I'm not sure... I see it both ways. Vacuums don't just suck up dust, they spread it. Look at the vacuum part that's on the floor and the hose (if you use it). There will be dust on the ends when you're done, because while dust is drawn to the vacuum, some dust doesn't get all the way to the vacuum action, especially when you turn it off. Then there's dust floating in the air. Dust gets back on tables and such, although I'm not saying it's as much as if you did it in the reverse.