HEPA vacuum cleaners

Iona McCraith <iona.mccraith [at] sympatico__ca> writes

>I am considering purchasing a vacuum with HEPA filter for cleaning
>artefacts and archival collections with heavy dust or mould. I have
>been looking at the Nilfisk GM80, which I have previously used and
>liked and another model the 3M Portable 1 HP Motor Vacuum, which
>also has a Type 1 HEPA filter.  I would like to hear from anyone who
>has used either or both these models. ...

We used Nilfisk GM80 for mould infestation cleanup and have been
using it since for regular shelf cleaning. In both cases, majority
of the materials have been rare books, most of them 18th-century, in
various condition, some not dusted for more than fifteen years. I
have also used it on a couple of objects, one of them beaded
Victorian bell pull. With all the attachments available and the
ability to adjust the suction, it proved so far very versatile for
our needs. We were particularly impressed by its ability to remove
almost completely the mould residue on some of the bindings--not on
all but on some. It could be that the residue was powdery enough to
be removed with a cleaning cloth all the same but the vacuum did the
job admiringly well.

Nilfisk is an expensive proposition. However, before buying it we
had acquired another HEPA vacuum (I cannot remember the brand--we
returned it since--so this is not negative advertising for 3M). When
the conservator was preparing for the first time to demonstrate its
proper use to the shelf-cleaning crew she discovered that its
suction could not be adjusted and was far too powerful for the
bindings and that the assortment of attachments was more appropriate
for home than collection cleaning. Its price was about a third of
Nilfisk's price.

Anna A. Malicka
Collections Care Manager
Lewis Walpole Library
Yale University
154 Main Street
Farmington, CT 06032
860-677-2140 or
860-409-7096
Fax: 860-677-6369


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:70
                   Distributed: Sunday, May 23, 2004
                       Message Id: cdl-17-70-001
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