The selection of vacuum cleaning equipment available to today’s housekeeping managers is endless, which can make finding the right one a difficult task. Most often, managers know exactly what features they want — it’s finding the right combination within a given model that presents a challenge.

Besides their primary task of collecting dust particles, dirt and debris, vacuums should reflect the cleaning needs of a facility, the cleaning staff and building occupants. The mistake many specifiers make in choosing a vacuum is that they treat this critical piece of equipment like a commodity.

Vacuum cleaners have become increasingly sophisticated over the last decade — managers now have numerous equipment options to increase productivity, cut costs and emphasize ergonomics as a way of preventing injuries. Managers who recognize these many features still find their heads swimming with choices, unsure of where to start in their search for the best vacuum.

Break down your needs
Before calling suppliers, searching the Internet or flipping through catalogs, take the following steps:
“First, evaluate what needs to be done and how much time you have to get the job done,” says Bill Hughes, marketing manager for Powr-Flite.

Next, figure out your budget range and your standard level of performance. When it comes to vacuums, the old cliché “you get what you pay for” applies.

Finally, decide if the piece of equipment will be easy to use. In other words, look for a vacuum cleaner that your workers will feel comfortable using regularly. “A $100 vacuum that’s easy to use will out-perform a high-quality $700 vacuum that sits in a closet any day,” Hughes says.

Quantify cleaning needs
When specifying any floor-care equipment, managers should consider the size and layout of the area to be cleaned. Correctly matching equipment size and tools with the areas to be cleaned will promote labor savings.

Dick Girman, director of marketing and training for Minuteman International, asks end users looking for new equipment: Does the area have accessible outlets? Is it open 24/7? Are there many obstacles in the area?

For larger, open spaces, corded or battery-powered, wide-area sweepers allow workers to move up and down large hallways in a single pass — that means no pushing back and forth.

Traditional 12-inch one- and two-motor upright vacuums are considered a standard machine used for everyday vacuuming — and the top-selling piece of equipment, “without a doubt,” says Dick O’Connell, manager of market development for Hoover.

Managers also should consider other cleanable surfaces such as stairways, curtains, furniture, window sills and blinds, for example, that need to be cleaned.

“If a machine has on-board tools, you won’t need to make a second trip to do dusting,” Hughes says.
Backpack vacuums introduced approximately 12 years ago also provide versatility by enabling users to clean a variety of surfaces.

Depending on your facility, a combination of vacuums might be best, including a wide-area cleaner for open spaces and a smaller machine for tighter, hard-to-reach areas.

Look at the way you clean
Just like facility interior layouts differ, the structure of a housekeeping department — including its cleaning strategies, staff and worker expertise — differ.

Some pieces of equipment work better for day cleaning because they are quieter and less intrusive, for example. Backpack vacuums and team cleaning go hand in hand. Team cleaners are broken up into teams of specialists, including a “vacuum specialist.”

“A vacuum specialist can’t push around [an upright] vacuum for eight hours,” says Jim Harris Sr., president of Concept IV, international consulting group to the cleaning industry. With the vacuum’s weight mostly on the worker’s back, he says, “a backpack is clearly safer for the worker.”

Protect your workers
Ergonomics is another safety issue that continues to be a hot topic. Operating vacuums involves repetitive movements and lifting machines up and down stairs. Manufacturers always are looking for new ways to reduce worker fatigue and stress with technology innovations.

The variety of handles and grips available today are designed to create less fatigue on employees. Some handles pull down; some have softer grips — and some handles swivel. The hard part is finding the one that works best for workers.

A machine might have a comfortable handle, but if the unit is too heavy, the handle design won’t matter. Not only should you look for lighter equipment, but also check how the machine’s weight is distributed.

“Check to see if the weight is in the base,” Hughes says. “If the weight is in the body, that’s what works you.”

Filtering through the hype
After considering size, types, trends, budgets and worker issues, managers should revisit the vacuum’s number-one job: removing as much dust particulate as possible. A vacuum not only should have good suction, but it also should effectively catch and contain the particulate — not just move it around. It is important that the machine captures a large volume of particulate and handle larger and smaller particle sizes.

“You should try to remove at least down to .5 microns in size,” Harris says. “And the key is not to reintroduce it back into the air.” The quality of a vacuum’s filtration system determines how much of the particulate goes back into the environment.

Most vacuums come with a filtration system and offer a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter as an option. HEPA filters are capable of capturing 99.97 percent of particles as small as .3 microns.

“HEPA filtration is not always needed,” O’Connell says. “Some filtration systems are still very good or on par with HEPA, but not certified.”

There are some problems with HEPA filtration. First, the system tends to slow down the flow of the air, taking power out of the vacuum. Just like water filtration, the more filters there are, the longer it takes for the air to move through the machine. Second, managers need to acknowledge that manufacturers take liberties with terminology.

“There is some concern in the industry with the use of the term HEPA,” says Kevin Morey, vice president of new product development for NSS Enterprises. “Sometimes it might just be the manufacturer’s high-filtration offering.”

Hughes agrees that HEPA certification is a nebulous area because manufacturers are responsible for certifying their own machines.

“A HEPA-certified vacuum is defined as what truly comes out of the exhaust end,” Hughes says. “A HEPA-filtered vacuum means that somewhere in the filtration system there is a HEPA filter.”
If you work in a facility that requires an exceptional filtration system, such as pharmaceutical areas and clean rooms, you might need ULPA (Ultra Low Penetration Air) filtering efficiency. ULPA filters retain particles as small as .12 microns at an efficiency rate of 99.999 percent.

On the horizon
Manufacturers continue to work on new technology to make the cleaning task easier and more efficient. Consultants speaking on behalf of housekeeping managers say the executives would like to see more battery-powered equipment. And manufacturers say there is a trend toward cordless vacuums.

Battery-powered machines usually represent the larger, ride-on and walk-behind types. Manufacturers still struggle with creating efficient cordless vacuums in smaller sizes, such as uprights. Batteries still are too heavy, too weak and do not last long enough, according to industry observers.

“The technology just isn’t there yet,” Morey says. “There just isn’t anything in the category of light-duty, two-motor uprights.” No one has developed a machine that excels in the three most important areas: weight, battery run time and performance.

“Battery technology, I think, is developing,” O’Connell says. “It’s going to play a major role in robotic [floor equipment]. It’s just not the answer right now because battery technology is the real holdup on smaller equipment.”

Choose what’s best for your facility
If managers evaluate their facilities, workers and cleaning strategies, and watch for new trends in cleaning technology — finding the right cleaning equipment is more likely.

The vacuum cleaner industry continues to evolve and managers’ equipment options will keep growing. But the most important thing for managers to do when choosing a vacuum is to come up with a master list of specific facility cleaning criteria. Then measure all vacuum possibilities against your master list. The right piece of equipment makes a big difference in efficiency, costs and worker safety.

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POSTED ON: 6/1/2003