Anybody have any ideas about what actually should constitute the basics of a good "green" vacuum cleaner?

I was checking out the Eureka Envirovac's ad claims and specs -- plus some not so favorable customer reviews today. They got me thinking.

Eureka claims that it's Envirovac's 800-watt motor uses less power than the 1200-watt vacuums now quite common on the market. We've had a long run of vacuum cleaners that have served us well using well under 800 watts for many years. So what's the difference?

Is it possible that an efficient 1200-watt vacuum may help get my work finished faster and even out the power consumption question by way of shorter use time? Also keep in mind that the whole issue of a vacuum cleaner's power consumption is highly debatable. Over a year, power used for vacuuming no where near matches the amount of draw by refrigerators, electric ranges and high heat producing appliances within the same span of time.

Better bagged and bagless vacuums do use final filtering medium that may prove a noticeable hit on the wallet if not our ecology. Dumping a dirt bin or water-pan in some ways may lend to saving on what you'd pay for bags although the variable there may hang upon size and price. We use far more paper and plastic by way of other household disposables like diapers and personal paper goods.

The few matters mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg when considering the total question. Maybe an ecologically beneficial vacuum cleaner, or any other appliance for that matter, can be more "green" by way of potential longevity and easy repairability. Biodegradable, recyclable, whatever -- brands and models we've seen endure and provide useful service over long periods of time may be the greenest cleaning machines we'll know by reason of less need for replacement. How do we keep that in the mix while moving ahead?

Venson

The Europeans are way beyond us in recycling old appliances.   Although this refers to Dyson, it apparently applies to all European manufacturers:  http://www.dyson.co.uk/support/weee.asp

What is WEEE?

The WEEE Directive is a European law, which came into force in the UK on 1st July 2007. It's designed to reduce the amount of WEEE going into landfill. This means that all manufacturers like Dyson will be responsible for the disposal of old electrical goods in an environment friendly way.

Dyson and WEEE

To emphasise our commitment to recycling and the WEEE initiative, Dyson are offering you the chance to recycle your old vacuum cleaner when you buy a new Dyson upright or cylinder from our web shop at www.dyson.co.uk. When placing an order for your new Dyson vacuum cleaner, all you need to do is let us know that you would like us to collect your old vacuum cleaner no matter what the make. Dyson can collect (from UK mainland only) your old cleaner free of charge and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way. It really is that simple.

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WEEE Directive FAQ

What does the WEEE directive mean?

The WEEE directive is a European law to minimise the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment by requiring the re-use and recycling of waste, so that the amount of WEEE going into landfill is reduced dramatically.

How will the WEEE directive work?

All producers, like Dyson, will be responsible for the disposal of end of life electrical goods in an environmentally friendly way.

When does it come into effect?

It comes into effect on 1st July 2007. It has been phased into other European countries over the last 2 years or so.

Why is this happening?

Over our lifetime each one of us throws away on average 3.3 tonnes of electrical goods. To preserve our environment we need to look at ways of becoming more sustainable.

What is Dyson doing towards this?

We are part of the largest alliance scheme called REPIC (Recycling Electrical Producers Industry Consortium). REPIC is helping us and most other major electrical manufacturers to achieve the WEEE objectives, and if you purchase a Dyson directly from us we can collect your old one and recycle this for you.

What do I have to do?

Nothing at the moment. It just means that when the time comes to renew your vacuum cleaner you can take your old one to a designated collection facility in your area for recycling, or if you purchase a Dyson directly from us we will collect your old one and recycle it for you.

What do I do with my old Dyson?

You can take it to your nearest designated collection facility, or if you purchase a new machine directly from Dyson we can make arrangements to collect your old one when we deliver your new machine.

Hi Severus,

We'll be hard-pressed to find the same in many places here.

Just about to praise my local PC Richards & Sons which makes a practice of removing old large appliances from your home when delivering new ones. I just checked in with that department at my local store. It turns out that your old, range, fridge, whatever, merely ends up in a dump in New Jersey. So much for progress.

Best,

Venson

Hence the reason the rest of the peoples of the world called Americans wasteful!

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
I find that issue very important. I'm told that if the rest of the world were to consume on the same level as we, we'd need five more planets to accommodate the waste and pollution. This may make some shrug, but other parts of the world live way less large than many of our lesser funded citizens here. The expansion of industry all round the world makes me wonder how long it will be before mandatory recycling rules will have to be put in place worldwide.

PC Richards' pick-up policy is good for sales I'm sure. Being an apartment dweller and having not the slightest idea as to how to easily dispose of a dead refrigerator, the store's offer clinched the sale. However, I never once thought to ask where my old fridge was going.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hello Venson:

Perhaps some of these issues will find their own solution.  Hardcopy newspapers, once thought to be the products that would eventually deplete the country's entire supply of forests, are no longer as relied upon by daily readers as TV and on-line news.  So at least for now the forests are safe. 

Carmine D.

The next major breakthrough in vacuum cleaners will be their composition.  The plastic housings and components will be replaced by a material that is just as strong, durable and more eco friendly.  Probably a material already in use for some time in the NASA space program. 

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

And we all know that the government is not wasteful.  Always looking for ways to save.  

Absolutely HS.  'Green' as in dollars.  Medicaid has bankrupt the states, Medicare will be bankrupt in 8 years, and Social Security soon thereafter according to current predictions.  The cash for clunkers funded with $3 BILLION in taxpayer money will end on Monday at 8 PM and only $143 MILLION has been paid out to the dealers who rebated cash under the program.  Over 50 percent of the applications have been returned to the car dealers by the Transportation Department, which hired 1000 new Federal employees to process the paperwork 24/7.   And Obama Care is headed for a cliff if both Democrats and Republicans who are listening to their constituents [with an eye on the 2010 elections] have their way.  No wonder we say 'In God we trust' not in Government we trust.

Carmine D. 

I owned an Electrolux Envirovac BAGGED upright for a number of months before giving it away. It really wasn't well thought out despite the fact that it claimed to be environmentally friendlier and having the same suction (800 watts) than its bigger sisters and brothers. Based on the UK/European Powerlite uprights, the Envirovac was priced at £80, double the cost price than their basic Powerlite with 1700 watts power. I have one of those basic uprights too and they're really not that bad even though they are cheaply built and very lightweight/flimsy I wouldn't imagine many buying the Envirovac idea because the cost is more than the basic "high power" models that most vacuums come with these days and the synthetic dust bags are more expensive; I'm surprised Electrolux didn't use their old Boss uprights SMS/Washable fabric dust bag as the bags for the Powerlite upright series are based loosely on the old Boss bagged uprights.

For me the most ecologically and environmentally friendly vacuum cleaner I continue to keep and use are the old Hoover Junior models. Yep, it uses a paper dust bag (and some can be converted to using fabric dust bags) which are cheap to buy, the belts are cheap to buy and it does its job of carpet hair and thread pick up without problems. This is why the Junior model was most successful even though it had a pernickety hose and tool set with paltry suction coming out when used. Other downsides is that because it has no filtration system it is an unhealthy machine but it only has 300 watts of power so it is isn't likely to cost much to run. Granted the metal models will take longer to rust but the 1980's models in plastic and metal do provoke some better environmental disposal issues. Although I'm not a fan of Oreck, at least the XL model also has a 350 watt motor too.

The world has been power hungry for years and this is why every company tries to outdo the other in terms of who picks up the best, who is quieter, who is better built. Apart from its electronic floor head this is another reason alone to why I love Sebo's X/Sebo 20 year old Windsor Ensign; it has an 850 watt motor (max to 1000 watts) so in theory, in terms of outright power it is also much more environmentally friendlier against the more powerful competition but also manages to pick up AND contain the dirt in a healthy way. It also has a great hose at the back so it replaces the practical style of the Hoover Junior as well as extra filters that you don't always have to replace (except the main carbon collecting foam filter on the motor) Granted it is not bagless but then I've never read any data about burning dust bags and if they are toxic.

It is however a great marketing skill with the Envirovac. As is Dyson's WEEE law of dumping their own machines; all manufacturers are trying to do similar things but if the machines have been built with early design processes geared to making a machine as earth friendly as possible then brands like ORECK and SEBO should be applauded for continually producing vacuums with low motors.

A few of my thoughts on 'green' issues and vacuum cleaners...

Certain vacuum cleaners have long been sold on having a powerful motor. The introduction of bagless vacuum cleaners gave this a new angle as with an efferent filtration system, a bagless cleaner can demonstrate a comparable, consistent airwatts figure to that of a bagged cleaner, while using a less power motor, as measure by air watts. Hence Dyson's objection recently with Electrolux marketing a 'green' cleaner:-

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/news.phtml/23245/dyson-slams-electrolux-claims.phtml

'The Ultra Silencer has a 1250W motor. Dyson compares this to its DC24 Dyson Ball with a 650W motor, that in a recent Which? report was said to perform as well as a machine with a motor twice the size.'

In defining which vacuum clearer might be 'greener' than others for energy use, we'd also have to take in to account overall efficiency; how well does it clean to a certain standard in a defined time period - if it takes twice as long with a motor at half the watts, it's generally no better in the power use stakes. Now we're back in the category of how aggressive does a brushroll need to be to do am effective job, while not wearing down the carpet, etc.

Another angle you might measure for bagless cleaners over bagged cleaner is the 'carbon footprint' in the manufacturing, delivering and disposing of bags and filters.

The Dyson 'Recylone' cleaner was mentioned in James Dyson's book, but by all accounts was only on the market for a limited time.  The idea was that once your Dyson clearer was at the end of its working life, you could phone up Dyson and get them to pick it up from your house, free of charge. They'd take the machine apart, sand blast and melt down the components, which would then be used in the manufacture of a new 'Recyclone' cleaner featuring green coloured styling.

Presumably, a number of factors prevented the Recyclone idea taking off. Moving production overseas wouldn't have helped, as loading up a shipping container with old vacuum parts and sending it halfway around the world can't be that efficient. Dyson still offer to collect your old vacuum (any make) for recycling, when you order direct. Primarily due to initiatives under the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation which makes manufacturers and retailers responsible for recycling equipment at the end of its working life.

However, I noticed something interesting the other week. I was talking some items to the local disposal site. There, I found a separate container for vacuum cleaners, full of the usual brands - however all the Dyson cleaners were kept away from the container, in a separate pile. I can only suppose that rather than being dumped, the Dyson's are sold on for cash, to anyone who's in the market of refurbing them with new motors or for spare parts, etc. Dyson clearers make up the majority of domestic vacuum cleaners in the UK that have a viable resell value on the second hand market.

So, Dyson earns some 'green' points here by having vacuums that can be reused in this way and hence why the Recyclone proposition was short lived ...but no wonder they're keen to collect their old cleaners for recycling, 'lest there be too many refurbs floating around, depriving them of new sales!