Subject: Re: Best vacuum cleaner for asthma sufferer?

From: [email-masked] (Mark Feblowitz)
Date: 04 Jan 1995 16:28:01 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] writes:

   My wife has allergies related to dust and dust mites, which results in asthmic 
   conditions.  We are doing as much as we can to cut down on dust in the house, 
   but have as yet not given up on carpeting.  

   Does anyone know of a really good vacuum cleaner that is effective in vacuuming 
   and holding dust?

There is a recent review of vacuum cleaners in Consumer Reports (Jan
'95, Dec '94?). It discusses which kinds are less likely to spew
dust. It had some surprising things to say about some of the models
that are purported to reduce dust emissions.

If you have a canister vacuum cleaner, there are filters that you can
purchase that trap much of the dust that escapes the bag. These
filters are available from many allergy supply companies. 

You can also purchase special vacuum cleaner bags that reduce the
amount of dust.

Your wife can also wear a dust mask to reduce the amount of dust she
breathes while she's cleaning and run a HEPA or other dust filter to
remove the dust that's lofted during the cleaning process. It can take
up to three hours for it all to settle back down (vacuum near a sunny
window some time and watch what happens), so the mask can be a less
practical approach.

Or she can leave the house for a couple of hours and you or someone
else can do the cleaning. 

It all depends on how severe her allergies are. It's generally a good
idea to avoid what can practically be avoided - you never know when
you'll be hit by a major allergen or trigger, and it's better to be as
far as possible from your threshold.

--
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Mark Feblowitz,   GTE Laboratories Inc., 40 Sylvan Rd.  Waltham, MA 02254
[email-masked], (617) 466-2947, fax: (617) 466-2618