# quiet vacuuming **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 12, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769 "2003-08-12T23:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![white\_cotton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/34f0e0/32.png) [@white\_cotton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/white_cotton)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/1 "2003-08-12T23:35:52Z")
Nowadays, our technology is quite advanced. So, why can we not make a vacuum cleaner that is quiet? ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/2 "2003-08-13T00:12:50Z")
I suspect it’s hard to make a device whose job is to move large quantities of air through a small area quiet. However, the bigger issue is that it isn’t so much that they can’t make a quiet vacuum cleaner, as theat they can’t make a quiet vacuum cleaner that’s economically competitive. Would you buy a quiet vacuum cleaner that cost several times as much as a noisy one, weighed a lot more, and did a worse job of cleaning? I wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/3 "2003-08-13T15:31:09Z")
They are all quiet to me 🙂 BTW, did you see the new one called Roomba? It’s a Robot & cleans your floor for you automatically when you are asleep or at the store. It’s about $200. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/4 "2003-08-13T15:38:38Z")
I have a Eureka central vacuum and the vacuum itself is reasonably quiet at the power head. Just a whistle of air. But the motor driven brush unit generates a lot of noise. Mostly by virtue of the brushes “beating” the carpet. The power unit is mounted in the garage and it’s loud out there, but then I’m not there when it’s running, so it’s not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/5 "2003-08-13T15:48:10Z")
I have no cite for this, so take it for what it’s worth: I heard several years ago that at least one manufacturer had tried making a quieter vacuum cleaner, but that consumers had rejected it during research testing because it was perceived as not being as powerful as noisier models. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/6 "2003-08-13T23:08:57Z")
The Roomba is amusing, but it’s a lousy sweeper. I would say it sucks, but it doesn’t suck at all. It’s just a self-propelled version of the ancient non-power bissell crumb sweeper. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/7 "2003-08-13T23:15:21Z")
I think I made an error. The brand of the old human powered sweeper, I think, is something other than Bissell. I can’t think of it right now. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/8 "2003-08-13T23:16:34Z")
Hoky, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/9 "2003-08-14T21:06:43Z")
I’ve got an antique Electrolux Model G “torpedo” style roll-around canister vac that’s quiet enough to allow conversation in the same room. Plenty powerful and more durable than the plastic stuff sold today. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/10 "2003-08-15T00:21:14Z")
**WotNot** , Consumers Union reported that in an article about vacuum cleaners: They could be muffled a lot better than they are, but psychology plays a factor here. Consumer tests have shown that even with all other things being equal, the louder vacuum cleaner will be judged by users more powerful than the quieter vacuum cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiet-vacuuming/194769/11 "2003-08-15T00:44:17Z")
I refuse to vacuum because of the sound. Hubby gets stuck with that particular chore. Of course, this means I’m not all that eager to buy a quieter vacuum, for reasons that should be quite obvious. 😃 Julie