I use a Dyson Slim (DC-18) and absolutely love it. I have two rugs and epoxy-concrete floors.

Its small, light, flexible and not inexpensive.

I can say, first hand, that those vaccums work! That one in the photo is a Dyson. I borrowed one from my friend this past weekend, the Dyson Slim, to do a little Spring Cure on my own. It was INCREDIBLE. I never knew how dirty we were! HA the thing really sucks up alot of dirt and dust from carpets, but it also works great on upholstery! I'm getting married in October and put one on my registry, but if we don't get one as a gift I'm definitely going and buying one! I think it's worth the splurge for the Dyson.

I used a carpet sweeper when working retail and didn't find it to work AT ALL. Maybe we just had a crappy one though? I think its sort of funny that you chose a picture of a Dyson to illustrate your "cumbersome" point. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a Dyson owner who doesn't totally love their vacuum. My mom has one and its a godsend with two black labs in the house.

I have a dyson collecting dust in my closet because I use my carpet sweeper so much that I don't need it. It was only $19.99 at casabella.com and I've had it for years. It's easy, quiet, and folds flat for convenient storage.

You definitely need a vacuum cleaner. Carpet sweepers are not going to cut it. They're OK for if you just have a couple of area rugs but if you have carpeting throughout you need a vacuum. Even with no shoes, pets, or kids, those carpets are going to get dirty. Imagine if you only swept your floors and never ever mopped. Yuck. You will be much happier with clean carpets than by saving a couple hundred bucks by not buying a vacuum. I also really recommend renting a carpet steamer or hiring a service every six months to a year. You can get the steamers at most grocery or hardware stores for about $25/day.

Those sweepers do not work. Do yourself a favor and get a vacuum cleaner.

you should have a vacuum to get all the stuff out of the rug...dust mites, shed skin, various other stuff that exists and lives in carpeting. If the place is wall to wall carpeting, then I'd invest in a good vacuum. You'll have a lot of allergy issues if you only carpet sweep your place and never vacuum it.

your dining area is carpeted. 'nuff said. buy a vacuum or rent a place with wood floors.

If my apartment were burning down I'd grab my dog, my guitar, and my Dyson. I really, really love it. I have the model pictured.

i love my dyson as well. We have a Pembroke Welsh Corgie, and I didn't really know they were shedding dogs, until we got him. We vacuum about every other day and take a softball sized clump of hair out of it.

I know you said you didn't have pets, but a dyson is a great investment. If you have some time to play around with, watch woot.com. They actually had a dyson on there i think yesterday for $250.

Roomba.

When I was cat-free and living in a grad student apartment with a VERY low-pile carpet, I didn't have or use a vacuum cleaner. I had a Bissell room sweeper, a mop, and a dust-buster for spills. When I moved out after two years, the carpet still looked good. YMMV, of course.

I use our carpet sweeper a lot, and prefer it to the vacuum, but it will never suck the crap and lint out of the corners or clean a couch or anything. I recommend having both.

I second the Roomba - especially if you hate vacuuming.

If you are old enough to have a fiance, then you are old enough to have a vacuum. Skip Dysons -- overrated cr*p -- get a Miele or a Seibo (german for quiet, lightweight cleaning machines . . .) -- or if you're not willing to spring the dough, get one of them on your wedding registry.

We have have 2 Seibos -- love 'em!

I also use the Dyson Slim, which fits great in our small apartment. It is pretty lightweight, and very maneuverable. It is certainly much lighter and less cumbersome than the full-sized Dyson (which I've used at my sister's place).

oops -- it's spelling "Sebo"!

Elyse -- pondering some more (along with my typos) -- I think the core issue here is that you don't like big bulky uprights. But you ought to try a canister vacuum (like the ones I've mentioned, or some american/japanese alternatives). They are lighter and easier to carry around, better for getting under furniture, and with the hose and attachments can be used for a much broader range of cleaning (e.g. blinds, upholstery, and baseboards). You should give it a try

Oooh, I love my Roomba, too! (See, Jakelegs, we're still simpatico...just not over Eames.) ;)

I totally feel you. I hate the high pitch noise that my vacuum cleaner makes!

I have a Dirt Devil sweeper I use daily. It cost me only $40, works on carpet, tiles and wood floor. I also vacuum about once or twice a month.

You can probably get away with just the sweeper, and perhaps renting a carpet shampooing machine once a year for deep cleaning. I used to have only the vacuum. It's a bad idea. It was too heavy and I ended up only cleaning once a month.

The down side of sweeper is that hair gets trapped and reduce power. (I have thick long hair that falls everywhere) You just have to get your hands dirty and pull the hair out manually once a month.

I love that sweepers are cordless, but it also means that the battery will eventually lose power. If it comes with a Ni-Cad battery. Try to charge it only after the power is completely drained. It will help make it last.

The Roomba is the best invention ever!

I sixth the Roomba recommendation. They work, you don't have to do much, they're low-profile enough to hide in a closet or under a sofa when not in use, and you can turn it on when you leave for work, and the job is done when you get home. AND they're smart enough to jump back on their own recharger.

However - they don't do stairs, they can get tangled up in cables/cords, and if you have thick-pile area rugs, they might drop some stuff as they make the transition.

When my dog is shedding, mine runs every other day.

Dyson is sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond and they spend more on tv ads these days than on good durable construction. Dyson's are made in Malaysia, Miele are still made in Germany. nuff said. Get a Miele if you want quality and the only true HEPA filter vacuum on the market.

PS: they are very quiet.

I bought a Dyson last year. It's fine. Personally, I wish I had spent $150 on a Hoover (or whatever). Save yourself $300.

Do you have nice neighbors? maybe you can share?

erica: share a vacuum? very interesting! I wonder if anyone has done that.

I also use the Dyson Slim (DC-18) and absolutely love it. I used my 20% off coupon at BB&B. Yeah, it is still pricy... but worth it.

I have a Eureka Boss Smartvac. My reasons for getting it are: a) it was quite inexpensive, like $150, and I'm always on a super-budget.
b) it was rated high by Consumer Reports and Consumer's Digest.
and c) I needed a real vacuum; sorry, but the sweepers just aren't good enough. They won't pick up the really deep down stuff (and no matter how clean you are, there will always be deep down stuff). In actuality, after the first few uses, they don't really pick up much of anything. You'll end up wasting your money on a piece of junk that quits working in no time. If your place is carpeted, you simply have to have a vacuum. I'm pretty happy with mine considering the amount of money I paid for it. (compared to 600 or whatever it is for a dyson...yikes!)

erica's idea is awesome -- hopefully, you have good neighbors :)

if your carpet is not too thick and you reeeeally don't want a vacuum, you could get a royal commercial grade sweeper. i grew up on one; my grandparents have used it in their home for a billion years. had the same one since i was 7. and their carpets are always pristine and clean.

HOWEVER, this method has only worked because a) they are anal retentive and sweep the carpet every single day, b) don't wear outdoor shoes inside, and c) they have their carpets and upholstery professionally cleaned regularly (which is expensive).