What is a vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner is a device that uses underpressure to suck in air via an attachment (hose). The sucked in air will pull debris and dirt with the in going air, which often ends up in a removable bag. The vacuum cleaner makes it possible to transport material without mechanical cleaning or the use of cleaning liquids.

Why use a vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner is mostly used to transport dirt, dust and other unwanted particles from a surface into a collection device such as a paper bag. When the all the particles have been removed, they will be stored within the collection device. By replacing the collection device with a clean one, all the collected material can be transported easily and safely into a garbage bin (or similar). This makes it possible to clean a surface without the use of cleaning liquid, mechanical cleaning or other forms of surface contact. The vacuum cleaner is a popular household device and is very commonly used to clean interior, floormats, bootcarpets and floors made from various materials. When using a wet-vac, the device is capable of sucking up liquids and can be used to remove cleaning solution that are soaked into fabrics and/or foam. One of the advantages of a vacuum cleaner is the fact that the collected debris is stored in a bag (or similar) that is easy to remove. This prevents that the sucked up debirs floats around, making other surfaces dirty.

What is a vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner has a mechanical and/or electrical unit that blows out air from a compartment, the absense of air within that compartment will cause a very low pressure. Due to the surrounding atmospheric pressure, the vacuum created inside the compartment will try to equalize the pressure. As much air as is being removed from the compartment, will be sucked in via another opening. By connecting a hose on this opening, the in-going air can be used to aim at a certain surface. The moving air will pass over the surface, dragging along dirt and debris, which is then caught in the stream of air and sucked in via the hose. The vacuum compartment houses a filter (such as a paper bag) that allows air to pass through, but filter out dust and other particles. Very small particles that might pass through the paper filter, will have to pass through a second filter before the air reaches the motor that causes the movement of air.
Because the filter (often a paper or cotton bag) stops dirt and dust from going any further, these particles will remoain withint this compartment. When the machine is turned off, this collection bag can be removed and emptied and/or replaced for next usage. This makes it possible to suck up very small grains of sand, dust and other dirt on floormats, which are very difficult to remove by mechanical cleaning.

Different types of vacuum cleaners

There can be several different types of vacuum cleaners being used in different situations. Apart from cosmetic and technical differences (such as power, length of hose etc.) these machines can come with a few charateristics:

• Capable of sucking in liquids and/or moisture without damage
• Having attachments to spray a liquid from a nozzle attached to the end of the hose
• Being powered electrically or gasoline (usually only applies to industrial sized vacuum systems)
• Being a static unit, or mobile
• Having a removable container, or using a bag that functions as a collection filter