Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with vacuum

Dustbuster recommendations?

leesh — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:48:36 -0800

I'd like to get a dustbuster or similar cordless small vacuum device. Can you awesome people recommend some brands/models? I saw this thread but it's a couple years old and I figured dustbuster technology has advanced some since then, plus I really do want a cordless one. Currently Amazon has a good deal on one of those Kone things, but the recent reviews seem mixed. Have any of you used one, and would you recommend it? Or is there some other awesome dustbuster I should know about?

Backpack vacuum cleaner?

sgarst — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:12:33 -0800

Backpack vacuum cleaners - any experience or tips? I'm considering a backpack vacuum cleaner (ProTeam), but I'm unsure how comparable these are to consumer vacuums. It doesn't appear there are any carpet attachments with beaters (that are driven by a motor). Any have any experience with these? Or insights on which kind?

vacuum storage bags

blueyellow — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:27:51 -0800

Which vacuum storage brand is best? I've seen "Space Bag", "Storage Kaddy", and "Honey-can-do" on amazon. The reviews seem fairly mixed or sparse on all of them. Do you have any personal experience with different bags?

Tips for vacuum-sealing fruit?

adipocere — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:31:16 -0800

Does anyone have any experience using various short-term food preservation vacuum devices (such as the Tilia FoodSaver) on cut-up fruit? I need to get more fruit in my diet (who doesn't?), but I tend to balk at a whole unit of whatever fruit, as the flavors are fairly overwhelming for me. I can do about a third of an orange. About half a banana makes me queasy.

What I would like to do is cut up an apple; peel an orange; wash some grapes, strawberries, and so on. Then, in each container, I'd put a few slices of apple, some orange segments, a few grapes, a chunk of banana, and the like, to create a pleasing variety (enough for my n servings per day), and perform whatever vacuum sealing operation is needed , then pop the container in the fridge. I could then just add a container of fruit to my lunch daily, but only have to prepare on a weekly basis. Twice a week, if need be.

Are these particular vacuum sealers which are good for this? Containers which are well-suited (I do not plan to waste my money and litter the planet with plastic bags)? Any fruits to avoid?

Bonus Round: Should I do the lemon juice trick on the apple slices?

Most recommended roomba, hopefully sub-$200

lrodman — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:42:27 -0800

Most recommended roomba, hopefully sub-$200 I'm looking for a first roomba, I'm a student and will be upgrading from almost never vacuuming, so any results should be impressive. No pets, no shag rugs, apartment.

Is it worth it to get one of these $400-600 new roombas, or is there one that goes in the $100-200 range that is almost as good? I'm looking for bang for the buck here (also, horror stories if you have a roomba and find it doesn't clean enough - but we're just looking for it to pick up crumbs and dust).

Would a blimp "filled" with vacuum float?

stilgar — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:00:13 -0800

If you were to take a blimp like structure and instead of filling it with hydrogen, or helium, or hot air, you instead "filled it" with vacuum, that is you removed everything from the inside (think mercury vacuum), would that structure float in earths atmosphere...This is driving me nuts, help me physics!

Effective, inexpensive cordless mini-vacuum?

radioamy — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:03:46 -0800

Effective, inexpensive, cordless mini-vacuum. Does it exist? Please help out a fur-covered Corgi owner. After we got our Roomba I threw away our crappy upright and vowed to never again be a slave to a traditional vacuum. Well, it looks like I'm going to have to go back on that.

I love my Roomba, don't get me wrong, but we just added a four-legged shedding machine to our household and the hair gets everywhere. We're avid Furminators and we put down a towel on the couch before letting Sunny up for a snuggle, but I guess Corgis and couches don't mix. Ditto for the backseat of my car.

So dear hivemind, can you point me in the direction of a good "dust-buster"-type device? I've seen this thread, but a) it's four years old and b) the user ends up with a corded vac rather than cordless. I don't want to spend more than, say $50. I'm open to online or any of the big-box stores (or hey, if they sell it at my local hardware store, even better!).

Well, I suppose it could work...

dino terror — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:15:30 -0800

Retrofitting a HEPA filter to my central-vac exhaust: experiences, comments? I have a very old NuTone central-vac with no filter whatsoever (besides the bag) which exhausts into my furnace room where it is mounted. I was in a vacuum specialty store and the salesman said that I could attach a HEPA filter to the exhaust. I can't really find any info online about this however... Does this seem like a reasonable thing to do?

Well, that wasn't very good...

who else — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:57:26 -0800

Those pretentious Dyson vacuum cleaner commercials have me thinking about the potential inferiority of my trusty steed... I just sprinkled some hot chocolate powder onto a standard rug and brushed it in and my vacuum failed miserably at picking it up with the floor agitator even when I set the agitator lower a notch and it was definitely grinding into the carpet. I then switched over to the hose and picked the stuff up easily, and the suction on the hose didn't even seem that formidable. Is a floor vacuum supposed to be able to pick up stuff like that relatively easily with the agitator?
Is it true what the Dyson commercial is telling me about normal vacuum cleaners losing suction over time? What causes this besides the bag becoming more full?
Does my vacuum cleaner blow, and if so, what should I be looking for in the sucky variety?

Vacuum cleaner for cat owner with wool carpets?

jeri — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:56:07 -0800

I've read the prior discussions, and I've seen Consumer Reports - but the wool carpet issue hasn't been addressed. I'm looking for a good vacuum cleaner for my wool carpets (and my sofa and such). I have cats. I don't have stairs. I'd like a vacuum cleaner that will last. And I'd like something not too heavy, something easy to move around. If it has a bag, it has to be easy to change it. I've always used an upright vacuum, but I'm open to other options if they would work better.

I've seen snippets on the web indicating the Dyson vacuums aren't good on wool carpets; I called Dyson and they said to turn the brush bar off and all would be fine. (They also said to check with the carpet manufacturer, but I believe the company that made mine has gone out of business.) I don't know if wool carpets are an issue with any other vacuums.

Any suggestions?

How to get a vacuum working again?

matkline — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:54:14 -0800

My dog chewed the power cable on my vacuum. Not realizing this, I turned it on and burnt a fuse. Is there any option other than replacing the vacuum? Would it be safe to wrap it with electrical tape?

Shop Vac air-powered carpet beater?

iTristan — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:54:47 -0800

Does anyone have experience with an air-powered carpet beater with a Shop Vac? I've read/heard that buying an air-powered (vacuum-powered, not electrical) carpet beater designed for use with some central vacs but using it with a Shop Vac works quite well.

I have no intention of buying yet another vacuum cleaner (as we're getting rid our our carpet soon enough) but have some carpet that could use better than just Shop Vac-sucking power so would love to hear if any MeFi's have experience with this.

Nukes… in… space…

Artw — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:25:33 -0800

To what extent would the lack of an atmosphere reduce the effectiveness of nuclear weapons?

How can I keep my apartment free of cat fur?

bchaplin — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:10:22 -0800

[Cat fur filter]: What's the best way to keep my apartment free of cat fur? I have two indoor cats in a smallish carpeted apartment. I vacuum thoroughly at least once a week, and wipe down kitchen surfaces daily, but the fur still gets EVERYWHERE. I am surprised and disgusted to find it coating the top of kitchen surfaces, inside my drawers, literally everywhere. I can only conclude that the fur is airborne, possibly stirred up by the open windows and my two ceiling fans.

The cats pretty much stick to sitting on their cat trees, two pieces of furniture, and the floor. They never get on the counters or table. They get very high quality cat food, FWIW. All the places they sit are thoroughly vacuumed when I do the weekly cleaning.

I can't really up the cleaning schedule due to other commitments. In short, I'd rather throw money rather than time at the problem. So what could I invest in that would help me have a cleaner environment?

Would air filters in every room solve the problem? (Though my windows are open all summer so they may be of limited use.) Or a better vacuum cleaner? (A full-size vacuum absolutely won't fit, and I'm currently using a canister style vacuum.)

I need a vacuum that really sucks!

missjamielynn — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:35:54 -0800

What's a good vacuum for mostly hard floors and some carpet for a cat owner? I have a serious cat hair and litter issue-it's all over my floors and rugs. I've recently tossed my old vacuum because it just didn't work. Can you recommend a good vacuum for this problem? I'm not looking to spend a ton, so I'd like to cap the budget around $150. Thanks!

Cutting hair with a vacuum cleaner (a device I once saw)

bollockovnikov — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:21:38 -0800

Weird vacuum cleaner/haircut extension tube device. I saw it on an infomercial once. I think there's one in Wayne's World. Can I get one in the UK? I am looking for a device that fits on to the end of a vacuum cleaner hose. It has a series of blades inside which cut hair. The length of hair is chosen, the vacuum cleaner is switched on and then the user sucks their hair up the tube, cutting it as they do so.

I saw it on American TV one time. My girlfriend says that there is one in Wayne's World (Garth uses it, I can only vaguely remember the scene).

I live in the UK. Where can I get one? What would I search for on eBay for instance?

Cheers

Keeping it Clean Here, Boss!

imjustsaying — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:20:55 -0800

We need to replace two horrible bagless upright vacuum cleaners which make an unbearable amount of noise and are largely ineffective, with a good relatively quiet single unit. We have a mix of hard and carpeted floors. Are all bagless vacuums worthless and terribly loud? Ours, purchased with the best of intentions, are almost unusable. They kill us with the noise and they just move the dirt around on the hard floors. We actually use noise protectors when vacuuming with one of them. We're not noise freaks otherwise and we love loud music.

When we moved to our first two story home in summer 2005, our rationale for owning two of these was that we'd be more inclined to keep things clean if we had a unit for each of our two floors.

However, now we'd gladly trade off dragging a vacuum up and down the stairs to find something which works and does not require ear protection.

We'll buy bags in a heartbeat if that's what it takes.

Vacuum cleaner

greta simone — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:24:33 -0800

Need a cheap, industrial strength vacuum cleaner! As I am a poor graduate student, I am asking for a vacuum cleaner for xmas from my parents. Thing is, my roommate and I have killed three vacuum cleaners over the years because we have two cats that shed like some serious mother f*ckers. We prefer cheap (because I'm pretty sure my parents don't want to spend a lot) and bagless. Has anyone purchased a good solid cheap vacuum cleaner that has lasted through big-time cleanups over the years? Please help!

Why, oh why, now and this way..

tmcw — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 12:15:12 -0800

Cursing bad luck: One of the preamp tubes in my Peavey Classic 30 seemed to peter out during practice yesterday. Two hours before my first concert of the year. An awesome friend came in in the clutch, but now I'm puzzled as to what to do. (and have another show on Thursday) So, playing. It was turned fairly high up (Pre at 6-7, Post at 6-7) (note that the scale is 1 to 12). I'm playing fairly loud (with a drummer, and a loop being sent to it), and within a few seconds I lose volume. We all stop, I look at the back of the amp, and one of the three preamp tubes is not showing its beautiful glow. Playing yields a barely audible, really sad sounding chime.

So, I live with it. The weird part is that today, I remembered that perhaps the other channel on the amp is usable (I think I'm incorrect in thinking this, because it isn't a 'true' two-channel amp) Anyway, the amp seems to work, although that tube still isn't glowing. I'm afraid to test it thoroughly, because I keep reading horror stories of this sort of thing (and I've seem some scary stuff happen with vacuum tubes in a photography setting).

So, wtf do I do? I'm thinking I should retube it, and Eurotubes is insanely hyped. At $61 for a retube of 7 tubes (my amp has 4 post, 3 pre), average price seems to be pretty good relative to other shops. And they can deliver in three days.

Or should I just buy one tube? Or am I set to go with this weirdly-working setup?

I'm disregarding bias for the time being because the C30 uses EL84s which supposedly don't need to be biased. But the thing is, I only have had the amp for about 6 months, and it was brand new. So, WTF? Tubes are supposedly usable for years on end, and these only lasted a half. Am I running the preamp too high? is there anything else that could have caused this (fuses?) that I'm not looking at?

Thanks for any guidance.

Central vacuum?

bondcliff — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 07:53:50 -0800

I need recommendations for a good central vacuum system to install in my house. I grew up with a Sears central vac and it was the greatest thing ever. We’re hoping to install one in our house and I was hoping someone out there was passionate enough about theirs that they could recommend it and tell me why they love it so. What make/model do you have? What attachments can you not live without? Are the kick-plate inlets worth it?

It’s going into new construction and will be installed by the contractor so ease of installation isn’t so important. Cost is a factor, but we’re willing to pay for quality. Quiet is good. Suction is key, I want to be able to suck up dustbunnies at 30 paces.

Thanks.

Hardwood floor vacuum

sandpine — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:29:21 -0800

I'm looking for a reasonably priced vacuum for use on hardwood floors. Doesn't need any sort of powered brushes just suction. Thanks!

Thinking of buying a new Dustbuster

Tnuocca — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:38:40 -0800

Which Dustbuster should I buy? Hi,

I'm interested in buying a new Dustbuster. I've noticed that the Dustbusters for sale on Amazon all have different voltages.

I bought a Dustbuster about a year ago but it wasn't very powerful. (I think it was 9v.)

Presumably the higher voltage models are more powerful?.

Could someone please tell me if any of the Dustbusters are powerful enough to vacuum food particles e.g. bread crumbs without having to repeatedly pass the handset over the crumbs?

I'd also be interested in any general advice you could give me on buying a Dustbuster, or even if you think I should buy a different hand vacuum (eg Dyson)?

Thanks in advance.

Your views on the roomba?

echo0720 — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:58:06 -0800

What do you think of the roomba? It's been a couple of years since the last time someone asked, and I'm curious about if anyone's opinion of the Roomba has changed? I have a big new apartment with hardwood floors and not a whole lot of furniture. No pets, but I have long hair and shed way more than one would think :)

Basically, I like going barefoot, but in places with wood floors, things get dusty so quickly and my feet get all dirty and it's gross, so I thought this might be a good solution. Do you have one? Would you recommend it? Pros/Cons?

Thank you!

Why doesn't duct tape work in the vacuum of space?

banshee — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:06:21 -0800

In this article, one of NASA's rocket scientists said that duct tape doesn't work in the vacuum of space. Why is that?

would vacuum damage a corpse?

eebs — Sun, 06 May 2007 16:35:11 -0800

Would vacuum damage a corpse? This is actually a scientific research question (at the end of the explanations). US Army is looking for innovative solutions for human remains transfer. Current practice is aluminum boxes with lots of ice. Obviously it is not working. The main goal for the new transfer case is to reduce the temperature of the body initially down to a temperature between 34-37 F and sustain it for a minimum of 10 hrs. Also, it should be self-powered in the event that there is no access to external power. There are many other constraints and requirements, but above is the gist of the problem.

I was thinking, after bringing the temperature of the body down to 34-37 F, we can create a vacuum inside the chamber to reduce the heat transfer mode to mostly radiation; add good insulation and seals, then your power requirements are much less than an active cooling system. Obviously there are many challenges one has to address in this plan. But my question is to biology/medical members of the ask.metafilter community. I don't know if the body (corpse rather) would be damaged due to vacuum. I would worry about eyes and circulatory system.

We have internal pressure in our eyes. What happens to that pressure when we die?

Same question applies to circulatory system.

Or anything else that might be adversely affected by vacuum?

Thanks.