Is buying a "used" vacuum cleaner a safe idea?
My wife and i shop at Goodwill Stores on a regular basis. my wife spotted this used vacuum cleaner, that appeared brand new. we tested it in the store. when we hit the switch-on button, a cloud of grey smoke appeared from beneath the cleaner. at that moment, this thought came to me: “how sanitary are used vacuum cleaners?”. i turned the vacuum cleaner over and the beater had all type of junk imbedded in it. i then asked myself, “why is this vacuum cleaner at Goodwill? did the previous owner have a contagious disease? are there health laws that cover the selling of a used vacuum cleaner as a possible health risk?”.
We bought this vacuum cleaner. it has remained in the trunk of my car, until i can find my can of Lysol. i can understand making a purchase at thrift stores and completely sanitizing it at home, before using it. but, a used vacuum cleaner falls into a different category. should we have bought the vacuum cleaner or just left it in the store?
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14 Answers
I would not have purchased a used vacuum cleaner. Clothes, dishes, etc. you can sanitize. You can’t really sanitize a vacuum cleaner. After a cloud of smoke came out of it, why would you buy it anyway? That would tell me it probably didn’t work properly. I think I would just take it back.
I would be willing to buy a used vaccuum from someone I know, but not sure if I would buy one from Goodwill. However, anything contagious I would think would be long dead. You know when I was in college we used the vaccuums provided buy the dorm, prety much 100’s of people were using it. and dorm rooms can get pretty bad. Also, I would donate my vaccuum, and my home is generally clean. Sometimes I think about getting one that is lighter weight, because it is getting more difficult for me to deal with how heavy mine is. If I had a smaller home I would get rid of this one, probably donate it or give it someone I knew who might need it, if I bought a new one, I wouldn’t throw it out.
Still, I think I would have passed if a big puff of dust came out of it, worried it might not work well.
I’d buy it, but clean it outdoors. You’re a smart guy and can figure out how to clean the beaters, change the bags and filters. You are way ahead of the rest of the population that just throws things out when they starts to make a noise of don’t work as well.
Take it out of the trunk, clean it and enjoy your good fortune.
zenele, read the article. good timing, huh?
worried guy, thanks.
Yeah, I was just about to link that article LOL There are lots of places in the vacumn cleaner that you can’t get too, to clean. And were talking about air, which get’s… well everywhere. Picking up whatever lives in there and throwing it out all over your house.
Before using this used vacuum cleaner, i plan on wearing gloves to disassemble the beater, the bag and any other part thats removeable. i will do this in the open air, since i am not 100% sure of what i will find inside. soap and bleach will be used for cleaning. who knows….i may find some money in the catch bag !!
LOL, you might ! Or maybe even an earring…. you know… that’s a thought. I wonder how much jewelry and money get’s thrown away in disposable vacuum bags and sent to land fills ?
I have owned a rebuilt (different from used) Electrolux for twenty years. I use it for odd jobs and vaccing the car since I have a cleaning person for the house (who brings her own equipment).
The vac works perfectly, and I can easily get replacement bags.
No problem buying your used vacuum cleaner. Anything you ever buy used exposes you to some risk. that might be risk of buying a dud, buying something that is near the end of its life, or buying something that might transfer germs from its previous owner to you. The first 2 you will assess by looking it over and checking all the parts you can, and seeing how well the thing works. The latter you deal with by giving it a good clean. We need to throw less stuff away, and we need to repair more broken things. There is a great site called e-spares who sell all kinds of stuff for electric and electronic items at really good prices. let’s keep some more old stuff working and not get too paranoid about minor risks. You might walk down the road past someone with a contagious disease, but it doesn’t stop us walking down the road, does it? It’s all about how much of a risk you are prepared to take, and how to minimise what risk there is.
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