Consumer Guide to Vacuum Cleaners

by editor@text4price.com @ 16 May 2006 - 10:41:06

If you’re anything like us at Text4price, we’re always on the look-out for ways to make tedious cleaning jobs go as quickly as possible. But before we can help, you need to think about just what you’re going to be cleaning:

• Do you want your cleaner to work well on bare floors and carpet?
• Do you need attachments for different cleaning jobs?
• Will you be carrying the cleaner up and downstairs a lot?
• Will it need to be lightweight enough to transport from room to room easily?

A simple rule to follow is, the higher the wattage of the cleaner, the more powerful the suction action, irrespective of the type of cleaner.

So which type of cleaner should you be considering?

Not unsurprisingly ‘Upright’ vacuum cleaners stand upright. They make the coverage of large rooms effortless and are easy to move around. Usually they’re adjustable for different heights of carpet and bare floors.

The trouble with upright cleaners is that they’re not easy to move up and downstairs and unless they have separate hoses they can be difficult to get into all those tight spaces.

The opposite of the upright is the ‘Cylinder’ Vacuum cleaner. Lying horizontally on the floor these cleaners are great for bare floors, stairs, curtains and any vertical surface. Most new models include beater attachments and include a great variety of “on board” tools. The problem with these cleaners is that they don’t store as easily as an upright vacuum cleaner.

Bagless vacuum cleaners have really caught on with the introduction of the ground breaking Dyson and are considered by many to be the cleaner to have. The bagless feature means that a vacuum bag is not needed - a specially designed plastic cup collects the dirt so they’re much easier and cleaner to empty. However, expect to pay a premium for this design improvement.

Do I need a separate Filter?

Always look out for vacuums which have a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter built in. These remove more airborne allergens by filtering the air passing through the vacuum. If you or one of your family is an allergy sufferer, it can sometimes be a beneficial feature.

What about Handheld Cleaners?

Basically cordless, all handheld vacuum cleaners are small, portable and lightweight. They are also generally bagless and many also come with a variety of attachments for getting into tight places. They are ideal for small clean-up jobs around the kitchen or on stairs.

The newest trend is Robotic vacuum cleaners but they could hardly be considered a direct replacement for a ‘manual cleaner’. Their compact size means they are generally lower powered than other cleaners. Equally, so far no-one has developed a robotic cleaner that can climb stairs. The best feature for Robotic cleaners is the “dirt sensor” that tells the vacuum where the dirt is so that it will spend more time on those areas.

As we said at the beginning, you should have no trouble in choosing a good cleaner if you look for these key features:

• A Completely Sealed HEPA System and Hygienic dust bags
• Plenty of Attachments
• Long flexible hose although watch out for hoses which twist and kink
• Easy manoeverability
• Dust bag change indicator (those that require bags)
• Lightweight and quiet
• Bag savers and bagless vacuum cleaners.

As always, shop around for the best prices and, if you can, try them out instore. Here are some examples of what you can expect to pay for some types of vacuum cleaners described above.

Dyson DC14 Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum
PRICE RANGE
£162.00 - £284.00

Miele CAT & DOG TT 5000 Bagged Canister Vacuum
PRICE RANGE
£153.00 - £179.00
 

Kärcher RC3000 Bagless Robotic Vacuum
PRICE RANGE
£670.00 - £699.00

But don’t forget, always check you’re getting the best price in store by sending ‘find’ then the cleaner’s name to 84070.

Happy Cleaning……..

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Filed under: Vacuums

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