Why You Should Go Back to a Bag Vacuum Cleaner
Old school bag vacuum cleaners are quite rare these days. It makes some sense: if you can order a brand new lightweight canister vacuum on Amazon for under $ 200, why bother with a heavier, noisier machine relic that requires replacement bags?
Simply put, because bagged vacuum cleaners are pretty darn great. I bought a refurbished Kirby Sentria II on Craigslist for $ 80 last summer and it changed my life instantly. Yes, it is heavy and not particularly maneuverable, but the lack of maneuverability is more than compensated for by functionality. (This thing vacuums cat hair like the $ 800 Dyson vacuum cleaner – that’s perfectly fine.)
But, as I’ve learned, bag vacuum cleaners offer more than just functionality. They have at least three distinct (and huge) advantages over all but the trendiest bagless models. Unless you have hundreds of dollars to blow through a Dyson, just about any bagged vacuum cleaner in your price range is the next best thing, and I’d like to tell you why.
Vacuum cleaners with bags are a lifesaver for allergy sufferers.
Having used bagless vacuum cleaners for most of my adult life, I figured sneezing fits were part of the deal. Working with a vacuum cleaner always raised a certain amount of dust, and when the canister was emptied, clouds of dust rose into the air. If you’re generally allergic to anything that gets into the vacuum cleaner – dust, dust mites, pet dander – the whole process can be more annoying than it’s worth.
None of this happens with bagged vacuum cleaners. As long as the tube connecting the head and the bag is tightly closed, all this dust, hair and other fine particulate matter will go straight into the bag, specially designed to capture fine particulate matter . When changing the bag, a small ball of loose dust may form, but this is nothing compared to the vortex that occurs when the canister is emptied. If you, or anyone you live with, is allergic indoors, it is your serious responsibility to check bagged vacuum cleaners. You can even buy HEPA-rated packages if that’s what you need.
Vacuum cleaners with bags are more environmentally friendly than you think
I know what you’re thinking: vacuum cleaner bags are incredibly harmful to the environment. Every time you change the bag, you are sending a lot of dust and hair to the landfill in the bag that will not break.
There are two things here. First, while it is true that many vacuum bags – especially those designed to HEPA standards – are made from synthetic fabric that is not biodegradable, many others do. You can buy bags made from literal paper and other compostable materials that fit most bag vacuum cleaners. Secondly, what do you think is more polluting: the increasingly obscure vacuum bags, some of which are biodegradable, or the global industry producing more and more plastic canisters every year, which inevitably end up in landfills when they break?
You Can Really Fix Bag Vacuum Cleaners
This brings me to the last benefit, and it is very large: unlike the vast majority of cheap canister vacuums, bag vacuums are designed to be refurbished. Regularly wearing parts (especially belts) are so cheap and easy to replace that you can do it yourself by watching a few YouTube videos. For more complex things, there are always vacuum cleaner repair shops that are less obscure than they seem. Virtually every metropolitan area in the United States has at least one because commercial cleaning companies need to keep their vacuum cleaners in good working order. If you live near a city or town with a lot of hotels or office buildings, chances are good that you will also find a vacuum cleaner repair shop.
Being able to service and repair a vacuum cleaner as needed is such a small thing, but surprisingly rare. By using the same vacuum cleaner for several years, your carpet will be clean, your money will be in your pocket, and your vacuum cleaner won’t end up in a landfill – which is a pretty good goal.