LG Bedding Cleaner

When I was growing up, there was just one vacuum cleaner for the house, be it for the floor, bed or furniture.

My mother switched out the nozzles to ensure that the vacuum head meant for the floor was not used on the bed.

These days, my home has two vacuum cleaners. The second one is a smaller handheld device meant for the occasional dust ball that appears but, aside from that, vacuuming in my home is a weekly affair.

Until LG showed me its new bedding cleaner and I discovered just how dusty a simple couch can get.

Think of this handheld machine as a downsized vacuum cleaner. It is the size of a backpack and has a handle grip with an extension cord.

Instead of a removable brush nozzle, this has a circular one permanently attached to the machine's body.

A slot at the base of this circular nozzle sucks in dust and tiny objects. Around it are two vibrating orange pads. When the nozzle sits flat on a couch or bed, the vibrating pad actually pounds the surface of the cushion or mattress and loosens the dust trapped within the fibres, allowing the dust to be sucked up.

Along the body of the machine is a removable plastic tray where the Hepa filter sits. This can be removed for washing and I have taken it out to constantly examine the dust sucked up from my couch.

The first time I did so was the day after the weekly vacuuming of the home, so the couch was already relatively clean. There were some visible flecks trapped in the filter tray but I did not think much of it until the next day, when I decided to vacuum the couch again.

I ran the LG cleaner across the cushion, allowing the pad to pound out any dust trapped there in the last 24 hours.

With two adults, one toddler and no pets at home, I did not expect anything substantial. But the filter had trapped a thin layer of dust.

So I repeated the vacuuming daily and each day, there was another thin layer of dust introduced to the filter.

With windows open in a flat on the ninth floor, dust was always going to be part of our life, but LG's little demon had a way of finding even the slightest amount of dust in my couch.

When not in use, the cleaner has a docking station that emits ultraviolet light to disinfect the nozzle.

My own handheld machine lacks a vibrating nozzle. But it is half the size of the LG, which is something you are unlikely to want just sitting around in your living room.

But when I do have it out, I am tempted to use it. Not because I am such a clean freak, but because I'm curious to see just how much more dust I can extract from my cushions and bed.

The Bedding Cleaner has a purpose in your home but it requires a hefty investment.

sherwinl@sph.com.sg

Background story

TECH SPECS

Price: $399 (white, with cord, version tested), $499 (Italian red, cordless)

Specifications: Dual Hepa filter, dual punch, UV sterilisation station

RATING

Features 3/5

Design 3/5

Performance 4/5

Value for money 2/5

Overall 3/5

This article was published on Aug 20 in Digital Life, The Straits Times.

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