The vacuum is quite an amazing piece of equipment.  Life would be difficult without one.  Many people prefer vacuum cleaners for carpeted floors in the home.

The vacuum is ingenious.  It has an air pump that creates a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt that it collects by a filtering system or a cyclone to dispose of later.

Vacuum cleaner types

There are many different types of vacuum cleaners.  The following are some of the best known varieties.

Bag-less

Bag less vacuum cleaners do not use bags.  They collect dust in a compartment which can be easily removed from the unit and emptied.  This saves the hassle of dealing with messy vacuum bags.

Upright

These units have a pump mounted directly above the suction intake.  The bag is mounted on the handle that normally is about waist height.  The designs of the upright unit will normally employ mechanical beaters, which are often rotating brushes, to help dust that has yet to settle and be vacuumed up.  A belt attached to the units motor drives the beaters.

Canister

Canister units have a motor and bag held in a separate cylinder unit that is connected to the vacuum head by a long flexible hose.  While upright units are generally more effective, the lighter heads of the canister are also popular.  There are models on the market that feature power heads that contain the same type of beaters found in upright units.  These beaters are however driven by a separate electric motor.

Backpack

Backpack vacuums are wonderful for commercial cleaning.  They allow the user to move around quickly in large areas.  This unit is basically a canister vacuum, but has straps used to carry the canister on the user’s back .

Central vacuum

A central or built in vacuum has the suction motor and bag based in a central location of the building and provides vacuum inlets throughout the building.  This allows the user to only need to carry the hose and pickup head from room to room.  The hose is approximately 25′ long, allowing a large range of movement without having to change inlets.

A plastic pipe connects the outlets to the central unit.  The head of the vacuum can be either un-powered or have beaters operated by an air driven or electric motor.  The debris bags in the central systems are so large that they generally require changing only once or twice a year.

Robotic

Robot vacuums move around the home cleaning as they wish.  These units are compact and powered by rechargeable batteries.

Hand held

Hand held units are quite small and powered by either batteries or electricity.  They are very popular for cleaning up car spills.

Wet or dry vacs

Wet/dry vacuum units are used to clean both wet and dry spills.

Vacuums are helpful in protecting building inhabitants from dust particles.  They are also a great help to those who suffer from allergies or asthma that is triggered by dust and dirt.  Before purchasing a vacuum, always read a few reviews to find out information about the vacuum to ensure it will meet your needs.

Jackie Krokaw is a home economist, custodian, chef, part-time teacher, maid… ok, you get the picture, she’s a stay at home mom. On the side though, she likes to develop websites which have something to do with keeping up the home. Her latest, Vacuum Cleaner Guide is centered around providing information and buyers guide for vacuum cleaners!