Vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from carpeted floors.

Configurations

Several general configurations for vacuum cleaners have emerged:

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• Upright vacuum cleaners have the pump mounted directly above the suction outlet, with the bag mounted on the handle which rises to approximately waist height. Upright designs usually employ mechanical beaters to help disturb dust to be vacuumed up; these beaters are usually driven via a belt from the vacuum motor.
• Canister (or cylinder) designs have the motor and bag in a separate canister unit (usually mounted on wheels) connected to the vacuum head by a flexible hose. Upright units, mainly due to the effects of the beaters, have been shown in tests to be more effective, but the lighter, more manoeuverable heads of canister models are popular. Some upmarket canister models have "power heads" which contain the same sort of mechanical beaters as in uprght units (but driven by a separate electric motor).
• Back-pack vacs are commonly used for commercial cleaning as they allow the user to rapidly move about a large area. They are just like canister vacuum cleaners except that the canister unit is carried by straps on the user's back.
• Built-in or central vacuum cleaners move the suction motor and bag to a central location in the building and provide vacuum inlets at strategic places throughout the building; only the hose and pickup head need be carried from room to room and the hose is commonly 8 m (25 feet) long allowing a large range of movement without changing vacuum inlets. Plastic piping then connects these vacuum outlets to the central unit. The vacuum head may be unpowered or may have beaters operated by either an electric motor or an air-driven motor. The dirt bag in a central vacuum system is usually uncommenly large and may only require changing once per year.
• Robotic vacuum cleaners that drive around autonomously, usually in a mostly chaotic pattern ('random bounce'). Some come back to a docking station to charge their batteries and a few are able to empty their dust containers into the dock as well.
• Small hand-held vacuum cleaners, either battery-operated or electric, are also popular for cleaning up spills.

Most vacuum cleaners are supplied with attachments that allow them to reach otherwise inaccessible places or for cleaning curtains and furnishings.

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