Thanks to eco-innovations like these, your daily chores just got a whole lot sexier.

Leave it to the English to elevate – indeed, ecovate – the Hoover. While certain blogs in the United States have questioned the durability and sustainability of the cardboard carpet sweeper pictured above, they are underestimating the tenacity of the Brits, who are especially persnickety and cheeky about the erotic art of vacuuming. Why, the last time I was at Victoria station (during peak hours, no less) there was a queue several commuters long waiting for a go at the new Dyson.

Here it is:

That ring does something extraordinary; even more noteworthy, perhaps, is the man pictured inside of the circle, Sir James Dyson. Yes, Sir. He’s the Elton John of the broom closet and the Jamie Oliver of the sitting room. Need further evidence that the English take vacuuming far too seriously to muck up the world’s first cardboard vacuum cleaner?

Meet 30-year-old James Brown, a.k.a. Mr. Vacuum Cleaner. Last year, he opened a museum dedicated entirely to the vacuum cleaner and can identify each brand by sound alone.

“I’ve been fascinated by vacuum cleaners since I was a small boy,” he told The Telegraph. “My mum probably thought I’d grow out of it, but once I got my hands on our Electrolux I knew I never wanted to let go.”

By the time he was a teenager, he had 30 vacuum cleaners to his name.

Keep the preceding information in mind as we take a closer look at the Vax ev.

Created by industrial design student Jake Tyler from the packaging of another vacuum model, industry leader Vax was so impressed with its spunky, urban, youthful and eco design that they are putting the model into production.

The 22-year-old from Loughborough University said, “I have really high hopes for the product. It is very cheap to manufacture.”

Its price tag for consumers, meanwhile, is still TBD. But as Paul Bagwell, Director of New Product Design at Vax, puts it, at this stage it’s a matter of innovation.

“With sustainability becoming an increasing concern for manufacturers, the Vax ev shows just what can be achieved when young designers are encouraged to think creatively and push the boundaries of product design.”

Considering the vacuums of our past looked something like this:

An eco-minded approach like the Vax ev elevates the mundane, and makes us consider vacuuming from an English point of view.

Images: The Daily Mail; Reuters; Helga Weber

The post Elevating the Mundane: The Carpet Sweeper appeared first on EcoSalon.

Allergy sufferers often wish they could live in a bubble because watery, itchy eyes and a red nose aren’t the best look for most of us. A hermetically-sealed life would be rather complicated, however, so we just have to do the best we can. Vacuum cleaners are often our first line of defense against sneeze-inducing pet hair and other buggers, so it’s important to choose one that will get the job done.

The first thing you want to look for is a vacuum with a HEPA filter system that traps mites, dust, spores, and other ickies in between layers of microfiber. Buyer beware, not all HEPA systems are created equal. Some low-end vacuums slap a single HEPA filter near the vacuum bag and call it good enough. You want a full-blown HEPA system that seals to the vacuum cleaner with rubber gaskets at every point where dust and can escape and redistribute itself back into the air. You don’t need to spend megabucks to get a good vacuum, just look for one that’s solid and well-constructed, with a nod to keeping allergens in the vacuum and out of your lungs.

Next up, you want a vacuum that can handle bare floors. Sure, you could just sweep tile or wood flooring with a broom, but that will kick up loads of pet dander, hair, and dust in the process. In a pinch, you can use a damp mop to corral the mess, but the key to staying sneeze-free is sucking all the nastiness into a vacuum for permanent disposal. Not all vacuum cleaners are created equal, so don’t just assume you can use yours on a bare floor. Unless it has settings to accommodate flooring, you could end up breaking the carpet-beater roller or scratching the bare surface.

Some allergy experts recommend checking the air flow rating of a vacuum cleaner before you buy to make sure it will effectively suck up all those tiny particulates you want to avoid. The higher the air flow rating, the more efficiently the unit will move dirt and dust into the disposable vacuum bag or removable dust bin.

Speaking of bags versus bins, a vacuum with sealable HEPA filter bags may have a slight edge over bagless varieties since emptying a dusty vacuum bin into a trash can is likely to release allergens into the air. By contrast, a vacuum cleaner bag can be removed and disposed of with a lesser chance of re-contaminating the air around you. Of course, those bags ultimately end up in landfills so you’ll need to weigh your health needs against your environmental concerns and do what works best for you.

Vacuum cleaner shopping isn’t glamorous or exciting, but if you’re an allergy sufferer, it’s one of the most important household appliance purchases you can make. We’d love to hear from readers about what vacuum features and techniques help keep your sneezes and watery eyes in check. Let us know in the comments.

Image: garethjmsaunders

The post Vacuum Cleaners: How to Make Your Allergies Suck Less appeared first on EcoSalon.