ceiling fan running. Mine uses hot water from the tap, doesn't have a heater. Don't know why they call it a steam cleaner when it really doesn't generate steam.

I hate my carpet in the living room, and want so badly to replace it with vinyl plank flooring. I'm lobbying hard. Bought a sample strip from Lowes, but the color wasn't right.