Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

MOLE:

Gas prices have come way down and still are falling.  Do you really think the consumption of gas by Americans has gone down in half since February to bring the prices down from $140 barrel to $75?  We were told demand made the prices double!  My two SUV's are looking better and better.

Sorry Mike, I know this has nothing to do with vacuums!  Just some food [gas] for thought!

Carmine D.

Hi DIB,

If you were speaking of a less challenging situation where light vacuuming was only called for once or twice a week there'd probably be no big deal.  However, you're overlooking Dyson's small dust capacity and the frequent emptying a heavy use situation as has been described would require.  Even Dyson is not a machine that will well endure be impacted with dust and fur for long.  You could also have just about  the same amount of "clean-up fun" with a Rainbow, a "bagless" but $#%*bersome vacuum that allows you to dump stuff down the toilet but that has its own strict maintenance regimen - if you want to keep it.

If we're speaking of a household where there's a lot of other duties to be tended to, the practical housekeeper learns how to be as quick and effective as possible by way of the least complicated execution of the tasks at hand so that most of the tasks a given day brings get done.  (Not to mention gaining time for one's self.)  There's seldom time for specializing or maintenance with every use.  Thus, methods and machines that simplify the work at hand are prized and those that further complicate or make daily tasks more complicated are not considered of much use.

Vacuuming in Melanie's household is understandably a daily necessity.  Whether you like vacuuming or not, the ideal is to do the job, put the machine away and get on to the next thing that is also of importance.  That in mind, even if I were to be able to afford hired help to do my housework, I doubt if I'd actually want to pay someone for the time required (15-30 minutes) to do maintenance on my vacuum when it could be used in a more worthwhile fashion.  The best answer to the problem is a machine or system with large dirt capacity and the least painless manner of disposal for sweepings. A vacuum with a big bag and good filtration or a central system are probably probably the better answer.

Also -- no -- a vacuum cleaner will probably not be the best method to promote overall indoor air quality BUT one with good filtration and an exhaust method designed to allow the least disturbance of standing dust, fur, debris, whatever, before it can be vacuumed up should reduce the amount of uncollected matter that may be set airborne by hand methods or badly designed machinery.

Best,

Venson

The NEO-CON agenda, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED...........

MOLE

Carmine, maybe it does.  Fuel charges for delivery of goods, whether to vendors or consumers, also affect the price of just about anything we buy.

Venson

DIB: 

Your enthusiasm for all things dyson is commendable but alas the facts speak for themselves. 

I'll paraphrase Consumer Reports which says pet hair has a propensity to stick to the plastic dirt bins and bin parts, including the shroud.  CR states that its test staff has to pick off the pet hair by hand to measure the amount actually picked up after vacuuming in order to score the pet hair tests.  CR consistently sites this shortcoming about bagless vacuums.  For this reason and others, CR recommends asthma and allergy sufferers avoid bagless vacuums and/or recommends the use of breathing masks in concert with bagless vacuums. 

Carmine D.

In my experience, ladies' long hair, feathers (from duvets and pillows), synthetic long fibres from certain carpets, can and do stick to that damned Dyson shroud. That I can attest to.

It should also be mentioned that over a period of time, the Dyson will start to smell, even if the bin is emptied regularly and the filter washed. This is because the fine dust accumulates in the airducts within the shroud area, as well as the small cyclone depositing area.

I found the answer with my DC15: wash the complete, removable cyclone bin assembly.

Here is what I did. (Wear eye protection!)

Empty bin, remove clear bin, wash clear bin with detergent.

Remove pre-filter, wash both parts of pre-filter in warm water, by hand, with laundry detergent. I used P&G's "Bold" powder. Rinse well, allow to thoroughly air dry.

Remove filter lid (hinge can be gently forced off one side), set aside. There should only be the shroud and inner cyclone assembly now.

Fill a 2-gallon bucket with hand-hot water, add a scoop of laundry powder, place the inner cyclone assembly into bucket, and agitate up & down vigorously, and rotate clockwise & anti-clockwise.

Invert the cyclone assembly and place back into the bucket, using same up & down and rotating motions.

You may find that you have to empty the pail and start again, due to the amount of dirt released.

Rinse all washed parts thoroughly, and allow to air-dry for a couple of days. When all parts are dry, re-assemble and enjoy a clean machine once again!

Of course, you could save yourselves all this hassle: by buying a bagged machine. Then, when the bag starts to smell bad, simply replace the bag with a new one. Problem solved!