As part of our Healthy Home Challenge we decided to first focus on our floors. My steam mop sucks ass and is either haunted or broken so I am on the hunt for replacements. Our vacuum also sucks....well actually it doesn't suck and that sucks for a vacuum. Old Dusty does however make the best cat fur baseballs but I have been told that this is "gross". (Haters).
Our replacement for Old Dusty is not as easy as the steam mop. It was like a Coke vs Pepsi battle up in here! I grew up with portable vacuums and Joe grew up with a central vac. But he made some fantastic points and so we are researching central vacs. Our house is roughed in for one but we have recently come to realize that when the previous owners built our home they made some changes to the floor plan and the builder in turn did not change the location of the central vac ports and pipes. So when the pipe should run down the inside of the wall it actually does something entirely different because that wall is not there. We don't know where it goes or what it does so that should add some "fun" to this project.
Central vac vs portable vacuum is a personal decision. From a green and health perspective there are not that many major differences. You want to look for the following in either option:
* Energy efficiency* HEPA filters
* Reusable filters or something that can be recycled
* Warranty - you want something that will last/can be fixed so you aren't throwing it out in a few years
* Size should be compatible with the size of your home. You don't want to have to upgrade afterwards or buy a second portable unit.
From an environmental perspective you want to go with a canister option because it means you don't have to use or throw out bags. But from a health perspective bags may be the better option because you won't get particulate matter getting back into your house when you dump a canister. An option would be to dump the canister outside of your house (this is easy with a central vac because you can locate it in your garage).
Do not buy used because seriously you do not know where that vacuum has been!
Mom jeans not included with purchase
So why does having a good vacuum matter? No one really likes vacuuming right so if you are going to do it you might as well get it done right (so you don't have to do it as often). You want to get all the dust, dead skin, dust mites, dirt, poop (yep there is poop) and other particulate out of your house. You will find there is less dust in the air and that means better quality air for you and your family. Buying a good quality vacuum is a great step in accomplishing this.
What do you vacuum with? Love it or hate it? And while we are at it how often do you vacuum your whole house?
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