All about Vacuum Cleaners

The vacuum cleaner sitting in your hall closet is not something you probably think about much. But imagine what life might be like if these ingenious cleaning machines did not exist. The carpeting in our homes would probably not exist as it does today for the simple reason that it would be increasingly difficult to clean it. Without the lowly vacuum cleaner we would be relegated to a life of brooms and dust pans.

The vacuum cleaner itself is a rather amazing device, using an electric motor to run an air pump it sucks up all manner of dirt, dust, and hair through the creation of a partial vacuum. It also has system of filters that ensure that all that dust does not return back into the home environment.

There are quite a variety of vacuum cleaner models on the market today. They derive their name types from their basic configurations. The most well known and popular are listed below.

• Upright Vacuum Cleaner: Probably the most well known of all the types this type of vacuum uses a belt driven rotating brush to loosen dust and dirt that is then sucked into its collection bag. The air pump is normally mounted on top of the suction intake and the bag is attached to the unit inside a plastic housing on the handle. This allows for easy access when changing bags.

• Bagless Vacuum Cleaner: Just as the name implies this type of vacuum does not have a collection bag. Instead it normally uses a clear plastic collection compartment that can be emptied when full. A bagless machine is normally built on the upright design.

• Canister Vacuum Cleaner: While not as popular as the upright models many people do prefer this type of unit. The motor and bag reside in a separate canister that is connected to the vacuum head or wand by a flexible house. The canister is normally mounted on wheels and is pulled around the house by the hose. Higher end models have rotating brushes built into the wand. These are normally powered by a small electric motor in the power head.

• Backpack Vacuum Cleaner: These are mainly used for commercial cleaning jobs because they are highly portable and easy to use over a large area. It is basically a canister vacuum that’s been modified with backpack straps and is carried on the back.

• Central Vacuum Cleaner: This type of vacuuming system is built into the home and has the suction motor and dirt collection bag or canister located in a central location. Outlets in each room are attached to the central unit via a network of plastic (PVC) ductwork. A long 25 foot hose and power head can be plugged into the outlets at which time the electric motor starts, powering the whole system. The dirt collection bag is normally very large and only has to be emptied several times a year. A central vac system is expensive compared to the other choices but it is a nice way to go if it fits your budget.

• Robotic Vacuum Cleaner: These are the latest entry into the carpet cleaning industry. These are the set it and forget units that move around the house on battery power. They have internal sensors that allow them to vacuum the house with out human intervention.

• Shop/Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaners: these are large industrial sized units found in shops and garages everywhere. They are powerful and can suck up just about anything, including liquids.

Vacuum cleaners have become an important, if forgotten, part of our modern life; keeping our carpets clean in an efficient manner that’s hard to beat.