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If you keep your vacuum cleaner in the cupboard under the stairs, you may want to find a new home for it.
New research suggests that your vacuum cleaner should be stored in a well-ventilated area of the home, such as in the garage, next to patio doors, or even in the living room.
According to the electrical appliance manufacturer Currys, the British have a habit of vacuuming food scraps from the floor, but this makes the appliance smelly and shortens its life.
It can also cause the buildup of bacteria and fungi that can contaminate the surrounding air and enter your lungs, previous research has shown.
It follows a professional cleaner’s advice on the best way to vacuum your carpet that has shocked housekeepers.
According to research from electrical appliance manufacturer Currys, you should store your vacuum cleaner in a well-ventilated area. It turned out that less than one in five Britons would upgrade their vacuum cleaner if it gave off a strange smell
A spokesperson for Currys told MailOnline that vacuum cleaners can be stored under the stairs if there is also an air purifier or fan there, but if not, other areas of the house may be more suitable.
“It can be stored in the corner of a room (utility room or living room), which also makes it easily accessible and keeps the vacuum in a well-ventilated area,” the spokesman said.
For the new study, Currys surveyed 2,050 national respondents about their home appliance habits related to vacuum cleaners and more.
According to the results, 48 percent said they would be less likely to use their vacuum cleaner if it didn’t work properly.
Meanwhile, only 17 percent – fewer than one in five – said they would upgrade to a new model if it gave off an odd smell during use.
The appliance manufacturer also found that the crisis in the cost of living is making people less likely to buy a new vacuum cleaner, even if the appliance is on its last legs.
Overall, the poll found Britons are not short on unused technology, with 68 per cent of respondents saying they have an old, unused coffee machine, iron or vacuum cleaner put away.
Some vacuum cleaner hacks don’t work or can be dangerous; Dyson had to warn about a cleaning hack that can go wrong – putting a sweet-smelling object in the barrel (file photo)
To make vacuum cleaners last longer, Currys suggests a number of vacuum cleaner “hacks,” including avoiding vacuuming strong-smelling food off your kitchen floor and cleaning the dust bag regularly.
However, other hacks don’t work or can be dangerous.
Dyson, one of the leading vacuum cleaner manufacturers, had to warn about a cleaning hack that can go wrong: putting a sweet-smelling item in the barrel.
According to previous research, vacuum cleaners may actually contribute to indoor air pollution by releasing bacteria and dust.
In 2013, Australian scientists discovered vacuuming the house can make allergies worse by creating a fine ‘mist’ of dust, bacteria and mold.
Particles can be picked up and sprayed into the air by vacuum cleaners, where they drift through rooms and can be inhaled, they found.
These airborne pathogens “may lead to adverse effects in allergic people, infants and people with compromised immunity,” they said in their study.
Older and less expensive devices are particularly bad at releasing these contaminants into the air, potentially spreading infections and causing allergies, another Study from 2012 found it.
Meanwhile, one Study from 2010 found that the addition of ultraviolet light to brushing and vacuuming a vacuum cleaner can nearly double the removal of infectious microbes such as bacteria.
The researchers used UVC light – which has the shortest wavelength of the three forms of ultraviolet light and has long been used to sterilize surfaces.
British mechanical supplier Ewbank sells a two-in-one handheld device that combines both vacuum and UVC light to “kill dust mites and bacteria such as E-coli.”
Consumer group Which? has already warned the public about the potential safety risks for users of certain UVC devices on the market, as some may be poorly made.