vacuum cleaners

waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguru ji ki fateh!

i think it must happen to everyone. we try to pick up each piece of fallen kes for sanskar... but sometimes we miss a strand here or there. maybe when retying our keskee... it happens.

here's my question. what do we do if we vacuum it up, and the vacuum cleaner becomes clogged with kes. it needs to be cleaned out or it won't work. but the only way to remove it seems to be to break or cut it. is it ok to cut fallen kes? it feels wrong somehow, we don't cut the kes from a dead body, so i'm a bit confused on this issue.

sometimes it seems like i'm obsessing over details, but as i'm new to sikhi, there are things i simply don't know.

suggestions?

waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguru ji ki fateh!

Bhain jee, I never thought of this before reading your message today. I have cleaned our vacuum cleaner before and if there was a need, I have cut the hair stuck in the brush of the vacuum cleaner. I did not think it was a sin but now you have got me thinking. Don't have the answer to this but for practical reasons, you cannot avoid not cutting some hair stuck in the base of the cleaner. If you feel too guilty, I guess the only option is to upgrade to hardwood floor from carpet.

Kulbir Singh

to add onto what our penjee asked,

fortunately, my vaccum cleaner doesnt get jammed that often. The few times when that has happened, I didn't have to cut kesh or anything, they simply came out and I put them with my other birrd (fallen) kesh.

I think I'm fussing over minute details as well. My question is, what about the kesh that get washed down the drain while taking a bath or what about the small kesh that are always falling here and there ? I know after kanga keshi ishnaan, we collect all kesh and keep them somewhere for sanskaar. But the other scenarios I mentioned, what is the right/wrong aspect in those scenarios ? What should one do ?

I am a newbie too =)

Guroo Kirpaa
VahegurooJeeKaaKhalsaa VahegurooJeeKeeFatheh

Tanvir Singh

hmm... i've been wanting hardwood floors for a long time... maybe this is the motivation i needed.

thanks veerji.

And if we use manual brushing/brooming to clean the carpet before doing Vaccum, it removes most of the fallen hair and leaves very less chances for those long hair getting into the cleaner and get struck.

It hurts to cut those struck in the V cleaner. Our respect for the hair should start from the initial steps of the process. While untieing or tieing Dastaar, or doing combing; my Pita Ji (father) is very particular in respecting Kes. He streches a big size newspaper sheet, sits or stands near that for combing and collects every bit of fallen hair that way. So, chances of falling hair on the carpet can be minimized with careful combing activity.

I agree with you MBSingh.

Whilst combing or drying kesh, we must avoid loosing kesh to carpet or other such things. Many Singhs spread a small kapraa (preferably white for black hairs) or dastaar material down while combing kesh. For drying, a chaddar is a good idea. This collects all the loose and broken hairs and allows you to gather them respectfuly.

Cutting dead hairs does not seem right at all. Although it may have been done unknowingly, it certainly is very disrespectful. They're still kesh until they turn into ash.


Jatinderpal Singh

Most Gursikhs are careful in collecting hair that come off while combing but the hair that fall on carpet are not mostly the hair that come off while combing. These are hair from beard or other parts of the body that come off naturally. Sometimes when drying head hair, some hair fall off. These are the hair that get stuck in the vacuum cleaner.

I agree that cutting the hair from, even after they are not on the body anymore does not seem right. Guru Sahib baksh lain.

Kulbir Singh

to keep kes from going down the drain, you can buy a mesh strainer that fits over the drain.

it looks like this:



they're designed for a kitchen sink, but flipped over (with the dome up), they'll fit over most bathtub and shower drains. you can buy them at most grocery stores. they catch kes very well.