How Does A Vacuum Cleaner Work
It may look like a complicated machine, but the conventional vacuum cleaner is actually made up of only six essential components:
An intake port, which may include a variety of cleaning accessories
An exhaust port
An electric motor
A fan
A porous bag
A housing that contains all the other components
When you plug the vacuum cleaner in and turn it on, this is what happens:
The electric motor rotates the fan which pulls air through the intake port.
Once drawn into the vacuum, this air is pushed past what's called an impeller blade (the spinning blade you can see in many vacuums).
The blades create a cyclonic action that causes tiny particles to separate from larger ones by weight and size. This causes what is called a "cyclonic separation" and what you're left with is the larger debris that will clog your vacuum's exhaust port if it's not removed.
The air then travels through the porous bag which traps what has just been separated out in its tiny pores, and this airflow continues to be cyclonically drawn into itself until all of the air has been exhausted back into the room.
Vacuum cleaners are able to filter what is left through a fine cloth bag or filter. This helps trap any microscopic particles that can cause allergies and respiratory problems like asthma, but it cannot eliminate them entirely because most vacuum filters don't fit tightly enough around what's called the "HEPA (high efficiency particulate filter)" standard.
This is what gives the vacuum cleaner its name – it creates a low-pressure area (or "vacuum") that helps sucks up dirt, dust and other debris from surfaces like carpets, floors and furniture.
When you turn on the vacuum cleaner, the electric motor starts to spin. This in turn spins the fan, which creates a powerful suction force.
The dirt and dust is drawn into the vacuum cleaner through the intake port, and it is held there by the porous bag. Once the bag is full, you simply remove it and replace it. Doing so allows the vacuum to have space inside to keep the messes that it sucks up when in use.