Featured Article
Get the low down on HEPA vacuum cleaners and their impact on cleaning up home air born contaminants. HealthProO2 believes in educating our visitors to spur them into taking action to protect their family's health.
Separating fact from hype regarding HEPA vacuum cleaners
HEPA Vacuum Cleaners - effective cleaning tool or Hype?
Ridding your household of those unwanted, unhealthy contaminants is a practice that everyone should consider. However, it is not always easy determining what route to take when trying to provide a safer living environment for everyone. HEPA vacuum cleaners are one way that you can eliminate some of those health-threatening substances from common area carpets and drapes. These units are designed with advanced motors and enhanced filtration systems, which would leave one to believe that they are nothing short of optimal when cleaning your household of contaminants. But do these units really produce the advertised results?
For one, they can definitely put a dent in a families household budget. Vacuum and air purifier units, that are said to operate at the highest levels of HEPA efficiency, can cost well over $1,000. On the other end of the spectrum, there are HEPA models between $250 and $350. Generally, it is the basic features such as carbon pre-filters, bag capacity, filter costs, and user-friendliness that determine the cost of any HEPA device. Certain air purifier units are known to be real noise-makers, while others run so smoothly that you could hear a pin drop during operation.
Just how effective are these machines as everyday vacuums? In terms of HEPA standards, air purification units are said to be able to capture 99.97% of contaminants less than 3 microns in size. This standard also applies to HEPA vacuum cleaners, and with this level of effectiveness, most of the dust particles and allergens that build up in your household should be removed. When running Blue light, ionizers and air purifiers that zap air born molds, germs and bacteria the neutralized particles fall to the floor. So an efficient HEPA vacuum can get to dust mites, pet dander and home air dust and fallout.
Broom VS HEPA Vacuum always favors the new technology!
There are two types of HEPA vacuum cleaners, and it is important to understand the features of each. The first type of model is known as the upright HEPA vacuum. This stand-alone unit can come either with or without an attachment hose, which is convenient for those hard-to-reach areas. One flaw of this type is the fact that the rug beater is permanently attached, meaning that if the beater bar fails the vacuum is practically useless. The other, more efficient model is known as the HEPA canister vacuum. These units are much more compact in design and are recognized for their ease of portability. In addition, the rug beaters on these units are detachable and known to be more powerful since they operate on their own, separate motor.
When it all boils down, are HEPA vacuum cleaners worth the money? Apparently, some experts do not believe they are. According to studies conducted by researchers at Britain's University of Manchester, HEPA vacuum cleaners are no more effective than standard vacuum cleaners in reducing harmful airborne particles. The experts who conducted the study posted their results in a 2006 issue of the European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Surprisingly, the studies indicated that exposure to dust mites actually increased when using both the HEPA and standard models. It was stated that the greatest exposure occurred while emptying the dust compartments of each vacuum.... so do it outdoors!
The leading investigator of the study, Dr. Robert Gore, stated, in combination with our previous work, the study seems to confirm that high-efficiency vacuum cleaners confer no additional benefits and should not currently be specifically recommended to allergy sufferers as a means of reducing personal exposure to allergens, either by their manufacturers or health professionals." If these researches have claimed that these HEPA models do not produce as advertised, does that mean that you should not purchase them? As a consumer, it is up to you to make that choice. Either way, it is important that you take whatever action necessary to try and remove the unwanted contaminants from your household.
Sources: http://www.martinrothonline.com/personalhealthmonitor/
Articles/HEPA_filter_vacuum_cleaners.htm