I confess: I had a housekeeper before the pandemic. I love cleaning but I have two special needs children, my own business and my husband works full time in healthcare. So far I have had to outsource this task. My housekeeper was in poor health and decided to stop cleaning the house for health reasons. But I learned a lot from her about natural cleaning, and we sat together and had coffee when she came to clean. I remember her recommendation for a quality vacuum cleaner: Sanitaire. I hadn't heard of the brand at the time, but they drew my attention to it. So I was very happy to be able to buy this commercial sanitaire upright! And i love it! That's all she told me: quality product, easy to use, exceptional performance, easy handling, easy storage and durability. This vacuum has a larger nozzle than my Dyson so it takes a little less time to clean. A HEPA filter is essential as my young children are allergic to dust, dust mites and some other environmental allergens; and you can remove the HEPA filter to clean it. The collection container is spacious. I was surprised what it collects, it has amazing suction power. I also use it for my wooden floors. We no longer have cats in the house (due to allergies) but I think this would be really effective for cat fur and dander. Another advantage for our special home is the quiet operation. Two of my children are on the autism spectrum and my 6 year old is not very good at processing auditory data; and usually can't be in the house while we vacuum. But this vacuum doesn't have a high-pitched sound like some of the others we've tried, and it can tolerate the noise of this vacuum. The only downside for me is the weight of the machine. It has wheels so you can pull it very easily and maneuver it easily while you work, but I have stairs at home and I can't easily pull it up and down stairs. Overall very happy with this quality and powerful vacuum cleaner!