?Vacuum Cleaners – Buyer’s Guide[Ranked]

When it comes to buying vacuum cleaners, there’s quite the variety of choices. The variety itself makes you hesitant to choose; which vacuum cleaner is the best for you? With so many features and types, each with its advantages and disadvantages, there’s quite the need to simplify things. And we’re going to do that for you in this vacuum cleaner buying guide.

Types of Vacuum Cleaners

All vacuums suck air from one end and blow it out the other. But that doesn’t mean each type is the same. Depending upon the build, the attachments and the connectivity, there’s a different vacuum you will prefer in a different setting. Plus different vacuums come with different capabilities, be it whether they can handle moisture, if they can be battery operated, and the kind of suction power they boast, more not necessarily being better.

So here’s a quick run-down of vacuums.

Which one to pick in the end, you ask? We’ll walk you through the kinds of settings each vacuum cleaner will perform well in, and settings this type should be avoided in.

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These are by far the most common types of vacuums, almost bearing an air of tradition since they’ve been around for so long. This makes them preferred among customers, and they have the goods to back up that reputation. Upright vacuums are great for general cleaning, especially rugs and carpeted area. They can sweep a big area almost effortlessly. You’ll find many of these come with a long cord, because customers often prefer sweeping wide areas without having to replug the vacuum cleaner to a closer socket.

Despite how comfortable they can be to use, there are a few things to keep in mind when picking from a selection of Upright Vacuums. For example, does your device work on wet surfaces? Can it sweep rugs and floors? How easy is it to clean? Can you adjust the height and suction power easily? All that along with the usual factors like grip, weight and build quality should help you pick the one that’s most suited to you.

Canister Vacuums are ideal for people who want the power of the upright vacuum but need to clean in crevices and corners that an upright vacuum would never be able to properly reach. They’re slick from the front and you can get all kinds of attachments for a variety of cleaning needs. It wouldn’t be rash to call them the most versatile cleaning equipment in the market, aside from a rag and plain old elbow grease of course. The flexible neck lets you manoeuvre the attachment in every direction you can think of, and there is usually a suction control provided within grasp of the place you’d usually hold the device from.

That said, Canister vacuums have their own quirks that you need to be wary of before rushing to buy one. For example, they often have a smaller dust bag than upright vacuums. Cheaper units can heat you, though not terribly, but you can get all kinds of attachments for cleaning rugs of all piles, clean on shelves, countertops and dusty tables, curtains and get all other hard-to-reach corners clean as a whistle thanks to only having to lift the tip and not move the whole device like with upright vacuums. These vacuum cleaners are pretty much all-rounders.

If you live in a small space, or want to save room in your closet, a better cleaning utility to consider purchasing is a Stick Vacuum. They’re basically Upright Vacuums without the extra weight and they’re built to be slim but powerful. And since they’re quick to whip out and powerful in operation, they’re a lot better for someone living a fast-paced life, people with babies or pets who shed, because you often don’t have time to handle a bulky machine, and messes left unattended can often grow in size.

They’re slick and powerful, and they look absolutely trendy. You’ll find stick vacuums incredibly easy to store and assemble. They can be used with different attachments to achieve different tasks. And they’re easy to carry around, so if you’re looking to stock a cleaning service, this is your vacuum cleaner.

Lots of people like to keep a vacuum cleaner in their cars, or keep one in the garage to tackle dust and debris without having to fetch the big guns that might not even be suitable for the job. Handheld vacuums are compact, easy to store and pretty powerful. It might take you an age to clean a whole house with a handheld vacuum, and a few trips to empty out the dust bag if the place is especially dusty. But for small spaces you need to reach into the get the dirt out, such as between car seats, behind the toilet seat, in beadings, mesh doors and grooves, handheld vacuums are the best option to go with. I even recommend using these to clean mattresses, especially if you have spills (sieve some baking soda over the area with your normal kitchen sieve, and then vacuum it off after a few hours).

The small size of handheld vacuums may be an impediment in cleaning big spaces, but when it comes to specialized cleaning, there’s none like these.

And finally, there’s the robotic vacuums, popularised by thousands of videos of cats siting on them as they silently sweep entire rooms effortlessly. These are verily the silent butler everyone deserves. You can program these to clean the house while you’re out working and be greeted with clean floors each night. They’re capable of plugging themselves back into the charging station when they’re done cleaning or out of battery. They can navigate liquids, avoid stairs, and are easily the most silent vacuum cleaners in the market. Plus they look really sophisticated and futuristic doing their job.

Now obviously they can hold a lot less dirt than a traditional vacuum cleaner from the 80s, so you’ll have to remember to empty the dust bag as often as your vacuum cleaner needs you to, but that can be solved with apps and reminders. But they clean without needing to be operated, which is a benefit that is unbeatable, especially given how busy our days can be in contemporary times. Also, parents, these might be the perfect house-warming/farewell present for your kid moving out of your house, getting married, or having a baby!

Home Vacuum Cleaners vs Commercial Vacuum Cleaners

All kinds of vacuum cleaners have commercial variants available that you can find a professional cleaning service use to clean everything from sofa sets to mattresses and curtains as well as rugs, walls and furniture. They’re often more powerful and come with longer wires, and an extra feature or two thrown in like advanced pressure control and better filters. But they’re also priced high enough for a company to purchase as opposed to individuals, and it may not be the best idea to splurge on them if you’re only going to clean your house.

Maintaining Your Vacuum Cleaner

Most vacuum cleaners will require you to empty out the dust bag. It is a good idea to do this before you begin cleaning, since many vacuum cleaners may find it necessary to run the vacuum system at higher power to maintain the pressure if there’s dirt and debris blocking the walls of the dust bag. It only makes your vacuum heat up unnecessarily, and it may cause it to last shorter than it otherwise can.

Another thing to keep in mind is using the proper attachment for the task you want to tackle. Using a brush attachment to sweep a floor may take you a lot of time to finish, and the bristles will really be unusable after the ordeal. Replace any broken attachments, and only expose them to liquids on the floor if your vacuum cleaner and attachment are guaranteed by the manufacturer to be comfortable with it.