W

hy Should Asthmatics Clean? 

One of the most important things you can do if you are an asthmatic or an allergy sufferer is discover what substances trigger your symptoms and avoid those triggers. You have much more control over your condition if you limit exposure to them in several ways, such as:

• Vacuuming carpeting
• Shampooing carpeting
• Keeping windows and doors closed
• Using high quality filters in your air conditioner and changing them monthly
• Dusting often

Cleaning with the Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright Vacuum Cleaner

Removing asthma triggers by vacuuming requires a high-quality vacuum cleaner with an efficient filtration system. What you don't want when vacuuming is to have triggers such as dust, allergens, pollen and pet dander returned to the air by the vacuum cleaner's exhaust. Whatever vacuum you choose, be sure it has a good HEPA or similar-quality filtration system.

 

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The Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright vacuum cleaner is a bagged design vacuum cleaner. One of the things I most like about the vacuum is that the entire vacuum bag is the filter. Bags for the Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright are made by 3M entirely from their high quality Filtrete material. This means that every time you replace the vacuum bag, you have a fresh filter as well.

 

You may be thinking a bagged vacuum is a bit old school since most high-end vacuums are now bagless designs. But asthmatics and people with allergies will likely be better off with a vacuum that uses bags. Any user of a bagless vacuum can tell you of the messes involved with emptying the dirt container if you are not careful. With a bagged vacuum design there is much less chance of releasing the asthma and allergy triggers back into the air — or into your airways — when you empty it.

 

One of my favorite features of the Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright vacuum is the embedded dirt finder. Hoover's embedded dirt finder system is an asthma or allergy sufferer's best friend. Many people vacuum too quickly to actually remove deep dirt and allergens. The finder has a tiny microphone that hears when the vacuum is picking up dirt. As long as dirt and triggers are still being removed a red "dirty" light glows. Once the microphone no longer hears dirt pick up, a green "clean" light glows. You won't have to guess when your floors are clean again.

 

The Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright also features a self-propelled design, which took some getting used to. I found myself frequently crashing the vacuum into doors and walls. Once I was used to the sensitivity of the vacuum, I no longer had that problem, and the self-propelled function was great. The Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright is a large and feature-packed vacuum, which might ordinarily be difficult for many people to push — not so with the self-propelled function. For those who don't want to use this feature, it is easily turned off with a handle-mounted thumb control.

 

The Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright is also great on hard floors. The brush is disabled when you select the hard floor setting. Turning the brush off is important for cleaning hard floors. If you leave it on, it tends to throw dirt and debris around the room. The Hoover cleans hard floors with ease. The floors in my home are ceramic, with deep grout lines. But the vacuum was able to get spilled powdered baby formula out of the crevices.

 

The Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright vacuum cleaner also features instant attachments. To use them, all you have to do is remove one end of the vacuum hose, attach your chosen attachment, and you are ready to go. The included attachments are a crevice tool, dusting brush, two extension wands and a powered upholstery brush. Two extension wands make dusting in corners, or on ceilings and walls, a breeze.

 

Overall, the Hoover Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright vacuum cleaner is a great weapon for asthmatics and allergy sufferers to use in the battle to avoid triggers. While identifying asthma and allergy triggers is the first step to avoidance, actually removing the triggers to your asthma or allergies is where the improvement in your daily life starts. For many asthma and allergy sufferers, removing the triggers can be as effective to control their symptoms as any medication.

About Shane McGlaun, Respiratory Therapist

Shane McGlaun has been a practicing Respiratory Therapist for 11 years. His diverse experience — including acute care, home care and rehab — enables a multifaceted approach to respiratory problems.

Shane’s mission is helping people suffering from asthma and allergies to live better, healthier lives by avoiding their asthma and allergy triggers. He writes frequently about cleaning products and equipment that can help asthmatics and people with allergies.