The Swiffer CarpetFlick: A Must Have for Any Cat Owner
PACKAGING
The Swiffer CarpetFlick comes in a bright orange box. This is a far cry from the usual blue or green packages that you would find Swiffer products in. However, this is a good thing, as it really stands out when shopping for cleaning supplies. The box itself, however, is quite large and cumbersome, much like the box for the Swiffer WetJet. This box is smaller, but still large in comparison to other cleaning supplies.
The Swiffer CarpetFlick Starter Kit comes with the five pieces to assemble the CarpetFlick and four adhesive cartridges. (I’ll get to the components and assembly later.) While the box can’t be any smaller in length and girth, it can certainly be thinner. That’s my only complaint with this product.
SIZE
You would think that a product that works like a vacuum would be big. Well, the Swiffer CarpetFlick isn’t. It has a long pole (which you assemble yourself) and a base that measures 7″ X 7″ and is about 1″ deep. The adhesive cartridges are 4″ X 8″ and as thin as paper. Storage for this is simple: Just keep it where you keep your broom!
ASSEMBLY
Assembling the CarpetFlick is a breeze. You just snap the pieces of the pole together, then snap on the head. It takes less than a minute to put together. Honest. A child can do it.
The adhesive cartridge inserts, on the other hand, are a bit trickier. You must remove both sides of the protective tape, then slide the cartridge into the head. The cartridge had a very thin track, and can bend and/or get stuck easily. Do this part with patience. Don’t cram it in like me, or you’ll end up destroying one of the cartridges.
Once the cartridge is in, you fold the edge up and slide it on a small, round peg on the side of the head of the CarpetFlick. This keeps the cartridge in place as you use your CarpetFlick. It’s easy to put together. Extremely easy.
USE
On the bottom side of the head on the CarpetFlick you will find two strips of some sort of Velcro brush. This brush is on either side of the openings leading to the adhesive cartridge. You take the pole and brush the CarpetFlick over your carpet and/or area rug. These miniscule brushes somehow flick up the dirt and debris in your carpet. That’s when the adhesive comes in. The adhesive cartridges catch the dirt and debris that is flicked up into the head. Viola! Your carpet is clean!
Okay, well, maybe not your entire carpet. I don’t think the CarpetFlick was actually invented to take the place of your vacuum. I think it was created to handle dry spills on carpets and rugs. However, my cats shed everywhere, and the CarpetFlick picked up SO much cat hair.
I must admit, my husband used the CarpetFlick a lot more than I did. We blew through the four adhesive cartridges in 3 days. Seriously. He just wanted to use it over and over again because it did such a good job– and because he loves gadgets. But, hey, we’ve got some really clean carpets now.
This item doesn’t work on anything other than a rug or carpet. It has to do with the brushes, I’m sure. That’s what flicks the dirt and debris up onto the cartridge. If you have only tile and/or hardwood floors in your house, this product is not for you. But, be nice and buy it for someone else. They’ll love you for it.
PRICE
From what I understand, the Swiffer CarpetFlick is going to sell for a mere $12.99, and the refill adhesive cartridges are going to go for $4.25 for a pack of 12. Um, BUY THIS ITEM!!!!! Seriously. It works so well on carpets and rugs. We have an area rug in our den and carpeting upstairs. Our steps are carpeted, too, and the CarpetFlick did an amazing job on them. It is so much easier to maneuver the CarpetFlick up and down the stairs than it is to maneuver the vacuum cleaner.
