Do Vacuum Bags Contain Fiberglass?

It's Vacuums R Us in Arvada Colorado again and we're here to talk about the myth that vacuums bags contain fiberglass. Spoiler alert, they don’t and they never have.
We are currently compiling supporting documents from numerous manufacturers demonstrating the information that vacuum bags contain fiberglass is 100% false. You can find those documents here and we will continue to update as manufacturers continue to provide further documentation.

*Disclaimer*
We are experts in the vacuum industry, therefore we have a vast understanding of vacuum bags. However, we are not medical professionals. We are happy to explain the contents and manufacturing process of vacuum bags, but we can not make medical recommendations.

List of manufacturers that have indicated there is no fiberglass in their bags.
(Full Text of Statments Cited Below)-
Tacony - Riccar, Simplicity, Clean Max, Carpet Pro
Kirby
Sebo
Envirocare
DVC
TTI- Hoover – Royal – Oreck

A video made by a Neurophysiologist in Britain incorrectly stating vacuum bags are made of fiber glass went viral this weekend. After several weeks of pressure he has chosen to make the video private and included a disclaimer stating he was not talking about vacuum bags to begin with.

We are hosting the MSDS for Tacony on the Vacuums R Us website for download:

Futher Documentation
Cambridge Study-
CDC Recomendations-
Article Detailing Volunteer Efforts to Make PPE-
Here are the two mentioned heat testing demonstrations that show vacuum bags do not contain fiber glass.
Trevor of A-B Vacuum center-
Joe Neill of Electric Hospital-
Here are the MSDS safety data sheets from several companies that manufacture meltblown polypropylene.
This is an MSDS for Bissell Febreeze bags. Note that this bag contains fragrance and IS 100% NOT RECOMMENDED for face mask use! However, it shows the materials.
Here is the patent for HEPA bags by Airflo of Europe.
A link to Monadnock non-wovens LLC talking about vacuum bags and material.
Another patent for non woven bags.

Communications from Various Bag Brands-
SEBO-
"Our filter bags are made from a combination of pure cotton fiber and cellulose (paper). There are no fiberglass fibers in our material. We are governed by the British Allergy Foundation to produce bags equal to “S” class filtration. The “S” is short for Schwebstoff the German word for class… equal to hospital grade filtration, so our bags will filter any air borne particles greater than 99.9% down to 0.3 microns.
Hope this helps..
Lenny Ricci, Tech Services Manager SEBO America LLC"
Envirocare-
Envirocare technologies is one of, if not THE largest manufacturer and distributor of vacuum bags. They have posted a detailed response to his stating publicly that their products do not contain fiber glass on their facebook page:
DVC-
We have verification from DVC brands reps none of their bags contain fiberglass.
TTI (Hoover, Oreck, & Royal)-
Mark from Flint Oreck in Flint Michigan received this communication from TTI (Hoover and Oreck's parent company) From Kevin Egan at TTI: "I've checked with our product team and can confirm our bags do not contain fiberglass. We typically don’t have MSDS sheets for our bags."

[joshyouwa]

Just received further communication from a German/US based manufacture of bags stating their bags do NOT contain fiberglass.

Our filter bags are made from a combination of pure cotton fiber and cellulose (paper). There are no fiberglass fibers in our material. We are governed by the British Allergy Foundation to produce bags equal to “S” class filtration. The “S” is short for Schwebstoff the German word for class… equal to hospital grade filtration, so our bags will filter any air borne particles greater than 99.9% down to 0.3 microns.
Hope this helps..
Lenny

Feel Free to email this to your dealers…


Lenny Ricci
Tech Services Manager
SEBO AMERICA LLC
14101 E. Otero Ave, Suite 400
Englewood, CO 80112
800-334-6614 Extn 1109
Hours: M-Thursday 8 AM – 4 PM MST

[VLDI]

To simply say thank you, seems inadequate. We have all recently dealt with those causing an unnecessary panic on youtube videos regarding the use of Hepa Vacuum bags. All of us who have fought this battle of wits with so many, **sincerely** appreciate you putting this video out here and setting the record straight. I will be linking everyone to this video as I am literally tired of typing to people who have no idea what they are talking about, they are simply parroting what they've heard others say. So... Thank you so very very much! Stay safe and healthy!!!!

[cahunter]

Josh, Thank you so much. I have been searching the internet for info on using Kirby HEPA filters as filters for masks I had purchased prior to the fiberglass scare . This is the only good info I've found. Thanks for your answer in this thread which specifically answered my question. I will now cut up my Kirby filters to use in the masks I have purchased. As a fellow Coloradan, we will use your store to purchase any vacuum cleaner products in the future.

[lindasylvester]

Thank you so much for this video. I had made heppa filter mask for my family and friends when I heard the "glass fiber" comments. I was concerned that I was harming instead of helping. I couldn't imagine that glass fiber would be used for this purpose. It didn't make any sense. I tried to find information detailing the materials used in the bags and was having a very hard time. Then I came to your video. You have put my mind at ease and I will continue to make the masks as request come to me. Thank you for the details and the links. Thank you!

[jjmenning]

Excellent presentation, Josh! You have gone above and beyond the call to provide appropriate citations and documents that clear up the fiberglass issue in vacuum bag HEPA filters. Many thanks for your dedication to this issue.

[tiinaveer]

This is by NO means definitive, but in the cursory research I have done, it looks like meltblown cloth (including HEPA, which is a specific filtration spectrum of meltblown cloth) can be made from EITHER molton borosilicate glass fibres (fibreglass) OR molton polypropylene fibres (plastic).

For an application that requires more rigidity (like furnace filters or any of the "accordioned" filters where the cloth has to hold crisp folded edges and stand in a frame), the glass fibre cloth makes sense.

In an application like a vaccuum bag, suppleness is required, and would make the polypropylene fabric more appropiate.

I wish we had a microscope. That would at least answer the question for bags we have at our disposal.

[armauploads]

Thank you, Josh! 😊 Greetings from Germany to all US-Citizens - stay brave and healthy! We love you.

[kellylujan]

I'm using the EnviroCare vacuum bags to put in my fabric masks af filter since we're runnin out. I have family in the front lines of this pandemic and this helped me realize it's truly helping. Thank you for this information.

[winmultimediadesigns]

Hello - Thank you for the video - it put my mind at ease. I read your comments about washing and read somewhere that HEPA material can be sanitized with a UVC light. I am going to try that with a UVC light at 254 nanometers. I recommended that people wipe it with hydrogen peroxide or a diluted bleach solution. But I am suspecting the UVC light might work best.
It just uncertain how to properly sanitize the bag for initial use - many are just washing it and expecting it to preserve the same .3 micron protection. I think a little more research needs to happen and a little more testing to make sure they are clean. But were in a pandemic, so people are going for it. Glad it does not have fiberglass - that's a plus. Thx!

[sandycolby]

Thank you for this well researched, well explained education. I had seen the video about using HEPA filters for masks, and not realizing that filters (HVAC, furnace etc) filters and Vacuum bags contain different umm "ingredients". I can make a few to wear to work (I am a nurse) with a lighter heart

[jennifergarner]

Great info. I work as an essential worker and work for the state. We are a medical facility but recive no medical help as we are a cannabis facility for the state. Our state is medical only. I have been looking into alternatives to care for ourselfs. This was very informative. Thank you.

[sandyberkshire]

Excellent information. Thanks for taking the time to compile and share this!

[gregseck]

Excellent presentation, thanks so much for providing this excellent information!

[lovewillwinnn]

THANK YOU! At last —someone speaking out!! I accidentally ordered the wrong Hoover bag. It’s NOT a HEPA filtration. But it’s an “allergen filtration” bag. Still good? Why is there a Prop 65 Warning on Hoover’s website? That’s what have a lot of people concerned about breathing in these bags.

[TheAnatomyGal]

Awesome video, thanks for taking the time to make this!

[tiinaveer]

@Vacuums R Us -- Josh Wolcott -- do you by chance have any contacts who may have access to a proper microscope? If fibreglass hepa cloth and polypropylene hepa cloth look distinct from one another microscopically, this could be a way to examine different bags?

Just a thought. :-) Thanks for your video.

[armauploads]

UPDATE: The German Support Staff of MIELE tells me, that the "FJM HyClean" Vacuum Bags DOES NOT include Fiberglass. Here is the full text (translated by Google): "We can understand your concerns and your idea of ​​converting the dust bag into a respirator. Our dust bags and also the filters offer the highest standard for the household sector.

Since we do not manufacture the dust bags and the exhaust air filters ourselves, we have already contacted our suppliers to assess the possibilities of using the filter material of the dust bags in the medical / clinical area. In this area, completely different guidelines and standards apply than in the normal household area. During the conversation it turned out that the nature of our dust bags is not sufficient for use as a respirator, since the material cannot reliably hold back all medically relevant viruses.


*Basically, our dust bags are made of polypropylene and contain no glass fiber*, however we cannot provide any information about the exact ingredients. To protect our customers, we expressly do not recommend using our filter and bag products as masks.



However, since our suppliers are of course experts in filtering and manufacture other products besides dust bags, they are already fully active in this regard to support the health system.


Our HEPA exhaust air filter would be suitable for filtering viruses, bacteria and germs. Here, however, the filter material is so dense that it cannot be used as a respirator, because the air supply would be too restricted. However, the HEPA filter is very well suited for the effective filtering of indoor air.



We wish you all the best and stay healthy!"

[wilmabarnett]

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide us with this important information! Well done! Stay safe!

[NeurodivergeJyn]

"The problem with air filters is that they potentially could shed small fibers that would be risky to inhale. So if you want to use a filter, you need to sandwich the filter between two layers of cotton fabric. Dr. Wang said one of his grad students made his own mask by following the instructions in the C.D.C. video, but adding several layers of filter material inside a bandanna."

[debbiegreenbaum]

Thank you for the informative video. I have just purchased Hoover platinum collection type Q hepa bags. I just attempted to ask Hoover via their chat if they had fiberglass and got a real runaround. :( All they would say is that their "supplier" "told" them they don't have fiberglass. The heck? They would not even tell me what type of material the bag is made of, what type of paper/cloth/whatever. So I'm watching your excellent video and putting it up against the deliberately vague replies I just got from Hoover, and I want to believe it's fine, but JEEZ I'm worried. And I read your message above from TTI, but the stakes are just so dang high.

I read online fiberglass won't burn, it melts. So I took a piece of the bag and went outside to burn it, but it melted. Is that the poly material melting, or what am I seeing...?