Choose the Right Vacuum for Your Home - Consumer Reports (2024)

Top Vacuum Cleaners Questions

• Mostly bare floors

  If you have beautiful hardwood floors or other noncarpeted surfaces (such as tile, laminate, or vinyl), look at canister vacuums, which do well on that type of flooring. And if you live in a tiny place, a stick may be all you need.

• Lots of carpet

  If you have wall-to-wall carpet or even some thick area rugs, an upright vacuum is the best choice. Because the vacuum's entire weight is over the powerhead, it can dig deeper into carpet fibers.

• Stairs

  Carrying a heavy vacuum up and down stairs is a pain and a bit risky. If you have only one vacuum, a canister is the best choice because its two-part design lets you distribute the weight more evenly. But opt for a smaller second vacuum if you have the storage space and budget.

• Oh yes ... pets

  Each vacuum we test goes through a special pet-hair pickup test. Models that do well on carpet do well at removing pet hair, but so do the top-rated canisters and sticks.

• Corded sticks

  While corded stick vacuums are considered more reliable than their battery-operated brethren, the cord can be a tripping hazard and makes them slightly less convenient (which is the whole point of a stick vac).

• Cordless sticks

  The top cordless vacuums perform superbly in our tests. But the Achilles' heel of all cordless vacs is the battery, which can diminish in power over time or die completely.

• Handhelds

  A handheld vacuum is a must if you have a child or grandchild. You can quickly clean up messes that fall from a high chair or car seat without pulling out your primary vacuum.

• Robotics

  Robotic vacuums were once an expensive novelty but have come down in price. You can set it and forget it, leaving it to handle routine cleanups.

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  Cord control

  Uprights often have a cord-release clip that lets you free the entire cord at once rather than one wrap at a time. And canisters typically have a rewind feature that stores the cord internally.

  Photo: Kenmore
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  Filters

  Vacuum cleaners have filters that trap dirt and particles, preventing them from being released into the air. In CR’s tests, models with a HEPA filter have been very effective at reducing such emissions.

  Photo: Consumer Reports
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  On/off brush roll switch

  This feature helps prevent debris from scattering when cleaning hardwood, vinyl, and other uncarpeted surfaces. Turn the brush roll off on a bare floor and turn it on when cleaning carpets.

  Photo: Consumer Reports
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  Attachments

  Many vacuums come with add-ons, such as a crevice tool for cleaning corners and hard-to-reach areas, a small brush for upholstery, a round brush for dusting, an agitator bristle brush to dislodge grit from carpet, or an extension wand to reach high ceilings.

  Photo: Consumer Reports
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  Manual pile height adjustment

  This adjusts the height of a machine’s brush roll to a carpet’s pile height, which allows for easy movement and more thorough cleaning. It's automatic on some models.

  Photo: Consumer Reports
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  Bagged vs. bagless

  Some upright vacuums and canisters use bags instead of collecting dirt in a bin. Bagged vacuums tend to hold more, and replacing a filled bag releases less dust and fewer allergens into the air than emptying dirt from a bin.

  Photo: Consumer Reports