Deciding On The Right Vacuum Cleaner For Your Needs
Date: Thursday November 5, 2009Posted in: Family
A vacuum cleaner is one of the most important home appliance we own as it is responsible for keeping your home free from dirt, dust, and other allergens. Fortunately there are many different models to choose from but you can easily become overwhelmed with information. Knowing a little about the various features will help you decide on the best vacuum. Therefore it is recommended to do some research including reviews, ratings, and comparisons between as many vacuums as you can.
If you have mostly carpets then you should be looking at an upright but if you have a mixture of rugs and hard floors then a canister might be the best choice. Canisters generally work well on lower pile carpets and hard floors as they have a variety of attachments to do the job. Their overall design makes them very maneuverable and really built to handle such things as stairs, under furniture, and hard floors like tile. Uprights on the other hand are really built to handle heavy vacuuming of carpets, though they can clean hard floors as well as long as you can turn off the brushroll. You don’t want to damage your delicate flooring by the high speed spinning of the brushes.
Another one of the first things you will have to think about is bagless or bagged. Bagged vacuums require replacement bags that, when secured to the machine, will act like a filter and trap the dirt before it can escape back out into your home. If you have a high quality cleaner with an airtight junction between the bag you will be rewarded with a very clean home. This is one reason that bagged vacuum cleaners remain so popular today.
Bagless vacuum cleaners do not use bags to trap the dirt but instead use a canister that you can easily empty. The combination of this canister and other filters will remove the vast majority of dust from the air before it travels back out into your home. The advantage to them is you don’t have to use replacement bags and can simply empty the canister into your garbage as needed. The downside is they don’t tend to be as airtight as a bagged model. This can vary based on the quality of the vacuum though.
One feature that is very important on any new vacuum is a HEPA filter. These specialty filters can capture as much as 99% of those nasty allergens like dust mites and mold spores before they can make their way back into your home. If you are an allergy sufferer or someone who has asthma then you will appreciate what this type of filtration system can do for you.
Prices are another consideration as today’s vacuums have a wide range. Whether you need to spend the extra money on a better brand really depends on a couple of things, mainly how often will you be vacuuming with it and do you need the extra attachments. If your budget has the room then you should look at the better models as you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to vacuum cleaners. However, if you live in a small apartment then there is no need to buy a full sized upright with all the bells and whistles. Your needs will dictate just how much you need to spend.
Try to read some online reviews as well. You can learn a lot about each individual vacuum by reading what others think about it. Also try to visit a local store to see one in action. Maybe even talk to some friends and family members to see what they use in their own homes, and whether or not they would recommend it to you. People you know will give you an unbiased opinion and try to steer you in the right direction.
After you buy the vacuum cleaner make sure you keep up on the maintenance. Replace any belts or filters as needed and try to keep the various hoses clean. By doing this, the vacuum will operate at a higher level and give you much better cleaning performance.
Visit totalvacuums.com to start looking at some vacuum reviews and consumer ratings. This is a good first step in narrowing down all the choices today into a more manageable list of vacuums. This information is important and can save you money in the long run.
