How our dirty floors led us to a world of $2,000 vacuum cleaners, HEPA filters, motor bypass systems and the knowledge that a cleaning appliance can be stylish and sexy
See, it’s my carpet. I’m not cleaning it properly. I’ve come to this conclusion after two weeks of looking at vacuum cleaners and learning about suction and airflow, watts and “water lift” — and discovering that my vacuum, a 20-year-old hand-me-down Hoover, doesn’t seem to have much of any of these.
The carpet looks fine. Clean, even. Nice and beige and clean. I would never have known about the dirt that lurks if not for a very savvy (and very clean, apparently) co-worker, who mentioned in a meeting last month that she had just purchased a new vacuum cleaner. For $600.
“Six hundred dollars?” I wheezed, sucking in more air, I now understand, than my old Hoover does. “Who spends $600 on a vacuum cleaner?”
Well, I’ll tell you who spends $600 on a vacuum cleaner. People who don’t want to live in filth. And people who don’t want to spend $1,300 or $2,200, because that’s what some of today’s vacuums are going for.
I know what you’re thinking. Hey, I’m with you. Buying a vacuum cleaner is about the least sexy way a person can spend money. For that kind of cash, you could buy a pair of Kate Spade leather boots. Two iPods. Three days in Paris, if you travel during the off-season.
But can you really enjoy all that luxury when the floor beneath you — and every other surface, for that matter — is crawling with dust mites, pet hair and microscopic particles of you?
Ew.
Here’s what I’m talking about. Vacuums have come a long way in the past several years. When my Hoover was made, vacuums didn’t have fancy filters to eliminate allergens. There weren’t any little lights that turned green when a patch of carpet had been thoroughly cleaned. And the monstrous suction machines of yesteryear certainly weren’t easy on the eyes.
Nope — a vinyl bag and a thick metal handle accompanied a deafening motor that tripped over every stray penny or paper clip. And the dust? Yeah, maybe it got sucked up into the machine. But thanks to plentiful ventilation holes in that ugly vinyl bag, a lot of that dust was propelled right back out into the room.
In my case, it still is. I’ve been using that Hoover since I left for college. You see why I’m living in filth.
Modern is good
It turns out that while I’m pushing the dirt around on my floor, kicking up a cloud of dust, every time I vacuum, other people — like my savvy co-worker with the $600 vac — are picking up their dust and their dog hair and sealing it away for good. Newer vacuums, especially the high-end variety, are able to zap dust, dirt and other allergens like never before.
Here’s how the new vacuums do it:
1. Filtration systems. Consider the sealed HEPA system, which can be found on many of your high-end vacs (you’ll know it by its big sticker proclaiming “sealed HEPA filter!”). HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters are shown to remove 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns and larger. Which translates to: If it’s in the air and causes allergy and asthma problems, the filter will get rid of it.
If you’re a fanatic about this, you’ll want to be sure you’re getting a sealed filtration system, which doesn’t allow any air to escape the machine without going through the HEPA filter. Some vacuums have HEPA filters without the seal, and though they’re spewing less dust than a 20-year-old Hoover, they are allowing some particles to fly right back into the room.
2. Motor bypass systems. Remember running over a penny with your old vacuum cleaner? It makes a clanging sound and carries on as if you’ve tried to kill it. Well, that means the penny (and your dirt) is going up through the motor. Not a great deal. Newer vacuums, especially the nice ones, are sometimes designed with a two-motor system so that the dirt is guided away from the main power-drive motor. The dirt’s propelled through a separate hose and directly into the bag (or other storage container), which increases the life of your vacuum because the main motor can run without the impediment of dust and the occasional loose change.
3. Better materials. Consider the all-brush brush roller installed in some vacuums. A brush roller is, well, the rolling brush that scoops up your dust and propels it up into the vacuum. Vacuums used to have just a single, stiff, synthetic row of bristles. Now, some high-quality vacuums have multiple rows of bristles — and natural ones that aren’t too stiff to lift up, say, embedded pet hair.
4. Cool attachments. The attachment kits available today are mind-boggling. Got pleated drapes? There’s an attachment for that. Need a really long hose for hard-to-reach spots? Gotcha covered. The most brilliant attachments, though, are stair kits — a godsend if you have a 2-story house — and the special attachments that are designed to clean bare floors.
5. Style. Vacuums are more stylish and sexy than ever. Yep, I just used the word “stylish” to describe a vacuum cleaner.
The savvy co-worker, the one who got me started on all this, bought a Miele. That’s German for “top-of-the-line vacuum that comes in scrumptious colors.” Bright blues, sunny yellows and sophisticated grays, all lacquered and gleaming like something you’d actually want to use.
Miele (an appliance maker as common in Europe as Kenmore is here) seems to be leading the pack with vacuums that have style; the company’s new Art line features uprights cased in metallic brown and pistachio, even a glossy print of rich red roses. Even before it was produced, the Art line was winning design awards.
Other vacuum makers are trying to appeal to the eyes as well. There’s the Electrolux line of cherry-red appliances, compact and shiny. Sears’ Kenmore vacuums now come in colors such as Jitterbug Purple and Mambo Blue. And Hoover’s EmPower uprights feature modern-looking translucent panels in coral orange, pageant blue and calypso green.
You’ve come a long way, Hoover, since you made my greenish, beige-ish vinyl bag.
The cost of clean
There’s just one problem with all this improvement and innovation. And despite the filth factor, it makes me want to cling to my Hoover and never let go: money.
Vacuums don’t come cheap these days. You heard about the $600 Miele. Turns out that was a midrange Miele — other models go for as much as $1,300. A Dyson with all the attachments? $560. A bells-and-whistles Aerus Electrolux canister? Somewhere around $2,000.
These numbers don’t faze Jon Evans, who owns Tarrant County’s Evans Vacuum Cleaner. He says you should expect to pay about $500 if you want a really good vacuum.
Which may be a surprise if you’ve wandered the aisles of Target lately and spotted the rows of vacuums for $250 or less. What’s wrong with those machines?
See, there’s an interesting schism in the vacuum cleaner market. As high-end vacuum prices are rising into “outrageous” territory — $2,000! — economy vacuum prices are falling. And falling. How much are they falling? You can get, say, a Bissell bagless upright for less than $50. No kidding.
But vacuum purists stick their noses in the air when you bring this up. The $500 vacs and the $50 ones, they say, are not the same.
Judy Evans (no relation to Jon Evans of Evans Vacuum Cleaner) sells Aerus Electrolux vacuums in Fort Worth.
“There is,” she insists, “a distinct reason why [some] vacuum cleaners cost more money.”
In her west-side store, Evans sends one of her blue-and-white vacuums whirring into action. It’s about quality brushes, she says, and the two-motor bypass system. It’s about good filtration trapping all the particles. And, she says, it’s about airflow.
“As carpets have gotten denser and plusher, our company has created better airflow,” she says. “You can have all the suction in the world, but if you don’t have airflow, you don’t have a vacuum.”
She puts down the hose and sucks up a quarter to show the importance of good airflow at the floor level. Then she shows off the way the attachments swivel to stay flat on the floor and the way they can be stowed neatly in the top of the canister. It’s an elegant, effective machine, and I want one. I want the sealed HEPA filter and the self-adjustable power nozzle. I want the extended crevice tool and the pedal cord winder. I believe, I believe.
Later, though, I go to Target. And I see the Dirt Devil Vision bagless upright. It has three rows of rotating brushes. It has a HEPA filter. Heck, it even has a headlight on the front, and it costs hundreds less. I want to believe in this, too.
I talk to Jon Evans, he of the $500 estimate.
“Those cheaper machines do have their place in the market,” he says. “They are made for people who have apartments — they’re not going to use it like people with pets and kids will.”
If you have an apartment or a small home, especially, a low-end vacuum should meet your needs. If you don’t have pets or children, you probably don’t need the sort of power a high-end vacuum provides. And if you don’t have allergies, you may not place such importance on that HEPA filtration system.
But — and you knew this was coming — if you have a big house and you have to use your vacuum a lot, you may be better off with a more expensive vacuum. A lot of people, he says, end up buying two or three cheaper machines before they finally give in and buy a high-end one, so they end up spending more.
Bottom line? Figure out how much and how often you need a strong, solid vacuum. We’ve put together a chart to help you figure out what you need. And be sure to ask a lot of questions before you buy anything.
“There’s no one vacuum cleaner for everyone,” Jon Evans says. “They’re all made for a specific purpose.” And they’re more complicated than ever. Not like my simple, sweet, ugly old Hoover. Which I will miss when I buy a new machine, even if it does just redistribute my dirt.
Three vacuums with buzz
Dyson DC07
Type: Upright
Price: $420
What’s so special: Instead of bags, Dyson’s Cyclone system uses centrifugal force — lots of air spinning really fast, like a cyclone. When dirt enters the storage bin, the spinning air throws it against the outer edges. Because the dirt is out of the way and not getting clogged in a bag, the Dyson doesn’t lose suction power.
Best for: People who don’t like bags. The new DC11 Telescope, a canister that uses the same technology, is good for people without a lot of storage space.
iRobot Roomba
Type: Robotic
Price: $150-$250
What’s so special: The thing runs by itself without any help from you. Sensors keep the Roomba from running into your furniture, and it haphazardly crosses the room until it has gone over everything. Ideally, you’ll use it every day. The new Roomba Discovery, in stores soon (and available online now at www.irobot.com), has a bigger dust bin, faster charging and a detector that pays special attention to dirty spots.
Best for: People who like gadgets and have small, hard-to-reach spaces. Not good if you need a heavy-duty vacuum.
Electrolux Harmony
Type: Canister
Price: $400
What’s so special: The Harmony is super-quiet because the motor is insulated with foam. Electrolux recently gave the Harmony to several celebrities who are new moms, hoping we’d all understand that this vacuum won’t wake a sleeping baby. At 72 decibels, it’s in the same volume range as normal conversation. (The Harmony also contains a HEPA filter along with other bells and whistles.)
Best for: People who are sick of hearing the roar of a loud vacuum; people who want to have the same vacuum as Reese Witherspoon — and who actually believe Witherspoon does her own vacuuming.
If you have . . .
Kids and/or pets: You need a powerful vacuum with options and attachments, whether it’s an upright or canister. Some vacuums come with special attachments for pet hair, including the Dyson DC07 Animal, which has a mini “turbo tool” for cleaning upholstery and hard-to-reach surfaces.
Back problems: A canister vacuum puts less strain on the back than an upright, because you can place it in the middle of the floor and manipulate only the hose.
Allergies: You need a sealed HEPA filtration system. The Aerus Electrolux, Riccar and Miele filtration systems are all sealed and considered solid.
Stairs: Try a canister vac — it’s less for you to lift. Some vacuums have stair attachments that give you some freedom. Riccar makes an upright that has a 15-foot stair kit; the Dyson DC07 has a 17-foot hose that extends for stair cleaning.
Bare floors: If more than half of your house is carpet-free, get a canister vacuum. A sealed filtration system helps with more than allergies; on bare floors, a sealed filter will eliminate that dusty-floor feeling, too. Some vacuums come with a bare-floor attachment kit.
By Alyson Ward
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
From Star Telegram