Best Vacuum Blog

Just about every week we have someone come in the shop that has been referred to us by a local carpet installer because the vacuum they used on their new carpeting caused significant damage.   In almost every case the damage is caused by one thing:  an overly hard bristle in the brush of their upright or canister vacuum cleaner. 

As American tastes shift from synthetic to natural fiber materials, carpet damage or premature wear has become a more common problem. Some carpet manufacturers have even gone so far as to stipulate that the warranty is void if a certain vacuum brand is used.  Most of the time, the damage can be repaired through reweaving or de-pilling the surface, but many times the carpet is never again like new.

Carpet is still one of the biggest household investments for people, and since we’ve had more than one customer come to tears over wrecking ten grand of New Zealand wool, we think it’s a good idea to start spreading the word about of which brushrolls are appropriate for which types of carpeting.

The key to choosing the right brush system for your carpet is knowing the material and the weave.  It’s all about the fiber and how it’s woven.

Usually carpet is made of wool or synthetic yarn (or a blend of both).  But there are many different types of weaves. The most common are loop, cut pile, twist and sisal.
 
First of all, if your home has a standard cut-pile carpet made of nylon or other synthetic material like Olefin, you may be excused from class.  The brushes on standard vacuums from any manufacturer will perform well and not damage your carpet.

But if your carpet is made of wool, cotton, silk, seagrass or any combination of these - or if your carpet is a looped, berber, frieze twist, shag or any other unusual combination -  read on.  It could save you a big hassle and a lot of money.

The natural materials above require a very soft, long bristle.  Think of it like a hair brush. At one end of the spectrum you have hair brushes that are very fine and soft and gentle.  On the other you have hair brushes that are very hard, stiff and tough, the kind you would use on a shaggy dog. 

When vacuuming natural fibers, you need a lot of suction and a very gentle brush action.  Brushes that are longer and softer work best on natural materials. When they sweep across the carpet, the soft bristle flexes and gently brushes up any hair or lint, letting the suction do most of the work to clean without causing any damage. 

Standard vacuums do just the opposite of this.  They actually transfer very little suction down into the carpet.  Instead, they use an extra hard bristle that scrapes across the surface of the carpet and very aggressively pulls up the carpet fiber.  This aggressive scraping and pulling at 2000 rpm can cause pilling or premature wear, and may even start a snag in the thread that pulls though the whole carpet as it wraps around the spinning brush.

For any cut-pile natural fiber or blended carpet, a motorized brush with a medium soft bristle is recommended.  Here are a few recommendations:

• Miele Delphi S2, Miele Earth S5
• SEBO C3, SEBO K3, SEBO X4, or SEBO Felix with optional wool/berber brush installed
• Dyson DC22 Motorhead

For twist, shag or frieze carpet, it’s very important to have a height-adjustable brush that can be raised off the carpet to prevent pulling.   Also, if the yarn on the shag is two inches or more, a suction-only rug tool is recommended.  

The following vacuum cleaners all have height adjustable brushes with moderately stiff bristles:

• Miele Callisto S5, Miele Leo S5 with 236 powerbrush, Miele Capricorn S5 with 236 powerbrush
• SEBO C3, SEBO K3, SEBO X4, or SEBO Felix
• Panasonic MCCG885

How many times did you hear from your dad (or mom) “use the right tool for the right job”?  It’s true - a butter knife is not a screwdriver or a chisel.  It might get the job done in a pinch, but those of us who have used a butter knife like it was a Swiss army knife know it would have been easier just to go and get the screwdriver in the first place.

In the same way, though it’s a chore, you can make vacuuming a lot easier on yourself by using the right tool for the job your doing.  Here’s a quick rundown on the different floor tools and their (proper) uses:

Hard Floor Brush

This is a flat suction-only brush with small wheels and bristles around the base.  Bristles may be made of nylon, but the best quality brushes use horse hair or boar’s hair, which actually dust and polish the floor while you’re vacuuming.  Hard floor brushes do a much better job cleaning wood and tile than any upright or power nozzle can.  

Use this tool if you have: Wood, tile, or laminate flooring.

Advantages:  Small and lightweight.  Dusts and polishes flooring while cleaning.

Rug & Floor Tool

This is the primary tool used throughout Europe.  It’s a flat floor bush with a mechanism that retracts the bristles so the tool can be used on hard floors as well as area rugs and flat carpeting.  Usually, there are a set of velveteen thread-lifting strips that whisk away hair and lint using just suction. There is no rotating brush, and while that makes it great for delicate carpets, it’s not suitable for thicker U.S. style carpet.

Use this tool if you have:  Wood floors, area rugs, delicate specialty carpets (frieze, wool berber, sisal).

Advantages:  Simple, lightweight and gentle.

Turbo Brush

This tool is a rotating brush for carpets that is spun by an air turbine driven by the suction of the vacuum.  A turbo brush adds some agitation action to help loosen dirt from carpet fibers, and can be easier to push on large areas of carpet than a power brush.  But it has a distinct disadvantage when compared to a motorized brush:  as the turbo brush contacts the carpet surface, it can slow down or even stop if the carpet is too dense.  This makes it useful only for very flat or looped carpet.

Use this tool if you have: Very flat looped carpet or lots of area rugs
Advantages:  Less expensive than a motorized brush, more carpet agitation and easier to push than a rug and floor tool.

Motorized (Power) Brush

A motorized power brush is a rotating brush that is driven by a small motor in the brush nozzle.  Different kinds of brush rolls are available, varying from super soft bristles for expensive wool carpets, to very aggressive stiff nylon bristles for thick plush pile synthetic carpets.   Regardless of the type, they provide very good agitation to loosen dirt from carpet fibers and help restore the pile as they clean.

Use this tool if you have:  Standard or thick-pile carpet.  Pet hair.

Advantages:  Deep cleaning and carpet pile restoration.

Be careful when choosing an electric brush!  Choosing a brush that is too harsh or aggressive for your carpet can lead to premature wear or even severe carpet damage.  An in-depth review of how to choose the right power brush for your type of carpet will follow in an upcoming post.