Your carpet is an absolute haven for dust mites and bacteria. Beds and upholstered furniture are also areas where high concentrations of dust mites can be found. And, anywhere that dust mites are found, there will also be dust mite feces in great supply. Removing such allergens from your home can be accomplished by regularly using a HEPA vacuum cleaner.

According to doctors, dust mites and the resultant dust mite feces make up a significant portion of the allergens and indoor pollutants found in homes. These pollutants in turn are often the irritants that cause many to suffer from allergies and which can add to asthma problems.

You can take a step in allergy-proofing your home and reducing such irritants by using anti-allergen casings on your mattresses and your pillows. In addition, specialists recommend regular and frequent vacuuming with a HEPA machine.

A HEPA vacuum is a household machine, or an industrial vacuum, that utilizes a special filter that is made to meet the HEPA standards. HEPA is an acronym for High Efficiency Particulate Air and it has been adopted as the expected standard by the industry, not only for vacuum filters, but also for air purifiers for homes and businesses. In fact, a vacuum with a HEPA filter is an important part of an efficient home air purification system, even though it is sometimes overlooked.

A crucial step in controlling and minimizing household dust and dirt, and the pollutants that are contained in it, is to routinely clean the carpeting and the upholstery in the household with a HEPA vac. According to one expert at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the use of this brand type filters in upright vacuums or canister vacuums can effectively eliminate the dust particles that are found inside homes.

One of the reasons why this type of unit is so effective in this regard, is that in order for a filter to be certified as a HEPA filter, it must be capable of removing 99.97% of airborne particles that are down to 0.3 microns in size. This size of 0.3 microns is the approximate size of particles of pet dander, mold, pollen and even some smog and smoke. Any particle that is under the size of 10 microns has the potential for settling deeply into the lungs, causing a multitude of respiratory problems over time.

A HEPA vac can be found today in many different brands and models and also across many price ranges. One of the first decisions in choosing this type unit is knowing if you prefer upright vacuums or canister vacuums, as its type of filtration is available in both styles.

Two of the primary advantages of this type of upright machine is its effectiveness on carpeting with the stronger beater brushes available and also the ease of adjusting the vacuum unit for various carpet pile depths. In addition, the upright units are generally considered to be easier to operate because everything is contained within the body of the machine.

Even though upright vacuums are popular in many areas of the United States, canisters seem to be considered the best vacuum in the Eastern part of the US and throughout Europe. Sales of canister vacuums in these areas consistently eclipse sales of upright vacuums.

One reason for this is that a canister style HEPA vacuum has better suction power due to the larger motor that can be housed in the canister part of the vacuum. In addition, the vacuuming head of canister vacs is generally smaller so it can reach into those nooks and crannies where dirt and dust like to collect.