Central vacuums free their owners from dragging a heavy machine around behind them when they clean house. A veritable ball and chain for the slave to housework, the cord and canister for a traditional vacuum is taxing enough in a single-level home, but for those who live in a townhouse or other multi-level home, it becomes a workout – and not the fun kind – right in your own home.
Canisters and Uprights
Canister and backpack-style vacuums are similar in that the hose and vacuuming tool are separate and distinct from the motor. Both of these styles of vacuums generally come with a variety of attachments, allowing you to do all kinds of other cleaning work, including dusting, vacuuming stairs and bare floors, and cleaning narrow spots like keyboards with a crevice tool.
Upright vacuums, those noisy behemoths that weigh a ton and always set off the dog and cat, are popular in homes with lots of carpeting. But pushing them around is a chore, and heaven forbid you should have to move it to another floor! Many of these don’t come with attachments either, so cleaning your drapes or dusting your stair risers would have to be done with other equipment.
Lightweight, Better Performance
Central vacuums are liberating — the motor is permanently installed, usually in the garage, basement or in a closet, never to be dragged around by the homeowner. This allows for a much more powerful motor than any portable vacuum, with up to five times the suction power. The large waste receptacle, attached underneath the motor, means longer stretches between emptying out the dust and dirt your floors have accumulated. PVC piping in the walls connects your hose to the motor, so all you have to do is plug it in and flip the switch. Hoses are available in many lengths, but you can choose the number of connections you want, making shorter hoses an option.
A standard Central Vac kit comes with a number of attachments for carpet, bare floors, stairs, drapes, crevices and dusting, but more specialized tools are available for order as well, including accessories for removing pet hair, cleaning ceiling fans and dusting off refrigerator coils.
Many new homes have Central Vac built in, but it is usually possible to retrofit a home with some simple drilling and the installation of pipes in walls and/or closets. Call us today to find out how you can get Central Vac installed in your home.
Visit our Central Vacuum page to learn more.
