Central vacuums make a clean air difference

   In the battle against dirt, the central vacuum cleaner is the most high-tech weapon in the arsenal. For some reason, it's a weapon that is seldom deployed.

For those of you who've never seen one--and the statistics suggest that includes just about everybody--a central vacuum cleaner is a large, powerful cleaning machine that provides an alternative to the more common portable models. The heart of the system is a big canister mounted in the basement or garage. Concealed plastic pipes connect the canister to wall-mounted outlets.

By opening the outlet and connecting a hose, you turn on the canister motor and clean.

Proponents say central units are more powerful, lighter and more convenient than conventional sweepers. They also brag that they never encounter that distinctive smell other sweepers produce as they stir up microscopic dust particles.

   A major cause of allergic reactions, dust mites are microscopic members of the spider family that live in rugs, bedding, upholstered furniture and stuffed toys and feed on the tiny flecks of skin we constantly shed. Millions can be found in the average household. It's not the creatures themselves that cause allergic reactions, but the waste they release that then travel through the air.