There is no doubt about it, all Dyson vacuums have enormous suction power and the new Dyson DC23 Stowaway canister vacuum  is no exception. This together with the smaller Dyson DC24 upright vacuum, Dyson has really improved their offerings in my mind in terms of weight and useability. I took the Dyson DC23 canister for a test drive in my home while we were using it for a photo shoot. Here is what I have to say about it. Since Dyson offers no adjustable controls for the power of their suction, you have mega suction at all times. If you have sturdy carpeting like a Berber or commercial carpeting, this Dyson will do an awesome job. My carpet looked brighter and cleaner in a heartbeat. My problem was that with my area rug (a fake oriental), clouds of carpet fiber got sucked up at the same time, which would not have this vacuum be suitable for my longer term personal use. But if you have wall-to-wall carpeting and not mostly bare floors like myself, this vacuum really rocks - wow! We also tested it for dust emissions and it came out with flying colors, so it is suitable for homes with allergy sufferers.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/dyson-stowaway-dc23-motorhead-canister-vacuum-cleaners.html

Since I have two Siamese cats who deem it their job to roll over and deposit cat hair all over my chocolate velvet couches every day, I have long been interested in a powerful handheld vacuum which is not too heavy but is truly powerful. I confess that while the turbo brush on my Sebo C2 vacuum works wonders, it does necessitate taking out a full sized vacuum which is not my favorite thing to do. So that being said I was eager to try the new Dyson handheld cordless vacuum and I chose the more expensive DC16 Animal model as it had a motorized power head. Be clear you only want to spend this kind of money for a powerful handheld vacuum device when you are drowning in pet hair or your car gets dirty all the time, since this device costs more than most other handhelds, and the charge only lasts for 6-7 minutes before recharging. That being said I have seen these vacuums on TV and I really wanted to try one out - 6 minutes is as much vacuuming as I really want to do anyway!

So the first thing to say about the Dyson DC16 Animal Handheld vacuum ($199.95) is I consider it not attractive, but the guys will love it as it is a macho vacuum! A perfect Father’s Day gift. Considering its size, I was pleasantly surprised at how light it is, which is a big complaint of mine with any vacuum. But here comes the most important thing- if you have pet hair, this handheld vacuum is the most powerful thing I have come across, and my two chairs and couch were thoroughly cleaned in under 6 minutes - I had juice to spare which was amazing to me. In order to save on its power, it only operates when you are depressing the “on button” which I understand, but my hand got tired and was happy that the task was accomplished so quickly. I think it would make short work of dirt in my car, which I will get my share of soon as I intend to visit the nursery prior to planting my garden. It has a really huge receptacle for collecting dirt, so it is not going to get full immediately which is very convenient. So in short, I surprised myself, I like this vacuum and it gets a permanent place in my home. The Dyson DC16 Root handheld without motorhead starts at $149.

  http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/dyson-vacuum-cleaners.html

This is what I am doing to protect myself against airborne viruses. Nothing is fool-proof especially when you already have a compromised immune system, and when the government offers me a flu preventive shot, I will take it as I always do, but this time I will make it a priority.

Lotus Water Sanitizing system

1. Make sure that you and others cough into your arm instead of into the air; this is a practice which everyone in our office and my home follows.

  2. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap, and carry a bottle of hand sanitizer with you to public places.

  3. If I was traveling by airplane I would wear a mask, since I always without fail get sick from airplane travel.

  4. I would take extra care to wash/sanitize fruits and veggies - who knows who has coughed on them in the supermarket. We have a Lotus Water Sanitizing system ($154.95) which will both sanitize your fruits and veggies and turn ordinary water into a disinfectant- albeit for about 15 minutes, but enough to wipe down a whole lot of counter tops.

  http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/lotus-sanitizing-water-systems.html

5. If the spread of flu gets any worse, I will put an Airfree Onyx Sterilizer ($269) on my desk or a Germ Guardian Sanitizer ($129) which have proven virus killing technologies. You can also take a look at some of our other sanitization products.

  http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/uv-sanitization-products.html

6. I have been meaning to install an IQAir Perfect 16 whole house air purifier (starting at $2695), but now since you cannot figure out ahead of time which room a virus can hit, a whole house solution seems eminently sensible, and I have more to justify the cost than my seasonal allergies which are causing me to have endless sneezing fits.

  The IQAir Perfect 16 includes professional installation and delivers 6 air changes per hour throughout your home. It does not get better than that. Failing that I would recommend an IQAir Cleanroom ($1599) or an IQAir HealthPro Plus ($799) room air purification models. I do have to add a caveat as to the efficacy of air purifiers - if the virus reaches you before it reaches the air purifier then you have no protection. You are more likely to have contact with the virus through a child bringing it home from school or if you have a job coming into contact with the general public.

  7. For simply brilliant sanitization of your home using steam cleaning there is nothing that comes close to a Ladybug Steam cleaner with TANCS (starting at $1499) that uses nanotechnology to turn everyday water into an EPA registered disinfectant. I have one and love it for a myriad of reasons.

There is nothing out there that will give you 100% virus protection, without holing yourself up in clean room isolation, but a few simple precautions seem like a sensible thing to do.