Posts Tagged ‘Brushes’

Vacuum Configurations

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Vacuum Configurations

Vacuum cleaners are devices that use an air pump to
create a partial vacuum to suck up dirt and dust,
normally from carpeted floors. Most homes that have
carpet floors have a vacuum for cleaning. The dirt
that is pulled up from the carpet is collected by
a filtering system or even a cyclone for later
disposal.

There are several type of configurations possible
for vacuum cleaners.

Upright
Upright vacuums have the pump mounted directly above
the suction intake, with the bag mounted directly on
the handle, which will rise to waist height or so.
The upright type designs normally employ mechanical
beaters which often rotate brushes, to help disturb
dust enough to be vacuumed up. These beaters are
normally driven by a belt that is attached to the
vacuum motor.

Canister
Also known as cylinder vacuums, the canister type
designs have the motor and bag in a seperate canister
unit that connects to the vacuum head by a flexible
hose. Even though upright units have been tested
as being more effective, the lighter and more
maneuverable heads of the canister models are quite
popular. Some models have power heads, which contain
the same type of mechanical beaters found it upright
units, although they are driven by a seperate electric
motor.

Wet vacs/dry vacs
These types a specialized form of the canister
vacuum and they can be used to clean up wet or liquid
spills as well. They will commonly accomodate both
wet and dry soilage, with some being equipped with
a switch or exhaust port that reverses the flow of
air. This is a very useful function for everything
from clearing clogged hoses to blowing dust into a
corner for easy collecting.

Back pack vac
These types of vacuums are commonly used for
commercial cleaning, as they allow you to move about
quickly and efficiently in a large area. They are
basically canister vacuum cleaners, except for the
fact that straps are used to carry the canister
on your back.

Built in or central
These types of vacuum cleaners will move the suction
motor and bag to a central location in the building
and provide vacuum inlets at strategic places
throughout the entire building. You only need to
carry the hose and pickup head from room to room,
while the hose is normally 25 foot long and allows
a large range of movement without changing vacuum
inlets.

The plastic piping will connect vacuum inlets to
the central unit. The vacuum can either be unpowered
or have beaters that are operated by an electric
motor or an air driven motor. The bag in the
central vacuum system is normally so big that
emptying it or changing needs to be done less as
often, sometimes only once a year.

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The Essential Vacuum Cleaner

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

The Essential Vacuum Cleaner

The vacuum cleaner is a truly amazing piece of
equipment, as it would be very hard to cope without
one. There are many people out there who prefer
domestic vacuum cleaners for carpeted floors in
their home.

No matter how you look at it, the vacuum cleaner is
an ingenious piece of equipment. It has an air
pump that creates a partial vacuum to suck up the
dust and dirt, which it collects by a filtering
system or a cyclone to dispose of later.

Vacuum cleaner types
Based on their configurations, there are many types
of vacuum cleans. The following are some of the
most known types of vacuum cleaners.

Bagless
Bagless vacuum cleaners, as the name implies, don’t
use bags. They collect the dust in a compartment
which you can quickly and easily empty. This will
save you from the headache of dealing with messy
and frustrating vacuum bags.

Upright
Upright vacuum cleaners have the pump mounted
directly above the suction intake, with the bag
mounted on the handle that will normally rise to
waist height. The designs of upright vacuum cleaners
will normally employ mechanical beaters, which
are often rotating brushes, to help dust that has
yet to settle be vacuumed up. An attached belt to
the vacuum motor will drive these beaters.

Canister types
Canister vacuum cleaners have the motor and the
bag in a separate cylinder unit that is connected
to the vacuum head by a long flexible hose. Even
though the upright units have been tested as being
more effective, the lighter and more maneuverable
heads of the canister are also popular. There are
some canister models on the market that feature
power heads which contain the same type of beaters
as found with upright units, even though those
types of beaters are driven by a seperate electric
motor.

Backpack
Backpack vacuums are a great tool for commercial
type cleaning. Backpack vacuums will allow you to
move around rapidly in a large area. It is
basically a canister vacuum cleaner, except for the
fact that the straps are used to carry the canister
unit on your back.

Central vacuum
A central or built in vacuum cleaner has the suction
motor and bag based in a central location of the
building, providing vacuum inlets at strategic
places throughout the building. This way, you only
need to carry the hose and pickup head from room
to room. The hose is normally 25 foot long,
allowing a large range of movement without having
to change vacuum inlets.

A plastic pipe will connect the vacuum outlets to
the central unit. The head of the vacuum may
either by un-powered or have beaters that are operated
by an air driven or electric motor. The dirt bags
in central systems are so big that you only need
to change or empty them once or twice a year.

Robotic
Robot type vacuum cleaners will move around your
home, cleaning as they wish. They are compact and
powered by batteries.

Hand held
Hand held vacuum cleaners are very small and powered
by either batteries or electricity, and very popular
with cleaning up small spills.

Wet or dry vacs
Wet or dry vacuum systems can be used to clean up
both wet and dry spills and dirt.

Vacuums are very helpful with protecting yourself
and your family from dust particles. They are also
helpful for those who suffer from allergies that
result from dirt and dust. Before you buy a vacuum
cleaner, you should always read some reviews and
find out other information to ensure that the vacuum
cleaner you buy will meet your needs.

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Reasons To Get A Robotic Cleaner

Monday, December 29th, 2008

Reasons To Get A Robotic Cleaner

Since the day the robotic vacuum cleaners hit the
market, cleaning house has never been the same. Due
to the sleek design and advanced technology, people
are very eager to get their hands on their own
robotic vacuum cleaner.

Now, we’ll take a look at some reasons why you
should own a robotic vacuum cleaner.

Efficiency
As everyone already knows, cleaning is very hard
indeed, and nobody wants to do it. Getting a maid
isn’t cheap anymore. With a robotic vacuum cleaner,
you can get any room in your home nice and tidy in
no time at all. It has features of the upright
vacuum cleaner, only better. Robotic vacuums offer
filters, brushes, cleaning mechanisms, and more
within a sturdy case that ensures you’ll get the
operation possible.

Easy to use
As you probably already know, the robotic vacuum
cleaner is automatic, as you don’t even need to be
at home to run it. Simply turn it on, leave it
to clean, come back home, and you’ll find the room
spick and span clean. There are no special switches
or configurations either. All you have to do is
press a button and the robot will start cleaning
right away.

The robotic vacuum cleaner will automatically pace
the room, using a random programming technology.
It can cover the same area many times, and it can
also recharge on its own once the battery starts
to get low. There is no need to go looking for it
when it gets finished either, as it will return
to the homebase and wait for you until you need
it again.

Compact design
The robot vacuum is a small, flat device that is
shaped like a disc. It is designed this way so
that it can go under furniture, and reach places
that the standard vacuum can’t. This way, there
is no need to move stools, sofas, and low set
tables. It also has bumpers as well so it can
absorb any type of collision with solid devices
along the way.

Cutting edge technology
The concept that drives the robotic vacuum is
similar to what the army uses when clearing land
mines on the field. Robotic vacuums contain
several sensors that will detect the dirt that
is sucks in. The sensors are also what makes it
possible to go towards the dirtier part of the
room, clean it several times, then stop when there
is no more dirt detected. The device is so smart
that it doesn’t fall down steps or stairs. With
the virtual wall device that’s included with it,
it won’t even go outside of an open doorway either.

Easy to afford
Although they were a little on the expensive side
when they first hit the market, they are now more
affordable than ever. You don’t need to be rich
to own one, which is one of the main reasons why
they are so popular these days.

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Essential Parts

Friday, December 19th, 2008

Essential Parts

There are many places that you can use to find parts
for a vacuum cleaner that is broken, providing you
have someone around that is handy enough with tools
to take a swing at fixing it. The part that breaks
the most on most less expensive vacuum cleaners
is the drive belt. It’s the rubberized belt that
is around 6 inches long, that when stretched out
turns the brushes on the bottom of the vacuum.

When you take the vacuum over objects that don’t
belong in the vacuum cleaner, such as pieces of
rope or a cat’s tail and the unit comes to a screeching
halt, the burning smell that will soon fill up the
air is your drive belt slowly melting away.

Luckily, the drive belt is available at several
locations, so many in fact that your local drug
store may even carry them! They are cheap to buy
and a snap to replace with a screwdriver and a bit
of common sense. For other types of problems that
you may encounter, there are a lot of resources at
your disposal just in case you decide to tackle
the problem on your own.

You should never forget that when you buy parts for
your vacuum cleaner, most of the parts you’ll need
are going to be specifically made for your particular
brand name and model. With the exception of basic
items such as drive belts and most bags, most parts
aren’t interchangeable between brands and between
different models of the same brand.

The first thing to try when you need a part for
your vacuum cleaner is the local Yellow Pages
book. Inside of the Yellow Pages, you’ll find
many listings for appliance parts and suppliers.
You’ll have to call each one of the individually
to find out if they carry parts for your model
and brand. In the rare event that they don’t
carry what you need, they can normally order it
for you quickly and easily. If that fails, you
can always call the company direct that manufactured
your model of vacuum cleaner and order the part
that way.

Most of the time, you won’t have any problem
getting your hands on a part for your vacuum
cleaner, unless it is a more intricate part that
isn’t readily available. Parts such as the intake
or exhaust port are very tricky to replace, and
you will probably want to have a professional
fix these types of problems.

Drive belts, vacuum bags, and little problems such
as these are a snap to replace. With the older
style of vacuum cleaners, you don’t have to be
an expert to fix a majority of the problems. The
newer models however, require quite a bit of
skill and technique.

One of the most common problems that will happen
is clogging. If your vacuum stops picking up
dirt and dust, chances are it has become clogged,
which is normally not a parts problem. All you
need to do to fix it is take the front assembly
off, then manually clean out the agitators and
the housing where the dirt makes its way upwards
through the vacuum cleaner. This is very easy
to do, and won’t take you but a couple of minutes.

Anytime you encounter a parts problem with your
vacuum cleaner, you should always take things one
step at a time and don’t rush. You can almost
always get a hold of a part. If the part is more
expensive than you anticipated, you can always
scrap the vacuum cleaner and buy yourself a
better one – which will save you a lot of time
and headache in the long run.

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Choosing Canister Vacuum Cleaner

Monday, December 15th, 2008

Choosing Canister Vacuum Cleaner

The major criteria involved with choosing a canister
vacuum cleaner is what floor surfaces you plan to
clean versus the power of the vacuum. Almost all
canister vacuum cleaners offer 3 choices of tools
for the surfaces of floors:
1. A bare floor hard plastic brush that’s
about 10″ – 12″ wide with soft bristles.
2. Turbo brush that features a spinning
drum roller with harder bristles.
3. A power head brush that is similar to
the turbo brush although it is powered by a seperate
motor.

Both the turbo brush and power head brush vacuums
have a spinning drum roller with bristles that
resemble that of an upright vacuum cleaner. While
the brushes look and perform pretty much the same,
the power head brush vacuum has a smaller seperate
motor that turns the brush on the bottom of it,
therefore making it more powerful and much more
aggressive than the turbo type brush that is
turned by the flow of air being pulled past it.

These types of brushes will snap the fibers of
the carpet and allow the air to get beneath the
dirt particles. If you can’t get air to go under
these particles, then you won’t be able to suck
them out, regardless of how much suction power you
are able to apply with a vacuum cleaner.

When you purchase a turbo or power head vacuum
cleaner to be used primarily on carpet surfaces,
you’ll also receive a brush for bare floors as
well that is perfect for areas without carpet.

The rule of thumb as to which model of vacuum
cleaner you should choose is:
1. The bare floor model of canister
vacuum cleaners are perfect for smooth surfaces
with no expectation of having rugs or carpeting.
The best choices for bare floor vacuum cleaners
include Eureka Oxygen 6992 and the Miele Solaris
Canister.
2. Turbo types of canister vacuum cleaners
are best for scatter rugs and low pile wall to
wall type carpeting. The best picks here are the
EIO family vacuum cleaner, the Miele Solaris, and
the Sebo Turbo canister vacuum cleaner.
3. The power head brush types of vacuum
cleaners are great for wall to wall carpeting and
very important if you deal with pet hair. The best
picks here include the Sebo Canister 3.1, the
Miele Silver Moon, and the Eureka Oxygen 6996.

Some of the other important features for canister
vacuum cleaners include reliability, purchase price,
HEPA filter and sealed unit, the cost of replacement
filters and bags, weight, storage and quality of
tools, control locations, noise, adjustable wand,
retractable cord, ease of changing attachments,
bag change indicator, filter change indicator, swivel
hose, and other extra features such as dirt alerts.

Almost all canister vacuums are similar in size,
offer similar radiuses of cleaning, and come with
the same tool attachments.

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Buyers Guide

Saturday, December 13th, 2008

Buyers Guide

Deep cleaning vacuums
The typical features with these types of vacuums
include rotating brushes that agitate the carpet
pile and loosen the dirt for better clean. There
are some models that offer a handy automatic tool
conversion button or switch that you can push or
flip as you move from carpet to hardwood floor.

Hand held vacuums
Hand held vacuums are light weight, can be corded
or cordless, and you can even mount most of them
on the wall if you prefer. The performance of the
cordless models will depend on the charge of the
battery, as the battery power drops, so will the
suction power.

The two types of hand held vacuums include straight
suction and suction with a power brush. If you
are considering a hand held vacuum cleaner, you
should consider its primary purpose, if you plan
to use it on a regular basis or occasionally on
smaller jobs.

Broom vacuums
Stick or broom vacuums are great for smaller type
apartments, quick clean ups in the kitchen, or
a family room. The benefit of a broom vacuum is
the light weight. If you have trouble pushing
your heavier upright around, the broom vacuum
may come as a relief. You’ll also have the option
of getting your vacuum corded or cordless.

They usually weight 2 – 7 lbs. and allow you to
easily store them in the closet, as they take up a
minimum amount of space. For quick disposal of
the dirt and debris, most models are also bagless
as well.

Wet or Dry vacuums
The wet/dry vacuum combination may very well be the
most versatile vacuum cleaner on the market today,
with numerous attachments and functions it is a
very handy machine to have around your home. The
canister types can vary from the smaller 6 gallon
sizes to the larger 22 gallon sizes.

The HP ranges as well, from 2 to 10 HP. You should
always try to match the size of the unit to the
size of the job and frequency of use.

Upright vacuums
One of the most popular features of an upright
vacuum cleaner is the bagless system. In addition
to the increased performance, there is no need
to purchase any bags. Emptying the canister can
be a little dusty, although it’s still better than
messing with bags.

Most upright models come with a standard set of
attachments that may even include an upholstery
tool, a crevice tool, and even an extension wand.
A retractable cord and manual or automatic pile
adjustments are other common features. A HEPA
filter is another common and popular feature found
with most upright vacuums.

Canister vacuums
Canister vacuum cleaners normally include retractable
cords. Considering the fact that most cords are
around 25 foot in length, this feature will prevent
you from having to drag the cord around and
possibly damage furniture. A push of a button or
a slight tug on the cord will retract it into the
canister of the vacuum.

The nozzle can be one of two types, nozzle or
power nozzle. To get your carpet as clean as
possible, it is recommended that you use the power
nozzle, which will agitate the carpet and loosen
up the dirt for deeper cleaning.

Another feature worth looking for is a suction
control switch, as this allows you to adjust the
flow of air for cleaning delicate material such
as upholstery and drapery.

When choosing your vacuum cleaner, you should always
choose the one you like best. The best vacuum for
the job is the one you should choose, as things
will work out much better that way.

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