Vacuum Cleaners
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count the number of times a vacuum cleaners is called for in a particular cleaning job, and you'll get tired of counting. A good vacuum cleaner is a key cleaning ally for any homeowner, both for routine dust and dirt removal and for emergency situations, such as broken glass and upturned potted plants.
CHOOSING A VACUUM CLEANER is more confusing than ever, since the differences between canister and upright vacs have been blurred. What used to be a matter of floor type---upright for carpets, canister for bare floors--is now almost a Coke/Pepsi-style personal preference. The good news is that the similarities, and overall improvements in quality, make it hard to go wrong when buying a vacuum cleaner.
In addition to uprights and canisters, there are also wet/dry vacuum cleaners (sometimes known as shop vacs) and handheld vacuum cleaners, each with its own functions and features. Generally speaking, some features are marketing gimmicks, whereas others are genuinely useful.
FEATURES TO CONSIDER when buying a vacuum include the following:
UPRIGHT VACUUMS were once the clear choice for homes with lots of carpets becauses of their powerful rotating "beater bars." No longer. yet while canister vacs these days also come with beater bar attachments, uprights are still easier to operate on carpets and easier to store when you're done.
They are taller and often self-propelled, reducing the amount of stooping and pushing required to vacuum a carpeted room. And because they often come with a hose and assorted attachments, they are versatile. If your house is filled with carpeting, an upright will be faster and more efficient. If your house has a mix of carpet and bare floors, it's a toss-up.
CANISTER VACUUMS are usually the better choice if your house has mostly bare floors or if you have lots of draperies, upholstery, and window blinds to vacuum. These models have a built-in hose, plus attachments, usually including a powered nozzle with a beater bar. Canister machines are easier to carry around the house and up the stairs. But they are typically more awkward to store, since they take up more floor space than uprights. One nice convenience when it's time to put away your canister vac: Most come with button operated retractable cords instead of cords you have to manually wrap around and around for storage.
WET/DRY VACUUMS tend to be powerful, less expensive work-horses. Also known as shop vacs, these special canister machines are notable for being able to safely pick up water---unlike other vacuums. They are most at home in garages and basements, where they're useful for sucking up everything from sawdust to smelly water leaks. Generally speaking, the more you spend, the more reliable the machine will be and the more extras it will include.
HANDHELD VACUUMS are portable battery-operated machines. Ever since the introduction, years ago, of the Dust-Buster, handheld vacs have been hugely popular. Most are powerful and surprisingly inexpensive. But since they have limited battery power---often less than ten minutes at a shot--they are useful only for quick jobs, such as spills and cleaning up toddler crumb trails. Today, they come with more and more features and attachments, including better filtration systems (which may or may not be necessary for the kinds of jobs they tackle). As with full-size machines , don't get tempted by useless extras. When buying, stick to the basics--brand reliability, warranties, and battery power.
IF YOU HAVE STAIRS TO CLEAN, instead of buying a separate, smaller vacuum cleaner made for stair-cleaning, outfit your existing machine with the appropriate extras. First, buy an extension tube (usually 12 feet long), which will allow you to leave your machine on the ground floor while you clean the entire flight of steps. You can buy extension tubes for both uprights and canister vacs.
For carpet-covered stairs, buy a turbo tool. Powered by the incoming airflow (hence the name turbo), these attachments act like small beater bars to help loosen and pull up hairs, lint, and dirt from carpet pile. But because they do not need a power cord to rotate, they can be attached to extension hoses. They are much lighter than motor-driven beater-bar nozzles.
VACUUM CLEANERS ARE SOLD at department stores, discount stores, and home improvement stores.
Note: Watch with in few days "PERSONAL BEAUTY CARE" BLOG
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
count the number of times a vacuum cleaners is called for in a particular cleaning job, and you'll get tired of counting. A good vacuum cleaner is a key cleaning ally for any homeowner, both for routine dust and dirt removal and for emergency situations, such as broken glass and upturned potted plants.
CHOOSING A VACUUM CLEANER is more confusing than ever, since the differences between canister and upright vacs have been blurred. What used to be a matter of floor type---upright for carpets, canister for bare floors--is now almost a Coke/Pepsi-style personal preference. The good news is that the similarities, and overall improvements in quality, make it hard to go wrong when buying a vacuum cleaner.
In addition to uprights and canisters, there are also wet/dry vacuum cleaners (sometimes known as shop vacs) and handheld vacuum cleaners, each with its own functions and features. Generally speaking, some features are marketing gimmicks, whereas others are genuinely useful.
FEATURES TO CONSIDER when buying a vacuum include the following:
- The onboard tools, such as crevice and upholstery tools, extension wands, and nozzles with rotating bars, are essential for non-floor cleaning duties(drapes and upholstered furniture, for instance).
- Manual pie adjustment is important not only for better dirt retrieval when you've vacuuming carpets, but also better carpet protection, since the "standard" setting on many beater bars can destroy a carpet's fibers and wear down the vacuum's motor.
- A gauge alerting users when the bag is full improves efficiency. (Full bags don't draw as well, making you work harder to pick up the dirt.)
FILTRATION SYSTEMS are among the best features to find their way onto vacuum cleaners in recent years. These systems improve air quality by capturing tiny particles than otherwise would be blown black into your home in the machine's exhaust. The machines with the best filters, known as
high efficiency particular air (HEPA) filters, are expensive to buy and to replace--but for people with asthma or allergies, they are extremely beneficial. Some manufacturers claim their machines have "micro-filtration" systems. Although these might not be true HEPA filters, they may be an
improvement over the standard, vacuum cleaner. If you want to buy a filtering machine, it's worth doing your homework. Check the results of tests done by organizations such as Consumers Union, the nonprofit organization that publishes Consumer Reports magazine.
MORE GIMMICKY FEATURES include dirt sensors, which alert you to how much dirt is passing through your vacuum cleaner, not how much dirt is left in a rag. These devices are unnecessary and can be mis-leading. Vac makers these days also like to brag about power, usually in the form of number of amps or suction amps. Amps measure electric current, not a machine's ability to clean.
More important is how one machine stacks up to another in real tests, those you read about in consumer magazines and those you experience while "test-driving" a vacuum cleaner in the store, which is something you should do before spending hundreds of dollars on a machine.
Here's a look at the various styles available:
high efficiency particular air (HEPA) filters, are expensive to buy and to replace--but for people with asthma or allergies, they are extremely beneficial. Some manufacturers claim their machines have "micro-filtration" systems. Although these might not be true HEPA filters, they may be an
improvement over the standard, vacuum cleaner. If you want to buy a filtering machine, it's worth doing your homework. Check the results of tests done by organizations such as Consumers Union, the nonprofit organization that publishes Consumer Reports magazine.
MORE GIMMICKY FEATURES include dirt sensors, which alert you to how much dirt is passing through your vacuum cleaner, not how much dirt is left in a rag. These devices are unnecessary and can be mis-leading. Vac makers these days also like to brag about power, usually in the form of number of amps or suction amps. Amps measure electric current, not a machine's ability to clean.
More important is how one machine stacks up to another in real tests, those you read about in consumer magazines and those you experience while "test-driving" a vacuum cleaner in the store, which is something you should do before spending hundreds of dollars on a machine.
Here's a look at the various styles available:
UPRIGHT VACUUMS were once the clear choice for homes with lots of carpets becauses of their powerful rotating "beater bars." No longer. yet while canister vacs these days also come with beater bar attachments, uprights are still easier to operate on carpets and easier to store when you're done.
They are taller and often self-propelled, reducing the amount of stooping and pushing required to vacuum a carpeted room. And because they often come with a hose and assorted attachments, they are versatile. If your house is filled with carpeting, an upright will be faster and more efficient. If your house has a mix of carpet and bare floors, it's a toss-up.
CANISTER VACUUMS are usually the better choice if your house has mostly bare floors or if you have lots of draperies, upholstery, and window blinds to vacuum. These models have a built-in hose, plus attachments, usually including a powered nozzle with a beater bar. Canister machines are easier to carry around the house and up the stairs. But they are typically more awkward to store, since they take up more floor space than uprights. One nice convenience when it's time to put away your canister vac: Most come with button operated retractable cords instead of cords you have to manually wrap around and around for storage.
WET/DRY VACUUMS tend to be powerful, less expensive work-horses. Also known as shop vacs, these special canister machines are notable for being able to safely pick up water---unlike other vacuums. They are most at home in garages and basements, where they're useful for sucking up everything from sawdust to smelly water leaks. Generally speaking, the more you spend, the more reliable the machine will be and the more extras it will include.
HANDHELD VACUUMS are portable battery-operated machines. Ever since the introduction, years ago, of the Dust-Buster, handheld vacs have been hugely popular. Most are powerful and surprisingly inexpensive. But since they have limited battery power---often less than ten minutes at a shot--they are useful only for quick jobs, such as spills and cleaning up toddler crumb trails. Today, they come with more and more features and attachments, including better filtration systems (which may or may not be necessary for the kinds of jobs they tackle). As with full-size machines , don't get tempted by useless extras. When buying, stick to the basics--brand reliability, warranties, and battery power.
IF YOU HAVE STAIRS TO CLEAN, instead of buying a separate, smaller vacuum cleaner made for stair-cleaning, outfit your existing machine with the appropriate extras. First, buy an extension tube (usually 12 feet long), which will allow you to leave your machine on the ground floor while you clean the entire flight of steps. You can buy extension tubes for both uprights and canister vacs.
For carpet-covered stairs, buy a turbo tool. Powered by the incoming airflow (hence the name turbo), these attachments act like small beater bars to help loosen and pull up hairs, lint, and dirt from carpet pile. But because they do not need a power cord to rotate, they can be attached to extension hoses. They are much lighter than motor-driven beater-bar nozzles.
VACUUM CLEANERS ARE SOLD at department stores, discount stores, and home improvement stores.
Note: Watch with in few days "PERSONAL BEAUTY CARE" BLOG
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