What to look for in a vacuum cleaner

What to Look for in a Vacuum Cleaner

The purpose of a vacuum cleaner is to capture dirt and other unwanted debris and to keep it contained. This should be your main focus in selecting a vacuum cleaner. Other factors to consider are ease of use, features, and noise. We will discuss these in a little more detail, below.

Why is an effective vacuum cleaner important?

The obvious answer is you putting all the effort into vacuuming in order to get things clean. Why put in all of that effort if your vacuum is not doing a good job? Some important answers, however, go beyond that. Especially in dry climates, like Albuquerque, there are a lot of airborne particulates, including dust and pollen. Failing to remove this grit from your carpets can lead to premature breakdown and discoloration of the carpet, leading to expensive carpet replacement. Likewise, loose particulate can cause wear or dulling of hard surfaces, such as wood, tile, or stone. Most importantly, blowing pollen and other fine particulates out of the exhaust of your vacuum, back into the air, can lead to allergies, asthma, and other respiratory diseases.

Getting Stuff Into the Vacuum:

Key factors in how well your vacuum picks up debris are airflow, suction, agitation, and access. Things to look for in a vacuum include:

The amount of suction the vacuum generates (usually measured in inches of water). You should look for a vacuum with suction of at least 40 inches of water. Avoid vacuums with less than 30 inches of suction, as they will not get the job done. More is not always better, however, so you should look for a vacuum where the suction can be adjusted. Using too much suction on an attachment can collapse the attachment or damage the item you are cleaning, by sucking it up into the attachment. Note: you should use suction (the cleaning power that is actually produced) rather than motor amps (the power that it takes to create the suction) as the measure of the "power" of a vacuum. Because good engineering can make a more efficient motor create more suction, amps are not a good measure of suction produced. Futhermore, amp ratings are peak ratings, not continuous power ratings, so ratings vary, based on measurement technique and only roughly represent the power that drives the motor.
The design of the roller brush, which is your primary tool for vacuuming. The type of roller brush that is best for you will depend on your anticipated use. In general, if you have pets or deep pile carpet you will want a more agressive roller brush. For area rugs, you will want a less agressive roller brush. Factors that affect the performance of a roller brush include a beater bar, the brush type, the number of rows of bristles, and the roller design.
The availability and effectiveness of other attachements. The design and shape of the attachments as well as the variety of attachments available will affect how well debris is collected.
The height of the cleaning head. You will want a height adjustment for really deep carpet.

An often overlooked consideration is how easy the vacuum is to use. A vacuum will only clean as well as you do. Is the vacuum easy to manuver? Can you easily get into hard to reach places? Does difficult movement or storage of the vacuum discourage you from using it as often as you should?

The best way to determine how well a vacuum will work for you is to try it. Have your salesperson measure the suction. Vacuum up various debris on the surfaces similar to what you have in your home. Try the vacuum under various conditions, including using the various attachments. A knowledgeable salesperson will be able to direct you toward the vacuums that will best suit your needs.

Keeping Stuff in the Vacuum:

The most overlooked feature of a vacuum is how well it contains the material you have vacuumed up. Because we cannot see it leave the vacuum, we tend to believe that once something has been sucked-up into the vacuum, it magically remains in the vacuum. The truth is that every vacuum must exhaust the air it used to suck-up debris, often exausting fine particulates right along with it. Vacuum bags do not contain all fine particulates. Millions of fine particles will go right through an average vacuum bag and, if not filtered by a HEPA* filter, will go right back into your room air. Many of these particles are so small, you cannot see them with the naked eye; these are the ones that are the most dangerous to your health. Beware: even HEPA-filtered vacuums can leak if the seals are poor or non-existant; not all HEPA-filtered vacuums have seals, so look at both the main chamber and the HEPA. In addition, some seals can loose their effectiveness over time (sometimes after only a few uses, in some well-known national brands). Remember: just because they say it on TV, does not make it true.

A good vacuum salesman or technician can show you with a particle counter the effectiveness of various machines, including your current one. For an example, click below.

* High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters remove at least 99.97% of all particulates.

Here is an EPA link on particulate emissions from vacuums.

Here is an independent laboratory study on bagless vacuum emissions.

Other Considerations:

Quality and Value: you want a vacuum that will run well and reliably for a long time.

Look for metal parts in high wear areas, such as motor parts and the plate on the bottom of the roller brush.
Ask about the bearings in the motor. Sealed bearings are the best. Sleeved bearings are the next step down in quality. Avoid unsealed bearings.
Bypass motors, which are located after the vacuum bag, are more efficient and less prone to breakage than the inexpensive motors, that are placed before the bag (and in the path of incoming debris).
Fit and feel. Although subjective, how a machine works, feels, and sounds will tell you a lot about the quality. A well-made vacuum made with high-quality parts and tight tolerances will feel and sound more solid.
Belt type. Vacuums are made with different belt types, which are not interchangable. The best are "lifetime" belts, which are made of Kevlar or reinforced fiberglass. A flat belt will need to be replaced every three to six months. A round belt will need to be replaced every one to two months.
Manufacturer track record and where the vacuum was made.

Canister vs. upright: In general, canisters are more manuverable, do a better job on a wide range of surfaces, are easier to use on stairs, are easier to use with attachments, and provide more suction (although there are a few uprights that will surpass canisters in suction). Uprights are generally less expensive, have bigger bags, and you do not have to pull around a canister, although the balance and roller mechanism on a good canister, may make this a non-factor. Uprights are well suited for cleaning medium to high-pile carpet, but relatively poor on solid floors, berber carpets, and edge cleaning. At the inexpensive end of the market, uprights are probably as good and more convenient than comparably-priced canisters.
Bag vs. bagless: We recommend bag machines. With bagless machines, you are very reliant on the seals to keep the fine particulates in. In addition, there is the cloud of dust everytime you need to open your vacuum to empty it. Our experience is that it costs more in filters and maintenance to operate a bagless machine. The downside to bags is that you need to remember to change them and some can be fairly expensive. While we are on the subject of bagless vacuums, let's discuss the "new" cyclonic vacuums. Cyclonic vacuums have been around for decades in various forms. Whether they are better or worse than other vacuums depends on design and quality. They do, however, have the same downsides as other bagless vacuums. Also, don't believe that you don't lose suction because there is no bag; it takes energy to force the air through the multiple cyclones.
Service and Warranty: Can you get service, warranty coverage and parts?
Ease of use: As previously discussed, how easily you can use a vacuum will have a big impact on your goal of a clean, healthful home and longer-lasting carpets and floors.
Features: This relates to ease of use as well as effectivness of cleaning.
Noise: also an ease of use issue and may be an important consideration if you have pets.
"Special" items that will be picked up by the vacuum, such as liquids, large objects, pet hair, long hair, and children's toys.
Special needs for a compact model or something that is easy to store in a small appartment or RV.

The Good and Questionable of Features

Beyond the standard features, there are some features worth considering and some we believe are of questionable value.

The good:

The ability to turn off the roller brush from the vacuum handle.
Bag sensors that tell you when your bag is full are helpful, particularly if you are inclined to forget to change bags.

The questionable; you should seriously consider if these are worth your hard-earned money:

Motorized height adjustment. Changing height manually is not all that difficult on most machines and most people do not need to change height all that often.
Motion (speed) sensor to monitor that you are vacuuming at the "appropriate" speed.
Lifetime filter; our experience is that there is really no such thing that is actually effective.

Summary

The "right" vacuum for you depends on what you plan to use it for, your personal preferance for operation, and your budget. We believe there is value in a good quality vacuum and they are often no more expensive than vacuums that do not perform as well. They provide the benefits of cleaner house, longer life for your carpets and floors, better health, and less time spent cleaning. You should try at least one high-quality vacuum during your search, so that you can evaluate the difference for yourself. A knowledgeable salesperson can to help you identify and evaluate the best vacuum(s) for you.