How Does A Vacuum Cleaner Work? A Detailed Guide - Clean Home Lab (2024)

Last Updated on September 3, 2022

If you are one of those neat freaks who likes nice and tidy areas around them, then the vacuums might surely be your best cleaning friend.

Whether you have decent carpeted rooms or classy wooden floors around the home, it cleans everything perfectly to satisfy your urge for tidiness around. But do you ever wonder how does a vacuum cleaner work? Luckily, in this guide, you will know about vacuum functionality, types, and benefits in detail.

A vacuum cleaner is a device that is used for cleaning purposes. It sucks in the dust and collects it in a bin so you can dispose of it off effortlessly. It comes in various shapes and sizes for easy handling.

If you have busy schedules and do not have much time for doing house chores, these vacuums can save you an extra hassle. You can finish the cleaning tasks within lesser time without damaging any surface type.

Be it carpet, rugs, wooden floor, furniture, or cars interiors. Vacuums are beneficial for every surface type. Surfaces like carpets take sweaty efforts to clean manually. And if you go for professional cleaning, it will be heavy on your budget. It is where household vacuums come in handy.

Let us have a look at vacuums working. In short words, we know that it cleanses the surface by suctioning power, but there is more to this simple functionality.

Over time, brands are improvising the devices by making them more user-friendly and energy-efficient. Following are the main factors that work together and make a vacuum work effectively.

The first and most critical part of your vacuum is its suction motor that starts the process. A vacuum’s efficiency is assumed by its suctioning power, which you can calculate by multiplying the vacuum pressure and airflow rate. The impeller rotates at a considerably high speed. Its speed is around 30,000 to 35,000 RPM.

A brush head or other attachments helps collect the dirt from different surfaces. This brush head is an intake port of a vacuum system. The negative pressure created by the suction motor and motor fan passes through the long stick or pipe to the brush end.

When you put the brush head to the area to clean, it starts sucking in the dirt, which goes through the nozzle to the dirt collector. There are various brush heads for different surfaces. For example, there is a wide mouth attachment to cover larger areas. And small tool attachments for upholstery or reaching hard-to-reach corners or smaller spaces.

It is the part where spillovers and dust particles go. Some vacuums have bags that you can easily remove to dispose of the garbage. Detachable containers make it easy to clean the vacuum after cleaning sessions. On the other handbag, fewer vacuums collect dirt in a built-in portion.

A vacuum sucks in the dirt with the help of air. The filter helps in separating the dust and air. The air then leaves the machine that is safe to consume. If there are no filters present in vacuums, it will throw out the air with tiny air particles which are barely visible.

This polluted air is dangerous to the lungs if you consume it in larger quantities. The filter only cleans the remaining dirt particles not collected by the bin or bags through the HEPA filter.

After plugging in the switch, turn on the vacuum cleaner. So the suction motor starts working. It guides the fan blades to start moving. The fan rotates in a direction to throw the air forward, which creates negative pressure behind the fan. This process results in suction.

This suction air collects dirt through brush attachment and directs it to the dust collector bin or bag after passing through a nozzle. The large particles remain in a container, and small dirt particles are filtered, which travel by air. The vacuum then exerts clean air in the room.

There are various types of vacuums, each with its specifications and style. You can choose the vacuum cleaner according to your preference and ease of use. Their details are below.

These vacuums come in handy when you are experiencing problems cleaning hard-to-reach areas. Or when you only want to clean one irritating spot. You do not have to move a heavier vacuum for this purpose if you have this handheld vacuum. These are pretty easy to carry. You will find the same attachments with this device as available with Upright or Canister vacuums.

Upright vacuums are heavy-duty vacuums. As their name implies, they are in the Upright position. It is best for cleaning the whole house without any backache. While cleaning, constantly bending for an extended time can result in backache.

With these vacuums, you will not face such issues. You will get effortless and high-efficiency cleaning sessions. Some brands offer two-in-one vacuums, which you can also detach to make them portable.

Canister vacuums come either in a bag or bagless. Each of them comes with a large capacity for holding dust and dirt. Traditional bagged canister vacuums are easy to clean as you can completely detach the bag from the vacuum to clean. However, bagless vacuums collect the dust within the canister, which is also simple to clean.

Due to the increasing trend of technological advancement with time, many industries are introducing new features to machinery to increase efficiency and lessen the user’s workload. Robotic vacuums are one of those advancements.

These vacuums require lesser human interaction for completing the cleaning task. These cleaners have sensors that can sense objects and particles to pick. Every other function is the same as any other vacuum.

Stick or sweeper vacuums are small and lightweight, making your cleaning task super easy and hassle-free. You can sweep any spillovers around the room by only standing straight with little to no effort. Most stick vacuums are cordless and handheld, making them more convenient.

Through the above discussion, it will be clear how a vacuum cleaner works and its various types. The type of cleaner you choose is totally on your preference because each vacuum works the same way. However, you will notice a price difference due to its size, functionality, and brand.