Every so often I screw up my courage and pull the fridge out from the wall.This is the first step in a multi-step process referred to either as routine refrigerator maintenance or severe dust-ball neurosis.Cleaning the dust off the coils on the back and bottom of the refrigerator makes me feel good. There is some benefit to ridding your fridge coils of dust. The wise men of refrigeration say that when dirt gets on the coils, the machine works harder to cool its interior.Because I am a big fan of a cool fridge, especially one that keeps those beverages frosty, I am willing to do what I can to keep the machine running smoothly. Experts advise that at least twice a year I should use either a clean paint brush or a hand-held vacuum cleaner to dust off the fridge coils.Theoretically, after you dust the coils your fridge will run more efficiently and your electricity bill will drop. This might be true, but my family is largely unfamiliar with the phenomenon of an electricity bill getting smaller.

Any savings that might be notched up by cleaning the fridge coils are quickly wiped out by our family's practice of burning all light bulbs at all times. My best hope for savings is that the wheel in our electric meter will one day burn out, a victim of fatigue.The other night, for example, in the middle of a cold rain, one of the kids wanted to turn on his bedroom air conditioner. He said he didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night and be "hot and sweaty."I agreed to let him turn on the air conditioner. I will agree to almost anything to get a kid to go to sleep. Later, the air conditioner was turned off, but only after it had racked up major "units" on the electricity bill.The main reason I am compelled to clean refrigerator coils is the same reason most people are compelled to clean anything. I was raised in a family that prided itself on keeping its refrigerator coils clean.When I was a tender youth my dad taught me how to get behind, or maybe it was underneath, the family fridge and attack coil dust.

Once the coils were cleaned -- usually on Saturday morning -- they were supposed to be admired by other family members. My mother, an avowed enemy of dust balls, was usually the only family member who expressed appreciation for the cleaning job. But the belief in clean coils seeped into our subconscious.A few years ago when one of my younger brothers was visiting and helping me fix things around the house, he spotted dust on my fridge coils. "You really ought to keep that clean," he told me. "It will lower your electricity bills." My dad had told me virtually the same thing a few years earlier when he, too, had caught me with my coils dusty.As is true with cleaning the coils -- and with many of my beliefs -- from time to time I backslide.By the time I get around to pulling the fridge out from the wall, there is usually plenty of evidence of neglect.Besides dust, I am greeted by pencils, toys and "important papers" that had been put atop the refrigerator for safe keeping.I have learned that just as an archaeologist sifts the soil for clues of ancient civilizations, a behind-the-fridge explorer can examine debris to determine when cleaning equipment last visited the site.

Say, for example, you find a toy wrestler that once was your child's favorite toy. robot dust vacuum cleanerYou simply remember that the kid was 6 years old when he was fond of the toy. best bagless vacuum cleaner cheapThen you remember that he is now 9 years old. vacuum cleaner in 1869This means it has been three years since you cleaned behind the fridge. While often accurate, this "toy dating" practice can also be embarrassing.While down in the nether regions of the refrigerator, I check the condensate tray. This tray catches water given off when the fridge defrosts itself. It is not a pretty sight. The condensate tray literature warns that neglected trays have been known to grow molds, which can make breathing difficult for kitchen dwellers.

Whenever I read this mold story, I regard it as an attempt to scare me into washing the grungy tray with soap and water. Finally, after I have dusted the coils and guarded against tray mold, I check behind the fridge for any signs of visitors.Mice, I am told, sometimes take up residence behind a fridge. I wouldn't know about that. But I do know that if you use bacon rind as bait in your trap, the mice don't have a chance. The misunderstood 'rule of thumb' Misconception: Many feminists for years thought the phrase "rule of thumb" referred to British common law's tolerance of wife-beating.Child sex abuser sentenced to 8 years Girl and 2 boys were victimsWhy expansion tank is neededCharles Kuralt's other life Scandal: The late CBS newsman had a wife in New York and, secretly, a longtime companion in Montana. The two have now met, in court.Bush signs North American trade pact Clinton says he won't renegotiateRelief At Last Intro: For Bobby Ojeda, life nearly ended on a Florida lake in 1993.

It began again at Sheppard Pratt. Today, he plans a reunion.After spending a week in our test labs evaluating the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal (MSRP $599.99), we can confidently say it's the best bagless canister we've ever tested. The biggest news is that Dyson solved a major problem that plagues most traditional canister vacs: tipping. The Big Ball is weighted in such a way that it'll always self-right if it falls over—a claim that we repeatedly put to the test. However, for all its wonderment in handling, the Cinetic Big Ball still didn't clean as well its bagged competition. It failed to pick up as much dirt as other canisters in its price range, and the air-driven brush spun fast enough to push dirt away instead of picking it up. The design itself is polarizing, and even the best-designed bagless vacuum is messier to empty than a good bag. Aside from the self-righting technology, it's similar to the existing Cinetic Animal canister—although this new model costs $150 more.

We think the extra money is worth it. But we'd be wrong if we told you there aren't better vacuums or models that perform as well but cost less. Wobbles, but it won't fall down Right out of the box you'll find an air-powered brush head, a crevice tool, a stair tool, and a stiff-bristle brush. That's fewer tools than come with the Big Ball upright, but nothing major is missing. In fact, it's the same assortment of attachments you'll find on the existing Dyson Cinetic canister. Unlike the the existing canister, those tools click securely into place—a feature we grew to appreciate more and more as we moved the vacuum around our lab. Up to two tools at a time can be stored on the vacuum, and it's easy to swap them or remove them entirely for cleaning corners or reaching stray pet fur. The brush head has to sets of bristles. The orange is designed for carpets, and the black bristles are used for hardwood floors. When we actually got around to cleaning carpets, we found the articulating "swan neck" on the handle and the joint at the end of the brush head worked together, allowing the Dyson to pivot around corners with ease.

And because the brush head is small–10.5 inches wide and just under three inches tall—it'll easily get into tight spaces. The downside is that it takes longer to clean a large room. However, the Big Ball's best time-saving feature is still its ability to self right. It's easy for a canister vacuum to tip over: Catch it on a corner or yank the hose too hard, and it'll flip onto its back like an upside-down turtle. Thanks to its namesake Big Ball, however, this Dyson will get right back on its wheels even if it tips completely over—a concept clearly inspired by Weebles and those creepy clown punching bags. Does It Clean My Floors? We test vacuums for dirt cleanup on hardwood floors, and for dirt and dust pickup from both short- and high-pile carpets. We also test for edge cleaning and debris pickup. You can easily click attachments in and out of place. At the end of our short-pile tests, the Big Ball picked up around 31 percent of the dirt we laid out for it.

Other air-powered brush heads—like the one on the Miele C2 Onyx—picked up around 50 percent of the dirt. Electrically powered brush heads can get even more. We think we know why the Dyson lagged behind: During testing, we observed the brush spinning so fast it had the tendency to whip dirt off the carpet rather than pick it up. It's possible to reduce the speed of the brush, though not with the granular control other brands offer. That means suction will suffer. The problem is even worse with large debris. Don't use the powered brush to pick up any spills in the kitchen, or else you'll be looking for bits and pieces of Cheerios for hours. On the thicker carpet, however, the Dyson's fast-moving bristles were put to good use, picking up just under 20 percent of the dirt we put down. Although that might not sound like a lot, high-pile carpets tend to trap dirt, and most canisters leave far more than 80 percent of dirt behind. In fact, the Big Ball cleaned high-pile carpet better than any other air-driven canister we've tested.

If that thought grosses you out, consider a vacuum with a powered brush, which can get up to 60 percent of embedded dirt out of a tall carpet. Miele Complete C3 Alize Cyclonic technology means the Big Ball requires no filters. This is an expensive vacuum, but it comes with a good warranty. As long as you retain proof of purchase and your vacuum's serial number isn't altered, Dyson will warrant the Cinetic Big Ball for an impressive five-years for any original defects in materials or workmanship. You can read the fine print here. Dyson claims that all vacuums featuring Cinetic technology can separate dust from air through powerful oscillating "tips"—those vaguely alien-looking bulges that protrude from the top of the unit. Although some of our staff found the overall appearance a bit too Giger-esque, the protrusions mean this Big Ball doesn't need a filter. That could save you a little money over a long period of time, and it keeps a foam or folded paper filter from sapping suction.

Although the early production unit we tested had no mention of HEPA, a Dyson representative assured us the canister would offer the same whole-unit HEPA filtration and sealed airflow as the Cinetic Big Ball upright. Dyson's Sphere of Influence Emptying the dust bin never requires you to touch anything unpleasant. Sure, $599.99 may be a lot to spend on a vacuum, especially when canisters that cost half as much can clean just as well. However, if you hate to clean, this self-righting, filter-free Dyson canister just might be worth the money. That's because the Big Ball is a pleasure to use. Vacuuming is a chore and a bore, and any device that makes it easier to clean deserves notice. After dragging and tugging the Dyson all over our labs, we think the self-righting feature alone might win you over. Even though self-sealing vacuum bags are easy to throw out, we have to admit that Dyson's "no touch" solution for emptying the Cinetic's dirt bin works better than any other bagless vacuum out there.