|
 |
The single most important step in improving the
cleanliness and look of your floors is through regular vacuuming.
When it comes to carpets, fibers serve as a trap for dust, dirt,
allergens, and other particles, and traditional upright or canisters
are best suited for these surfaces. Hard floors will require
frequent sweeping, mopping, and waxing. These floors will most
benefit from wet/dry and stick vacuum cleaners. On the other hand,
because stairs and upholstery are often hard-to-reach, they require
vacuums with special attachments such as crevice tools and
upholstery nozzles.
As such, different types of floors will benefit from different types
of vacuums. To help you find the type of vacuum cleaner you need,
simply choose your floor or surface type from the list below:
|
|
Wall-to-Wall Carpet |
|
 |
There are three basic kinds of debris to remove from carpet:
lint and surface litter; debris that's not visible to the
naked eye but lying below your carpet's surface; and heavy
dirt and sediment laying at the bottom of your carpet fiber.
For wall-to-wall carpeting, an
upright vacuum cleaner is clearly your best choice because
they have more suction power than canister vacuums. Their
motors are stronger, their cleaning paths are wider, and
overall, they are more durable. While not suitable for
certain surfaces such as delicate rugs or hard floors, they
are clearly the best choice for carpet, regardless of the
length of the pile.
Recommended Vacuum Type:
|
|
Hard Floors |
|
 |
A good hard floor vacuum cleaner will
prevent both stain formation and scratches. When choosing a
hard floor vacuum cleaner, look
for wet/dry models that can handle both dry and liquid
spills. When in dry mode, these vacuums pick up debris
such as dust and dirt. When in wet mode, simply fill the vacuum's canister with cleaning product and
start cleaning. For quick cleanups of dry spills on hard
surfaces, stick vacuums and floor sweepers may also be
sufficient.
Recommended Vacuum
Types:
|
|
Combination Floor
Surfaces |
|
 |
While upright vacuums
are best suited for mostly carpeted surfaces, for homes with
a combination of floor types such as carpet and hard floors,
canister vacuum cleaners may be more suitable. Canister
vacuums have base units that contain the vacuum's motor,
dust bag, and filter system. Usually included are also
cleaning tools and specialized cleaning attachments such as
wands and extension hoses. They are easy to maneuver and great for
cleaning stairs. They are truly the most versatile
type of vacuum because they can clean carpets, smooth
floors, and above-the-floor surfaces such as upholstery and
curtains.
Recommended Vacuum
Type:
|
|
Stairs |
|
 |
If your home has stairs, a
canister vacuum cleaner is your best bet, as an upright
vacuum is not designed to clean stairs by itself. Even with
specialized attachments, cleaning stairs with an upright is
not only awkward, but the results are usually poor because
an upright's revolving brushes cannot be used on stair
treads (an area with high traffic). When choosing a canister
vacuum for your stairs, look for models with edge-cleaning
features. Furthermore, for quickly cleaning up small spills
on stairs, a cordless vacuum cleaner may also do the job.
Recommended Vacuum
Types:
|
|
Upholstery |
|
 |
Just like carpets, upholstery also
needs to be regularly vacuumed in order to prevent abrasive
dust particles from causing damage. When purchasing a vacuum
cleaner, look for models that come with upholstery and
crevice nozzle attachments designed for this purpose.
Because canister vacuum cleaners are much easier to maneuver
than upright models, these types of vacuums are more
convenient to use. There are also a number of steam
vacuums with upholstery attachments that are great for
gentle stain removal.
Recommended Vacuum
Type:
|
|
Commercial Areas |
|
 |
Most vacuums are usually designed for
residential or light-duty cleaning in an office environment.
For heavy-duty duty cleaning of commercial or industrial
areas, a commercial-grade vacuum cleaner will be the only
type that will do. These vacuums are manufactured
with larger and more powerful motors that are designed to
get the dirt and grime of out of high-traffic areas. As a
result, these types of vacuums are generally more expensive
than residential models. Commercial vacuums also come in a
range of styles such as backpack vacuums, floor buffers, and
Shop Vacs.
Recommended Vacuum
Type:
|
Vacuum Guide Main Page >>
|
