The DIRT on Dyson & Other Bagless Vacuum Cleaners...

Facts that just might take your breath away!

We're talkin' dirty about bagless vacuum cleaners! Now bear with me, because this is not a pretty topic - but it's one that is extremely important to your respiratory health and the quality of life in your home.

It's the latest craze....BAGLESS VACUUMS! "What a revolution... no bags, no worries...how easy and cost-effective!!" Craze? Craziness is more like it. I hate to be harsh, and I hate name names, but my job is to be straight with my customers.... All bagless vacuums are: unsanitary, unhealthy, are not effective, do not last very long and are more expensive to operate & maintain. Sorry, but that includes the Dyson. Pictures are worth a thousand words (see below).

How can I make such a bold claim? How do I know? Because vacuum cleaners are my life!!! Shelby Vacuum has been in business for over 30 yrs, it's one thing just to sell vacuums - but the fact that we repair vacuums as well means that we understand vacuum cleaners inside and out, literally!

So put on your goggles and gloves - we're going to take a closer look at how your vacuum affects your world. If you already have a bagless vacuum, or are considering purchasing one, please consider the following statements and comments - you can make your OWN conclusions:

1. I suffer from severe allergies and my doctor said to buy a vacuum with a HEPA filter. I read that the Dyson is certified asthma & allergy friendly."

The Truth Is: The Dyson can extract a great deal of dirt and allergens from the carpet, as well as trap most of it from returning to your room’s atmosphere – while in operation and sealed. However (as seen in the provided illustration) you are completely exposed to the full concentration of dirt and allergens you collected when it’s time to empty the Dyson’s dirt bin! Even worse, you are required to hand wash the Dyson’s dirty sponge filter every few months to prevent clogging and maintain performance. Most people – not thinking – empty the dusty bin in the kitchen garbage, and wash the filter in the sink! The unhealthy residue and fine dust released from these tasks can badly contaminate the very place where you prepare food for your family.

2. (I hear this one a lot) “My Dyson vacuum picks up way more dirt” than my old bagged vacuum ever did!” I can’t help but ask, “How do you know? Did you ever test them side-by-side then cut open your bag to measure and compare contents?”

The Truth Is: A typical filter bag can hold up to 20x more dirt than the dirt-collection bin of any full-sized Dyson vacuum. In other words, you will need to stop and empty your Dyson 20 times before it’s time to throw out the bag in a regular vacuum!

3. “I really need to watch costs these days. I don’t have the money to keep buying replacement filter bags all of the time. A bagless vacuum will be way cheaper to maintain.”

The Truth Is: Typical high-filtration paper vacuum bags only cost between $1-$2 each. The average household goes through one bag every month. That’s $12-$24 per year. Let’s even say it has a HEPA exhaust filter too…that’s another $20 per year. Okay, $44 bucks. Your average bagless vacuum has a primary HEPA filter that requires regular cleaning, plus replacement every six months. These cost $20-$30 on average, making annual operating costs between $40 and $60! Where’s the savings?

Furthermore - Most bagless vacuums are designed by manufacturers to be “disposable.” The cost of filter replacement is very high, so the initial purchase is usually very low. After a year or two, you throw them out (not very green, right?) which also means that repeated replacement racks up huge costs compared to the maintenance of a better machine over several year’s time. Most importantly, cheap price means cheap, poor construction. Remember we’re dealing with dust and microscopic particles. This means that a vacuum’s ill-fitting body parts and lousy seals allow a certain portion of the dust picked up to leaks out of those cracks. Much of the dirty air may not even make it through the HEPA filter, and some gets sucked into the vacuum’s motor. The result? Dust and allergens spewed into your breathing air and a damaged motor that is likely to “burn up” within a few short years. You’ll see the outside of a bagless vacuum quickly get covered in dust. They harbor more odors than a bagged vacuum whose dirty bag gets removed very frequently. They clog more frequently and pick up less from your floors as a result of suction loss from a quickly choked-up filter.

A vacuum is intended to do ONE SIMPLE JOB: SUCK UP dirt from floors and surfaces, TRAP the dirt and expel only CLEAN AIR. You should now understand how many machines, claiming to be “vacuums cleaners,” fail miserably at one or all of these criteria. Failure means you home is not clean, you’ve wasted your money and time and may be putting your family's health at risk.

Good vacuums are not hard to find - you just need to know where to look! Start at Shelby Vacuum, 103 Pine Street, Shelby, NC, 28152...704471-9979! We can sell you a broom and dust-pan for 3$'s and a half, but its not gonna get the dirt outta ya house!!