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A review of the Oreck Halo

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My babies aren’t babies anymore, but they still love to crawl around and play on the floor, so I try to vacuum, sweep, and/or mop often to keep it as clean as possible. It’s hard to tell if it’s really clean, though. There can be more germs on household floor surfaces than on toilet seats, kitchen counters and bathroom tiles combined.* This is why I was so interested in reviewing the Oreck Halo.
oreck-halo

The Oreck Halo is a new vacuum that features UV-C technology, the same type of germicidal light used for sterilization in hospitals and water purification plants. This UV-C light kills germs, bacteria, viruses, allergens, and mold, all without the use of any chemicals.

This all sounds very technical, but in reality this vacuum is just as easy to use as any other upright vacuum.

  • After unpacking it, it’s ready to use in minutes. You just have to screw the handle in, connect a couple of other parts, and put the attachments in their designated spots.
  • It turns on with a button located on the handle. I like that I don’t have to reach down or use my foot to turn it on.
  • Set the carpet height on the side of the vacuum. This setting will be saved for when you use it again.
  • Press the foot lever to incline the handle.
  • Hold the trigger in the handle to activate the UV-C light. The Oreck Halo logo will light up indicating that it’s working.
  • Vacuum as you normally would. It weighs 17 lbs and has a 29-foot power cord, so it’s not terribly hard to move from room to room. You can turn the brushroll off with the flick of a button on the handle, to move seamlessly from carpet to hard floors.

This video shows you what it’s all about:

So does it work?
The Oreck Halo UV-C technology has been tested by industry-leading scientific experts* that have found that it kills many common microorganisms and viruses instantly upon exposure… more than 99 percent of many common types of germs! As for its vacuuming capabilities, this vacuum is excellent at picking up dirt and debris from my carpet and floor. It glides nicely over my carpet, without much effort on my part. Much better than the Dirt Devil that I was previously using. It’s kind of nice not having to empty out a canister and inhale all the dust that inevitably would rise up from it! The Oreck Halo has a HEPA 13 filter bag that’s made of a tightly woven fiber that won’t let anything escape. I’m not sure how long I can go between changing bags, but at around $3 a bag, the price of replacements isn’t too bad. The attachments are what typically come with an upright vacuum – a detachable hose, crevice tool, and brush. The hose can reach up to 13 feet, which is great for getting into corners and under furniture.

Is it safe?
We all know that direct exposure to UV-C light can be dangerous, but the Oreck Halo has built-in safety features to ensure that proper use will not cause any harm to people or pets.

  • You have to press a trigger in the handle to activate the UV-C light. If you let go, the UV-C light will automatically turn off even though the vacuum will keep operating.
  • The hatch on the light chamber must be tightly closed. If it opens for some reason, the UV-C light automatically turns off.
  • All four wheels must remain flat on the ground. If one of the wheels loses contact with the ground, the UV-C light automatically turns off.

Buy it!
Ideal for parents worried about their kids crawling and eating something off the floor, for pet owners, or for those people that suffer from indoor allergies, the Oreck Halo retails for $599.95 and can be purchased online or at your nearest Oreck Clean Home Center. Oreck offers a 3 year warranty on the vacuum, including three free tune-ups, and a 5 year warranty on the UV-C light bulb. It’s easily serviced at any one of the 450 Oreck stores across the United States.

Of course I can’t tell if the Oreck Halo is truly killing 99.9% of the bacteria found in my carpet and on my floors, but the peace of mind that it gives me and just the quality of the vacuum itself is worth the purchase price. I love that I’m vacuuming and killing germs in one step.

I can see your Halo Halo Halo…
Oreck is allowing me to give one of these vacuums away to one very lucky reader! To enter, please visit the Oreck Halo website, take a look around, and leave a comment below naming one of the microorganisms that the Oreck Halo kills with its UV-C light. I’ll announce the winner 3 weeks from today, at midnight on July 23rd… after a night of partying at BlogHer!

For extra entries:

  • Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to the Oreck Halo website.
  • Subscribe to my feed (or let me know if you already do).
  • Become a fan of Riding With No Hands on Facebook.
  • Follow me on Twitter (@OhMariana) and tweet about this giveaway: Enter to win an @Oreck Halo vacuum from @ohMariana! It uses UV-C technology. A $600 value. http://bit.ly/eV6WH
  • Grab my button and link to me in your sidebar or blog roll.
  • Add my blog to your Technorati Favorites by clicking on the button in my sidebar.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and leave a valid email address or blog URL in your comment. US entries only. This contest ends at 11:59 pm CST on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009. Winner will be chosen at random, and has 3 days to claim their prize.

P.S. Visit The Mom Buzz for another chance to win this amazing vacuum!

*Source: Dr. Charles P. Gerba, from the University of Arizona, a nationally recognized expert on immunology and environmental microbiology, with particular expertise in bacteria and viruses.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I visited the Oreck Halo site and it kills dust mite eggs and mold, among other things. Yuck.

  5. Become a fan of Riding With No Hands on Facebook. 🙂 sounds like fun!!! thank you
    .-= Tara H.´s last blog .. =-.

  7. “the patented Oreck Halo light chamber kills many microscopic germs, bacteria, viruses, mold, dust mite eggs, and flea eggs using UV-C light. “

  9. Oreck Halo kills many of the bacteria, germs, dust mite eggs, flea eggs and mold.

  10. Flea eggs! My sister really needs that but I think she would just have to borrow if I won. Good thing she lives next door.

  12. With a dog and a child who has brought home lice, a vacuum that can kill flea eggs and lice would give me more peace of mind!
    .-= Kristen M.´s last blog ..San Francisco =-.

  14. It kills dust mite eggs…that’s a good thing!
    .-= Juliana´s last blog ..2 new quick pages available at Digitals! =-.

  15. I subscribe to your feed.
    .-= Juliana´s last blog ..2 new quick pages available at Digitals! =-.

  16. And I am a fan on your Facebook page.
    .-= Juliana´s last blog ..2 new quick pages available at Digitals! =-.

  27. I have a daughter with allergies and the mold and dust really bother her a great deal. I also have to doxies and so the fleas and dog hair are always here it seems so for me the Halo would be perfect. Thank you for sharing this with everyone it is a very good product for people to know about.

    Robin

  46. Flea eggs! I allow my 4 cats to play outside during the day and I never know what they are bringing back in
    Thanks
    matternu@aol.com
    .-= Peggy Gorman´s last blog ..Get to Jleighdesignz to win a Waterslide Bounce House!! =-.

  49. a fan of Riding With No Hands on Facebook.
    Peggy Gorman
    matternu@aol.com
    .-= Peggy Gorman´s last blog ..Get to Jleighdesignz to win a Waterslide Bounce House!! =-.

  79. The Oreck Halo vacuum will kill bacteria, viruses and flea eggs, among other nasty creepy crawlies.

  91. I love that it can kill flea eggs! When we first moved into the apartment we’re in, we had a huge infestation and spent a weekend making sure our apartment was clean and then months of paranoia making sure they were really gone! My poor cat was in hell!
    .-= Holly´s last blog ..First Look at Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s New Twins =-.

  110. It kills Dust Mite eggs. That is good news. Yuck! Thank you so very much!

  116. Kills dust mite eggs. Yikes!
    .-= vmichelle07´s last blog ..Backseat Organizer Giveaway =-.

  119. I have your button.
    .-= vmichelle07´s last blog ..Backseat Organizer Giveaway =-.

  120. I am a fan of Riding With No Hands on Facebook.
    .-= vmichelle07´s last blog ..Backseat Organizer Giveaway =-.

  121. I added you to my fave on Technorati
    .-= vmichelle07´s last blog ..Backseat Organizer Giveaway =-.

  132. It kills flea eggs!
    .-= Nichol´s last blog ..EcoStore USA Review & Giveaway! =-.

  133. email subscriber nichol4511 at yahoo dot com
    .-= Nichol´s last blog ..EcoStore USA Review & Giveaway! =-.

  135. button in and more blogs blogroll
    .-= Nichol´s last blog ..EcoStore USA Review & Giveaway! =-.

  142. The most impressive thing that i kills is the flea eggs! Those suckers can survive almost anything! Hurray Oreck Halo!!!

  145. i’ve subscribed via email
    .-= Charlotte (Life’s a Charm!)´s last blog ..Oreck Halo Vacuum Cleaner =-.

  156. I am a subscriber in Google Reader.
    .-= Andrea H´s last blog ..Nuphedra =-.

  160. Technorati faved you! (andreashops)
    .-= Andrea H´s last blog ..Nuphedra =-.

  197. The Oreck Steam-It I could use one of these!
    .-= Abby´s last blog ..Priceless Memories Audio Book giveaway =-.

  199. It has so many great features it would be hard to say which one I am most impressed with but I think the UV light would make me feel so much cleaner in the house.
    Thanks so much for the great Oreck Halo giveaway. I have researched this company and it is a fantastic company so I’m sure their products are excellent.

  206. With 3 dogs, fleas are my enemy. I’d love anything that killed them easily!

  212. It kill’s anthrax, e. coli, polio virus and many more. This is unbeliveable. I always saw commercials about this awesome vaccuum but I never knew about everything it kills. good think you did this review and thanks for a great giveaway.

  220. One of them is Rhinovirus. This is such a wonderful prize. We really need a new vacuum. Thanks for offering this chance.

  224. With one dog and two cats,Fleas and their eggs are the enemy-this vacuum is great.

  264. I would LOVE this – with cats and kids who knows what is lurking in my carpets. One things it kills – e.coli

  270. I like the oreck halo it look like it is nice to have, and i see it kills germs very nice. I would love to have one of those.

  271. I would love to win this vacuum. I hate the one I have now. Every vacuum I buy turns out to be a dud. My husband says I am not allowed to buy any more vacuums. So I guess he will be doing that.

  276. Awesome product, what would be really cool is if it had the UV Light on the wand too so it could kill all the critters in my couch!

  285. It kills flea eggs AND dust mite eggs. It almost makes me want to go back to hardwood floors! Yuck.

  293. It kills flea eggs. eew I don’t even want to think about all those nasty buggers that could be in my carpet. our place gets dusty so we’ve prob. got dust mites, gross. here’s hoping I win and I can kill the lil suckers! : )>

  310. Kills viruses, dust mite eggs, flea eggs, bacteria,mold. and it kills e.coli also

  312. It kills E. Coli and dust mites – two of my least favorites things to have around the house!!

  319. It kills flea eggs, with a child who suffers from Asthma this would be great to reduce allergens.

  328. It kills Dust Mites and so many others, this is great and I would love to have it!
    Thanks for the chance 🙂

  353. Wow, as a pet owner I could really use this! Love that it kills dust mite eggs and the rhinovirus.

  354. It kills e.coli and dust mites, who couldn’t use that (especially with two pooches tracking things into the house)

  355. ooh…interesting. I like the idea of it killing dust mites. NOTHING more embarrasing than friends who are allergic to dust getting stuffed up and sneezy at my house (despite my best cleaning attmepts!)

  358. Wow kills dust mites and ecoli! How great! Thanks for the chance at such a super product!

  359. Kills E. coli, dust mites, and the rhinovirus. Help for colds, allergies and infections. How cool is that.

  363. I Oreck Halo helps kill the Rhinovirus. Thanks for the awesome prize and the great giveaway.

  364. I thought it was interesting that it can kill Polio Virus, but the mold would probably be of more interest to me along with the Dust Mite eggs. I’d be even more interested if it could eliminate lice, just because when we have even a hint of a possible infection of someone within a mile or two of us, we go on a cleaning frenzy. 🙂 Something that would suck the little things up and eliminate them would be quite welcome.

  365. I have 2 dogs & I feel so much better after vacuuming, so I can imagine having this product!

  366. I like the fact the Oreck Halo kills mold. Our home was damaged from the hurricane’s of 2004 in Florida and ever since we have had a problem with mold that drives me nuts and I know is so unhealthy. It would be wonderful to have a vacuum cleaner that actually fights against that and the brand Oreck is one of the best too. I used to own a cleaning service and one of my customers owned one and it was the best vacuum I have ever used, period. It’s so lightweight too you could push it with one finger..lol.

    Thanks so much for the giveaway! 🙂

  376. I see it kills dust mite eggs…
    .-= Lorri S´s last blog ..Mom Central Summer Giveaway Bonanza =-.

  394. WOW cool it kills dust mites. Thats what I need with all our allergies here.

  397. Wow! It kills mold and flea eggs! Woohoo. Not that we have problems with those yet, but it’s good to know we could treat such a problem. 😉 Thanks for the giveaway!

  404. Having allergies, this is great that it takes care of germs and allergans without chemicals.

  411. It kills e.coli and gets rid of dust mite eggs, can’t get any better than that! Thank you!

  416. It kills dust mite eggs, along with different bacterias and viruses like e coli — such a great cleaning tool!

  442. It kills the Polio Virus. That looks like a pretty cool vacuum.
    .-= Apri Kennedy´s last blog ..Yummy! =-.

  444. lice and flea eggs – ew!
    .-= dreamer´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.

  450. Ooh, ooh, it kills lice and mold!! I would LOVE to own this…we’re living in a rented house built in 1961 and the house has shifted horribly. There’s so many creepy crawlies, I would cheer to be able to get rid of some of it.
    bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com
    .-= Bebemiqui´s last blog ..There Is Nothing New Under The Sun =-.

  461. OOOH AAAH – I want it!! It kills e. coli and lice – ick, eww, gross! Does it kill general 4 year old boy germies?? lol 🙂

  465. This product is so amazing! It kills Dust Mite Eggs, Viruses, Bacteria, Flea Eggs, Lice, and Mold!

  468. dust mite eggs!
    .-= K´s last blog ..Do you have your cow outfit ready for tomorrow? =-.

  469. just tweeted

    @frugalmdmom
    .-= Kim´s last blog ..Do you have your cow outfit ready for tomorrow? =-.

  470. I so need this with having 3 kids with cystic fibrosis,It kills Dust Mite Eggs, Viruses, Bacteria, Flea Eggs, Lice, and Mold

  477. Wow! This looks crazy amazing. The vacuum kills lots of things, like lice and ecoli. Thanks for the giveaway!

    lorifrost1 {at} gmail {dot} com

  484. The Oreck Halo kills Flea Eggs. Perfect for this animal lover’s home! Thank you for the chance to win.

  487. It kills Salmonella, Ecoli, and it sounds wonderful, I would really love to win my two year can spread the germs anfd this would be great with the new baby.

  488. Oreck Halo kills Flea Eggs

    I’d love to win this prize, thanks for sponsoring this.

    2kidsblogger(at)gmail(dot)com

  495. It kills dust mite eggs, which is great news for me, because when they did my skin testing at the allergy clinic, I was deathly allergic to dust mites.

    Thanks for having the giveaway!

  496. Wow, this is a remarkable vacuum! It kills E Coli! Thanks for the chance!

  498. It kills Mold. I think my husband would be even more excited than I if I won this as he is a bit of a germaphobe 😉

  501. This vacuum kills flea eggs, Ecoli, and even the polio virus! WOW….I must have this! 🙂

  510. This Vacuum kills dust mite eggs, flea eggs, and molds. This is a nice vacuum. Hope to win it! Thanks for the opportunity!

  512. This vacuum kills flea eggs, Ecoli, and even the polio virus!
    .-= Rajee´s last blog ..Other Giveaways Here! =-.

  525. Enter me please! I have an old Oreck that is about to die on me!
    .-= Tina´s last blog ..Because I want a free bike for Molly =-.

  526. ok, just subscribed to your feed!
    .-= Tina´s last blog ..Another amazing giveaway! =-.

  528. It kills Dust mite eggs, flea eggs, eeewww. Ugh, I never thought about that stuff before.
    cbre101022(at)rocketmail(dot)com

  529. just became a fan on facebook!
    .-= Tina´s last blog ..Another amazing giveaway! =-.

  532. Kills lice. Ew! Would love to have this in my house full of children. Seems like lice is always running through their classrooms & I’m paranoid about them getting it. Thanks for the chance!

  538. I would love to be included in your giveaway. It kills dustmites.
    Thanks
    Debbie
    debdesk9(at)verizon.net

  542. The Halo kills dust mites and their eggs, bacteria and lots of others. What a brilliant product

  549. The Halo kills dust mites! My allergy-prone family would greatly benefit from this.
    .-= Spoodles´s last blog ..Battle the Bug =-.

  552. Facebook fan. facebook.com/spoodles
    .-= Spoodles´s last blog ..Oreck Halo Giveaway =-.

  558. It kills dust mites which is a great help for the allergy suffering mom and kids in this house.

  560. I have had a vacuum for 14 years and the light is broken, when it is plugged in it goes and when you unplug it it stops (the on/off button does not work), and it barely sucks. I’d love to get a new one!

  566. rhinovirus, love this vacuum..i am in desperate need of a new vacuum!!! awesome giveaway

    peters.ab0124(at)gmail.com

  570. Thanks for the giveaway… Some of the microorganisms that the Oreck Halo kills with its UV-C light, among others, are:

    –Mycobacterium tuberculosis…Tuberculosis

    –Escherichia coli… E.coli

    –Bacillus anthracis… Anthrax