How Does A Vacuum Cleaner Clean?

A vacuum cleaner has nothing more than a simple fan, similar to the ones we see everywhere, but working in exactly the reverse way. However, this fan is a bit special as it is constructed to suck air instead of blowing it away and is housed in an airtight chamber, still with two passages but only to admit and release air to atmosphere.

To make things more understandable, assume the fan is placed inside an odd shaped, big enough tube with one end connected to an easy-to-handle flexible hose with which the cleaner sucks the air and the opposite end, fitted with a mesh for safety, which is after the fan lets the air escape.

Then how and where does a vacuum cleaner catch the dirt and dust? There are filters made of special cloth or special filter papers, you just have to place the filters just before the fan in its protective housing and that's it. HEPA filter vacuum cleaners are best.

When you turn on the vacuum cleaner, it creates what engineers call as draft, which is plainly the suction power. The wire brush fixed at the end of your flexible hose scrubs & unsettles the clinging dusts. Air further passes into the dirt chamber where it gets filtered at the filter bag and passes out through its exit end. Air blows all over the fan motor while exiting, thus keeping it cool as long as you work the vacuum cleaner.

Commercially available vacuum cleaners come in a variety of capacities, shapes, colors, accessories and for different purposes. Industrial vacuum cleaners can lift small screws, iron filings and nuts & bolts. When purchasing them, always go by reputation of the maker, warrantee, power consumption and service & spares availability factors.