We have a Shark Navigator and it's bagless. I've tried putting the beads in there (I have some I got years ago at Restoration Hardware that smell so good!) and it just doesn't work. :( But our 2.5 year old vacuum stinks when you turn it on now.

I have a little handheld vacuum that I use to vacuum up the dust piles from my broom instead of using a dust pan. We have a cat, so much of what is vacuumed up is pet hair, and our vacuum doesn't and has never stunk. You might just need a different vacuum.

We have this one: http://www.amazon.com/DECKER-CHV1410L-Lithium-Cordless-Buster/dp/B006LXOJC0/ref=zg_bs_510114_1

Unfortunately those little handhelds don't work for the amount of door hair that accumulates in our house thanks to our yellow lab. I got a Roomba 880 for Xmas but haven't tried it out yet since our floors were just ripped out last week with new ones starting to go in!

Does it have a filter?

Odd that your vacuum smells. I have always had dogs, and sometimes cats too, with hair issues and I've never noticed any kind of smell. I've only had bagless vacs for some years now.

I don't know if this will help but I only use a broom for sweeping up bigger trash that you can actually see. Ya know, like after a big cooking session and you have bits of veggies dropped on the floor and other larger crumbs. A plastic dustpan works fine for that. But if I need to clean my floors from dust and pet hair and don't have time or feel like vacuuming, I spray some Endust on a microfiber dust mop and zip around the house. It's about three-feet wide so it's quick work. I just walk outside and shake it to get the dust and hair out.

I have been considering that same broom. I am stuck on the way it looks. Let us know how you like it. However, I just got the Roomba 980. Santa left it under the tree and I really thought it was going to stink. I also have a lab/golden mix & mixed breed that sheds like it's her job. I was sweeping 2x a day. Now that I am running the Roomba (we named her Cinderella) I am sweeping much much less. Yay robot! I run it nearly everyday and it really cuts down on the hair. For the love of God when do they shed so much?? I think you will enjoy the vacuum.

Ps. My DH "vacuums" all the time now :)

Three things I learned on this thread (and corresponding links):

1) I need to go sniff my Shark Navigator to see if it stinks.

2) I think I want to spray Endust on my microfiber socks and pretend I'm Kristi Yamaguchi.

3) I have a sudden and urgent desire to get a new broom- or maybe more than one. And for some reason, it (they) must be made in Italy or Germany!

If you have the shark navigator like I do, those filters are washable. It really helps when you get that doggie smell

I have a broom like that (per a GW thread years ago) and rarely use it. It works well, but you're right; you can't use it with a dust pan and worse, all the animal hair gets stuck in the broom. Good for the floors, bad for me. I use a corded, lightweight, Fuller Brush stuck vac for my wood floors and stairs. It works very well and no odor. It's also overall easier than the broom. For carpet I use a Riccar Superlite (which I love), and recently tried Arm & Hammer Oxy Carpet Odor Eliminator which you sprinkle on prior to vacuuming. It seems to help. All I seem to do is clean up after the critters. I've a crawling/toddling grandson here often and need clean floors.

I have that broom thanks to this forum. M It is great for picking up dog hair (which I then need to pull out of it, but at least it gets it instead of just moving it around). I sweep into a pile then get out my small hand broom and its accompanying plastic dustpan to sweep up the pile. The gondola shape is terrible for getting into corners though and I end up using the hand broom for that as well.. I have been vaugely thinking of trying to find a broom with the same bristles in a more traditional shape.

My shark bag less vacuum does not smell of dog hair despite my golden retriever (or maybe I just don't notice?). I recently bought a new area rug for the living room and having vowed not to let it get that doggy smell, I have been spreading baking soda on it and letting it set for a while before vacuuming. I wonder if the baking soda inside the vacuum would absorb odor from the vacuum?

Thanks for the feedback on that broom. It won't work for me if it doesn't get into corners and hair sticks in it. I'll stick with my fine bristled broom and dustpan.

I had a shark navigator and it never smelled. My old Hoover did. I finally got rid of it. I sprinkle either regular baking soda or the special Arm & Hammer Pet odor version and let it sit before I vacuum. Now my vac smells like AH but not doggie. It has a bag tho. I had to empty my shark navigator after every room no matter now often I vacuumed. I have more dog hair than that thing could handle.

This needs to be everywhere! The Broom Groomer! I just noticed the dustpan only is on Amazon.com for $14 but shipping is $19. It's also on Amazon.ca for far more expensive.

Lots of stuff sticks to it - but that's why it's so great! I do use a dustpan with it, and mine (which is boar bristles, not horse hair) gets into corners well. My DH uses a handheld vac to pick up the little dust piles.

That old broom thread was an expensive one for me. I ended up with the Gondaletta from WS, and the split horsehair room broom, the split horsehair hand broom & the metal dustpan with the leather strap from Nessentials. I like the split horsehair room broom & handbroom the best. It's actually satisfying to sweep with that broom. I let my KD take it for a spin & she loved it. She's young & single so I doubt she bought it. The dustpan has a thin rubber edge & is excellent for even small crumbs. Broken glass - the split horsehair hand brush picks up the fine shards & glass dust.

For a quick freshening up, I like the Sla-Dust big wooly mop. Also, GW recommended.

I hadn't thought about Endust for years. Somehow, I thought it was bad for wood furniture and floors? If that is not the case, who uses it and should I give it a try for a new wood floor? And how about on ceiling fan blades? I have a new ceiling fan that attracts dust like it is paid by the particle.

Romy718- do you have a link to the split horsehair broom and dust pan? My current broom is ok but the dog hair is so staticky its tough to sweep it into a dust pan. I don't want to sweep and vac up the dust. When I sweep I am doing it quickly and don't want to pull a vac out too.

Here you go Lily - not sure if you want the hand broom ot the regular broom so I'll do all three. If you get the regular broom, you have to order the handle - another $10.

http://www.nessentials.com/brooms-brushes/hand-brush-split-horsehair/

http://www.nessentials.com/brooms-brushes/dust-pan-zink/

http://www.nessentials.com/brooms-brushes/room-broom-split-horsehair/

Mabeldingeldine, IIRC, the great Endust vx. Pledge battle that was carried out via TV commercials was that Endust started out by talking about the "wax buildup" that Pledge would leave on your furniture, making it icky. Then Pledge made a commercial saying, have you ever actually seen this supposed wax buildup? Of course not. Polishing is good for your furniture. Endust will dry out the furniture and ruin it. Not in those exact words, but that was the gist of the debate. I think what eventually came out of it was that Endust is great for getting the dust, but you should still use Pledge or some furniture polish once in a while too, because it's good for the wood. Hope this helps! :-)

I've never sprayed Endust directly on the furniture, moldings or floors. A light spray of Endust on whatever you use to dust just means the dust sticks to it a bit better. I spray it on my microfiber dust mop head, not on the floor itself. That dust mop works good without the Endust sprayed on it but it seems to work even better if I do.

Dusting and polishing are very different tasks and require different tools.