If you are looking for a vacuum cleaner and Indoor Air Quality is important to you, there are some things you need to consider. I ran across an article in HGTVpro.com under their "Best Practices" tab. It some great information about why you should consider a central vacuum system instead of a portable vacuum cleaner.
"Poor IAQ can lead to asthma issues, allergy complications, dizziness, fever, headaches, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. While many homeowners might think their home looks clean and healthy, what they can't see could be hurting them. Conventional vacuum cleaners, even units with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, can stir up and circulate dirt, dust, pet dander, and other potentially dangerous allergens around the room, making them more difficult to remove".
The article goes on to discuss the advantages of a central vacuum system and why you should ask your builder to install one. As you read further, they let you know a central vacuum system is easy to install, and this is true. So, consider, if you are relatively handy, installing one yourself. Most people don't know that they can install a central vacuum system in an existing home.
If you do install a central vacuum system to improve the Indoor Air Quality in your home, the article brings up one other very good point about venting your central vacuum system. For years we have been advising customers to vent their central vacuum systems outside, if it is at all possible. Initially, this advice was born out of our own experience. You see, when my husband and I were first married we owned a beautiful Irish Setter named Rusty. He was a marvelous dog, but he had a very distinctive dog odor. At that time we had a central vacuum that was not vented outside, and so the exhaust was vented back into our garage. Every time we turned on the central vacuum, if you were in the garage, you would smell Rusty. My husband likes to say, even after Rusty went to doggy heaven, he was still with us, all we had to do was turn on the vacuum. After Rusty,we owned a Labrador Retriever and another Irish Setter (both smelly dogs) but we vented our central vacuum outside so the smell was gone. This is why we began recommending outside venting for central vacuum systems. We knew if the odor was vented back into the garage, other unhealthy particles were also coming out of the exhaust.
Of course we know there are always exceptions and sometimes venting outside is not the best choice, but we also know the advantages are undeniable. HGTVpro agrees with us:
"High-quality central vacuum systems usually come with highly effective filters and are vented to the outside. Because they're removing, not circulating, the filtered air, they create a much cleaner, healthier home environment than conventional vacuum cleaners."
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