New ‘water’ vacuum cleaner for dust allergies

This month I have been testing out the new Thomas Allergy Air Pure vacuum. Isn’t he cute?

Having quite a severe allergy to dust myself vacuuming isn’t my favourite passtime. I’ve used a MediVac hoover for years but it has seen better days and the hoover bag for it is no longer available so we have to use slightly ill fitting paper bags which split and rip – thus subjecting me to a puff of dust when emptying. Not ideal!

I do have a very understanding husband who is more than happy to do the emptying but he is not always there when it needs doing and has a dust allergy himself so that hardly seems fair 😉
I do also have a dust mask that I wear when doing really dusty cleaning but it’s hot and sweaty to wear so I often forget to put it on and don’t like wearing it so there is no escaping the dust!

The opportunity to try out something new came at just the right time.
This vacuum cleaner is made especially for people who have allergies and it works using water. You fill a reservoir with water before using, then empty it every half hour and out comes a lovely stream of dusty, dirty water.

Then you simply wash out the container and since it’s wet all the dust is inert and not flying around. Wear gloves to wash it if you’re really sensitive. It only needs warm soapy water to clean. I have taken to pouring the dirty water outside onto a thirsty plant of just into the flower bed somewhere.

You will be amazed when you go back to look, once the dirty water has soaked away there is a great mat of dirt and hair! Urgh! But at least it’s no longer on your floor and flying round your house in a pea soup of allergens.

This blog post is about how I’ve got on using this vacuum cleaner for a month, trying to use it every week. I don’t usually clean that often but my asthma hasn’t been great lately so this is a test to see if extra cleaning will help improve my health and clean my house. We are also in the process of doing a lot of DIY so there is a lot more dust than normal, we live on a main road and have had the windows open too in the nice weather – it all adds to the dust swirling around.

What’s it like to use? The Pros

• Very easy to use – It is dead easy to use and has a pretty nifty turning circle. It gets right under the sofa because the hose fitting turns right over sideways and it also nips behind things really easily.

• Compact and well designed – Thomas looks great. I love the blue colour and it’s sleek, rounded edges and compact design make it a great addition to anyone who appreciates a well-made trendy product. The power cable stows away inside on magnetic system, you know, pull the chord and it zips back inside all neat and tidy. There is also a handy little clip for storing away the hose so it doesn’t slide around and turn into a trip hazard.

• Great cleaning and suction – The amount of dust that comes out of this vacuum cleaner astounds me. The picture above is after cleaning just the living room and kitchen and leaving it for a few days. It’s not quite so fowl looking when you clean it out immediately but it’s not far off. It has two settings on the main brush, like most hoovers, one for hard floors and flick the little button for carpets and rugs. And it has 3 settings for power going from normal to warp strength which really gets up tough dust and dirty. It’s almost too strong suction at times on a rug but it certainly gets up the dust! Having been used to stuffing the hoover bag till it’s bursting and not emptying it when I probably should I haven’t really ever studied the contents of my hoover. EVER! Because this one works using water and needs cleaning after each use you do really SEE the dirt. My house is Filthy! Literally! I was shocked. The hoover has great suction power and I think it gets the carpet and floor much cleaner that it’s Medivac predecessor (which has now been relegated to dirty DIY cleaning jobs).

• You get to see the dust – This might sound odd but I quite liked seeing how much dirt, dust, hair and bits there were to hoover up. Whether it’s my bad eyesight not seeing how dirty my house it or what, it was quite an impressive amount. I wasn’t expecting to see quite such a gloopy sloppy mess. Just how dirty is my house? I enjoyed seeing it all in the dirty water, knowing that I would shortly be dispatching it outside to do another good deed in watering my mint plant.

What’s it like to use? The Cons

• Weight – It is a little heavy and I’m guessing that is mostly to do with the water inside, but it was very easy to use and manoeuvre around corners etc. so it isn’t cumbersome to use around the room. I have a slightly bad back so the weight is a slight issue but I’m getting used to that and as long as I lift it properly it’s fine.

• Cleaning – I don’t mean cleaning the house, that works a treat. I mean cleaning the actual vacuum cleaner after each use. I’m a lazy housewife, very lazy. One thing you cannot ever do with this device is start vacuuming and waft off to read another chapter of your book or nip outside with a cup of coffee to catch the sun. If you do this you run the risk of not remembering to empty it and clean it and this vacuum cleaner needs emptying and cleaning out every time. If you don’t do this it will smell fowl. Trust me. The first time I used it I did forget to clean it for a few days and it was quite warm weather… when I remembered to finish the job of cleaning the living room the smell was awful! I can laugh now but at the time it was horrible. I was shouting up to Mr What Allergy who was making dust upstairs doing DIY saying, “What is that smell? What on earth are you doing up there?” It turned out it was not Mr What Allergy’s fault, nor was it Thomas’s fault… It was my lazy fault, and it was much harder to clean this time as it had been sitting and festering in the corner – urgh! Trust me, it doesn’t take long to clean if you do it right after using but if you leave it you will regret it big time! I haven’t forgotten to clean it out again! I have got into the habit of cleaning it and it takes minutes to do. Then I leave it to drain, dry it as best I can and leave the hoover propped open so that it doesn’t get nasty from being clipped back together damp. Once you get the hang of it it’s easy but it takes a bit of a mind switch to how you’re used to hoovering.

I couldn’t find many faults with this vacuum cleaner, and those things that I did notice like the weight and having to clean it don’t seem such a problem when you weigh up the amazing benefits of using the new Thomas Allery Air Pure Vacuum cleaner.

Watch a video – how to use the Thomas Allergy Air Pure Vacuum cleaner

This vacuum cleaner does take some getting used to. It’s a whole new way of cleaning your house. You put water in but it’s not going to get your floor wet, the hoover simply sucks up the dust and deposits it into the water capsule which is completely sealed. No dust comes out while you’re using it so you don’t get that dusty smell.

It took me a while to get my head around it and the first few times I used it I wanted to go back to my old one; I’m just lazy I guess. But now, I love it. A month on and the house seems cleaner. I may be imagining things but I may even be breathing a little easier.

I am getting used to using it now, though I still spill water every time I fill it – I am very clumsy.

I would recommend this vacuum cleaner to anyone who has a dust allergy. It is such a clever idea, and once you get used to it you’ll enjoy seeing all that horrible wheeze-inducing dust trapped in water and disposed of safely.

I found a clever video here so you can watch for yourself and see just how easy it is to put together and use.

After watching the video you’ll see why I was so shocked after my first use! The woman’s house on the video was spotless and no dust came out at all! You could have almost drunk the water she poured out into the sink. This didn’t prepare me for the sight on first cleaning it out but maybe we’re just a dirty lot here.

I also met someone else who has one at the BSACI show and she loves hers too. It was a member of staff at Allergy UK so another good endorsement for a great product. I got the idea of watering my plants with the hoover water from her.

And if you want to buy one, visit the Thomas website for more details. The company who supply this hoover are very aptly called What Vacuum – it was Karma I should now have one of these. It is currently on offer, reduced to £259.00 from £299.99 and has free delivery. If you have a dust allergy, get one. Even if you don’t and just want a clean, fresh smelling house. I love it.

You may also be interested in:

• Testing the Dyson v8 vacuum – great for dust allergies
• Snail allergy cross reaction with dust allergy
• Natural treatments for allergic asthma