Commercial Vacuum Cleaner - What to look for & Avoid

What is the best commercial vacuum?  What features are important in a commercial vacuum?  How can I avoid buying a bad commercial vacuum (there are a lot) ?  How can I get the best commercial vacuum for the money?

Hi this is Dustin Chaffin general manager of Great Vacs.  At Great Vacs we have sold over 12,000 vacuums over the internet and as a result, we know vacuums.  We have sold hundreds of commercial vacuums and received lots of emails from people looking for the perfect commercial vacuum.  This guide will help business owners understand what a commercial vacuum HAS to have and what to AVOID in a commercial vacuum.  We will also give some specific examples of vacuums that have worked great for commercial vacuums.

When choosing a Commercial Vacuum there are some questions you should ask yourself first:

1. What will the vacuum be used for?
There are several different kinds of commercial vacuum and cleaner uses. For example if you are cleaning a 20,000 square foot building you would want a different vacuum from if you were cleaning residential homes. What kind of carpet will it be used on? Low pile commercial carpet or high pile residential carpet? Will you need on board tools for your vacuum cleaner? Will you be picking up metal (like screws), if so will the vacuum cleaner handle it?
For example in our warehouse we used to go through several would be “commercial vacuums” in a matter of days. The environment was very hard on vacuums. On any given day we would vacuum up pieces of plastic, pennies, screws, rocks, and nails. We would break fans very easy or items would get jammed around the brushroll. We found the only vacuums that would work were the Sanitaire, Proteam Electrolux and the Kirby Vacuum (models G5 & newer).
So you need to consider your environment and what it would be used for. If I was vacuuming a large commercial building I would consider a wide head Commercial Vacuum Cleaner. If I was cleaning residential homes I would consider a commercial vacuum cleaner with on board tools. If I was vacuuming around lots of chairs I would consider a lightweight commerical vacuum cleaner with a smaller head like the Oreck Vacuum or a back pack vacuum.  
2. Who will be using the commercial vacuum cleaner?
Will you be using the commercial cleaner or will employees be using it? Could employees be trusted to run and operate the commercial vacuum cleaner or will you need to get a stupid proof commercial vacuum? Or will you need to train employees how to use it? Does your employee who is using the commercial vacuum or cleaner have any special needs?
A lot of business owners will get a bagless commercial vacuum cleaner for this reason. For Example, one of our customers is a local business. Several different employees had to do the vacuuming. The owner explained the uses of the commercial vacuum cleaner but they did not care. What they would do is just vacuum and vacuum and not check the bag. The bag would get all the way full then clog up the suction tube all the way to the brushroll. Then the owner would have to fix the commercial vacuum cleaner. So he decided to get a bagless commercial vacuum cleaner that was very easy to see when it was full. Now his employees have no problems and when the dirt chamber is full they dump it.
I believe you see a lot of Oreck Commercial Vacuums in hotels for this reason. They are light and easy to carry around and very very simple to use.
3. How many commercial vacuum cleaners will you need?
Will you need different styles of vacuums? For example a wide head commercial vacuum cleaner and a narrow head commercial vacuum cleaner? Or a tool commercial vacuum? What would happen if your commercial vacuum broke? Would you need another commercial vacuum while it was being repaired? Will you be doing team cleaning or just one person cleaning at a time? Will you need a commercial shampooer as well?
We want you to have the perfect vacuum for your commercial needs. That’s why these questions are important to ask. If you pick the right vacuum for your needs you can save a lot of time and money.

What we would avoid in a Commercial Vacuum –
One of my biggest pet peeves in the vacuum industry is how vacuum companies will decide to move there product into a separate industry without doing testing on the vacuum and doing a disservice to you the customer.
For Example – A vacuum cleaner is made for residential use.  The company decides to start breaking into the commercial market and what do they change in there vacuum?  Most times they just put a longer 3 prong cord on the vacuum instead of the usual 2 prong.  Then they call it there commercial model.
In our opinion a commercial vacuum has a lot more needs that a residential one and a 3 prong cord is not going to suddenly make it a commercial vacuum.  The funny thing is about 80% of all “commercial vacuums” are like this.  If you compared it to there commercial models you would see practically no difference (but a higher price).   A commercial vacuum has a lot more needs that a residential one.  For example commercially there is a lot of low pile commercial carpet, while in residential its mostly high pile plush carpet.  Will the brushroll even reach your commercial carpet?  Another point (and probably the most important) is durability.  Lets face it most residential vacuums are not made to be durable.  They break in a couple of years and they want you to buy a new one.  Not so with a true commercial vacuum.  They are made (and need to be) to take a lot of abuse.  Think about it.  You will be vacuuming over the cord, vacuuming up money, screws and all kinds of fun things.  You will be banging into walls, furniture, chairs and more.  They need to be able to take some abuse.  
Now in our warehouse it’s a low pile carpet.  Its probably one of the most dangerous environments to a vacuum because there are old screws and change on the ground.  So for a experiment in this article we took one of those residential……..I mean “commercial” vacuums to see how long it would last………….38 seconds before it blew up.  It froze up and smoke started pouring out of the motor.  Meanwhile we have been using a Kirby vacuum (most durable vacuum made) for years with no problems.  We have also used Sanitaire and Electrolux (or Proteam) in the past with no problems.
Another thing to avoid in a commercial vacuum is the suction tube on one side of the head (should be in the middle of the head) and a vacuum with small suction tubing.
So Keep that in mind.  I will let you choose what vacuums are not truly commercial but let me make a list of good high end commercial vacuums that I would suggest.

GOOD VACUUMS FOR COMMERCIAL USE

1.    Proteam Electrolux Vacuum – Durable, Powerful, HEPA filtration and Lightweight.  One model has on board tools.  You have your choice of upright vacuum cleaners and back pack vacuums.  This company is actually a commercial vacuum company but its vacuums are so good a lot of people are starting to use them in there homes.
2.    Kirby Vacuum – Because of there weight and extra effort to put on tools a lot of people don’t use them.  However if you are looking for raw power and durability (why we use it in our warehouse) you cant beat it.  Go with models G5 or newer.  These can also come with a ton of tools and shampooer.
3.    Sanitaire Vacuum – Powerful deep cleaner, lightweight, durable.  No tools though.
4.    Oreck Commercial Vacuum – This is the ones you see in the hotels.  Usually they are blue or red. Lightweight easy to use, powerful brushroll.  Again no tools without buying separate vacuum.
5.    If you need a good commercial shampooer I would also suggest the Rug Doctor, it does an excellent job.  Authorized Rug Doctor dealers are not allowed to sell them on ebay so if you want one of those contact us directly.

That’s what I would suggest.  Everyone has different needs that’s why we sell most of all of those.
At Great Vacs we don’t sell vacuums we don’t believe in and have tested practically ever model we sell.  If you are still unsure of the perfect vacuum for you feel free to drop me a email at great_vacs@yahoo.com  and tell me a little about your needs.  What kind of surfaces you will be cleaning (low pile carpet, hardwood etc), any allergies, back problems and what you will be vacuuming (homes, 20,000 sq ft warehouse) etc.

If this guide was helpful to you would you take a second and vote on it?

Thank You,
Dustin Chaffin
General Manager – GreatVacs