Do bagless vacuums offer better relief for people with allergies?

Even the most meticulous individuals are not immune to the sneezing and wheezing caused by tiny household invaders known as dust mites. These eight-legged creatures spend their lives seeking each other out, mating, feeding, and producing waste. Their favorite places to hang out? Your carpets and rugs. And if you've got a shag rug, you're providing the perfect environment for these mites to thrive.

If you're allergic to dust mites, it's best to avoid carpets or rugs altogether. Dehumidifying your home and using dust-proof covers on your mattress and pillows, which should be washed weekly, can also help. However, most homes have at least some carpeting or rugs. Despite regular cleaning, carpets trap all sorts of debris, including pet hair, dead skin cells, dust mites, dirt, and even waste brought in from outside on shoes.

While many people aren't bothered by dirt, dust mites, or pollen, for some, these particles trigger an immune response, releasing a specific immunoglobulin (IgE) to handle the perceived threat. Depending on the severity of the allergic reaction, harmless substances can lead to symptoms that cause irritation, discomfort, missed school or work, or even require hospitalization.

Vacuuming weekly can help alleviate symptoms for those with allergies triggered by airborne or surface allergens. But when it comes to choosing the right vacuum, is it better to go with bagged or bagless? Keep reading to find out.

Bagless Vacuum Design

In 1907, janitor James M. Spangler invented the portable, bagged vacuum cleaner. After refining and patenting the design, he founded a company that manufactured electric vacuums. (The company’s patents were later acquired by someone who rebranded it as Hoover.)

Spangler's early vacuum prototypes used pillowcases as bags, and today's bagged vacuums function similarly, except they use cloth or paper bags. A fan inside creates suction, pulling air through the intake and pushing it out through the exhaust. Often, a rotating brush helps dislodge dirt as the vacuum moves over the floor, directing debris into the intake port and through the bag, where it stays unless it's small enough to escape through the bag's holes. The air continues through the bag and exits via the exhaust port.

When the vacuum's bag is full, it begins to lose suction power. Changing the bag usually triggers a flap that seals automatically when the bag is removed, preventing dust from escaping. Once sealed, you can dispose of the bag and replace it with a new one.

James Dyson, who was frustrated with traditional bagged vacuums, made it his mission to create a vacuum that didn’t need bags and wouldn’t lose suction as it picked up dirt. After much experimentation, he perfected a system that worked, and the Dyson brand has thrived ever since.

Like bagged vacuums, bagless models pull air through an intake valve. However, once dirt and dust enter the vacuum, centrifugal force is used to separate the particles from the airstream. These particles are pushed against the chamber wall, falling into a collection cup as the air exits the vacuum through an exhaust port. While the dust collection methods differ, bagged and bagless vacuums share many similarities, and both styles are available in a variety of designs and models.

So, why are bagless vacuums so popular? Find out in the next section.

Benefits of Bagless Vacuums

We all know that when bagged vacuums get full of dust -- or crayon tips and pennies, if you have kids around -- suction drops off steadily. Soon, the vacuum will barely affect the carpet, as if you're just rolling a set of wheels over it. When you see that you're just pushing dirt around instead of sucking it up, it's a clear sign that the bag needs changing.

Bagless vacuums maintain suction much better as the dust cup fills up. Even better, the transparent plastic cover lets you see exactly how much debris has accumulated, reducing the likelihood of the vacuum filling up unexpectedly.

A bagged vacuum requires regular bag changes, depending on your vacuuming frequency and carpet wear. Once the bag is full, you'll need to find a new one, which is where many vacuuming sessions get interrupted. A quick trip to the closet, followed by a house-wide search, often reveals that replacement vacuum bags weren't added to your grocery list. Worse, you might waste a trip to the store if your specific vacuum bags are out of stock. Once you dispose of the old bag, suction is restored, but without a new bag, your cleaning session is over.

On the other hand, bagless vacuums are always ready to go. After emptying the dust cup, simply reattach it, and you're back to cleaning – no need for special vacuum bags or trying to recall where you stored them. Plus, while vacuum bags end up in landfills, bagless vacuums don't contribute to this waste.

Although bagless vacuums offer numerous benefits over bagged models, they also come with significant drawbacks, especially if you suffer from asthma or allergies. Want to know what these disadvantages are? Read the next section to find out.

Problems with Bagless Vacuums

While bagless vacuums are convenient, they do have some issues. They use a removable cup to collect dirt and dust via centrifugal force. Once the cup is full, you remove it, take it to the trash, and empty it. Unfortunately, this process releases a cloud of dust and dirt into the air around your trashcan. To avoid this, you'll need to dump the contents into a bag and seal it to prevent spills. However, some dust will inevitably escape as you transfer it. At this point, using a disposable bag to collect the dirt may seem more appealing.

People with allergies will likely find it unpleasant to breathe in a cloud of allergens every time they empty the dust cup. The best approach to avoid a sneezing fit is to empty the dust cup outdoors. Stand upwind, wear a dust mask or some other protective covering for your nose and mouth, and empty the cup onto the ground, away from the house. It can be a hassle compared to simply remembering to buy vacuum bags from time to time.

Whether you use bagged or bagless vacuums, the key to protecting yourself from household allergens is investing in a high-quality, well-built vacuum. Budget models may have poor seals or designs that lead to weak suction or uncontrolled dust dispersal within the vacuum itself, requiring cleaning. Vacuums equipped with HEPA filters (High Efficiency Particulate Air filters) feature tightly woven fibers, typically fiberglass, that trap nearly all allergens, even those as tiny as 0.3 microns that would normally pass through either bagged or bagless vacuums. Though these filters need to be replaced occasionally, a HEPA filter – particularly when used with a quality bagged vacuum – will offer the most effective relief for allergy sufferers in the home.