Vacuums and Dust Mites

Let me tell you about my vacuum cleaner. It sucks. Groan! Seriously. It cleans amazingly well. It probably could suck the dust from the bedroom right through the living room wall! So why am I planning to get a new one?

A vacuum that does everything?

When I needed a new vacuum a couple of years ago, I decided to splurge and buy one of the new ones that does everything but pour you a cup of tea when you’re done. But sadly, I wasn’t thinking enough of my allergies when the salesperson showed me its features. Which even includes a filter. But what good is a filter when I have to pour the dusty contents into the trash? Because I foolishly bought the kind without a bag, which means a cloud of dust every time it’s emptied. No matter how careful I am. Perhaps I didn’t think of this at the time I bought it because my allergies were not acting up then. I had no eczema flares or itchy eyes.

Working around the angry dust cloud

Originally I was using a dust mask and goggles to protect myself from this angry dust cloud, but I finally used my brain and realized that tying a trash bag tightly around the dirt collection cylinder before pushing the button to open it worked fairly well. Then wait for everything to settle before I gently remove the trash bag and tie it closed. This does help a bit. Emptying it after every use works better, but always having to leave it out and wait instead of being able to put it away immediately has become an annoyance. Waiting until it’s almost full means fewer times dealing with it, but then a bigger cloud no matter how careful I am.

This morning I wanted to do a quick vacuum to clean up my dry skin flakes. But then, of course, I wanted to empty it. My allergic eyes and itchy skin were fairly calm, and I wanted to stay that way. So I steeled myself for the attack. No matter how carefully I perform this ritual, those dust bunnies, chock full of dust mites, become an attack squadron aimed at my eyes, nose, and skin.

I thought I bought the best one

When I bought this Cadillac of cleaners, I thought I had done all the research, my due diligence. To find the one that would be best for the area rug in the living room and yet still not chew up the drapes in the bedroom. I can easily clean the dusty top of the door trim and get cobwebs out of ceiling corners. Even the tracks for the sliding door are no problem. But I sadly didn’t think about the bag. Or lack of one.

What am I going to do?

Now, I’m going to sell it to someone with no allergies to dust mites or pollen and more muscle, as it’s quite heavy. But first, I need to find one more suited to my personal needs, with a bag and a HEPA filter. More online research beforehand should keep me from making a similar mistake, I hope. I’ll be prepared before I enter the store.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Have you found the perfect machine that doesn’t affect your allergies? Or perhaps you’ve found other problems to watch out for that I may not have considered? All suggestions welcome!