Загрузка...Ничего хорошего в отеле «Эль Рояль»
Ничего хорошего в отеле «Эль Рояль»
«Ничего хорошего в отеле „Эль Рояль“» (англ. Bad Times at the El Royale ) — американский триллер режиссёра Дрю Годдарда, снятый по его же сценарию. В главных ролях: Джефф Бриджес, Синтия Эриво, Дакота Джонсон и Крис Хемсворт.
Действие фильма разворачивается в 1969 году. В заброшенном отеле, расположенном на границе Калифорнии и Невады, встречаются семь незнакомцев, каждый из которых скрывает свои секреты [2] .
Премьера фильма состоялась на техасском кинофестивале Fantastic Fest 27 сентября 2018 года. Картина вышла в прокат в Соединённых Штатах 12 октября 2018 года (в России — 11 октября). Фильм провалился в прокате, заработав во всём мире 31 млн. долларов при бюджете в 32 млн. долларов, однако получил в целом положительные отзывы от критиков, которые высоко оценили игру актёров, а также сценарий и режиссуру Годдарда, хотя некоторым рецензентам не понравилась продолжительность фильма и темп повествования [3] .
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В 1969 году католический священник Даниэль Флинн (Джефф Бриджес), певица негритянка Дарлин Свит (Синтия Эриво), продавец Ларами Сеймур Салливан (Джон Хэмм) и хиппи Эмили Саммерспринг (Дакота Джонсон) прибывают в гостиницу «Эль-Рояль» на границе Калифорнии и Невады, где знакомятся с единственным сотрудником отеля, консьержем Майлзом Миллером (Льюис Пуллман).
После заселения в номер для новобрачных Салливан, который на самом деле оказывается агентом ФБР Дуайтом Бродбеком, начинает убирать из комнаты оборудование ФБР для слежки. Он также обнаруживает другие прослушивающие устройства и микрофоны неизвестного происхождения. Салливан находит секретный коридор, из которого можно наблюдать за комнатами постояльцев с помощью двусторонних зеркал и снимать их с помощью 16-мм кинокамеры.
Из коридора Бродбек видит, как Эмили притаскивает в номер связанную девочку и он по телефону сообщает о возможной попытке похищения директору ФБР Гуверу, который инструктирует его игнорировать похищение и не разрешать постояльцам покидать отель, пока не будут найдены [ где? ] [ прояснить ] все материалы слежки.
Тем временем Флинн приглашает Свит присоединиться к нему за ужином. Она видит, как он выливает неизвестную жидкость в её бокал со спиртным, и вырубает его ударом бутылки по голове. Консьерж Майлз находит Флинна, лежащего без сознания, и хочет исповедоваться ему, как священнику, утверждая, что делал ужасные вещи. Он показывает ему секретный коридор объясняет, что «начальство» регулярно заставляет снимать интимные встречи постояльцев отеля и отправлять им отснятый материал. Майлз признаёт, что спрятал плёнку с участием одного высокопоставленного общественного деятеля, который был добр к нему.
Между тем, вопреки приказу Гувера, агент Бродбек пытается спасти заложника Эмили, которая, как оказывается, является младшей сестрой Эмили по имени Роуз. Эмили стреляет в Бродбека, убивая его, и случайно ранит Майлза, который смотрел на происходящее по ту сторону зеркала. Свидетельницей убийства становится Дарлин Свит.
Появляется Флинн и признаётся Свит в том, что на самом деле он преступник по имени Дональд О’Келли, который десять лет назад сел в тюрьму после неудачного ограбления инкассаторской машины. Получив условно-досрочное освобождение, О’Келли вернулся в «Эль-Рояль» в одежде священника, чтобы забрать деньги, которые его брат Феликс спрятал под полом номера незадолго до того, как его убили сообщники. Однако из-за проблем с памятью О’Келли поселился не в той комнате и обнаружил, что денег там нет. Полагая, что заначка находится в комнате Свит, он попытался дать ей наркотики, чтобы получить доступ к её номеру. Они договариваются разделить деньги пополам.
В холле Эмили и Роуз допрашивают Майлза по поводу систем наблюдения. Выясняется, что Эмили забрала свою сестру из секты Билли Ли (Крис Хемсворт), харизматичного садиста, ответственного за серию убийств в Малибу. Однако Роуз рассказывает, что она позвонила Ли и сообщила ему своё местоположение. Когда О’Келли и Свит пытаются уйти с деньгами, прибывают Ли и его сектанты и берут их в заложники вместе с Эмили и Майлзом.
Запугивая пленников пистолетом, Ли узнаёт о деньгах и плёнке, которая, как он понимает, куда ценнее сумки с деньгами. Он запускает рулетку, чтобы выбрать между Эмили и Майлзом, и в результате убивает Эмили. После того, как Ли вновь запускает рулетку, О’Келли нападает на Ли, и начинается драка. Свит умоляет Майлза взять пистолет и помочь, но он говорит, что больше не может убивать людей. Оказывается, что Майлз служил во Вьетнаме военным снайпером и убил 123 человека. Свит говорит ему, что всё в порядке, и смиряется со скорой смертью. Однако когда Ли собирается пристрелить О’Келли, Майлз берёт в руки пистолет и со снайперской точностью убивает Ли и других сектантов. Роуз оплакивает Ли, но когда к ней подходит Майлз, она всаживает ему нож в живот. О’Келли убивает Роуз. Перед смертью Майлз исповедуется О’Келли, признаваясь в массовых убийствах, совершённых во Вьетнаме, и тот отпускает ему грехи.
О’Келли и Свит собирают деньги в сумку, Свит бросает плёнку с компроматом в огонь, и пара покидает отель.
Некоторое время спустя Свит выступает в игровом зале в Рино перед небольшой аудиторией. Она улыбается, когда замечает О’Келли, который приехал, чтобы увидеть её выступление.
В ролях [ править | править код ]
- — Дональд «Док» О’Келли / Дэниел Флинн, преступник, маскирующийся под католического священника — Дарлин Свит, соул-певица, находящаяся в бедственном положении — Эмили Саммерспринг, женщина, пытающаяся спасти свою сестру из секты Билли
- Ханна Зирке — Эмили в детстве
- Шарлотта Мосби — Роуз в детстве
Производство [ править | править код ]
Съёмки фильма начались в конце января 2017 года в Ванкувере [4] .
Критика [ править | править код ]
Картина получила в основном положительные оценки кинокритиков. На сайте Rotten Tomatoes у фильма 75 % положительных рецензий на основе 224 отзывов со средней оценкой 6,6 из 10 [5] . На Metacritic — 60 баллов из 100 на основе 43 рецензий [6] .
Conquer Your Cat’s Fear of the Big, Bad Vacuum
When I pull out the vacuum, Mollie disappears. Fortunately, our house is large enough that she has plenty of “safe” places to hide – often the linen closet upstairs or inside a kitchen cabinet.
There’s a name for this fear: Zuigerphobia. It’s a specific phobia, which is an irrational, yet excessive fear of a particular object. This type of phobia creates an immediate anxiety response, often causing the person – or pet – to avoid the object whenever possible.
Debbie Martin, a veterinary technician specialist in behavior and an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional, says cats who are afraid of one sound typically have a fear of multiple sounds. That’s true for Mollie. She also dislikes fireworks and thunderstorms, and while she may not always flee, I can see that she is tense.
Martin says a cat experiencing a situation with frequent, unmanaged noise lives in constant fear and anxiety, which is not physically or emotionally healthy. She recommends giving the cat a safe haven in another room and providing treats, a meal, or special toy to occupy her time and create a positive association. Consider the addition of calming music (there is music composed specifically for cats), a white noise machine, and calming pheromones, such as Feliway.
Leave the vacuum out if possible, so kitty learns that it’s not always loud and bad. Praise and reward her if she sniffs it.
Ideally, desensitization should begin in kittenhood as a part of the socialization process. In contrast to Mollie, Sofiya, my Russian Blue, isn’t bothered at all by the vacuum; she had positive exposure to one as a kitten.
Although there is no research to substantiate their efficacy, Bach’s Rescue Remedy is a go-to choice for me for dealing with fearful situations. I offer a few drops in water or rubbed onto the ears before starting up the vacuum. Other Bach remedies include Mimulus, for fear of lightning and visits to the veterinarian with signs such as shivering or shaking, and Rock Rose, for terror and panicked behavior.
Jackson Galaxy’s Solutions were developed in conjunction with Jean Hofve, DVM, a holistic veterinarian. Based on flower essences, they are gentle and non-toxic and work in a similar way to the Bach remedies. Included are products such as Stress Stopper, Safe Space, and Scaredy Cat.
Before trying any medications or supplements, talk to your veterinarian to make sure they are appropriate for your cat. Any supplement that has an effect can also have potential undesirable effects or interactions with other medications your cat is taking.
Martin notes that a medication such as gabapentin could be considered “if the trigger cannot be avoided and there is no non-stressful starting point for desensitization.”
If you live in a small home with limited safe spaces, try teaching your kitty to go to an area such as the top of a tall scratcher, a counter, or a wall-mounted perch. Use the positive associations as mentioned above. Once the cat is comfortable with that routine, trying running the vacuum at the furthest distance from the safe space, or try playing a recording of the vacuum at a low volume. Take training slowly. During the training process, put your cat in a room away from the vacuum when you use it.
Once the sound is not an issue with the kitty, start over but with movement. Be sure to avoid the vacuum directly approaching the cat and keep an eye on her reaction. Watch for tension – “airplane” ears, dilation of pupils, a crouching position, swishing tail. The space around her safe zone will have to be vacuumed eventually, so watch for those reactions and take care of that area when she is otherwise occupied.
Run the vacuum in short intervals as a part of the desensitization process.
Once the deed is done and the noisy monster is back in the closet and your kitty has maintained a level of calm, offer lots of praise and a treat, special meal, or one-on-one playtime.
“Realizing that some cats will never be comfortable with the sound,” says Martin, “and managing their fear by giving them a safe place to go is the most Fear Free thing we can do for them.” That applies to Mollie. When I pull out the vacuum, that’s her clue to disappear.
Martin notes that orthopedic pain has been associated with a fear of sounds in dogs. She says there is no similar research in cats but notes that orthopedic pain in cats is a common problem that often goes unrecognized and untreated.
What about the Roomba?
I haven’t used a Roomba, the round, self-propelled vacuum featured in various cat memes. However, an informal survey found that it does not appear to be as traumatizing as a regular vacuum. Nancy Samler writes, “My former cat was afraid of it. My new cats are pretty fascinated with it and watch it. They don’t, however, ride on it as has been shown on fb videos.” Ariel Bartelmes says, “No one here cared for more than a day.” Robin Riley’s cat doesn’t like it and watches the Roomba from a high perch. Tracy Dion says, “My cats started off mildly curious but after a few days, they’re completely ignoring it.” And Inge Dagmar Manders writes, “Toby hunts it…. Charlie, who is terrified of normal vacuum cleaners, just looks at it.”
Few of us are thrilled with hauling out the vacuum and having a scaredy cat is a good excuse for procrastinating – until the cat fur collects in all the corners of the house!
This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.
Can You Recycle Vacuum Cleaners?
When Walter Griffith brought to the limelight his Griffith’s Improved Vacuum Apparatus for removing dusts from carpets, it is not likely he considered that there will one day be a debate on whether this genius invention for removing dust will be particles littering the environment. Also known as hoovers, vacuum cleaners have for years since invention been the cleaning heartthrob of every home.
Perfect for cleaning rugs and carpets, without having to go through the rigors of squatting or bending to reach tricky corners, vacuum cleaners have made cleaning the house more of fun than a chore.
Due to the way they generally make life easier they are one of the most purchased household equipment, as far back as 2003 retailers sold about 1.9 million vacuum cleaners in the US alone. In this light, one question that should bother you is how these dirt cleaners end up after their performance declines? Do they get recycled into new equipment (given the different components they comprise and the different materials used to make these components.)? If not, are their components recyclable in separate parts? Are they biodegradable if they cannot be recycled?
These important questions are what we consider in this post. We know you are buzzing up to know the answer, we are also ready to give them to you. So, why don’t you stick around and let’s see piece by piece how these machines that have so far helped with dealing with dirt in our homes do not become dirt to the environment?
Are Vacuum Cleaners Recyclable?
The question of whether vacuum cleaners are recyclable or not is an important one that needs an urgent answer. The reason for this is because of its frequent use among Americans, and the potentials of it causing environmental hazards if incapable of recycling.
Now, to the question of whether or not vacuum cleaners are recyclable, Yes, they can be recycled. However, there is more to this than just an affirmative answer.
One thing about vacuum cleaners is that they are made with different materials. Vacuum cleaners have several plastic, rubber and metal components. Components such as the plastic body casings which serve as canisters or cover the bags, cords, and rubber hoses are all recyclable.
The plastic can be melted and recycled into materials for items such as plastic bottles, rubber slippers, plastic cutlery and many other things that can be fashioned by recycled plastic.
Although individually these materials can be recycled, it would require some separation process before this can be done. Hence, it is important to always confirm with your local recycling station if it has plans for separating vacuum cleaners before recycling. Most times, if a recycling station will not be able to separate the different components of the vacuum cleaners, it won’t list it as one of its acceptable recyclable materials.
In all, vacuum cleaners are recyclable but they would require that the recycling station carefully separates the different materials used in making them. So, whether or not you can toss your vacuum cleaners in the recycling bin would depend on the willingness of your local recycling station to undertake the separation of these different parts.
How To Recycle Vacuum Cleaners?
Fun fact! Vacuum cleaners are here to stay in our households and industries, and they will always be in demand. In this light, it appears that the more vacuum cleaners are produced, the more we will have vacuum cleaners that get broken down, irreparably damaged and thus need somewhere to go after a life of service. This state of things calls for recycling. but then, how do you recycle them? Let’s get to it in a jiffy.
As earlier noted, vacuum cleaners come with different components which are also made from different materials, thus there are large ranges of things that can be recycled in one vacuum cleaners. This means that you need some expertise to be able to properly recycle your vacuum cleaners.
In this light, we would advise that you allow the recycling station to handle it totally. How they recycle them is absolutely in their control, but generally, they first separate the plastic material from the metal and rubber materials in the vacuum cleaner. After this, they take each material to the section they are recycled. For instance, the plastic materials are taken to the plastic section where they are mixed with other plastics for recycling.
On your part, there is not much you can do, particularly if you consider that vacuum cleaners are e-wastes, which need special attention before its component parts are taken apart for recycling. What you have to do if you want to recycle your vacuum cleaners is to check in with your local recycling station or other similar stations that accept vacuum cleaners.
On no occasion should you attempt to recycle your vacuum cleaners or take them apart; they are e-waste and could be dangerous. Besides, if you decide to separate the recyclable parts for recycling, you could inadvertently damage some reusable parts in the process or injure yourself because you are dealing with an electronic appliance that you are likely not familiar with. Hence, let the experts handle them.
Aside from this, scrap yards are also viable options for recycling your vacuum cleaners: usually found in urban, suburban, or heavy industrial area they pay for metallic parts of your vacuum cleaners. Their payment depends on the type of metal, your vacuum is made of and the volume used, to get anything substantial you might however want to add other metallic wastes because scrap yards only accept metals and not plastic.
To recycle your vacuum cleaner, electronic stores are also another option. Some usually provide options to customers to bring in their used, old or damaged electronic products in a bid to reduce the rocketing increase of electronic waste in the environment. They are in the best position to recycle their own products to create new ones
Are Vacuum Cleaners Bad For The Environment?
On the surface, this probably sounds absurd. You are probably wondering if vacuum cleaners, can be a menace to the environment at all with their magic wands clearing away the mayhem after a weekend of partying or children playing around the house. Well, newsflash, they can.
Like every other electrical appliance in the home or for industrial uses, vacuum cleaners are usually tough to dispose of because of the several components they are made of. Particularly, people are usually at a loss of where to really dispose them without constituting toxic waste. This alone has positioned the vacuum cleaners to be a nuisance for the environment.
Vacuums ending in landfills or just improperly disposed take hundreds of years to degrade and technically are not biodegradable. They can cause rust and damage the soil with their metal components. This would reduce the soil nutrients, stunt plant growths and could even contaminate groundwater.
Also, the toxic fumes produced when the metals or plastic components of vacuum cleaners are burned in landfills are harmful to the environment. They are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and over time, pile up in our atmosphere poisoning our soil, and the water we drink and other animals, and the air we breathe in.
Aside from the above, huge amounts of energy are expended in making electrical appliances like vacuum cleaners. Each component is made from materials that require a lot of energy to produce and even more energy to put together a piece of complete equipment. Thus, in making vacuum cleaners we drain a lot of energy resources and even drain more when we refuse to dispose of in a way that would be recyclable.
In all, though vacuum cleaners help us ensure our houses and workplaces are clean, their improper disposal can cause severe harm to our environment.
Can You Put Vacuum Cleaners In Trash Bin?
Usually, the easiest way to get rid of something we do not want littering our house when they are out of use is to put them in the garbage disposal. However, it is necessary to filter through what we really classify as garbage.
Technically, yes, you can take that old faulty vacuum cleaner in the trash and bid it goodbye, but then you would be indirectly welcoming the depletion of the ozone layer, environmental pollution and climate change because of that singular action. Instead of trashing those vacuum cleaners, you can send them to recycling stations for recycling. You can also reach out to the local scrap metal collector to remove the reusable metal materials in the vacuum cleaners.
This way, you are not just putting the old vacuum cleaners to good use, you are also saving the environment for the potential harms that the vacuum cleaners can cause.
How Do You Dispose of A Vacuum Cleaner?
Most vacuum cleaners come with the do not burn, recycle signs, because it is common knowledge that disposing of them improperly can pose a big challenge. But then, there are several options to ensure that your vacuum cleaners end up where it not only conserves resources, but does not add to the environmental problems of the world. Below, we have some of the options you can take advantage of.
1. Send To Electronics Shops
If your vacuum cleaner is broken, you can get repairs in electronic shops instead of disposing of. This would save you costs and also prevent unnecessary disposal. Also, electronic shops can offer recycling options if your vacuum cleaner is beyond repair. This way, you are disposing of your vacuum cleaners and simultaneously saving the environment.
2. Donate Them
You can also donate your vacuum cleaners if it is not broken and you are just tired of it and desire to upgrade to a new one. There are many people and organizations like charities that are in need of your vacuum cleaners; you shouldn’t deny them the use.
3. Send To Scrap Yards
Scrap yards are also places to dispose of your vacuum cleaner metal parts. In that sense you are only giving components made of metals and not the whole vacuum cleaner. The metal scrap yards understand how to break apart the vacuum cleaner, take the metal part and properly dispose of the other materials, either by sending them for recycling or repurposing them for other industrial or personal use. With this, you are still saving the environment from pollution.
4. Recycle Them
We need not beat too much on recycling your vacuum cleaners, you have read about this above. Without a doubt, you can deliver your vacuum cleaner to a recycle center, but then, ensure it’s one that can handle the separation and recycling.
Conclusion
Vacuum cleaners are a very useful part of our lives. They make house cleaning easy and are a huge part of maintaining a welcoming and safe workplace. Even as we buy them and use them, we should take proper care to ensure they what takes out our dirt does not become detrimental to our earth.
About Rinkesh
A true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another habitable planet, do remember that there really is no ‘Planet B’ in this whole universe.
Bad Idea: Fearing Power Vacuums
“Nature abhors a vacuum.” Variations of this idea, popularized by Aristotle, are a staple of U.S. political rhetoric, generally marshalled by those who argue that the United States should continue some foreign mission — usually a war or military occupation — lest power there pass to an adversary and decrease U.S. security. We are told, for example, that taking troops out of Syria will benefit Russia or Iran; pulling small contingents of forces from West Africa will strengthen China at U.S. expense; exiting Afghanistan will benefit Russia or China.
Pundits also use vacuum fears more generally to warn against surrendering influence in the developing world. Chinese investment in Africa or in Asia via the Belt and Road Initiative is said to exploit a vacuum that the United States should compete to fill. A potential U.S. military exit from the Middle East is said to risk leaving a vacuum that would be a “gift to Putin.”
This idea that power vacuums occur is not entirely wrong. The removal of U.S. forces or spending from a region can indeed create a vacuum, in which other actors gain some influence. The truly bad idea is the claim that vacuums meaningfully benefit U.S. rivals and endanger Americans.
Vacuum theory is essentially an old imperial idea in new, dubious security logic. It says U.S. forces have to run the world so other powers do not and somehow threaten us. Taken to its logical conclusion, that would mean never ending any deployment or war while expanding aid and military presence everywhere. That is, to put it mildly, an expensive proposition.
The theory fails for three reasons. First, those who stand to gain power following U.S. withdrawals tend to be local actors, not great power rivals. Second, the places where vacuums are feared tend to be poor regions with little strategic security value to either the United States or its rivals. Third, U.S. relations with its rivals are not so zero-sum that the gains they do reap from influence in developing countries are worrisome. U.S. security does not depend on predominance everywhere.
Before proceeding to the flaws of the vacuum theory, two caveats are useful. One is that the argument here largely does not address whether U.S. troop deployments create much power or influence at all — a necessary prerequisite to losing it to a vacuum. There is reason to doubt that the presence of U.S. troops in modern war zones generates lasting influence, especially when the deployments are small, as in Syria or Somalia today. Exploring that point properly demands a much longer article. A second caveat is that vacuum arguments, like domino theory or credibility worries, often seem like post hoc rationalizations of a military presence favored for other reasons. But analysts have a responsibility to take even an idea often made in bad faith seriously, if it’s widely made and believed.
The first major reason not to fear vacuums is that actors who gain power tend to be local. Political power vacuums, properly understood, are not an absence of coercive authority; they are the dispersal of it. Pulling out troops can indeed have chaotic results, but generally local governments, militias, and insurgents — not foreign powers — are the ones gathering authority. Past U.S. withdrawals from wars and military occupations, even during the Cold War, show this. U.S. forces left Vietnam, various Latin American countries, and the Philippines without great power rivals rushing into the breach. Those lessons hold today. The difficulties that U.S. forces face in imposing their will in Afghanistan or Iraq would likely be faced by other great powers intervening to try to call the shots.
The second problem with vacuum theory is that it is mostly used to oppose the withdrawal of U.S. troops from poor countries largely useless for building or contesting geopolitical power. Conquest or military occupation pays security dividends when it helps the occupier expand wealth and military capability. Historically, that meant heavily-industrialized countries, energy producers, or areas of geographic vulnerability to the occupier. Due to difficulties nationalism creates in pacifying countries and the increased complexity of extracting their wealth, forcibly occupying even advanced countries is less likely to offer a benefit today.
Regardless, the U.S. occupations whose end we now debate are in states that offer little to reward to occupying states. Syria and Afghanistan are less gifts to other would-be occupiers than civil war management opportunities. Even in states with large oil reserves like Iraq, foreign powers will struggle to take over the profits of production and would likely energize heavier opposition by trying. Such occupations tend to drain resources rather than providing cumulative gains that enhance power.
The third and final flaw in the vacuum theory follows from the limits of great power competition. U.S. entry into World War II and the Cold War was fueled in part by fears that the unification of much of Eurasia — with its vast resources and industrial might — would directly threaten the United States, either through military attack or closure of trade.
Today, geography, wealth, and military power, especially in the form of nuclear weapons, make U.S. security profound. No would-be hegemon much threatens the political independence of Western European states and East Asian allies like Japan and South Korea. More to the point, the gains that China or Russia might make in the Middle East or developing world would do little to alter the balance of power. China handing out loans in South Asia or its firms buying mines or energy contracts in Africa has little effect on U.S. security.
The truth is that the vacuum theory is basically backwards. Leaving vacuums for rivals to fill in the countries where U.S. forces have recently fought wars is less a gift to them than an invitation to folly. It is more sensible to want enemies to suffer the bloody troubles the United States did trying to manage so much of the world than to expensively prevent them from trying.
CSIS does not take specific policy positions; accordingly, all views expressed above should be understood to be solely those of the author.
Are Vacuum Cleaners Bad for Your Health?
Jan 6, 2012 — You vacuum your house religiously to get rid of all the dust, dirt, and bacteria and make sure your indoor air is up to snuff.
But new research suggests that some vacuum cleaners may actually be making things worse, not better.
Certain vacuum cleaners spit fine dust and bacteria back into the air, where they can spread infections and trigger allergies.
Australian researchers tested 21 vacuum cleaners from 11 manufacturers, including two commercial models. The vacuums were six months to 22 years old, and ranged from less than $100 to almost $800. Brands included Dyson, Electrolux, Hoover, iRobot, and Sanyo. The researchers measured 62 different air emissions.
All released some bacteria, dust, and allergens back into the air. Newer and more expensive vacuum cleaners generally caused less indoor air pollution than older, cheaper models, the study showed.
Vacuums with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters released only slightly lower levels of dust and bacteria than vacuums that did not use these special filters. HEPA filters are supposed to remove 99.9% of the pollen, animal dander, and even bacteria from the air.
The new findings appear in Environmental Science & Technology.
“Both vacuum cleaning and the act of vacuuming can release and re-suspend dust and allergens, leading to increased exposure,” write study researchers from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.
Indoor Air Cleaning Tips From the Pros
But don’t go throwing your trusty vacuum cleaner out so quickly, says Viviana Temino, MD. She is an assistant professor of allergy and immunology at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
“For a vacuum to do more harm than good, it has to be a really old vacuum cleaner that has never been cleaned,” she says. “In general, most vacuums do take up more dust, dirt, and allergens than they release.»
HEPA filters are still the way to go, she says: “They remove more particles than they release back.”
There are other things you can do to keep your indoor air clean. “If you or someone in your home does have indoor allergies, get rid of your carpet,” she says. “If you have throw rugs, wash them once a week in really hot water. This will kill off dust mites and other allergens.”
Feather dusters just relocate dust around the room. Instead, try a microfiber or electrostatic cloth. These don’t stir up dust, she says.
Jeffrey May says HEPA filters are still the best. He is the principal scientist at May Indoor Air Investigations in Tyngsborough, Mass., and author of several books, including My House Is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families With Allergies and Asthma. “A junky old vacuum cleaner will definitely release more allergens than a newer one,” he says.
His advice? Get a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter, and change the filter and clean your house regularly. “Make sure to vacuum under furniture and behind furniture,” May says. “You can’t believe the stuff that accumulates there, and this can be an enormous source of allergens.”
David Corry, MD, is not a fan of the vacuum cleaner. Corry is a professor and chief of the section of immunology, allergy, and rheumatology in the department of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
He says that the only kind of vacuum that makes sense is a central unit. With these, the motor and filtration unit are located outside of the house, so all of the dust is also filtered outward.
“Standard vacuums all will emit dust of some kind, but it is very concerning to learn that older units spew out even more particulates,” he says.
“If you agitate a carpet by walking across it or vacuuming it, you will aerosolize these dust, germs, and spores, making it more likely that you will inhale the things that will cause your symptoms,” he says.
If you have allergies or asthma, replace carpets with hard tile, wood, or linoleum floors, he says. “Use the best vacuum that you can . HEPA filters may not be as good as manufacturers portray them, but nonetheless if you have asthma, use them.”
Hands down: “It will do a better job than a conventional filter.”
‘Better to Continue Regular Vacuuming’
Jill A. Notini says vacuuming the home is still the way to go. She is vice president of communications and marketing for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
Notini wasn’t able to review the study, but says the American Chemical Society’s news release regarding it doesn’t lead her to conclude “that anyone should stop vacuuming their home. It is by far better to continue regular vacuuming and cleaning to reduce particles and help improve overall indoor air quality,” she tells WebMD.
Sources
Knibbs LD, et al. Environmental Science & Technology. 2011. In press.
Viviana Temino, MD, assistant professor of allergy and immunology, University of Miami School of Medicine.
David Corry, professor; chief of the section of allergy, immunology and rheumatology; department of medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
Jeffrey May, principal scientist, May Indoor Air Investigations, Tyngsborough, Mass.
Jill A. Notini, vice president, communications and marketing, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
