Home air quality has become the buzzword in recent years and controls many consumers buying decisions. In many cases, filtration is the number one concern when comparing different vacuum cleaners on the sales floor.
However, some manufacturers have developed their own terms. For example, several manufacturers use a "HEPA type"filter which does not meet the stringent standards set for a True HEPA filter. The key to proper comparison is the size and percentage of particles captured. Many systems could be rated at 100% filtration if the dirt particles were large enough. Below, we will compare several of the filtration systems:
HEPA is an acronym for 'High Efficiency Particulate Air". HEPA filters are a pleated or "extended surface" filter made of glass microfibers. This type of filter captures 99.97% of all particles as small as 0.3 microns. HEPA filtration has been taken to a much higher level by engineering vacuums that are True HEPA sealed vacuum filtration systems.
A sealed HEPA system is not only a HEPA filter, but an entire system that meets HEPA standards. This is accomplished by not allowing the air passing through the system to escape around the filter. If you have a HEPA filter, but air is allowed to escape without passing through the filter, then the filter is not accomplishing its purpose. To obtain the proper filtration, the system must be sealed to insure that all air must pass through the filter before being expelled back into the room.
This has been accomplished with the True HEPA sealed vacuum filtration system. True HEPA system vacuums filter to HEPA standards not only the air passing through the dust bag, but also the air from the motor exhaust. This highest level of total filtration provides an overall performance rating for the entire vacuum equal to that of the HEPA filter at 99.97% to 0.3 microns.
MicronFiltration: A Micron Filtration system retains 100% of dust mites, grass pollen andragweed plus particles 15 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.Vacuums with Micron Filtration will trap a large portion of lung irritants.
TripleFiltration: This system utilizes a paper bag and a two layer outer bag to trap small dirt particles. In this way, the air is filtered three times.
