Water filtered and UV vacuum cleaners
Vacuum manufactures have produced various type of vacuum cleaner that claim to rival the efficiently of HEPA filter vacuum cleaners. The main contenders are water filtered vacuum cleaners and UV vacuum cleaners.
Instead of a bag, a water filtered vacuum cleaner has a water filter that manufactures claim retains virtually all dust, dirt and harmful allergens.
Often, this filter system is combined with a HEPA filter, that captures an amazing 99.97% of dust particles and ensures only purified air is expelled. (However, some say this defeats the whole object of a water filtered vacuum cleaner!)
Because the dust remains trapped in the water tank, none can escape when it's emptied. This may give benefit to asthma and allergy sufferers.
This type of water vacuum cleaners are usually heavy and bulky to use.
Emptying the water tank can be unpleasant so most water filtered vacuum cleaners offer fragrance additives which can be added to the water tank to disguise the smell. However, for people who suffer from allergies, this can be a disadvantage the chemical fragrance can set of an allergic reaction in itself.
Some allergen suffers complain that are not effective in removing micro-organisms which can cause allergic reactions.
In response to this, manufactures now make UV vacuum cleaners that claim to be able to kill bacteria, flu virus, fleas, dust mites and even lice with an ultraviolet UV-C light that is positioned on the bottom of the cleaner.
The theory is that this type of cleaner will instantly kill the organisms exposed to its UV-C light. However, it is important to realise that the UV-C light cannot kill what the UV-C light can't shine on. When you think of your carpet or flooring, ust think of all the potential hiding places where the light cannot reach. The ultraviolet light is not able to penetrate deep enough into the fibres of the carpet to shine on everything, plus the shadows made by carpet fibres create a perfect place for germs to hide from the light.
Water filtered vacuum cleaners
Instead of a bag, a water filtered vacuum cleaner has a water filter that manufactures claim retains virtually all dust, dirt and harmful allergens. Often, this filter system is combined with a HEPA filter, that captures an amazing 99.97% of dust particles and ensures only purified air is expelled. (However, some say this defeats the whole object of a water filtered vacuum cleaner!)
Because the dust remains trapped in the water tank, none can escape when it's emptied. This may give benefit to asthma and allergy sufferers.
This type of water vacuum cleaners are usually heavy and bulky to use.
Emptying the water tank can be unpleasant so most water filtered vacuum cleaners offer fragrance additives which can be added to the water tank to disguise the smell. However, for people who suffer from allergies, this can be a disadvantage the chemical fragrance can set of an allergic reaction in itself.
Ultraviolet Light vacuum cleaners (UV cleaners)
Some allergen suffers complain that are not effective in removing micro-organisms which can cause allergic reactions.In response to this, manufactures now make UV vacuum cleaners that claim to be able to kill bacteria, flu virus, fleas, dust mites and even lice with an ultraviolet UV-C light that is positioned on the bottom of the cleaner.
The theory is that this type of cleaner will instantly kill the organisms exposed to its UV-C light. However, it is important to realise that the UV-C light cannot kill what the UV-C light can't shine on. When you think of your carpet or flooring, ust think of all the potential hiding places where the light cannot reach. The ultraviolet light is not able to penetrate deep enough into the fibres of the carpet to shine on everything, plus the shadows made by carpet fibres create a perfect place for germs to hide from the light.
