Car vacuum cleaner: the main points to look at when choosing one
A wide range of car vacuum cleaners can make it difficult to choose the right model for you. I will tell you about design features, main technical characteristics, and what you should pay attention to when choosing one.
Technical specifications
Choosing the right device is not difficult – you need to know and take into account some key points.
Type of cleaning
Depending on the filter used and design features, car vacuum cleaners can perform:
- dry cleaning – pulls in small debris, crumbs, dust;
- moisture collection – it is not a full-fledged wet cleaning (with spraying of moisture), as many believe, but the ability to collect small amounts of water, for example, from mats.
Power
You should not expect significant suction power from a compact appliance due to its compact size. In addition, working from the cigarette lighter puts a strain on the electrical wiring.
Autovacuum cleaners can be classified depending on the indicators:
- Low-power – from 50 to 70 watts. They are able to carry out a quick surface cleaning of crumbs, sand and small debris.
- Powerful – from 70 to 130 watts. For more thorough cleaning. Works with fine dust, deeper crevices and textiles (e.g. when you want to clean fabric upholstery).
Power Type
There are 3 main types of power supply:
- From the built-in rechargeable battery. These are mobile vacuum cleaners that don’t have a cord dragging all over the cabin. Suitable for regular tidying up in cars with a “weak” battery. Battery life is limited to about 10 minutes. Pay attention to models with a battery capacity of at least 2000 Ah. If the budget is not very limited, you can consider models with an additional replaceable battery.
- From the cigarette lighter. Models are somewhat more powerful in terms of suction power and are able to carry out a long cleaning. I recommend choosing a vacuum cleaner with a wire length of at least 4.5 meters to reach the most secluded corners. However, a long cleaning “sits” the battery of the machine, and to work with the engine running does not always allow circumstances.
- Combined. Convenient for wireless work after charging or operational cleaning, when the built-in battery is discharged. Models with advantages and disadvantages of all possible power sources.
A set of nozzles
And here, the more the better. There are a lot of hard-to-reach places and parts made of different materials: leather, plastic, rubber, metal.
Optimal is considered a set in which:
- 2-3 crevice nozzles with different socket widths;
- brushes with soft and hard pile for upholstery;
- flexible extension hose for hard-to-reach places;
- turbo brush (optional, needed for work with linty surfaces).
Dust collector
Most modern car vacuums come with a plastic dust collector. This does not create an obstacle to suction and is easy to clean.
Summary
Car portable vacuum cleaner by virtue of technical indicators is not able to pull out the deeply embedded dust from the interior upholstery.
The device up to 60 W can maintain cleanliness by superficial, but frequent cleaning. Wired models from 80W with a cyclone filter can do a more thorough and long-lasting clean without reducing suction power.
Pay attention to the shape and weight of the vacuum cleaner for comfortable holding and moving the gadget inside the cabin, as well as an arsenal of attachments for access to hard-to-reach places.