The average home will gather about 40 pounds of dirt a year. That means, if you are not removing that amount, it’s still in there somewhere. The typical central canister will hold approximately 50 pounds of dirt and debris. So you only have to empty the dirt bucket once or twice a year. Obviously, if you have several large dogs that shed or a dozen cats, you need to empty the machine will be more frequent. Same is true if you live on a farm or out in the forest or have a large family, more dirt will be coming into the home.

There are many methods manufacturers have used to separate household dirt and particulate from vacuumed air in our homes. We are going to review the most common methods with a focus on the pros and cons of each. Starting with the least effective and working toward the best.

Permanent Bag/Filter – This is a cloth or paper bag style filtering membrane that remains in the power unit (centralized or disposable) and cannot be replaced. It was meant to remain in the unit for the full operating life of the
machine. Pros…you never had to purchase new bags for the filter, so it was less expensive Cons…the first, several ounces of fine particles loaded up the membrane and airflow was decreased by about 25% leaving you with, at best, 75% cleaning power for the remainder of the life of the unit.

Inverted Bag – Similar to above where the reduction in performance was permanent.

Disposable Filter – This method is very common and effective. Filter replacement is required annually for warranty purposes. Pros – full cleaning power upon filter replacement Cons – expensive over the life of the machine, have to deal with open dirt in a bucket and very messy when replacing the filter

Disposable Bag – This method to separate dirt from the air is becoming more popular all the time due to its cleanliness. A large bag (it also acts as a filter) collects the dirt and particulate matter. It holds about 40 pounds of dirt (about a year’s worth of cleaning) and is replaced as needed or annually. Pros – swapping the bag is a dirt-less experience keeping the area around the power unit tidy and clean. Cons – you will have to purchase bags over the life of the power unit.

True Cyclonic – This method is very effective at separating dirt from the air. It does send some small particles outside the home. Pros – no bags or filters to buy so the total cost of ownership is much lower.

The carpet in your home is really an air filter. Yup, besides being warm and soft underfoot, an important function of carpet and area rugs is to capture and hold on to dirt and dust so that it never makes it into the breathing zone. The challenge is that you have to defeat the carpets ability to hang on to dirt when you are vacuuming and at the same time make sure your vacuuming doesn’t just spew that stuff into the air.

For dry granular particles, the best method of carpet cleaning is to vacuum with a lot of airflow while using an agitating beater bar. Oh, and everything you vacuum should be collected in the canister and the air vented to the exterior.

Unless you have those three things working well for you, you might be doing more harm to your health than good.

The quality of the inside most homes is worst than many smog filled cities.

Many people are suffering from breathing issues. Allergies, mold sensitivities, pet dander, and dust all contribute to poor indoor air quality. If you visit your local asthma and allergy doctor, the first question they ask is: do you have carpet? The second question is: how are you cleaning it?

The biggest issue with carpet is that it is made to hold on to all the junk in the air you don’t want to breathe. The issue, however, is that when most people clean their carpets and area rugs, they actually just take the bad stuff and pull it out of the carpet and place it in the breathing zone. For instance, if your disposable vacuum has really good suction, it likely has very limited filtration. Good news is that you are successfully getting the bad stuff out of the carpet, but the bad news is you now get to breath it. I mean, really, would you walk around with your nose up close to the but end of your vacuum? I didn’t think so. On the other hand, if you have a portable vacuum with great filtration, it is extremely likely you are not really getting the dirt and gross stuff out of the carpet.

Most allergists and asthma doctors will recommend a central cleaning system for their clients.

There are three main reasons people buy our VACUFLO cleaning systems. Power, convenience, health, and cost. And yes, we said three things and then provided four. Just our way of over delivering…

Seriously though, these are the most common reasons people give us when we ask why they bought a cleaning system.

A central cleaning system brings 3-5 times more cleaning power to the job. This is mostly due to the fact that the motor is a lot more powerful. It can be larger and heavier because you are not carrying it around your house or up and down the stairs.

A central system is a lot more convenient to use, especially with the quick clean tools we have now and the popular retractable hose systems.

Indoor air quality continues to be a huge issue and more and more people suffer from allergies other breathing issues. A central system is vented to the outside, so all vacuumed dust and debris is either collected in the canister or vented to the exterior.

If you knew you were going to spend $400 every 3-5 years on a disposable vacuum…would you? Not if you could invest in a better cleaning tool that would actually pay you back when you sell your home. The total cost of
ownership is lower with a quality built-in vacuum.

Here are a few other reasons we hear from time to time:

Noise – when my central is running in the basement, I don’t even hear it

I just want the best – these systems were simply better for the money

My mom had one of those things with the water in it…one day I accidentally knocked it over…When I saw these I knew what I wanted.

A customer called and asked us to come out and check out the entire system as she noticed her home had suddenly begun to be dusty, which had never been an issue before.
We inspected and test the entire system and verified that everything was in proper working order and the performance was as specified.

After talking to her we learned that a cleaning service was hired after her recent back surgery. Turns out the cleaning service was choosing NOT to use her central cleaning system. They were using a disposable vacuum that had poor filtration.

The result was that the vacuum they brought in was spewing dust from other people’s houses all through her home. She fired them for lying to her and hired a different firm that ultimately loved her central system.

When you have a central cleaning system, all vacuumed dirt, dust, allergens, mold spores, pet dander and debris is either collected in the dirt bucket or vented outdoors.