Vacuum Cleaners

Upright Vacuum Cleaners have a large motor with a Vacuum head, dust collection bag or container and handle built into the one unit. Upright Vacuums are powerful and great for thoroughly cleaning carpets. Because of their design, Upright Vacuums tend to be easier to manoeuvre around the floor and can be pushed around without needing to bend over as much. They do tend to be bulky and heavy though, which makes them less suited for stairs. Upright Vacuums also tend to have fewer Attachments, which can make them less versatile when compared with other Vacuums.

Stick Vacuums are built as a single, wand-shaped appliance. Unlike Uupright Vacuums, Stick Vacuums are lightweight and cordless which makes them great for quick cleans, hard to reach spots and car interiors. This comes at the cost of less suction power and being reliant on battery life. Many Stick Vacuums can also be quickly converted into a Handheld Vacuum for tiny spaces.

When you Vacuum around the home, dirt and dust is lifted off the floor and collected. Depending on what sort of Vacuum you buy, the dirt and dust will be collected in either a disposable bag or a removable dust bin. Both options have their advantages.

Bagless Vacuums are easy to empty and save the time, money and environmental impact of buying replacement bags. The transparent dustbins on Bagless Vacuums easily show the tank is full enough to be emptied, and it’s easy to retrieve any items sucked up by accident. If you have allergies or asthma, emptying the bin can expose you to dust and allergens as you empty it, however some have a mechanism that allow the dirt to be expelled directly into the bin without any exposure.

Emptying a Bagged Vacuum is generally less messy because the whole Vacuum Cleaner Bag gets thrown away rather than emptied. Some of these bags are biodegradable and can go in the compost. The bags themselves are an ongoing cost and they need to be compatible with the Vacuum model.

All Vacuum Cleaners have a filter fitted inside that removes dirt particles from the exhaust before it is expelled back into the room. HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air and is a type of mechanical air filter that can trap at least 99.97% of the particles that pass through it down to 0.3 microns in size. Vacuum Cleaners with a HEPA filter can trap dust mite droppings, pollens, mould, pet dander and tobacco particles.

The average non-HEPA equipped Vacuum traps around 96% of the dirt and dust that it sucks up. For those who experience asthma, allergies or other respiratory difficulties, a Vacuum with a HEPA filter will significantly reduce the amount of dust, pollens and other particulate irritants that find their way into your home. Vacuums with HEPA filters tend to be more expensive than other models and tend to require more frequent cleaning because they are trapping more dirt. A new HEPA filter should be installed every year to ensure it performs as expected.

Cleaning up after pets is no small task with fur from cats or dogs getting everywhere in carpets to clothes to furniture. Many Vacuum Cleaner brands include a variety of models designed to make cleaning in a home with pets easier.

Pet Vacuums can be any type of Vacuum Cleaner, including Barrel, Upright, Stick and Handheld Vacuums. The type of Pet Vacuum Cleaner to choose from will likely come down to how it'll be used. If home has stairs that need to be vacuumed, then a Barrel Vacuum or Stick Vacuum will be easier to use than an Upright model. Handheld and Stick Vacuums are lightweight and portable making them handy for spot cleaning, especially in tricky spots.

Vacuums with a brush in the head are useful for agitating carpets to pick up more dirt and pull out pet hair from their fibres. Some Vacuum Cleaners have special attachments for gently grooming your pet, and a HEPA filter will remove pet dander from the air and floor as well as fur.