Right Vacuum Cleaner Can Reduce Allergens

QUESTION: My kids have allergies, and I want to try a new allergy-safe vacuum cleaner. I can smell the dust in the air now after I vacuum. Do these super-powerful vacuums cost a fortune to operate?

ANSWER: Some of the super-powerful, micro-filtration vacuum cleaners do help alleviate common allergies. I have used several models in my own home, and they have made a difference in my allergies. One powerful design even looks like “Star Wars’ � R2D2, so your kids may want to vacuum too.

The Environmental Protection Agency has recently investigated the ill health effects of microscopic indoor air particles. These are inhaled and lodge deep in the lung tissues. Household dust and carbon dust from vacuum cleaner motors are of particular concern.

Within the last couple of years, there have been many vacuum cleaners touted by their manufacturers as being “allergy-safe,� “micro-filtration,� “HEPA� (high efficiency particle air), “HEPA-like,� etc. Some are effective and some are not. With the best models, the telltale just-vacuumed smell is eliminated.

An effective allergy-safe vacuum cleaner must do three things: (a) be very powerful to draw up all dirt and allergens, (b) have an effective filtering system to remove these particles, and (c) be airtight throughout to make sure that the smallest particles do not leak back out into the room.

Don’t pay attention to marketing hype like “peak horsepower.� The deep-cleaning power of a vacuum is determined by the suction and, more important, air flow rate (in cubic feet per minute). Canister designs are most powerful, with air flow rates as high as 125 cubic feet per minute.

Even though these models have very powerful motors, they deep-clean so well that you have to vacuum less often and you will save electricity overall.

There are many designs of vacuum filtering systems. The best designs use a series of filters and air flow patterns inside the vacuum cleaner.

True HEPA filters meet rigid testing standards. These remove 99.97% of particles as small as 1/300th the diameter of a human hair. Some “HEPA-like� filters are effective too, but you must rely on the manufacturers’ judgment, not certified test results. The best designs use a true HEPA exhaust filter to stop motor brush dust too.

Some features to consider are variable or multi-step adjustable power for cleaning drapes, rugs, etc. If you have a two-story house, consider the weight of the unit. An optional charcoal filter can help reduce odors.

Write for (or instant download www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No. 550, a buyer’s guide of 11 true HEPA and HEPA-like allergy-safe vacuum cleaners, cleaning power, filtration methods, bag size, features, weights and prices. Please include $3 and a business-size self-addressed envelope and mail to James Dulley, Los Angeles Times, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244.

Kit Provides Simple Seal for Garage Door

Q: Our concrete garage floor has shifted over the years, and the garage door rests on a high spot. This leaves a gap at the middle for insects and mice to get in. How can I fix this?

A: A leaky garage door not only lets insects in during summer, it also lets in cold air during the winter. This chills the garage walls common to your living areas.

The easiest way to seal a garage door is to install a replacement rubber astragal (seal at the bottom). Most slide in an aluminum strip that you screw to the bottom of the door. The kits cost about $2 to $3 per foot.

Letters and questions to James Dulley, a Cincinnati-based engineering consultant, may be sent to James Dulley, Los Angeles Times, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244.