When it comes to removing lead dust from a house, one of the effective suggested ways is to use a HEPA vacuum to clean the house on a regular basis.
More than half a million children between 1-5 years of age have blood lead levels in the U.S. alone. And this lead poisoning can cause serious health conditions in kids.
As this has to do with the health issue of your family member, you gotta make sure you get the best HEPA vacuum for removing lead dust to protect your kids more importantly because their bodies are small and growing.
For the last couple of days, after digging deep about dozens of top-selling HEPA vacuums, I came up with this list of top picks that got great feedback from their customers and are also widely recommended by expert home cleaners.
Does HEPA Filter Remove Lead Dust?
An effective HEPA filter does remove lead dust from the household environment. If you regularly do vacuuming using a HEPA filter model, there will be much less chance of the presence of lead dust.
However, if the window of anything in the house was previously painted with lead paints, or repair workers have used tools and kits that have lead on them, you cannot completely remove lead elements from the house. This would require more powerful lead cleaning procedures.
Top 6 Best HEPA Vacuums for Lead Dust
The list includes HEPA vacs for leads of different price points and types to make sure you find the appropriate pick according to your budget and cleaning conveniences.
Highlighted Features
- Powerful HEPA filter seals dust particles
- Upright, lift-away, and swivel steering cleaning modes
- Suction slider for controlling suction power
- Bagless and easy-to-remove dust cup
While looking for a quality lead dust vacuum, this one got my attention because of its impressive features and cleaning conveniences. For most household cleaning requirements, this upright vacuum will be more than enough. You can thoroughly clean your house including floors, carpets, and hard-to-reach areas without much struggle.
For floors and carpets, you can use its upright vacuuming mode for an effortless cleaning experience.
When it comes to cleaning furniture and stairs, you just simply detach the pod to turn it into a lift-away cleaner to be able to reach hard-to-clean areas.
Its powerful suction power seals 99.9% of dust and allergens. This assures that no dust particles can get out of the machine whatsoever.
For lead dust cleaning, you can rely on this unit. It traps micros really well by the HEPA filter and doesn’t allow them to return into the air, which makes it the best choice for most households.
This vacuum cleaner claims not to wrap the roll with hair. But, it does get wrapped with hair. So, don’t expect anything similar to the claim. Except for that, it’s a really high-performing vacuum.
Pros:
- Ideal vacuum unit for thoroughly cleaning
- Traps dust particles well
- Easy to clean hard to reach areas
- Suction power can be controlled depending on the applications
- Comes with useful accessories and tools
Cons:
- Brushroll doesn’t properly self-clean and gets wrapped by hair
Alternative
Similar to this one in terms of vacuum type, you can consider this upright vacuum cleaner from Hoover if you need to clean things from high places. It comes with multiple nozzles for different cleaning needs. The overall suction power is good enough for regular household cleaning.
2. Hoover Lightweight HEPA Commercial Vacuum Backpack
Highlighted Features
- Backpack style convenient vacuum cleaning option
- Quiet operation
- Extra long 48 ft. cord
- 9.2 lbs weight
This backpack-style vacuum cleaner is much cheaper than regular vacuums, yet manages to clean messes very efficiently. It comes with all the tools and accessories that you would need for convenient household cleaning.
Its filter also got a HEPA function to make sure no allergens and dust mites cannot escape while cleaning. Particles of 0.3-micron size get properly sealed inside the backpack. Considering its price, it’s the best HEPA commercial vacuum that works really well for households.
Weighing only 9.2 pounds, the backpack feels lightweight on the shoulders. The manufacturer implemented a chiropractor design to reduce straining issues while wearing it for a long cleaning session.
This unit comes with different nozzles for specific cleaning needs. You can use crevice, turbo floor, upholstery tools, and dusting brushes for a more convenient and effortless cleaning experience.
The cord is probably the longest one on any vacuum cleaner. You can clean pretty anywhere you like, the cord won’t come short whatsoever.
Pros:
- Extremely comfortable to wear and vacuum clean the house
- Effective HEPA filter seals allergens well
- Comes with multiple tools for every cleaning needs
- Less strain on shoulders while wearing it
- Makes cleaning an effortless job
Cons:
- Not for cleaning high pile carpets
- Cleaning the dust bag is a hassle
Alternative
If you want a similarly designed vacuum, but at a low price point, you can opt for Atrix HEPA Backpack Vacuum. It comes with a number of nozzles and attachments. But these are mostly made of plastic. Keep in mind, that its HEPA filter isn’t as effective as standard ones.
3. Nequare Self-Standing HEPA Vacuum Cleaner
Highlighted Features
- Dual HEPA filtration system for lead dust removal
- 20000PA suction power
- Self-standing structure
- 4 stages filtration system
- LED light
Ever bought anything that delivers more than what you paid for it? This HEPA vacuum for lead dust removal is one of those value-for-money products that provide more than its price.
With a strong suction power of 20000PA, you can pretty much clean the household from pet hair, dust, debris, and other messes from multiple surfaces.
This one features a dual-filtration design that makes it trap and seal lead elements even better. Like other conventional HEPA filters, this duo setup works flawlessly. If your budget isn’t too high, this can be the perfect HEPA vacuum for lead dust for the money.
Its motorized brush is rotatable up to 180 degrees to make sure you can thoroughly clean every corner of the house. You can convert it into a handheld unit to effortlessly clean stairs, furniture, sofa, car interior, etc. The manufacturer also included a crevice nozzle to clean messes from narrow and hard-to-reach areas.
It’s lightweight and thus easy to maneuver around the house. Also, the canister is pretty easy to empty.
Pros:
- Powerful suction doesn’t leave messes on the surfaces
- Extremely reliable HEPA filter
- The design is suitable for corner cleaning
- Turns into a handheld cleaner for convenient cleaning
- Lightweight and easy to maneuver
Cons:
- The small dust collection cup
- You need to cut the hair off the brush roller often
4. Euroclean HEPA Vacuum
Highlighted Features
- 67 CFM decent suction power for household cleaning
- 3-stage filtration system
- Low profile design
- Four-gallon capacity
- Low noise operation
The next one is from Euroclean, and it’s also a certified HEPA vacuum cleaner that you can buy. To make sure all the messes are taken care of properly, this unit features a multi-stage filtration system, which includes a paper bag, foam filter, and HEPA filter. As a lead cleaning solution, it’s worthwhile considering.
Its four-gallon capacity cleaning ability allows you to use it for large household cleaning and stuff. Compared to other vacuums, the suction power is stronger, and it does the cleaning without taking much time.
While operating, it doesn’t make disturbing noise like conventional units.
You will get an air-driven beater bar nozzle to collect dust from carpets and other surfaces. It also comes with a floor nozzle, upholstery, and crevice tool to make your cleaning easier and more efficient.
Whether pet hair, regular messes, or allergens are your concern, you can leave the cleaning hazard to this cleaner.
Pros:
- Tackles messes, dust, and debris quite well
- Effective HEPA filtration
- Comes with useful tools and nozzles for cleaning convenience
- Easy to maneuver
- Effectively vacuums dust particles and allergens
Cons:
- Not easy to empty the mess from it
5. Vacmaster Pro 8 Gallon Certified HEPA Filtration Wet/Dry Vac
Highlighted Features
- 2-stage industrial motor
- Certified HEPA vacuum
- 4-stage filtration
- 30 ft. cord length
Vacmaster Pro is a traditional type of vacuum, yet it comes with powerful suction and an effective HEPA filter to make sure your household is properly cleaned and the environment is free of allergens and lead elements.
For heavy-duty cleaning needs, it got a 2-stage industrial motor for more efficient cleaning. It will take much less time to clean surfaces compared to regular vacuums.
Any kind of mess and spills be it dry or wet, this vacuum cleaner can tackle them with great cleaning results. Pet hair, regular messes, bread crumbs, liquid, etc. will be much easier to clean from now on. Unlike conventional vacuum cleaners, it doesn’t leave messes behind or on surfaces.
On both carpet and hard floors, you will find this cleaner to be highly efficient.
It features a 30 ft. power cord which you can extend up to 40 ft. to be able to maneuver around the house.
Although it does a decent job when it comes to cleaning, there are some design flaws that make it a below-average vacuum cleaner considering the conveniences. If you are very low on budget, you can consider getting this.
Pros:
- Efficient suctioning result
- Decent HEPA filter for lead issue
- Cleans dry and wet messes
- Decent vacuuming unit for the price
Cons:
- Has some major design flaws
- Defective latches
6. Holife Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Highlighted Features
- Replaceable HEPA filter
- 30 mins of battery runtime
- Nozzles for different cleaning needs
- For both dry and wet cleaning
- Battery overheat protection
If you need a handheld HEPA vacuum for lead dust removal, this one offers pretty much everything you would need for a clean and healthy household environment.
Although it’s a handheld model, its suction power will be more than enough to clean pet hair, dust, crumbs, and even liquids. You can use it for household, office, and car cleaning with great convenience.
It comes with a HEPA filter to work as a lead dust vacuum as well. The filter seals the dust particles less than 0.3 microns in size to ensure a lead-free indoor environment.
Whether it’s dry or wet messes, you can rely on this unit for thorough cleaning. It comes with 3 nozzles to make the cleaning task more efficient and effortless.
The crevice nozzle helps to clean hard-to-reach areas. The brush nozzle tackles dust and other messes from carpets and stairs. There’s also a liquid nozzle to quickly clean up the liquid mess from different surfaces.
The runtime is around 30 minutes after charging the unit for 2-3 hours.
Pros:
- Effectively traps various messes
- Effective HEPA filter seals lead
- Easy to operate due to handheld form factor
- Cleans hard-to-reach areas conveniently
- Lightweight and hand doesn’t fatigue
Cons:
- Not for heavy-duty vacuuming
- Suction power isn’t as advertised
Things to Consider Before Buying a Vacuum for Lead Dust
You need to make sure of two things at a time. The vacuum cleaner can clean the messes you mostly deal with, and it must have a quality HEPA filter that traps lead dust and seals them inside.
Keeping the following aspects in mind will make sure you get the best lead dust removal HEPA vacuum that will actually make the household environment healthy for kids.
HEPA Filtration Type
Just because a manufacturer claims their vacuum to have a HEPA filter, that doesn’t mean the vacuum will be a good one. There are different HEPA filter types for different household environments.
Sealed HEPA Filter
Ideally, this filter is located on the exhaust of a vacuum cleaner that does the job of trapping particles including lead dust. The vacuum has to pass all the air through this filter to properly seal the particles inside. Any reason that helps to bypass the air, won’t make the vacuum a proper HEPA filter.
True HEPA Filter
A number of vacuums claim to have ‘HEPA-type’ or ‘HEPA-like’ filters, which are fake filters and don’t seal particles at all. Although these filters are still good for small particles, but not for lead dust and allergens.
Another factor that tells about the authenticity of HEPA filters is that these filters are expensive. So, if you find any cheap HEPA vacuum, know that it’s not true at all.
Suction Power
The higher the suction power is, the more effectively the household will be cleaned. If you vacuum the house once in a while or a week, consider getting a vacuum unit with more than 15000PA suction power.
Households that are regularly vacuumed, don’t require high suction power.
A unit with 10000PA suction power will be more than enough for hair and dust. For debris and larger messes, you will need a unit with 15000PA power.
Nozzles
Having a number of nozzles will allow you to thoroughly clean the house. Crevice, upholstery, floor, etc. are the most commonly found nozzles that come with most vacuums. These are designed for specific cleaning purposes.
Weight
The weight of the vacuum becomes an issue when you are vacuuming for a long period of time. When you are vacuuming room by room, it is easier to carry and move a lightweight vacuum cleaner.
Ease of use
It can be a headache to operate a vacuum that has complex maneuverability. Choose one that is easy to assemble and easy to use.
Durability
If you want your vacuum to last long you have to choose it carefully. The vacuum cleaner should have good build quality. The lifespan of a vacuum made of steel or aluminum is generally longer than that of a vacuum made of another material. Find out what other people are saying about this product by reading its reviews.
Dust Handiling Capacity
Vacuums should have a good dust volume, which means they should be able to hold a lot of dust. Large dust canisters store more dust, which means you don’t have to empty them as often.
FAQs
1. Why use a HEPA vacuum?
Dust particles and allergens that you cannot see with the naked eye, require a specialized filter to trap them. Most traditional vacuums return such particles in the air. A HEPA vacuum makes sure these are sealed inside, and nothing gets out of the filter.
2. Can you vacuum a HEPA filter?
No vacuum cleaner can extract the contaminated particles from a HEPA filter. In the worst case, some particles can make a barrier in the air filter and make it tougher to pass air through it. This can damage the HVAC system of the vacuum unit.
3. How toxic is lead dust?
A low amount of lead dust can cause serious health conditions in children. It’s so poisonous that it affects brain development, damages the nervous system, and kidneys as well.
4. Can lead dust be washed out of clothes?
Lead dust is completely washable from clothes by running through a few wash cycles.
5. Are HEPA vacuums worth it?
If you renovate an old house, you must get any EPA-approved HEPA vacuum cleaners to make sure the air is healthy for the children to live in. Also, allergic people would require more effective filtration like HEPA to trap allergens properly.
Final Words
Don’t go for a cheap deal if you are mostly concerned with lead dust. If you ask for a recommendation, the Shark ZU561 would be the best option because of its features and effective HEPA filter. Even many household cleaning and vacuum experts recommend this model.