The next step is to
evaluate the surfaces that you will be cleaning. Are there any special above
the floor cleaning requirements that might require specialized attachments,
such as high ceilings, elaborate light fixtures, ceiling fans, special
collections, etc. If so, you need to be sure the vacuum cleaner has the reach,
flexibility and tools to do those jobs.
But the main use of
the vacuum will be to clean flooring. If your home has stairs, a canister is
the recommended type of vacuum cleaner. An upright is not designed to clean
stairs by itself. And, even with attachments, attempting to clean stairs with
an upright is awkward. It can be done, but the results are generally poor,
because you can’t use an upright's revolving brush on the stair treads, an area
of high traffic.
If you don’t have
stairs, and if your home is primarily synthetic fiber (nylon, olefin or
polyester) wall-to-wall carpeting, an upright with smooth floor cleaning
capability and the necessary attachments to clean above the floor surfaces is a
good choice.
However, many homes
today feature a combination of smooth floors in a variety of materials, area
rugs and some wall-to-wall carpeting. In these homes (or in homes with stairs)
a canister will provide the best results. Which type of canister depends upon
the traffic patterns and the types of soil to clean, as well as the fiber of
the carpets and rugs in the home?
Traffic and Carpet
Soils
The amount of traffic and the type of carpet soils is an important factor in
your choice of vacuum cleaner. Most carpet soils come in on the shoes of people
and pets that enter the home. If you have a house full of kids and pets, you
will have more carpet soils being brought into the home.
80% of carpet soils
are dry soils with sharp edges that, left in the carpet and walked on, act as
sandpaper to abrade and bend the fibers. This results in the appearance of
“dirty” carpet along major traffic patterns. In fact, it’s not dirt but the way
the bent and damaged fibers absorb light instead of reflecting it. This causes
carpets to “ugly out” long before they actually wear out. So it’s important to
choose the right vacuum cleaner based on the amount of traffic and types of
soils encountered, and use it regularly to reduce the possibility of damaged
fibers.
If you have synthetic
fiber carpeting and/or rugs and high traffic and the resulting heavier soil
load, choose a vacuum cleaner with aggressive bristles on the revolving brush.
Vacuum cleaners with dense, stiff bristles as well as a beater bar function
(there are many designs that accomplish this) are excellent to bring these dry
soils up from the carpet pile where they can be brushed from the surface of the
carpet and vacuumed away.
Another dry soil that
won't abrade your fiber but is one of the most pervasive is dog and cat hair.
Pet hair is best removed by using a revolving brush with stiff, densely packed
brushes.
If your home has low
traffic and no special soiling conditions, you can choose a less aggressive
vacuum cleaner and maintain your home perfectly well. However, the general rule
of thumb is to choose the most aggressive vacuum cleaner that your carpet and
rug fibers can safely tolerate.
Carpet Fibers
As important as the traffic and type of soil is the type of fibers that your
carpet or rugs are made with. Most carpeting today is made of synthetic fibers,
primarily nylon, though olefin and polyester are also used. Synthetic fibers
are very durable and you can use the most aggressive household vacuum cleaner
without fear of fiber damage.
Natural fibers,
however, must be treated more gently. The most common natural fiber used in
wall-to-wall carpeting is wool, but this represents less than 1% of the
wall-to-wall carpeting in the U.S. Where wool is very popular, however, is in
Oriental and other area rugs.
Wool is a very durable
fiber and has been used for thousands of years around the world to create rugs,
but it must be vacuumed with care. A revolving brush can be used on wool, but
the bristles must be flexible and forgiving, and not as densely backed on the
brush roll, so as not to fuzz the yarns and prematurely wear the carpet.
While Oriental rugs
are most often wool, they also can be made with silk. These rugs can vary in
value from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars and more. Many
are sold for everyday use and can be cleaned with a good household vacuum
cleaner with the type of flexible and forgiving bristles just mentioned.
However, if you have
high value Oriental rugs, you’ll need to consider the age and condition of the
rug, as well as the soiling conditions. High value rugs often see very little
traffic and are protected from heavy soiling. You may want to consider cleaning
such rugs using a carpet and rug tool, one that cleans only by suction and
without a revolving brush.
Other fibers and
materials used in area rugs include sisal, sea grass, mountain grass, bamboo,
coir, cotton, jute, viscose, and even leather! Many of these rugs are woven and
quite durable, but they still require softer bristles on the vacuum cleaner
used to clean them. Specialty brushes are available for these materials, and we
recommend consulting with a floor care expert for the best advice which one is
best suited for your rug.
Always check the
manufacturer's recommended care instructions before purchasing a new vacuum
cleaner (or using your current machine on a new rug), but here are some rules
of thumb to follow:
If you have synthetic
fiber carpeting and/or rugs, you can select the most aggressive vacuum cleaner,
whether upright or canister. If you have wool or other natural fiber carpeting
or rugs, you'll need a power brush with flexible and forgiving bristles to
properly vacuum without damaging the fibers. The option of softer, more
flexible bristles is available primarily on power team canisters but there are
some uprights available with less aggressive bristles.
Most homes have just
one or two types of carpet, but if you have a variety of different types of
carpeting and bare floors, be sure to choose a vacuum that has tools available
for the most delicate rug you own. Here’s a quick reference of the styles
of carpets and the type of vacuum best suited for them:
|
Carpet Type
|
Recommended Vacuum Type
|
|
Loop (knotted
yarn)
|
Upright or Canister
w/ extra soft bristle brush
|
|
Cut Pile (cut yarn)
|
Upright or Canister
w/ heavy-duty motorized brush
|
|
Frisee (twisted
yarn)
|
Upright or Canister
w/ adjustable height
|
|
Woven (needlepoint)
|
Canister w/ suction
only rug tool
|
|
Wool Loop
|
Canister w/ suction
only rug tool
|
|
Wool Pile
|
Upright or Canister
w/ extra soft-bristle brush
|
|
Silk
|
Canister w/
suction-only rug tool
|
|
Sisal
|
Canister w/
specialty tool
|
|
Shag (2 inches or
more)
|
Canister w/ shag
rake tool
|
Additional Considerations
Once you have
identified the type of vacuum cleaner you want and matched it to the amount of
traffic and the types of soiling in your home, you can begin look at other
considerations to help narrow down your choices even further.
Vacuum Cleaner
Performance
You will certainly want to evaluate the performance, or cleaning ability, of
the vacuum cleaners you are considering. While this requires evaluating a range
of vacuum cleaner specifications, the most important are water lift (or sealed)
suction and airflow.
Many manufacturers
tout the watts or amps of their vacuum cleaners. These rate the power of the
vacuum motor, and years of marketing vacuums this way has let “power” become
confused with “performance.” Watts and amps tell you how much electrical power
the vacuum cleaner’s motor uses, not how much suction power the machine
creates for picking up dirt and soil. For that, you need to know the vacuum’s
suction. In fact, motor power ratings really don’t mean much at all. A 10-amp
motor can create more suction power than a 12-amp motor, if it’s designed to be
more efficient.
The key ratings are
airflow (the most important of all) and sealed suction (listed on some vacuum
cleaner specifications as “water lift”). On canister vacuum cleaners (with or
without power heads) airflow of 100 CFM or more (or water lift of 90 inches or
more) is recommended.
Upright vacuum
cleaners come in a wide variety of configurations, but there are two basic
designs that affect airflow and water lift. The first is the “Direct Air” or
“Dirty Air” design where the dirt passes through the motor prior to any
filtration on route to the dust bag. Dirty air uprights are only rated in amps.
The second basic
design is one that features a by-pass motor where unfiltered air does not go
through the motor. In uprights with this design, only filtered or completely
clean room air passes through the motor in order to cool it. By-pass uprights
will usually provide airflow but not water lift specifications and a high
performing upright will offer 60 CFM or better.
Many uprights will not
offer airflow ratings at all and will only rate the motor in amps.
Filtration
An important, but often overlooked, element of cleaning ability is the
capability of the vacuum cleaner to retain the soils, and especially the fine
particulates, that it picks up. If a vacuum cleaner does not offer high levels
of filtration, these fine particles can simply go right through the vacuum
cleaner and back to the room air, where they settle as dust.
Most quality vacuum
cleaners will do an adequate job of filtering the air the leaves the machine.
But if anyone in your home suffers from allergies, asthma or any other health
condition that is impacted by fine particles or allergens in the indoor air, a
high filtration or HEPA filtration vacuum cleaner is strongly recommended.
HEPA stands for High
Efficiency Particulate Air. A HEPA filter must remove 99.97% of all particles
as small as 0.3 microns in size from the air that passes through it. This is
the standard “best” filtration method for residential applications.
The phrase “as small
as” is important because it designates that if all the particles were 0.3
microns in size, the filter would still have 99.97% efficiency. The term “down
to 0.3 microns in size” does not refer to the same filtration performance as it
may refer to a mixture of particle sizes for the stated efficiency.
You may see terms such
as “Certified HEPA,” “True HEPA” or “Absolute HEPA.” These all are HEPA filters
that meet the same HEPA standard. Where you need to be careful is when you see
terms such as “HEPA-like” or “HEPA quality” or any other qualification that is
used where you expect to see “HEPA”.
HEPA is used primarily
in the United States. In Europe, companies generally refer to the same filter
as an S-Class filter and some manufacturers, like SEBO, use the terminology
here. Like HEPA filters, S-Class filters must remove 99.97% of all particles as
small as 0.3 microns in size from the air that passes through them.
Quality and
Durability
The quality of your vacuum cleaner is also important and will determine whether
your vacuum cleaner will be replaced in a year or two or will last for many
years and even decades.
When evaluating
durability, look at the quality of the construction. Look for solid components
of good quality as opposed to flimsy or brittle appearing materials. Look for
good fit and finish without rough edges. The seals should be heavy duty and
components that open and close should do so with a nice solid feel.
Generally,
mass-market, low-priced products are not designed for long-term use. Once you
compare a mass-market vacuum cleaner to those made by companies specializing in
high-quality, long lasting machines, the differences will be obvious.
Another indication of
quality and durability can also be partially determined by the length and
specifics of the warranty. Look for longer warranties, especially on the motor.
Ease of Use
No matter how great a vacuum cleaner might be in terms of specifications, it
must be easy for you to use. Think about what you don't like about your current
vacuum cleaner and look for a new one that eliminates those problems.
Consider whether you
have any specific issues concerning weight or personal preferences concerning
uprights versus canister vacuum cleaners. If there are specific reasons for
buying a new vacuum cleaner, remember to be sure that your new one provides
solutions to these cleaning challenges.
Regardless of your
specific situation, the vacuum cleaner you choose should feel good in your hand
and not be fatiguing to use. It should maneuver easily without straining to get
under furniture or around corners.
Noise Level
Noise is also a significant consideration. Some vacuum cleaners can be so noisy
that they're almost unbearable to use. Many good vacuum cleaners can operate at
levels that are quite comfortable and will allow you to hear the phone or
doorbell ring quite easily.
The amount of noise a vacuum
makes while operating is rated in decibels (dB). To give you some idea, a
conversation at home is rated at 50dB, a garbage disposal at 80 dB and a
motorcycle or lawnmower at 100 dB. Extremely quiet vacuum cleaners can
operate at decibel levels in the mid-60s while cleaners in the 70-77 dB range
are still relatively quiet compared to the vacuum cleaner you grew up with.
Capacity
The capacity of a vacuum cleaner relates to the size of the dust bag or cup.
The bigger it is, the less often it needs to be changed.
If you have a large
home and/or lots of traffic (think kids and pets) this means that you’ll have
greater amounts of soil to remove. In this case, consider a full-sized vacuum
cleaner. This way, you won't have the inconvenience of constantly changing the
bag or emptying the cup.
Storage
Some homes have plenty of storage space and some don't have an inch to spare.
If storage space is at a premium in your home, be sure to give some thought to
where you will store your new vacuum cleaner. Will it fit in the space where
you stored your last one?
Attachments
All quality vacuum cleaners come with a set of come with a set of accessory
tools that cover most floor and above-floor vacuuming needs. But there are some
jobs that need special tools and some tools that just make the job easier and
the availability of add-on accessory tools will extend the utility and, often,
improve the performance of your vacuum cleaner.
Take the flexible
crevice tool, for example. The standard crevice tool works great for most needs,
but it can’t reach around corners or behind appliances. The flexible crevice
tool can. It’s longer than a standard crevice tool and has nozzle that gently
bends to reach behind furniture and appliances and get into hard to reach
corners.
Another popular tool
is the soft-bristle dusting brush. It’s larger than a standard dusting brush
has softer bristles for gently cleaning knick-knacks, lampshades and other
fragile items. There’s also a version that lets you adjust the angle of the
brush, making it easier to items such as dust high shelves, window blinds and
ceiling fans.
By far the favorite
accessory tool among Best Vacuum customers is the mini-turbobrush. This
is a small, handheld turbobrush makes easy work of cleaning pet hair off
furniture, so it’s very popular in homes with cats and dogs, But it’s an ideal
tool for getting extra cleaning power for upholstered furniture and stairs and
is the ideal size for cleaning car seats and floorboards.
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