I have owned this for about a year. Up until last week the only one that used it was the cleaning girl. The day after Thanksgiving I took it out to do all the wood and tile floors. The decibel level was WAY above the safe audible level. After 20 minutes my ears were ringing. I cannot allow my cleaning girl to ever use it again for fear of hearing loss. I thought there was something wrong until I read the other reviews. I finished the floors with headphones. Now what? Unfortunately, it does a nice job but I will be replacing it with another brand. Do not waste your money.