I guess you're wondering just What a Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner is?

The Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner is a brand of vacuum cleaner with a somewhat unique design. Instead of a bag to collect the dust and dirt, there is a basin of water that the vacuum sits on and all of the debris, dust and dirt is taken in is forced into this basin of water. No, your carpets really don't get wet (unless you pour out the basin inside). Furthermore you change out the water after each cleaning so that the dirt and dust gets carried out of the house to be dumped outside.

It really is a unique design and one that I've come to favor over all other vacuum designs. Why? Most vacuums kick up so much dust and dirt back into the air that you can tell that you've been vacuuming. There is a perceivable scent in the air of "vacuum bad breath" of sorts. This scent is the recycled dust and dirt that has managed to escape the bag of the vacuum cleaner. Further I've had more than one vacuum bag either burst, split or just come off of the intake tube during vacuuming which leads to essentially a dust explosion in the room that seems to take hours to dissipate.

I've NEVER had that kind of issue with the water vacuum approach of the rainbow vacuum cleaner. Once upon a time I neglected to empty the water between cleanings and THAT was a disgusting mistake, but what's really cool about this little vacuums is that you can add a scented oil to the water basin and the result is a nice fresh smelling room when your done vacuuming. I also like the fact that you can see what dirt and dust is being pulled out of the carpet.

One weekend I decided I was going to try and vacuum/empty/vacuum/empty the basin until the water was mostly clean. The main reason was the dust allergies which are a factor in my Meniere's Disease. I chose our bedroom for the experiment. The truth is that I quit before the water would come out absolutely clear, but you could see progress each time. I think I went over the carpet 6 times in a row and it still kept pulling dirt and dust out. Now, this carpet is several years old (I think it's probably a decade plus.) So, there is a lot of deep ground in dust and dirt I'm sure, but I should say it hasn't looked so new and fresh since I can remember.

The bottom line here is that the rainbow vacuum really has strong suction to get the dirt out of those deep places in carpets and upholstery. But it never left the water clean? Well, Imagine how much dust you would have kicked up going over the room with a bag vacuum six times. I'd probably have as much dust/dirt on me and the furniture as there was in the water basin the last few times.

For some people it seems an extra chore to use the rainbow vacuum and certainly it's easier to drag out a bag vacuum plug it in and run it to quickly clean up a spot, but if it's just pushing the dust back into the air anyway is it really worth using?

Since everything that comes into the Rainbow vacuum is forced into the water basin you essentially get no (or next to no) dust pushed back into the room. It's THAT big a difference. I know the rainbow vacuums are expensive, but the one we have is now over 20 years old and still going. If you're really interested in trying one out I suggest trying to borrow one or find a used model that may be cheaper to at least decide if it's worth the difference to you.