No matter how you look at it, the vacuum cleaner is an ingenious piece of equipment. It has an air pump that creates a partial vacuum to suck up the dust and dirt, which it collects by a filtering system or a cyclone to dispose of later.

Vacuum cleaner types

Based on their configurations, there are many types of vacuum cleans. The following are some of the most known types of vacuum cleaners.

Bagless

Bagless vacuum cleaners, as the name implies, don't use bags. They collect the dust in a compartment which you can quickly and easily empty. This will save you from the headache of dealing with messy and frustrating vacuum bags.

Upright

Upright vacuum cleaners have the pump mounted directly above the suction intake, with the bag mounted on the handle that will normally rise to waist height. The designs of upright vacuum cleaners will normally employ mechanical beaters, which are often rotating brushes, to help dust that has yet to settle be vacuumed up. An attached belt to the vacuum motor will drive these beaters.

Canister types

Canister vacuum cleaners have the motor and the bag in a separate cylinder unit that is connected to the vacuum head by a long flexible hose. Even though the upright units have been tested as being more effective, the lighter and more maneuverable heads of the canister are also popular. There are some canister models on the market that feature power heads which contain the same type of beaters as found with upright units, even though those types of beaters are driven by a seperate electric motor.

Backpack

Backpack vacuums are a great tool for commercial type cleaning. Backpack vacuums will allow you to move around rapidly in a large area. It is basically a canister vacuum cleaner, except for the fact that the straps are used to carry the canister unit on your back.

Central vacuum

A central or built in vacuum cleaner has the suction motor and bag based in a central location of the building, providing vacuum inlets at strategic places throughout the building. This way, you only need to carry the hose and pickup head from room to room. The hose is normally 25 foot long, allowing a large range of movement without having to change vacuum inlets.

A plastic pipe will connect the vacuum outlets to the central unit. The head of the vacuum may either by un-powered or have beaters that are operated by an air driven or electric motor. The dirt bags in central systems are so big that you only need to change or empty them once or twice a year.

Robotic

Robot type vacuum cleaners will move around your home, cleaning as they wish. They are compact and powered by batteries.

Hand held

Hand held vacuum cleaners are very small and powered by either batteries or electricity, and very popular with cleaning up small spills.

Wet or dry vacs Wet or dry vacuum systems can be used to clean up both wet and dry spills and dirt.

Vacuums are very helpful with protecting yourself and your family from dust particles. They are also helpful for those who suffer from allergies that result from dirt and dust. Before you buy a vacuum cleaner, you should always read some reviews and find out other information to ensure that the vacuum cleaner you buy will meet your needs.