How to Deal with Loud Vacuum Noise? Read on to Find Out!

Vacuum cleaners are a brilliant invention. There is no doubt about that. Before vacuum cleaners, people like you and I were working away, spending hours sweeping and mopping the floors of our homes. But the days of brushes and mops are no more! The vacuum cleaner is here! But in this article, we want to address a question – why are vacuum cleaners so loud?

Vacuum cleaners are really versatile. Different types can clean different types of floor, such as carpet, hardwood, and other services. Many modern vacuum cleaners also have lots of nifty attachments that help you to clean everywhere in your home, even the hard-to-reach corners! As well as being versatile, vacuum cleaners do a really good job of cleaning. The suction power of a modern vacuum cleaner is so strong that you can be sure it will pick up all of the dirt. This makes cleaning your home quick and easy. Vacuum cleaners give you the gift of time. You can whizz around your house, hoovering up all the dust and dirt in no time at all. They really are a brilliant invention.

There is one downside to vacuum cleaners though – the noise they make. Although running the vacuum around your house is quick and effective, it is really noisy. You won’t be able to hear anything else other than the noise it makes! And no-one really likes loud vacuum cleaner sound effects around their home. The question lots of people end up asking themselves is – why are vacuum cleaners so loud? This is the question we are going to answer for you.

History of Modern Vacuum Cleaners

If we think about the history of modern vacuum cleaners, then we may get one step closer to understanding why vacuum cleaners are so noisy and loud. Before vacuum cleaners, people were either sweeping, mopping, or beating their rugs to get out the dirt. Pre-1900 there were various forms of mechanical cleaning devices, but they weren’t anything like the modern vacuum cleaners we know today.

It was an Englishman, Hubert Booth who invented the first vacuum cleaner that worked in a remotely similar way to our vacuum cleaners. However, one big difference was that it was huge and horse-drawn! The machine had to stay outside of a house, with long hoses going inside to suck up the dirt. It was an American, James Spangler, who five years later, in 1907, invented a vacuum cleaner that you could move around your home. The next year he sold the patent for his design, to William Hoover. By 1919, after many redesigns, most households had a ‘Hoover’ vacuum cleaner. Over the next ten years, Hoover added different elements to the vacuum cleaner, including attachments, filter bags and designed the first upright model.

Over the years other companies got involved with designing vacuum cleaners. An Ohio based company claim to have invented the first HEPA filter vacuum cleaner, as well as disposable filter bags. James Dyson is also very well known for inventing a G-force vacuum in the 1980s with dual cyclone technology. Today, the modern vacuum cleaners we use aren’t much different to the Hoover and Dyson that were invented many years ago, but that doesn’t help us answer the question-why are vacuum cleaners so loud?

Why Are They So Loud?

There are multiple reasons why vacuum cleaners are so loud. The first thing to ask is how loud is a vacuum cleaner? Or how loud is a vacuum cleaner meant to be? You can measure the noise they make in decibels, with an average vacuum cleaner making about 80dB of sound. If you think your vacuum is making more loud sounds, then there may be something wrong with this motor. So let’s look at the reasons why vacuum cleaners are so loud:

The change in air pressure, caused by the fan and vacuum suction

As the vacuum cleaner’s fan rotates at a very high speed, collecting dust, air comes out and is then sucked back in through the vacuum suction. This air flow from the fan and the vacuum suction both create noise. Annoyingly, the better the suction power of your vacuum cleaner, the noisier it will be.

The motor

The motor can be one of the main reasons why vacuum cleaner sounds effects are so noisy. The motor whirls around inside the vacuum cleaner that helps move the belt and utilize electricity, but it also produces loud sounds. AC or alternating-current motors are the nosiest, so avoid them and chose a DC motor if you want a quieter vacuum cleaner.

The vacuum cleaner’s body vibrating

As air moves around and hits different things, like the parts of a vacuum cleaner, noise is created. As this air moves around vibrations are created, which you can hear. As many vacuum cleaners are made using a plastic body, as the noise vibrations hit this plastic, even more loud noise is created.

A problem with your vacuum cleaner

Vacuum cleaners will always make a certain level of noise. That cannot be avoided. But if you notice your vacuum cleaner is a lot louder than normal, then you may have a problem.

Why Is Your Vacuum Becoming Louder Than Before?

One of the four main reasons your vacuum cleaner may be noisy is because there could be a problem. If your vacuum cleaner sound effects are louder than normal and if it is making particular noisy sound effects, then you could have a problem. We’ve listed the common reasons behind why your vacuum cleaner may be louder than before:

Dirty filters

A dirty or clogged up filter can make your vacuum cleaner much louder. You can see if this is the problem by checking and changing your filter. Replacement filters are cheap to buy, and if you have never changed your vacuum’s filter, then this is probably the problem.

Clogs

If your vacuum is making a really loud noise, then this may because something has got stuck. If there is a clog, then lots of vacuum cleaners tend to get much louder. The good news is that you can easily solve this problem. Simply turn off your vacuum, have a look through the hoses to see if there is anything stuck. Also, check the canister and empty it out in case there is a block in there too.

Broken brush bearing

If your brush bearing is broken then you will notice your vacuum making more noise as it vibrates more. To fix this problem, it isn’t quite as easy as unclogging or changing a filter, as it involves taking out the old brush and replacing it. If you want, you can always take your vacuum cleaner to a repair shop where an expert will get it fixed for you.

Broken fan

If lots of dust and dirt has collected on your vacuum’s fan, then it may break, which makes the whole vacuum sound a lot louder. Again, if this has happened, you will need to replace your fan.

Maintenance Tips

Sadly you can’t avoid the noise your vacuum cleaner makes. For it to work properly, it needs to make a little noise. However, you can avoid your vacuum cleaner running into problems that make it louder than normal. If you follow some of our handy maintenance tips, then your vacuum should make the same level of noise all the time!

• Check the bag

To get the best out of your vacuum cleaner, check and change the bag regularly. Don’t always leave it until the bag is full before you change, as a vacuum cleaner works best when the bag is less than two-thirds full. Also, make sure the bag is attached properly when you replace it.

• Clean the brush roll

Make sure you clean the brush roll. The more you use your vacuum cleaner the more dust and dirt will get lodged on the roll, which stops it working as well as it should, and makes your vacuum noisier. You can easily remove any items with your hands, or get an expert to remove and clean the whole brush roll for you.

• Check the belt and filter

If you’ve been cleaning the brush roll, then check the belt that holds it together. It needs to be tight against the roll, if not then replace it. Also, remember to check the filter and clean or replace it frequently, so you know your vacuum is working at its best.

There is no doubt that vacuum cleaners are a great invention. They are a feat of engineering that goes back to the early 1900s. It’s really interesting that they are such good machines, their design has only really had to be tweaked in all those years. Today, we are using vacuum cleaners that aren’t too dissimilar from ones nearly a hundred years older! But we do still have vacuum cleaners that are quite loud. Why this is, has been a question many people have asked and we have hoped to answer!

There are lots of reasons why vacuum cleaners are noisy. We’ve given you all the top reasons, and answered your question – why are vacuum cleaners so loud? Some of those reasons are down to design and things we cannot change, but some things we can prevent by maintaining our vacuums. So whatever the type of your vacuum cleaner, you can now make it less noisy and reduce its sound effects! Brilliant! Happy vacuuming!

Categorised in: Maintenance, Techniques and skills, Vacuum cleaners