Oreck Vacuum Cleaner

[Ed446]

Oreck is advertising a vacuum cleaner that uses UV-C Technology. It costs
about $600.00. The ad says that it will destroy many viruses, bacteria, mold, and dust mite eggs. I have a grand daughter that is 6 months old and ready to start playing on the carpets. Would this be a good investment?
Thanks
Edwin

[jwax]

A better investment would be $600 in her college tuition fund.

[Robert Reed]

But will it clean the carpet? I have only used an Oreck one time and that was to help out an ailing neighbor clean his house. It was one of the poorest performing machines I ever used. But it was a good experience as prior to that I was thinking of purchasing one

[Externet]

Aside from Oreck and skidding off topic, a kid needs some gradual exposure to all the crap that surrounds us to form antibodies and avoid a fragile future health when kept aseptic.
I bought a 'new' Miele for $20 at the SalvationArmy. Some 'genius' sucked drywall pieces from some contruction/repairs until it choked. Full cleaning left it as a RollsRoyce $600 is robbery.
Buy a UV lamp and leave it overnight in turns at each room -seems better- if you are after such UV feature.

Miguel

[jimmy101]

I think it's a waste of money. Besides if Orek says it "will destroy many viruses, bacteria, mold, and dust mite eggs" then they really don't know what they are talking about and/or they have stretched the truth to the point that they are basically lying. Heck "many" may not even be significant.

Bacteria, mold and dust mite eggs are allergens whether they are alive or dead. UV wont destroy, though it might kill. The dead bacteria, mold, etc. are just as allergenic, if not more so, as the living stuff.

(BTW, dust mite eggs aren't the most allergenic thing from the microscopic buggers, their poop balls are the real allergen. Dust mites are ubiquitous and for 99.9% of people they are not a problem.)

A bright UV source (bright enough to actually kill stuff) may well bleach a carpet. That's why many modern windows have UV filtering coatings.

Even if the source is bright enough, and even if killing was adequate, it is still light. Anything that casts a shadow will block the light. Since carpet casts a shadow only things actually laying on the surface of the carpet will be affected. Anything down in the nap is going to be in shadow.

Any UV light bright enough to efficiently kill things is probably going to be a hazard to unprotected human eyes. UV sources that are effective at killing things in drinking water are so bright as to be extremely hazardous to human eyes. Since your eyes can't see UV even your irises can't provide protection. That suggests to me that the light is so dim as to be ineffective.

An efficient whole house filter (like an electrostatic one) is probably a better investment.

[haklesup]

IMO (and scientific research backs it up) a little dirt and enviornmental bugs is a good thing for children. It primes the immune system for better function throughout life. I'm not saying keep a dirty house but its unnessary to overspend on a vacuum cleaner since a cheap hoover with a HEPA filter will do just about as well and you can wear out 4 of these before you pay off that Oreck. Furthermore the Oreck bags are expensive and harder to find. Get a bagless, its a greener solution and you'll never have to put off cleaning to run to the store to get a bag (or wait for internet delivery). If you must spend $600 on a sucking machine, get a Refurbished Dysan (new is too expensive). Its heavier but more servicable and is bagless and easy on the filters.

If you're sold on UV cleaned air, Use that money on either an air purifier or a forced air heating UV source to put in the ductwork.

[reloadron]

My mother had a used boat anchor Electrolux along with 4 children. When the thing was full you placed newspapers on the floor and dumped the bag content into the newspapers and trashed the dirt. I guess it worked just fine because I turn 60 in a few weeks and I have two sisters and a brother that survived. She kept a clean house and we all crawled across floors and stuck things in our mouths, we are all alive today.

Spend a hundred bucks on a good vacuum and save the remaining 500 for the kids education as was mentioned.

Just My Take
Ron

[dacflyer]

we as kids were exposed to all sorts of things, and look how good we all turned out
we weren't babied from playing in mudd , dirt and other such things.
i feel that we should be exposed to things , so that were able to build up immunity.

also once the dirt enters the vac. its probably not exposed to the uv long enough before its destroyed. and then its possible that that dirt is covered up by other dirt in the vac when its running.. Hmmmmm
and what happens when the UV light gets dusty inside the vac ??

[Janitor Tzap]

Ed446,

Listen to all these voices of reason...

Don't waste your money.
Buy a used Hoover upright, and get some bacterial filtering bags.

I know several vacuum repair shops, and Janitorial supply places.
The repair guys there have told me not to buy bag less vacuum.
Bag style vacuums picks up and traps more dirt than the bag less ones.
Bag less vacuums tend to let fine dust particles escape back into the air.

Stay away from the higher priced vacuums.
They don't pickup any better than the lower priced ones.
And as others have stated.
The high buck vacuums, also can be higher buck to repair.


Signed: Janitor Tzap

[Ed446]

Thanks for all of the replies. I knew this forum would have a lot of good info. I will invest in a good regular vac.
Edwin

[CeaSaR]

Don't forget regular maintenance is key to getting any machine to perform optimally. You change the oil
and other fluids in your car, along with various filters and eventually spark plugs, etc., all in the name of
good mechanical health and performance. The same holds true for vacuums. Clean/replace filters/bags
when needed, keep the beater bar free of strings/fibers that may mat the beater bristles, keep fasteners
tight, any other procedures specific to your machine (whatever you purchase). Lastly, never suck up liquids
or other semi-wet objects and manually pick up hard objects prior to vacuuming. This will go a long way toward
keeping you and your vacuum happy.

I don't go in for all the gimmicks spouted in the TV ads. UV needs to be on an area long enough to work correctly
and in the correct strength. The Dyson Ball is nothing new, an old vaccum at work swivels and moves just like
the ball, all while using wheels! The actors using the regular vacumm are over emphasizing the "awkwardness" of
4 wheeled vacuums.

As a part time cleaner, I know that bagless is not allowed in the workplace by the insurance company and UV has
not been proven to be beneficial enough to be incorporated. The only thing that is required is a HEPA filter, which
will trap almost all of the items you list.

CeaSaR

[dr_when]

I have used Orecks and the only thing good about them is that they are engineered to be service-friendly...i.e. most parts are easily replaced by the user. Otherwise, they are not that great. Dyson on the other hand are more powerful and really do not lose suction because of the vortex they use. No vacuum is going to remove bacteria, etc. but the Dyson's will definitely pull fine particles out of a carpet better than any other commercial vacuum. Just borrow one from someone and try it for yourself.

I also agree with Externet. Kids need exposure to stuff. I have relatives who protected their kids so much from germs, etc. by using sanitizers and cleaners and the kids are always sick now that they are older.