Agressive Agitation may be hurting your carpet.

[nycwriter]

I'm sorry to belabor the point, BUT ...

... "For bagless and FQ type dump bin vacuums-why is it some folks want to dump them INSIDE their homes?After you and the vacuum have worked so hard to pick up the dirt-would you truely want to get rid of the dirt OUTSIDE?That is why when I have used such vacuums I dumpted them outside the house.Even when I used my Rainbow--dump its water bin full of dirt the water filtered outside the house.That is what any vacuum cleaner was designed to do."

***

For apartment-dwellers, there IS no "going outside" to dump the contents of your vacuum.

And I've also had both bagged and bagless vacuums, and my experience with bagless -- despite the alleged HEPA filtration -- is that the vacuum itself gets dusty after every use! Never before have I had to WIPE DOWN my vacuum after each use!

 

[nycwriter]

And also ...

"All those bagless vacuums boast "HEPA filtration" and "British Alergy Seal of Approval", but where is your HEPA filtration when you empty it and the dust goes flying into your face and up your nostrils?"

EXACTLY!

It would be just like a car seat belt that only disengages when the car is still in motion; yes, you're safely buckled in for 98% of your trip, but don't tray to unbuckle after you've parked and shut off the car -- it will only release during that final mile while you're still driving.

 

[mieles7]

All of my vacuums tend to get somewhat dusty after I use them. I believe that this is more due to the static electricity on th outside of the vacuum attracting dust than dust leaking from the vacuum.

 

[jmurray01]

"Oh just use my words, why don't you Jamie?" Well, at least that way you can't disagree with me!

Seriously though, I didn't know that's what you said. Sorry.

 

[kenkart]

RE Dust...

No one has of yet in my opinion,equalled the older Electrolux system of dirt disposal...When the suction is reduced to a pre set level, the machine cuts off, opens, the bag seals and you throw it away...no matter how you slice it, that was is and always will be the cleanest easiest way.

 

[electromatik]

I'm in agreement that Electrolux/Aerus had an ingenious way to deal with disposal of dirt. It's true that bagged vacuums "clog" with dirt-EVENTUALLY. Key word is eventually. It's not instantaneous and takes a while under normal household dirt. Powders are different entirely and can kill a clean air system's airflow virtually instantly. Once an Electrolux or Aerus machine declines in suction to the point it's effectiveness erodes, they shut off and FORCE you to change it. The only bagless system I would truly consider for normal use would be a water vac. At least the dirt isn't going to fly right back up at you. Water vacs are a bit more effort than I want to go through on a weekly basis so bagged wins my vote for frequent use. Every decade or two some company tries to get people to abandon bags for bagless, but they forget that that's why bags were invented, so people wouldn't have to empty them and breath dust/dead skin/dander/spores/etc. Funny how history repeats itself sometimes.

 

[tolivac]

In the days when I was an apartment dweller-emptied the vac's bag or bin in the trash room-or would take it to the main trash room and empty it into the dumpster.No problems-and the dirt was removed from the "house"-your apartment.I lived in a high rise place those times-one time while shaking out a Kirby bag into the trash chute-someone in the trash room below was dumping his trash and yelled up the chute-"Quit dumping that sweeper bag!"Was sort of funny-the saying was accompanied by coughing.So then if the bag or vac bin was really full-just took it to the main trash room and emptied it into the dumpster-and going to the main trash room-sometimes you found goodies there-like TV's and vacuums that someone else put there to throw out.So visting the apartment house trash room was sometimes good-and you brought something BACK!!!Fixed and sold several TV's that way.Found a nice Hoover DAM-fixed it and sold it-didn't collect so much at that time.And when the FL trash truck emptied the dumpster I dumpted the vac bag into-a big cloud of dust rose out of the trucks hopper-was kinda neat to see!

 

[kirbysthebest]

When dumping a Filter Queen, I have found the easiest way with Minimal dust in the house is to:
1. Take the motor unit off, leaving the cone filter in place but removing the carbon filter.
2. Place a trash bag over the bin. I use the 13 gal kitchen trash bags with pull ties.
3. Cinch the pull ties around the bin and turn the whole mess over.
4. Allow dust to settle a second or so and then remove the trash bag sealing it with the cinch ties as you remove.
5. Toss in the dumpster.

Most of the time, I just take it out to the compost bin and dump it out there.

People used to complain about the dust on the older Scrape and dump Kirby bags. If you empty after every use, place a newspaper under the machine and use the sani-pocket, the process can be accomplished with very little dust escaping. Not it's not as convenient or clean as a disposable bag, but it can be done. I usually just run a quick sweep of the area where I dumped the bag and dirt be gone.

 

[ralph123]

NYCwriter said: "... the Filter Queen's fatal flaw is that you end up covering yourself (and whatever room you happen to be in) with dust every time you empty the canister."


That and the ridiculously high price. As Tom the vacuum historian so eloquently stated, the type of agitation appropriate for one carpet type may not be appropriate for another. It's nice to know that Simplicity/Riccar offers the option of softer brush strips for wool carpets.

So what other vacuums offer the option of multiple brush roll styles for different carpet types?

 

[nycwriter]

Scrape and dump ...

"People used to complain about the dust on the older Scrape and dump Kirby bags. If you empty after every use, place a newspaper under the machine and use the sani-pocket, the process can be accomplished with very little dust escaping."

When I was a child, my grandma had one of these older model Kirbys.

My mother and other grandma both had identical Hoover Convertible 1060s.

I used to think how dreadfully primitive the Kirby was, forcing the user to reach up into all that muck to empty the bag, rather than the more modern and sanitary Hoover design.

Frankly, I still do.

 

[kirbysthebest]

"I used to think how dreadfully primitive the Kirby was, forcing the user to reach up into all that muck to empty the bag, rather than the more modern and sanitary Hoover design."

You are correct, this is why they added the Sani-Pocket so you didn't have to touch the dirt. If you empty after every use, you don't have a lot of stuff that will clog the opening. Later they introduced paper bags in the Tradition model. Point now moot.

 

[gsheen]

Hey Harley

After reading your post in another thread I went looking for your post.

Yes you are right most houses here in SA do have delicate carpeting( well houses were the owners could afford a Kirby) Wool is huge here in upmarket homes. synthetic is not.

Talking to a friend who is in the carpet business he said that years ago, pre 90's They would recommend a Kirby as it worked very well on most carpets But from the time of redesign they found it fluffed the carpets to much if incorrectly set and this happens far to often.

I personally found the brushes on the Sentria very stiff but these may differ country to country.

 

[sebo_fan]

Slightly off topic..

This brings me onto thinking about suction only floor heads - because even if they lack brushes, the latest ones from SEBO and Miele pivot only the floor head part onto the carpet when pushed with the rear wheels remaining off the floor. I've never seen abuse done by a suction only floor head on carpets but on hard floors if the owner forgets to the put the pedal down, exposed nails/bolts on a metal sole plate can be murderous.

 

[myles_v]

Suction only floor heads

While reading reviews on Amazon I realized that many people here in America, a country where people tend to be used to uprights, people will buy a suction only canister and they will use it with the brushes down on carpet and up on hard floors. This is because many manufacturers have a small picture of the nozzle with the brushes down on the hard floor setting, and many consumers confuse that with the nozzle being on carpet (there are lines under the picture of the nozzle to show the brushes). I have read a couple reviews where people damaged their floors due to that. I've used it with the brushes up on a tile floor (by accident) and of course it didn't scratch the tile (may have been a different story if I had used it on the hardwood) but it was quite hard to push, due to the suction sealing the nozzle to the floor. Of course I quickly realized that it was on the wrong setting.

 

[sensotronic]

Wrong setting used on Floorheads

I mention about using the wrong setting on a floorhead in one of my YouTube videos. I have seen it
time and again, especially on shopping channels when the presenter hasn't researched the product
properly and will try to demonstrate a vacuum with the brushes down for carpet and up for hard floors.

The most recent was on one of the Bid channels in the UK when the presenter was demonstrating a Hoover
wet & dry vac. He had the brush down on the carpet so it was hard to push and didn't pick up the sawdust very well and had the brush up on the laminate floor so it stuck to the floor and had to be lifted up to suck up the debris.

I have just unboxed a Miele S8 and notice that Miele use a symbol that looks like a fringed rug for the carpet setting and a tiled floor for the hard floor setting which seems less prone to confusion.

 

[tolivac]

I HATE,HATE those combo carpet-floor tools-I just wish vac suppliers would just provide BOTH tools-the surface tool for carpet and the hard floor tool for hard floors-just might end consumer confusion-and the separate tools do a better job.Some of those combo things are USELESS for either job.Esp the Kirby one.For the Kirby and many other standard 1.25" hose vacs-use a Riccar tool-it has a swivel neck and "Castle tooth" cut bristles so there is no plowing of debris.Slurps it right up and no wheels,either that can scratch.The swivel neck works like the Meile tool-works great with my Kirby!If only Kirby would throw in a tool like that one!

 

[myles_v]

I saw your video where you mentioned that the other day (love your videos, btw). I have one floor nozzle that has a picture of the nozzle on a carpet for the carpet setting and a picture of the nozzle on a flat surface for the hard floor setting. I have two other combination floor tools that have the confusing (to some) picture of the nozzle with the brush down for the hard floor setting.

I don't dislike the combination floor nozzles nearly as much as I dislike those combination crevice tool/dusting brush and combination dusting brush/upholstery tools (although the dusting brush/upholstery tools on Aerus/Proteam/pre-2003 Electrolux and those Eureka Victory combination tools are much better than many).

 

[sebo_fan]

Park position design

Only a few brands I own seem to allow an additional floor head stored at the back of the vacuum when changing over floor heads and thus when pulled along, the parked floor head doesn't touch the floor. However, compared to other brands that have a similar park position at the rear, the parked floor tool drags along the floor. Brands should allow a higher position so that no damage occurs if additional floor heads are supplied and where the option to change "on the go" can occur.

 

[sebo_fan]

Wrong floor setting & durable tests.

Regarding wrong usage of floor head setting - this K1 German Magazin/You Tube video shows a longish test of a Bosch bagless cylinder vac against AEG/Electrolux and a Miele S5. If you can get past the German, the test reveals a short test of the following models and mostly all of them have been used on the wrong carpet setting. At the end of the video they showed the number 1 vac being the AEG which wouldn't have been my first choice given the "stair" test of chucking each vacuum down a small flight of steps. Apart from dust falling out, the one to remain the most intact was the bagless Bosch...

3.09 AEG

5.57 Bosch bagless

7.41 Miele S5