Oh Yes You Can! Choose The Best Vacuum Cleaner For You!

A vacuum cleaner is one of your most important cleaning tools. To choose the one that's best for your needs, look around the house and see what most often needs cleaning. If you clean houses for a living, make a list of the most important things you need to clean and what you expect a vacuum to do for you.

First, Choose either an upright or a canister vacuum. Uprights are best for cleaning just your carpet, while canisters offer more versatility but are more difficult to lug around. Decide how important a sophisticated filtration system is to you. Vacuums that have them generally cost more, but they can be effective in removing a large percentage of pollens and mites from the air.

Second, oose the "bells and whistles" in terms of attachments, attachment caddies, power nozzles, indicators that tell if the bag is full, air freshener systems and self-propelled uprights. Compare and read warranties carefully.

• Consider An Upright
Some upright vacuums now come with an onboard hose and attachments to make them more versatile for cleaning.

• Forget The Salesman
Regardless of what the salesperson tells you, the number of amps a vacuum uses has nothing to do with the power of its motor.

• Consider Allergies
If you have severe allergies, get a vacuum with a HEPA filter.

• Durable Materials
Many highly publicized vacuum cleaners are made of plastic. Most people who know about vacuums will tell you to ignore the hype and get a metal one.

Third, Don't be suckered. Having had 2 Dysons, we won't make that mistake again. The adverts say they never lose suction, but that is patently untrue. Even religiously cleaning the filters on a monthly basis the suction on our DC07 is terrible, and it's less than 3 years old. In that time, most of it has been replaced (by Dyson) as the nozzles that create the cyclones get clogged with fluff and are not serviceable (because you cannot get access to them). On top of that, a Dyson is extremely noisy and cumbersome. We will not be suckered into buying another.

Resources:
We bought a Filter Queen upon the recommendation of a friend, without consulting reviews. While it cleaned well, the motor went out after 6 years despite reasonable care and use. For the money, I'd look into a Miele, Hoover, Electrolux, anything else.

Realize that no-bag vacuum cleaners usually require that you purchase, and keep on hand, one or more types of filters. In my experience, hassling with filters is no less burdensome than hassling with a bag. If possible, before buying make sure that an upright vacuum doesn't easily tip over. Mine tips over with the slightest tug!

If you're interested in HEPA filtration, as a solution to allergies or lead paint dust, be sure to also consider how airtight the vacuum itself is. Many vacuums with HEPA filters do very little to contain allergens. They are not sealed systems, a HEPA filter can only filter the air that passes through it. It can't filter exhaust air that escapes before it reaches the filter. Although Miele vacuum cleaners are expensive, they are very well made and are completely sealed systems. I don't have to dust nearly as often as I used to. I haven't had to clean my furnace filter in 4 years. I cleaned it when I first got my Miele.