I thought I might speak a little about something I hope will help people understand the importance of making the right decision when choosing a new vacuum cleaner.
Why is it that as consumers, we don’t mind spending $40+ for a good steak dinner when we could have gone to a much cheaper place and gotten a decent steak dinner for half that amount? Or when we purchase clothes we don’t mind spending a bit more for that label that most people won’t notice?
Let’s twist this around a little bit. Next time you go to buy tires for your car, buy the cheapest set the tire store has in stock. Or the next time you go to the dentist, ask him to use the cheaper quality dental implements. Make sense? No? Why not? Obviously the issue comes down to either the quality of your experience, or the quality of the product; especially if it has to do with the health, safety and well being of your loved ones.
How does this relate to vacuum cleaners? This should be obvious to most people, but it isn’t. When the health of your family is at stake, most of us would gladly spend what ever it takes to be sure we got the best care. Guess what? The purchase of your vacuum cleaner should be treated as if it is critical to your health…. because it actually can be.
All of us vacuum our houses to get them clean, yet most people blindly purchase the cheapest vacuums that do not do much of anything to clean our houses or keep the dust from blowing back into the rooms. Sometimes we buy our vacuum cleaners with a budget in mind (and there is nothing wrong with that), but usually people buy their vacuum based on the small sign the big-box merchant has on the shelf in front of the machine. Or people will base their vacuum purchase decision on an add they see on T.V. How do you really know whether that vacuum cleaner really is a strong suction machine? How do really know that the filtering claims are a real indicator of efficiency?
Despite what the manufactures tell you, 95% of the vacuum cleaners being used right now in most homes blow at least 90% of the dust right back into your home! Let me say that again… 95% of the vacuums sold right now, blow at least 90% of the dust they pick up RIGHT BACK INTO THE ROOM!
“But wait!”,you say. “My vacuum has a HEPA filter!” If you look at the “HEPA” ratings most manufactures put on their vacuum cleaners, you will find that almost all of them claim a 99.9% efficiency rating. Sometimes you will see 99% @ .3m. But what you will rarely see is whether the entire vacuum is HEPA rated. What I mean is that although a company will advertise that they have a HEPA filter, it does NOT mean that your vacuum cleaner traps 99% of the dust @ .3m. What they are really saying is that the HEPA filter in that vacuum cleaner traps 99% @ .3m. This means that although the filter is HEPA rated, dust has plenty of opportunity to get around that filter and right back into the room. Here is another disturbing thought. Odds are pretty high that your vacuum cleaner is a bigger source of allergen contamination than any other source inside your home.
So what is a person to do? The solution is actually rather simple. Are you ready? Next time you are ready to purchase a vacuum cleaner, find an independent retailer. You know, the little small mom-and-pop shop that you are always taking that vacuum cleaner into to be fixed.
I know, you think that they are going to be more expensive than the big stores. You are probably correct, but for the wrong reasons.
Here is how it works (I can tell you this because I own a vacuum shop www.vacsew.com). People usually come into my store for several reasons. They need their vacuum repaired, they are having trouble finding their filters or bags, or they are tired of buying a new vacuum cleaner every three years. If I chose to sell the typical vacuum cleaners (Hoover, Eureka, Dirt Devil, Bissell, Dyson, Shark, Panasonic, etc), that customer would end up with the same type of vacuum cleaner they had before they came into my store.
I have chosen to carry products that actually perform better, last longer, and here is the key… Because they last longer, they actually will cost less to own!
If you want to get educated before you make that next purchase, do yourself a favor, and get educated. Come into our store if you are here in the Los Angeles area. Visit our web site All Makes Vacuums, or visit your local vacuum shop. In my next article I will delve more into performance, filtering, and durability. Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions.
-Carl
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