Using a Bagless Vacuum | Pros and Cons

A bagless vacuum can be one of the best purchases you’ll ever make. It could also be the worst.

The obvious benefit to using a bagless vacuum is the simple, money saving fact that you will never spend money buying disposable bags. Dirt is trapped in an on-board container that you simply empty into the trash.

For some people, that obvious benefit is also it’s biggest weakness.

These days, most (if not all) quality vacuum cleaners use a “hepa filter”. This provides the appliance with a superior ability to remove not just dirt, but germs and allergins, as well. These are very small particles that are normally too small to be removed by standard vacuum filters. When the air is expelled after going through the filter, the allergins can be sent back into the room air. Using a hepa filter can reduce these allergens by as much as 99%.

As you can imagine, the development of hepa filters has been a godsend for those that suffer allergies.

When your vacuum uses bags, the allergens trapped by the hepa filter are stored in the bag and discarded when it gets full. A bagless vacuum, however, has a dirt collection cylinder that must be opened and emptied directly into the trash. And, unless you are extremely careful, a large percentage of the allergens trapped in the cylinder can escape back into the air.

The Best Bagless Vacuum for Allergy Sufferers

There are some bagless vacuums that are designed so that the collection cylinder can be emptied is a “one-touch” operation that will minimize the chances of losing pollen and other allergens back into the room. This is a great improvement, but, for some folks, allowing even a small amount of the allergens back into the room air can trigger allergy attacks.

If anyone in your family suffers from allergies, then the bagless vacuum that you buy must have a sealed hepa filter! One example of this type of vacuum is the Bissell 5770 Healthy Home Bagless Upright Vacuum. This machine features the “AireTight” hepa filter system that traps and seals in 100% of dust mites, pollen, ragweed, and mold spores…and eliminates 99.9 percent of pet dander! In addition, it’s MicroBan antimicrobe coating fights the growth of odor-causing bacteria, mold, and mildew.

Of course, the Bissell isn’t the only sealed filter bagless vacuum out there, but it’s the one that we use at our house, and I can tell you…it’s not only an excellent all-around appliance, but also the finest bagless vacuum we’ve ever used.