I started investigating vacuum cleaners after moving into an old home (100+ years). I didn’t know much when first moving in and used my old Bissell to suck paint chips out of a few window sills- now I realize those chips had lead-based paint on them and no longer want to use the old vacuum cleaner.
I plan on borrowing our county’s lead-cleanup HEPA to suck up the rest of the loose paint chips and vacuum the walls/floors for a first time. I can not borrow this for each and every house cleaning, however, and don’t have $600+ to invest in a vacuum rated for lead cleanup.
At first I purchased the “lift-off” Bissell which comes with a “HEPA filter media.” Now I know that this vacuum is not sealed and also that the HEPA filter was probably not tested with the actual vacuum cleaner air flow levels. I returned this vacuum and am considering what to do next.
I noticed that Eureka has a “closed HEPA system.” What are the opinions of this vacuum cleaner? I see the 8853AVZ features this- I’m not sure if this is the same one I was looking at in the store but the feature seems to be the same.
Are these vacuums the same as the other inexpensive ones where the filter media is simply tested at a lower air flow? I can see how marketers wouldn’t mind selling this as a “sealed system” when the truth is that all the air flows through the HEPA filter but the filter doesn’t hold together…
I’d just like to find the best solution for keeping my home clean for a low cost. I realize I can probably only have one or the other so my last question- what is the most inexpensive vacuum I can buy which would have actual HEPA filtration?
Thanks all,
David
