This International Standard is applicable for measurements of the performance of dry vacuum cleaners for household use in or under conditions similar to those in households. The purpose of this standard is to specify essential performance characteristics of dry vacuum cleaners being of interest to the users and to describe methods for measuring these characteristics. NOTE 1 Due to influence of environmental conditions, variations in time, origin of test materials and proficiency of the operator, most of the described test methods will give more reliable results when applied for comparative testing of a number of appliances at the same time, in the same laboratory and by the same operator. NOTE 2 This standard is not intended for battery-operated vacuum cleaners. For safety requirements, reference is made to IEC 60335-1 and IEC 60335-2-2.