Four Essentials For Good Vacuum Cleaner Bags

Canister vacuum cleaners, better known in Europe as cylinder cleaners, work with bags that are made of porous material, usually special paper or cloth, which acts as a filter for the air passing through the vacuum cleaner.

The very small holes in the bag are big enough for letting air particles pass through but they're too small for most dust and dirt particles. That means when air streams through the vacuum bag all the air goes through the bag but the dirt and dust are trapped and collect in the bag.

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In upright vacuum cleaners the bag is generally positioned at or near the end of the airflow path so that immediately after it is filtered, the air flows out of the vacuum cleaner.

However, when it comes to canister vacuum cleaners, the bag is very often placed before the fan which results in the air being filtered just as soon as it enters the vacuum cleaner.

Now here are 4 must-do things for all good vacuum bags ...

1.  The Bag Must Not Burst!
This is fairly obvious, isn't it? The two main reasons why a vacuum bag bursts is either because its been made with poor quality materials or because of poor construction.
If it's made with poor materials, the force of the air and debris pressing on the bag's walls is going to be too big, thus causing the bag to burst.
As for vacuum bag construction, a common problem is the adhesive holding the bag's seams together hasn't been correctly applied or properly dried.
This can also be the case for the bag's cardboard collar which can separate from the bag causing dust and debris to leak out.

2.  The Bag Must Filter Air Efficiently As It Fills With Debris And Dust ...
So, as the vacuum cleaner operates, the dirt, dust, allergens, etc. are sucked from the floor and are deposited in the bag and the air traveling with it is returned back into the room.
This is often the main difference between a high quality and a low quality vacuum bag.
A good quality bag will filter out more of the debris and recycle less impurities back into the room.
For health reasons it's always recommended to use vacuum bags that are capable of efficiently filtering particles in the .3 to 1.5 micron size range.

3.  The Bag Must Load Dust Slowly ...
As a vacuum cleaner bag fills with dust and debris, the tiny filtration holes/pores in the bag become clogged. And as more pores become clogged, the air flowing though the bag becomes restricted.
This can cause pressure to build up which causes the vacuum cleaner to lose suction power. So the better quality bags will load dust and debris slowly and maintain suction longer.

4.  The bag must be reasonably priced ... After all, its one-time job is going in the garbage!

So, in summary, good vacuum cleaner bag filtration is key because not all of the dust and debris picked up by the vacuum cleaner remains in the bag.
In fact, many microscopic particles can often escape back into the air we breathe and the size of those most harmful particles are in the 0.3 micron to 1 micron range.
So, when you're busy buyinging vacuum bags and filters, apart from checking for the best prices, be sure to look out for the filtration number in the 0.3 - 1 micron range.