I recently posted about making sure people have the right tools and equipment to do their job. It’s important not only to have the right tools and equipment but also to be sure they are in top working order.
We recently had an experience at our house that tells this story well. We’ve had a particular high-end vacuum cleaner for 10 – 12 years. Over time it seemed to be losing suction. I went online and found a video about how to refurbish it for a fraction of the cost of a new unit. So I ordered the parts and did the work. Performance improved but it still didn’t seem like its old self.
My wife had been trolling the internet looking for deals on a new one. She found one but wasn’t convinced to make the purchase. Last weekend we were at one of the home improvement stores looking for something unrelated to vacuums. We came around a corner and (hear the sound of angels singing) there, in the middle of the aisle, far away from vacuums or appliances, stood a brand new vacuum like she’d been searching for, marked down 50% because the box had been opened.
We bought it. It was like Christmas morning when we got that thing home. We tore open the box (some assembly required) and got it going. What happened next was both exciting and disgusting. We vacuumed a rug in the living room. The vacuum literally pulled the rug up off the floor, the suction was so strong. In just a few short moments, the canister was getting full from what was coming out of that rug. My wife said, “I have spent 30 minutes before trying to get this rug vacuumed and look at this!”
We vacuumed our teenage son’s bedroom. When our daughter walked by it a few minutes later, after just coming home, she said, “Wow! Did you get new carpet?” The difference was that distinct. We vacuum regularly. But what came out of our carpets that day made it look like it had been months.
The moral of the story is that top performing tools and equipment are far more cost effective because they produce better quality outcomes with less effort. Repair or replace your tools and equipment and have fun being disgusted at what you find.