Floor Care

This seems like the right subforum (well, better than any other anyway, cleaning is an improvement of sorts...) so I will give it a try.

I currently own a cheapo Kenmore upright vacuum cleaner I bought about 10 years ago that is not cutting it for me anymore. My house is too big, it can't do floors (and my house has several rooms with wood, tile, and vinyl floors), I keep burning out its belts, and I can't vacuum under furniture (which I want to do).

So I am in the market for a shiny new vacuum cleaner, and I am wondering what to buy. My sister and mother both own, and love, Miele vacuum cleaners, which I can't buy at a local store because no one out here carries them. I could buy online, which I am considering, but before I buy an expensive vacuum cleaner, I was wondering if anyone had opinions about some of the other brands out there. Anyone own a Dyson? Some other vacuum you like? I'd love to read your opinion!

I do own a Dirt Devil but it seems not to run as efficiently any longer. I just purchased a Hoover with Pet Hair something to do with it...I like it....I also just purchased a hard floor scrubber...I just laid ceramic tile in the kitchen and the grout is hard to clean. This thing is wonderful...!!!

Dyson's are great but very expensive - I was able to get an upright one in a closing down sale for a massive discount.

Does anyone else have trouble keeping their laminate flooring clean? I finally figured out that both Pine Sol and plain hot water with a little ammonia in it work alright--the spray-and-wipe instructions just don't cut it for a whole room when you have small children--but I still get streaks. I'm always worried that I'm going to somehow ruin my new flooring because of the warnings about wet spots, etc. on the packaging.