Contents
Types of Vacuum Cleaners
How to Buy a Vacuum Cleaner
Vacuum Cleaner Attachments
How to Clean a Vacuum Cleaner
How to Care for Vacuum Parts
How to Vacuum Everything in Your House
How to Vacuum Carpets and Rugs
How to Vacuum Floors
How to Vacuum Stairs
How to Vacuum Furniture
How to Vacuum Curtains
How to Vacuum Window Blinds
How to Vacuum Walls and Ceilings
Learn more with these titles from Barnes & Noble
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- The main types of vacuum cleaners and how they differ
- Guidelines for choosing the right type of vacuum and model for you
- Tips on vacuuming carpets, floors, stairs, furniture, and more
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Types of Vacuum Cleaners
A vacuum cleaner is vital for cleaning floors and carpets, as well as upholstery, drapes, fireplace areas, and much more. Not all vacuum cleaners are the same, though—getting the right vacuum cleaner for your home will make your housecleaning job quicker and easier.
The Two Main Types of Vacuums
There are two main types of vacuums: upright and canister.
Upright Vacuum Cleaners
Upright vacuums have a flat, broad base that rolls on wheels and is attached to a vertical handle. The underside of an upright includes a beater bar, a rotating metal rod with stiff bristles that penetrate into carpet pile and suck up deep-seated dirt. Most uprights give you the option to retract or deploy the beater bar, letting you clean bare floors and carpets (if the beater bar can’t be retracted, then the vacuum can’t be used on bare floors). Uprights also typically have a flexible hose that you can use to vacuum tight spots that the base can’t reach, such as corners, drapes, and under furniture.
Canister Vacuum Cleaners
Canister vacuums have a wheeled canister base connected to a long hose—you pull the canister behind you while vacuuming with the hose.
Canisters include an attachment that has a beater bar, which lets you vacuum carpets along with bare floors.
Other Types of Vacuums
A reliable upright or canister vacuum is good for most
vacuuming needs, but there are a few other types of
vacuums that come in handy for certain tasks.
Robotic Vacuum Cleaners
Robotic vacuum cleaners are small, low-profile machines that vacuum for you. Though they look somewhat like toys and don’t have the suction power of higher-end uprights or canister vacuums, for light vacuuming they can get the job done—and with no effort on your part. The leading robotic vacuum cleaner manufacturer is iRobot (www.irobot.com), whose Roomba® model has become very popular since its introduction in 2002. Other popular models include the eVac® by Sharper Image and the CleanMate® by Metapo.
Carpet Sweepers
Operating somewhat like automatic brooms, carpet sweepers collect dirt with a rolling brush and store it in a replaceable bag, or in a built-in compartment that you can easily clean out. All you have to do is push the sweeper back and forth—the device has no
motor and cleans almost silently.
Carpet sweepers are handy for basic carpet and rug cleaning, such as clearing dirt from an entryway, but they can’t replace a traditional upright or canister vacuum, and they’re almost useless on bare floors.
Hand-Held Vacuum Cleaners
Made popular by Black & Decker’s ubiquitous DustBuster®, hand-held vacuums are portable, typically cordless, and used for cleaning up small
“local” wet or dry messes, such as spilled food. Hand-held vacs are also useful for cleaning
hard-to-reach spots on upholstery, such as the crevices between couch cushions. Some models include attachments to make tasks like this even easier.
Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaners
Wet/dry vacuum cleaners are heavy-duty machines used for tough cleaning jobs, such as vacuuming garages. They can safely suck up almost anything, including water, nails, sawdust, and other harsh materials that might damage the inner workings of regular vacuums. Wet-dry vacs are often referred to as Shop-Vacs®, the leading brand name.
Steam Cleaners
Also known as hot-water extraction vacs, industrial-strength steam cleaners use steam to deep-clean carpets. Rather than own a steam cleaner, it’s easier just to rent one from a local supermarket, hardware store, or rental center, or to hire a professional service such as Stanley Steemer® (www.stanleysteemer.com). Either way, steam cleaning is not a replacement for vacuuming and should be done only about once per year.
Central Vacuuming Systems
As an alternative to a portable vacuum that you carry through the house as you clean, you can install a central vacuuming system, which works as follows:
- A main unit, usually located in a basement or closet, houses the system’s motor, power source, and central controls.
- Wall-based vacuum hose outlets (about the size of electrical sockets) are installed in rooms throughout the house.
- You connect a vacuuming hose into the nearest outlet and press a button near the outlet to turn on the suction in order to vacuum that area.
- The dust and dirt travel through ducts in your walls and are collected in the main unit for removal later.
Installing a central vacuuming system is significantly more expensive than buying a vacuum machine (it can cost thousands of dollars), but such systems are much more powerful than upright or canister vacuums and also usually more effective at preventing dust and allergens from spewing into the air as you clean. Many new homes are now built with central vacuuming systems.
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