In the instructions for any household vacuum cleaner (broom, sled, robot), if you take the trouble to read it (which is rarely the case, we grant you), it is indicated that you should not vacuum dust of plaster, ashes, flour in quantity… and that we must avoid sucking up large quantities of cocoa as we do during our tests, during which we push the vacuum cleaners to their limits. For what ? Because these large quantities of fine dust sucked in at once are not necessarily filtered in the multicyclonic filtration system that separates the air from the dust. They therefore end up in the filter where they clog during washing, which clogs the filter and can cause damage to the motor of the vacuum cleaner.
Household dust is not as fine as general plaster or construction dust, ashes, flour, cocoa, etc. Indeed, as doctors and allergists could very well explain, the dust found in our homes is made up of small molds, dust mites, dust mite droppings, residues generated by furniture, hair , possibly animal hair, mostly also dead skin sown by human beings and domestic animals… sand that we bring under our shoes, earth, small pieces of dead leaves… In short, the dust in our homes is made up of a whole mixture of more or less thick waste that tends to clump together into “sheep”.
Condensed plaster or construction dust, flour, cocoa clog the filter of the vacuum cleaner, which gets worse when washing (imagine the result it gives if you mix plaster or flour with water: the principle is the same) and the filter becomes clogged. The consequences are a loss of suction, since the air no longer circulates in the vacuum cleaner. And worse, the engine heats up and can suffer irreversible damage.
As far as sugar is concerned, it is not recommended to suck it up in large quantities: when the vacuum cleaner is in action, the motor heats up, and as a result the sugar can quickly turn into…caramel! If the maintenance of the filtration system will then be more tedious, the device will nevertheless not be damaged as much as with plaster.
This waste that can void the warranty of your vacuum cleaner
Insofar as the aspiration of certain materials can make the device unusable, some manufacturers no longer apply the guarantee if your device breaks down. Supporting evidence in the document below. Rowenta indicates in its warranty conditions that “the use of unsuitable water or consumables” or “the entry of water, dust, insects into the product (excluding devices with characteristics specially designed for insects)” are not covered.
But Rowenta is not the only manufacturer to protect itself from unsuitable suction uses. Dyson or Electrolux adopt the same rules. In the instructions for Dyson vacuum cleaners, it is thus indicated that use on rubble, ashes and plaster voids the warranty of the devices in the event of a breakdown.
For all these reasons, the maintenance of your vacuum cleaner must be regular. It is important to systematically empty the collector and to dust its filters well so that it retains its efficiency and that the suction performance is not damaged.
