subject: Choosing the Right Vacuum for your Carpet [print this page] Author: Ramsi Author: Ramsi
Maintaining a carpeted floor in your home is a very heavy household chore as your carpet accumulates dry soil. It is important to remove dry soil on your carpet for it to last longer and for you to have a conducive and more relaxing place. Keeping your carpet clean may not be a pain in the neck as long as you acquire the right machine to do the job. The Carpet and Rug Testing Institute (CRI) came out with a testing program known as the Green Label to check the performance of vacuum cleaners with the aim of keeping a quality, clean and healthy indoor air. A good quality vacuum cleaner should pass the following criteria identified under the Green Label program: 1. Soil Removal There is a certain amount of soil that the vacuum cleaner should be able to remove based on the four stages of carpet test. 2. Dust Containment This protocol requires that the vacuum cleaner should not exhaust dust particles above 100 micrograms per cubic meter of air. This test will assure that dust particles are contained in the filtration bag and that the vacuum system does not have leaks. 3. Carpet Retention This testing protocol requires that the vacuum should not cause damage on the carpet and maintains the good appearance based on a normal usage of one year. Vacuum experts developed the tests for the above criteria and were reviewed by scientists who specialize in maintaining the quality of indoor air. If a vacuum cleaner is able to pass the abovementioned requirements, it gets a CRI Green Label certification and the manufacturer displays the label on its products. When buying a vacuum cleaner, always look for the Green Label for your carpet to have a longer life and a cleaner air for your home or office. Selecting the right type of vacuum to clean a specific area is also a confusing task as there are lots of vacuum types to choose from. A heavy-duty vacuum cleaner used to clean bigger and more open areas have better cleaning performance. The average upright vacuum can clean at a rate of 3,000 square feet per hour while the walk behind type can give a cleaning rate of 40,000 square feet per hour. The walk behind vacuum is also efficient in removing dry soil from the carpet. For large areas such as offices, hallways, conference rooms and the like, a two-motor upright vacuum is the best machine to use as it does great performance in cleaning the fibers of the carpet and removes dry soil efficiently. The two-motor vacuum has a removable hose and accessories for cleaning chairs and vents. You should also give importance to the needs of the operator when acquiring a vacuum cleaner. If you will be using the vacuum for a long period of time, you should get the one that is ergonomically designed to avoid injury on the operator.About the Author:
