best home vacuum cleaner is a multi-functional tool that is simple to operate and use. The right model will also be quiet, light and efficient.
This model offers excellent suction at a reasonable price and comes with a powerful anti-hair wrap floorhead and an odor neutralizing puck. It also boasts a large bin and is extremely easy to empty.
1. Power
A high-powered vacuum cleaner will efficiently take care of household debris and help to keep the mess under control. It should be able to clean any mess, whether it's a pile of hair from a dog or a kitchen sink that has become blocked. It is also required to trap dust and prevent the growth of bacteria to ensure healthy, clean air. The best model is determined by your budget as well as the floor type and household size. The most popular types are uprights, portable handheld vacuums and lightweight sticks, as well as convenient robots.
The Black+Decker Flex Vac handheld vacuum is a light device that performs with incredible strength. It is perfect for households that have multiple pets or houses that are large. It also comes with an easy to empty trash receptacle that will help avoid messy clean ups. The vacuum can also be used as a mop, allowing users to do two tasks at once.
For households that have a lot of furniture, it's best to look into a more durable full-size corded upright or canister vacuum. These models usually have larger motors as well as a floorhead with a motorized design to take on the toughest dirt and carpeting. They're also available with different models with different power settings to offer a variety of suction strength and longer battery life. It's an excellent idea to look for an appliance with HEPA filters. HEPA filter if anyone in your home is suffering from allergies.
2. Flexibility
The best vacuum cleaners can handle many chores around the home including dusting, to deep-cleaning carpets. They're typically light, making them effortless to maneuver. They should also offer a range of attachments to meet your needs.
Consider a vacuum designed to remove hair from pets if you own pets. They usually come with an exclusive brush that takes hairs from the floorhead and redirects it into the dust container so that it does not block the brush roll or wrap around it.
Some of our top-rated vacuums also have intelligent features that can integrate with your home's systems or adjust to different floor types and levels of dirt. This is crucial for those suffering from allergies, as these features help prevent fine debris from recirculating in the air.
Vacuums can be a bit expensive, but the most effective ones are on sale a few times a year during major events like Black Friday and Amazon's Prime Day. There are also deals throughout the spring time, when retailers offer sales to coincide with customers' annual spring cleaning.
The life expectancy of a vacuum can be different according to the model and the type of use it is put through. However, the majority of our top picks last for an average of eight years. If you want to make sure that your device will last longer than competitors, choose one with a longer warranty.
3. Ease of Use
A vacuum cleaner must be simple to operate and use, even during an extended cleaning session. This means a light, compact body, easy controls and attachments and a large bin that doesn't require frequent emptying. Many features make it easier of use, including motorized power nozzles that can tackle carpets and rugs more effectively with a tall and wide floor head that can reach under furniture and has a rotating nozzle that allows for better corner cleaning, a self-cleaning roller system and LED lights that light the path ahead.
For instance, our top pick in this category, the Shark Stratos cordless vacuum, was a breeze to maneuver and used the least amount of battery power during our testing. It also features an automatic adjustment of suction as well as a sleek LCD display that has an indicator for the battery and the ability to switch between Auto, Eco and boost modes.
The Stratos also sucked up kibble, ground coffee and flour easily in our tests, and it handled low-pile carpet well, removing rice and sand in just a few passes. It also has a soft front brushroll to collect tiny particles and prevent pet hair from spitting out, as well as a rigid rear brushroll that sinks into carpeting.
Likewise, the budget-friendly Kenmore Elite sucks up wet spills and dirt from hard floors, thanks to the power of its dual brushroll design. However, it's still lightweight enough to move up and down stairs as well as across a house without breaking the bank. It's easier to care for than many other upright models too with a movable HEPA filter and a disposable dust bag that can be replaced when it's full.
4. best home vacuum cleaner is a very versatile model that can handle most cleaning tasks. It lacks many of the features offered by higher-end models, but it does have a number of essential features that make sure it's suitable for everyday use. For instance, it comes with multiple cleaning modes that can vary suction power and battery run-time (including Eco), an 8-foot hose to reach above floors, and a massive dust cup that is easy to empty.
Its brush roll is designed to collect and remove hair without wrapping it around bristles making it a perfect pick for households with hairy pets or even humans who shed a lot. The results of tests conducted on it also proved that it is able to manage all kinds of debris including carpet with a low pile and hard floors and even remove sand, rice, and Cheerios from carpeting.
The Miele Flex Vac is a versatile cordless vacuum that has impressive power. It was particularly effective at sucking up pet hair and also took larger particles such as cereal, though it was unable to tackle more caked-on debris like car dirt. It comes with a variety attachments like a motorized power-nozzle that can quickly remove pet hair and dirt from upholstery.
5. Battery Life
A quality vacuum cleaner for your home should last at least one hour before it needs to be recharged. For a cordless model, that's important because it allows you to take on cleaning tasks without stopping and begin again.
Our top pick, the Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum, offers a lengthy battery life and impressive debris removal. The three cleaning modes - Eco, Auto and boost, allow you to control the power so that you can clean longer without draining the battery too fast. The vacuum features an elegant LCD screen that displays the battery's status and how much time is left, and whether there is a blockage.
This model is an excellent option for families with pets that shed hair, since its no-tangle brushroll is excellent at picking up pet hair. It is also very effective in tackling dust and dirt. However, it struggles to remove fine particles such as flour from flooring that is hard and cannot get coffee grounds from carpeting.
Tineco Floor One S7 Pro can also handle wet spills. It is an all-in-one model that comes with features such as an iLoop sensor which detects dirt, stains and spills. It also features self-cleaning, which dry out the brush roll. It also offers superior edge cleaning that allows you to get to the corners and baseboards. The battery can last for 40 minutes - longer than any other model we test.
6. Ease of Cleaning
The best vacuums make cleaning up messes easy. The Levoit LVAC-200 for instance is compact and lightweight but incredibly powerful. In our tests, it pulled everything from kibble and ground coffee to dog hair. The dual brushroll design captures pet hair as well as other debris, without spitting it out or wrapping it around the cleaner's head, which helps it stay free of clogging. The motorized tool is able to remove embedded pet hair, even from hard-to-reach areas.
Another standout is the Shark Stratos Cordless, which easily dealt with pet hair and other debris in our tests. The main floorhead is equipped with a soft brushroll designed to capture fine dust and debris. The second floorhead that has bristles that are rigid, can penetrate deeper into carpeting for more difficult messes. The dust cup can hold plenty, and is easy to empty.
If you have a lot of carpet in your home, you may need to consider a large upright or canister vacuum with beater to get a deeper clean. Or, opt for a versatile wet-dry vacuum that can tackle floors and messes created by food or water like the Miele C3 Cat & Dog or the Henry Hoover. These vacuums are capable of handling a wide range of household waste, from small crumbs to large messes and may be more sophisticated than the handhelds listed on this list.