Allergies are something most everyone needs to aware of. During a recent search, found some information that should be of interest to everyone.

How to choose a good hepa vacuum cleaner. Vacuum leaners compared, rated and reviewed. The best vacuum cleaners for allergy sufferers. o allergy sufferer should be without a good quality hepa vacuum cleaner. We have written, researched and published great deal about indoor air quality and vacuum cleaners over recent years. This is a guide to everything we have written on the subject and the questions we are asked most often about vacuum cleaners. Some of what we have written about vacuum cleaners we consider to be more worthy of your reading than others. The articles we think are best we have designated with a graphic light bulb as “best read” for vacuums.

HEPA vacuums are great fro allergy sufferers.

We have mentioned and will continue to discuss how to make your home healthier and allergy free (or the best it can be) through better vacuum cleaners and systems. We found an article, which we felt tied into this nicely and wanted to put it here for your convenience.

Make Your New Or Existing Home Even Greener

(NAPSI)-There’s no need to sacrifice style when making environmentally conscious home design choices.

Today’s manufacturers offer beautifully designed, energy-saving and environmentally friendly options to help create a green environment in your existing or newly built home.

Improving indoor air quality (IAQ) is a growing concern for homeowners. Industry leaders have developed and manufactured forward-thinking residential ventilation and built-in products that greatly improve the overall indoor environment, a key component to making a home greener.

According to a number of leading organizations including the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exhausting pollutants and moisture from the home is one of the best ways to ensure better IAQ.

Range hoods and ventilation fans that are ducted to the outside are the best options for spot ventilation of pollutants and moisture.

Brands such as Broan and NuTone offer complete lines of quiet kitchen and bath ventilation products, including many that are ENERGY STAR® qualified, making them a truly green product.

Noise pollution also is reduced as most of these range hoods and ventilation fans are rated at less than 1.5 Sones. For comparison, 1.0 Sone is equivalent to the sound made by a quiet refrigerator.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, asthma and allergies strike one out of four Americans-roughly 60 million people. Poor IAQ, which can be caused by dust mites, mold spores, pollen, humidity, pet dander, smoke and radon, can contribute to asthma and allergy attacks.

NuTone central vacuum systems can alleviate poor IAQ by pulling dust, dirt and allergens from the living environment more effectively than portable vacuums, trapping them within the filtration system of the power unit and exhausting them outdoors.

A central vacuum system also can be used to more effectively “power dust” furniture and living space by removing the dust from the living areas rather than just moving it around.

The system is up to five times more powerful than a conventional vacuum cleaner and will not recirculate dust-laden air back into the room.

Today’s energy-efficient ventilation products offer easy ways to reduce pollution and improve indoor air quality.

That is a good question and the answer really varies depending on who you are. If you are a pet owner then you know that pet hair can become a major chore in cleaning up. We have a short hair dachshund and have not found pet hair to be a major problem but it can be.

Most vacuum cleaner manufacturers have designed specialized attachments to deal with pets and your home. Depending on your vacuum cleaner, will depend on what attachments are available.

So what are people saying?

The Best Vacuum For Pet Owners: Dyson Animal Vacuums

SEBO C2 Vacuum Cleaner; A Perfect Answer to Cat Hair Clean-Up - “was so thrilled with the performance of my Sebo vacuum cleaner, and less than thrilled with her Kenmore which she said was always in and out of the repair shop”

• I have four cats and a dog. I have found that our Craftsman shop vacuum works wonders on picking up hair from the floor, furniture and carpeted cat stand. It’s a lot cheaper than other vacuums, too. You can get several attachments with it.
• The very best is Oreck. It’s lightweight, so you’ll be more inclined to use it. Also, those lint removers–the ones on a roller–are terrific for picking up hair.
• We now have a Fantom Fury bagless vacuum, with a HEPA filter
• The one I have now is, by far, the best. It is a Hoover Wind Tunnel (Premium)

• I have a golden retriever–Bissel Pet Hair Eraser.
• I have two dogs and I suggest Dyson all the wa. The Dyson vacuums especially the one made for animal owners called “The Animal”. It’ll set you back about $500 bucks but it’s more than worth it.
  

These are just a few comments that are out there on-line. What are your thoughts on the subject. For accessories or parts for your vacuum, head over to TotalVac.com

In 1992, Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) launched its Green Label program to test carpet, cushions and adhesives to help specifiers identify products with very low emissions of Volatile organice compounds (VOCs). For vacuum cleaners, the Carpet and Rug Institute also developed the green label program.

The Green Label program helps to identify vacuum cleaners that meet three different types of criteria:
1. Soil removal:  This protocol will require that the vacuum cleaner remove a specified quantity of soil from the test carpet in four passes.

2. Dust containment: This protocol will dictate the total amount of dust particles that are released into the surrounding air by the action of the brush rolls, through the filtration bag, and any leaks that come from the vacuum system. with this test, the vacuum cleaner can’t release more than 100 micrograms of dust particles per cubic meter of air.

3. Carpet retention: This final protocol is for appearance retention will require that the vacuum cleaner not adversely affect the appearance of the carpet, based on a year of normal usage.

If a vacuum cleaner meets all three of the above criteria, then the manufacturer may then display the official CRI Green Label on it’s vacuum cleaner(s). The CRI tests canister and upright vacuums, wide area vacuums, and even walk behind types as well.

TotalVac carries green cleaning products.

 You hear about HEPA filters all the time. Why do you need a HEPA filter?
HEPA filters trap fine particles (such as pollen and dust mite feces) which can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms.

How do they work?
HEPA filters trap particles using three mechanisms (source):

-Interception, where particles following a line of flow in the air stream come within one radius of a fibre and adhere to it.
-Impaction, where larger particles are unable to avoid fibres by following the curving contours of the air stream and are forced to embed in one of them directly; this increases with diminishing fibre separation and higher air flow velocity.
-Diffusion, an enhancing mechanism is a result of the collision with gas molecules by the smallest particles, especially those below 0.1 µm in diameter, which are thereby impeded and delayed in their path through the filter.

Finally do HEPA filters cost more?
In general, HEPA filters for air filters, etc or vacuums equipped with HEPA filters will cost a bit more but the health benefits definitely outway any extra costs you might incur.