Vacuum Cleaner Reviews - What Exactly Is A Hepa Filter?

When reading vacuum cleaner reviews you'll often be told that the vacuum comes with a HEPA filter. Most are aware that this type of filter is one of the best types of filter there is. However, beware; not all HEPA filters are the same. Quite frankly, some offer very little more filtration that old-fashioned charcoal filters.

Many manufacturers claim that its vacuums come with a HEPA filter. While this may be true, I can't help but feel it's sales hype that's given out to potential buyers to make its product sound better than it actually is. You might say that if it's fitted with one then it must have a good filter. But, you'd be wrong. You see, HEPA is not a standard regulated by any government or scientific agency. Any vacuum can be labeled as having one.

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Arrested Filter and was a standard that was defined for scientific 'clean' rooms and laboratories. It's just a name and can be applied to almost any filter, and because it's not a standard that is enforced, any company can slap a 'HEPA filter' on its vacuum cleaner.

So, when reading those vacuum cleaner reviews, how can you be sure if it's got a 'genuine' one?

First, if the vacuum costs than $150 it's almost certainly not got a HEPA filter that is of any more use than a conventional charcoal filter. In order for a vacuum to be HEPA filtered it has to contain a sealed unit. This costs money.

Just because a company states it has implemented some form of HEPA filter doesn't mean the vacuum offers HEPA filtration performance. HEPA is a slow airflow media but vacuum cleaners are higher airflow machines. This creates a problem because if the air can't go through the material, it will bypass it - flowing around the filter rather than through. In the majority of vacuums this is exactly what is happening.

The filter should capture 99.97% of particles that are as small as 0.3 microns. Just to put this into perspective; a dust mite is 5 microns and a human hair is 40 microns.

To be sure you're getting genuine HEPA filtration you should buy a machine costing over $200. And look for one that states the filter is 100% sealed. A sealed unit prevents the air from flowing around the filter, but as stated, this costs more because air tight containers require rubber gaskets and more thorough manufacturing.

If you're unsure about which brands offer genuine HEPA, then you can start by looking at the Electrolux Oxygen 3 vacuum cleaner, or the Eureka HP6855A vacuum cleaner, or the Simplicity Synergy. These are just three brands but there are quite a few others.

One final consideration before you buy your HEPA vacuum cleaner is the annual cost of replacing the filter; you should expect to pay from around $80.

So, next time you read some vacuum cleaner reviews that tout the HEPA filter of a vacuum, ask yourself is it really genuine. If you have any doubt, move on, or have a closer look at the Simplicity, Eureka or Electrolux vacuum cleaner.

Follow the links for vacuum cleaner reviews on leading brands like the Eureka vacuum cleaner, Hoover vacuum cleaner and Electrolux vacuum cleaner.

Article Directory: http://www.articlecrash.com/

Please Rate The Above Article From The - Appliances Category
Article Title: Vacuum Cleaner Reviews - What Exactly Is A Hepa Filter?

Not yet Rated

Syndicate - Appliances Related Articles Via RSS!

Boost your websites' search engine ranking! Attract more repeat visitors!
Automatically, consistently update your content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). To syndicate the above article and other - Appliances related articles on your blog or site, simply click on the XML Icon above to grab the RSS feed -- It's FREE!

Additional Articles From - Home | Home & Garden | Improvement | - Appliances