An important part of your vacuum cleaner is its belts. The vacuum cleaner belt is what makes it run so care needs to be taken when dealing with your vacuum cleaner belts.

There are three kinds of vacuum belts: (source)

A grooved belt (the inside of the belt has grooves “engraved” on the inside of the vacuum cleaner belt). This belt can be found in some of the Simplicity Uprights. It is becoming more popular, but hardly commonplace at the moment. Like the geared belt, it doesn’t stretch substantially and you should check it at least once a year for wear.

A smooth vacuum cleaner belt may be round or flat. Either way it is smooth on the inside. This type of belt should be replaced every 6 months to a year. It is important to change this type of belt to maintain the performance of your vacuum cleaner. Most of my customers treat a vacuum belt like a can of shaving cream. They keep using it until it just doesn’t work any more. This is a mistake.

A smooth vacuum belt will stretch over time, which means your roller won’t spin as often or possibly at all when it’s on a carpeted surface. Your carpet pays the price for this, as sand, dust, dirt, and whatever else find it’s way into your carpet remains in your carpet. Your carpet will not be as clean as it should be.

Now the key aspects of your vacuum cleaner belts are:

• proper installation of the belt
• using the proper belt for your vacuum
• changing your belt periodically, probably every 6 months
• cleaning our your vacuum, especially the motor spindle and brush roll
• care when vacuuming, probably one of the biggest causes for vacuum cleaner belt breakage is snagging on the rim of a rug or a blanket

Take care of your vacuum cleaner belt and your vacuum should run well for a very long time. 

You have probably seen the unique TV commercials from the Dyson company.  Today we thought we would provide a bit of background information on Dyson.  Sir James Dyson is the founder of this British company. The company was established in the late 1970’s when Dyson developed the dual cyclone protype. His first vacuum was built in 1983.

The uniqueness of the Dyson vacuums is its cyclone system. So what exactly is the cyclone system and how does it work?

(source) “This machine, developed in the 1980s by James Dyson, doesn’t have a traditional bag or filter system. Instead, it sends the air stream through one or more cylinders, along a high-speed spiral path. This motion works something like a clothes dryer, a roller coaster or a merry-go-round. As the air stream shoots around in a spiral, all of the dirt particles experience a powerful centrifugal force: They are whipped outward, away from the air stream. In this way, the dirt is extracted from the air without using any sort of filter. It simply collects at the bottom of the cylinder.”

What are the advantages of this system? (From the Dyson Website):

-No loss of suction.
-All floor performance - Excellent pick up on all floor surfaces, not just carpet.
-Cleaner exhaust air - Dyson uprights are certified asthma & allergy friendly™ by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The air expelled from a Dyson vacuum has up to 150 times less bacteria and mold than the air you breathe.
-No extra costs
-Lifetime HEPA and washable filters, and no bags to buy.
-5 year warranty - Parts and labor guaranteed for 5 years on uprights and canisters.

Currently there are at least 14 Dyson models of vacuum cleaners with the cyclone system in the Dyson DC07, DC08, DC08TW, DC11, DC14, DC15, DC16, DC17, DC18, DC19, DC20, DC21, DC22, DC23, DC24 and DC25.  For more information on Dyson parts or the vacuums, please see our website TotalVac.

Last week we spoke on what to look at when purchasing a vacuum. We covered such things as, where you need to vacuum, what accessories you might need, pricing, etc.

Today we wanted to cover another aspect to vacuum cleaner shopping, that of current customer reviews on-line. The Internet is a wonderful tool to provide information, resources, opinions, etc on an unlimited number of topics. The Internet has changed how we shop for vacuum cleaners, vacuum cleaner parts and accessories…any household item or applicance. A wise consumer will take advantage of this information.

Seeing what other consumers have to say about a vacuum is a great idea. Does the vacuum perform as advertised, are parts easy to find, is it worth the money, what is the craftsmanship like, any particular problems with that model, recall info are typical questions that are usually answered in customer product reviews.

Reviews from current customers is usually the first place we recommend shoppers to look. We follow that same advice when shopping. We do have a few pieces of advice for using customer reviews.

1. Read all reviews listed on the web site. Normally a web site will provide an average score. See how the scorces varied and see what the problems were (if any).
2. Keep an eye on the negative reviews, make sure they are not just venting or have an agenda. Most folks will provide constructive feedback.
3. Go to numerous sites to see what reviews are provided there.

Yes this will take some time but it will be well worth your effort. Once you have reviewed over the vacuum cleaner(s) you are interested in and have read the on-line reviews, create your own score. While this is not a fool-proof system it should help you steer away from trouble models.

Here are some web sites that provide reviews to vacuum cleaners and other items:

Epinions
Vacuum Cleaners and Reviews
CNET
Consumer Reports

One of the most important things you can do for you car is change your oil. One of the most important things you can do with you vacuum is change your cleaner bags.

Most vacuums are designed to have a bag but there those out there that are “bagless”. Changing your vacuum cleaner bag is expected to be done by most consumers so it is important to know how to do it and to have a supply on hand for the bags your vacuum cleaner will need.

Most vacuums designed and sold today are built to protect the motor from damage while vacuuming. These “enclosed” vacuums are designed, so everything you vacuum goes up through the hose and directly into the vacuum cleaner bag. Now there are many vacuums out there that do not do this. Many times these vacuums are advertised as “lightweight” (8 or 9 lbs) vacuums. In these vacuums, the system is not “enclosed” and can be very easy to break the fan/motors. In either case, it is important to change the cleaner bags regularly. If you do not clean out your vacuum bag regularly, the bag can easily tear or rip inside your vacuum and thus damage your fan and/or motor.

A good rule of thumb is to change your vacuum cleaner bag once per month.

Care needs to be taken when vacuuming up some objects. If your bag is full or the object has sharp edges, they could cause your cleaner bag to break and possibly cause damage to your vacuum. This definitely is a cause of concern with your lightweight vacuum cleaners. Also care has to be taken when placing a new bag into your vacuum cleaner. If you find you ripped the cleaner bag by accident, throw it away and use a new cleaner bag.

Another good rule of thumb is to keep vacuum cleaner bags less than half full. As your cleaner bags fill up, you will see a decrease in suction.

Finally for those with allergies, there are hypo-allergenic bags. These bags are treated to reduce dust and dust mites from being reintroduced into the air.

 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.

You need a new vacuum cleaner?  Well, be ready for some decision making. Vacuums these days are not as simple as you might think. Vacuums were considered a luxury item before World War II. Today it would be unthinkable to NOT have a vacuum(s) in your home. Vacuums are an indepensible tool that every homeowner needs to help maintain their home and health.

When looking to purchase a vacuum, there should be two major components to your decision. The first component to your decision is the location where you need to vacuum. What do you have in your home, office, and/or workshop where you are going to use your new vacuum?

• •Stairs
• •Hardwood floors
• •Tile
• •Carpet: such as cut pile (saxony, texture, velvet/plush, and frieze), level loop pile (including berber), cut and loop pile, multi-level loop pile
• •Upholstery
• •Hard to reach places, overhead shelves, ceiling fans, etc

The other componenet to your decision is the vacuum itself.  Research the various types of vacuums currently available before making any purchase. Taking into account your thoughts and conclusions for the first component, many of the asepcts of your new vacuum you should consider are:

• •Brand: Kirby, Miele, Dyson, etc
• •Style: canister vs upright vacuum cleaners
• •Attachments and options available
• •Power
• •Price range
• •Warranty
• •Local Service options

Spending a little time and doing some research before purchasing your new vacuum will allow you get the best vacuum that will best you, your budget, and your cleaning needs.