A few years ago, we installed a central vacuüm system.  If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.  It is so choice.  We upgraded from a canister vacuüm, you know, the kind you drag around behind you, smashing into all of your walls on the way?  Yea, we hated it.  And it didn’t clean very well because it was old.  Ben researched central vac systems and decided he could install one in our house.  I was definitely on board.  Anything to make cleaning easier and more enjoyable, right?

Back then, our basement was unfinished, so installing the PVC piping was relatively easy.  Ben ran the ‘plumbing’ and wiring from our predetermined outlets to the vacuüm itself, which is located in our attached garage, cutting down on the noise significantly.

Our central vacuüm system consists of four outlets, one vacuüm, one 30 foot hose, and attachment heads.  We opted not to install dustpan receptacles in our kitchen because we just get the vacuüm hose out and clean the whole house at once.

We have one centrally located vacuüm hook up on each level.

You can see an extra outlet at the end of the hall, to the left of the door.

The central outlet in the basement is hidden in the toe kick of our entertainment center:

Our 30 foot hose reaches most areas, but not quite all, so we installed one additional outlet at the south end of each level.

The vacuüm hose package we purchased includes the hose, a rug cleaning head, a hardwood cleaning head, and several small brushes and crevice tools.  This vacuüm makes cleaning the miles of trim a breeze because of the reach of the hose.  Vacuuming the stairs has never been easier, either thanks to the light weight hose.  No more lugging a heavy vacuüm up and down the stairs.  No more changing bags, just dumping the 12 gallon canister occasionally.  And, it is easily stored in a small hall closet with other cleaning supplies.

Helpful Hint:  To help decide the length of hose you need, keep your furniture placement in mind.  That will shorten the reach of your hose.