Much as the name suggests, a bagless vacuum cleaner is a type of vacuum that does not require a separate collection bag inside. It is designed in a way such that dirt is collected in a compartment that can be emptied directly into the trash. It saves the time and money of having to buy and replace bags.
For many years, vacuum cleaners required the use of bags, in which dirt and grime collected from the carpet accumulated. Over a period of time, the bag inside the vacuum would fill and need to be thrown away. Replacing the vacuum bag could be difficult. There was the problem of locating and purchasing the correct bag, as it seemed that every vacuum needed a different type of bag. In addition to the annoyance of determining when the bag was full and removing it, fitting a new bag to the vacuum could sometimes be a challenge.
Bagless vacuum cleaners eliminate many of those challenges. These models of vacuums simply have an internal compartment that gets emptied in the trash when full. Vacuum bags become unnecesssary, saving the expense of purchasing them and the difficulty of removing and replacing them in the vacuum itself. Over a number of years, the savings from not needing vacuum bags could be substantial. Additionally, eliminating the bag replacement process makes maintenance of a bagless vacuum as easy as dumping the trash.
With many models of bagless vacuums on the market, prices of bagless vacuum cleaners are similar to the older models that require bags. Inexpensive bagless vacuum cleaners can be purchased for less than $100, about the same as vacuums with bags. Some even have transparent collection containers that make it easy to see when the vacuum is ready to be emptied.
Maintenance of bagless vacuum cleaners is similar to models that contain bags. When a bagless vacuum fills with dirt and needs to be emptied, it is a good idea that it be emptied in a central trash area or outside, as dumping the vacuum container elsewhere might result in re-spreading dirt that was just vacuumed. Additionally, occasionally wiping down the inside of the accumulation container according to manufacturer instructions can help to reduce the spread of dirt.