Improving Your Health
In today’s issue of our on-going health series we will look at some of the tools you can use to keep your flooring clean and free from debris and bacteria.
Tools to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Your carpet acts as a filter, removing many of the harmful contaminates in your home. Care should be exercised when cleaning it, so as not to launch the material back into the air.
Always choose a good vacuum unit that uses a HEPA filter. Also, you want a vacuum that is easy to maneuver and that doesn’t make too much noise.
Other considerations include a bagged or bagless model. Some of the newer bags are self-sealing, meaning that when you remove the bag from the vacuum unit it seals all of the dirt and contaminates inside – you never touch them.
Bagless models save you money because you don’t have to keep buying bags, but you do need to clean out the collection container, as well as clean the filters. For most bagless models that means coming in contact with the filth from your floor.
Four types of vacuum cleaners are available: uprights, canisters, central vacuums, and robots, each coming with a bag/bagless option. According to consumer reports, the best vacuums are maneuverable, have plenty of suction, are quiet, and trap virtually all pollutants.
As a general rule, uprights have better suction, but are bulkier and harder to move around. Canisters are better for stairs and hardwood surfaces. Central vacuums have the most power, but have a long 30+ foot hose that you need to lug around (and all of your debris is deposited outside of your home.) Robot vacuums do all the cleaning for you, but are limited to flat, carpeted areas.
Ratings
Uprights:
Canisters:
Central Vacuums:
Buy a major brand, not a private label. Private labels are not serviced by other companies. Bagless central vacuums are the most popular. There is no additional cost for bags, but the draw back to them is that they have a little less power.
Bagged central vacuums have more power, but are a little harder to maintain, plus there is the cost of replacing bags ($15 -$20 per year.)
Hybrid central vacuums have a bag, but also work using the same permanent filtering technology that bagless models do.
Robot Vacuums:
We hope that you find this little guide useful. Remember to clean your carpets frequently (daily is best, but at least three times a week is recommended.) No vacuum system, however, can keep all the dirt from sinking deep into your carpet’s fibers. Carpets should be professionally cleaned using steam extraction at least twice per year. Shaw Industries recommends cleaning your carpets only through this method.
You will find about our in-depth, 10 step process, as well as all of our other listed on the pages of our website.
Here’s to your cleaning success.
The HiCaliber Team
P.S. Regular cleaning of your carpets will greatly improve your indoor air quality and helps reduce respiratory problems such as Asthma.