Nothing makes a job easier than having the right tool for it. When it comes to vacuum cleaners, having one that doesn’t fit your home can make what should be an easy chore, a frustrating exercise. The vacuum cleaner is absolutely the most versatile tool we have, and owning the one that best fits your space makes keeping it clean, easy.
Let’s consider a variety of home styles, flooring types, and special conditions, and the kind of vacuum that would be best suited for them. You may have a combination of these and want to consider recommendations from a couple of categories.
Click on your home type to jump to specific information.
- Apartments & Smaller Homes
- Larger & Multi-level Homes
- Hard Floors
- Carpeting
- Pet Hair
- Homes with Stairs
- Multi-surface Cleaning
- Allergies
Best Vacuum for Apartments & Smaller Homes
Whether you’re a college student or new graduate living in a smaller home, or are downsizing after raising your family, you want a vacuum that will get the job done, but not take up a lot of space. Stick vacuums have come a long way, baby! In cordless or corded styles, they have more power, longer run times, sleek designs and lots of tools, making them an awesome choice. Many convert to a handheld vacuum, perfect for small jobs and cleaning remote spaces like your car or camper.
If you’re used to a canister or upright vacuum and just aren’t ready to move to a stick vac, there are compact models of both types, bagged and bagless, that might be just the right fit for your space. Check dimensions and weight of individual machines, along with collection capacity and included tools.
One more machine to consider is a robotic vacuum. These have also come a long way since the first models hit the market. They’re great for hands-off cleaning, especially if you really hate this chore! These features are consistent for the majority of robotic vacuums.
- Dirt Sensors & Navigation Sensors, including anti-collision and cliff detection
- Runtimes of at least 1 hour, with automatic re-charging
- Physical or wireless boundaries to block off specific areas of your home
Many more have smart control via a free app that allows you to start, stop, and schedule cleaning jobs on your smartphone. Intelligent mapping, automatic re-charge & resume cleaning feature, and more make these worth a serious look not only for smaller homes, but larger ones with areas of bare floors and/or short-pile carpeting.
Best Vacuum for Larger & Multi-level Homes
You’ve just bought a larger home to accommodate your family’s needs, and that little vacuum you have just isn’t going to cut it. Depending on the majority of your flooring, there are upright and canister vacuums that have large dust bin or bag capacities, wide cleaning paths, longer power cords, extension wands, and extra tools to help keep your home clean. These models from Miele, SEBO, Vapamore, and Nacecare are high quality machines built to last.
But don’t toss that smaller vacuum just yet. An extra vacuum is super handy, especially if you have multiple levels. In fact, you may want to consider buying a stick vac or robotic vacuum for use on one level, while your larger vacuum does duty on another. Robotic vacuums are also effective for keeping large areas of bare floors, like open kitchen/eating spaces, dirt and debris free on a regular basis.
Best Vacuum for Bare Floors
Hardwood, stone, tile, even concrete floors collect debris and dust that can also become concentrated in corners and underneath furniture. For these floors, a canister vacuum is usually the best option. Along with at least one floor nozzle, they include a variety of tools that easily take care of accumulated dust in hard to reach places like narrow gaps in between appliances, counters, and corners. Highly maneuverable with multi-directional, rotating wheels or casters, a canister will follow you smoothly throughout your whole house without leaving marks.
If you have rugs, consider the following features as well.
- Motorized floor nozzle – some canisters come with this type of floor nozzle in addition to a hard floor tool, or you can purchase a compatible tool separately.
- Combination floor nozzle – this floor tool is designed for cleaning rugs as well as bare floors and usually has a foot switch for changing it over.
For those who love an upright, be sure to find one with an easy-to-use brushroll on/off switch, otherwise you’ll be flinging dirt behind it where you just vacuumed. Also, consider that upright wheels only go back and forward, limiting maneuverability and can leave scuff marks behind, so look for one with protective wheels designed for hard flooring.
Best Vacuum for Carpeting
Here’s where a powerful upright vacuum is your best friend. A sturdy beater bar with a brushroll can dig deep into carpets to loosen dust and dirt without going over the same ground repeatedly. Be sure to look for these features that will make your life even easier.
- Adjustable Height (automatic if possible) - you’ll be able to clean various types/thickness of carpets more effectively.
- Maneuverability – some uprights have swivel necks or a design that makes them easy to guide around furniture.
- Brushroll On/Off Switch – enables you to vacuum small areas of hard flooring; also useful for transitioning between floor types.
- Weight Consideration – heavier doesn’t necessarily mean better. If you’re going to carry it up and down stairs, you’ll want to be sure you can easily manage it.
Note: Soft Carpet Owners – Make sure you get a vacuum that is specially made for soft carpeting. A regular upright or canister vacuum power nozzle will shred soft carpet.
Best Vacuum for Pet Hair
If the members of your family include one with fur, you need a no-nonsense vacuum with a lot of suction power and some extra tools to help keep pet hair and dander under control. There are many vacuums, both upright and canister style, that are designed with pet owners in mind. Look for these features to find a vacuum that can handle pet fur and dander.
- Suction power – at least 1000 watts of it.
- A brushroll/beater bar that is easy to remove or clean—fur and hair tends to get wound around them.
- Motorized pet turbo tool that can be attached to the extension wand or hose.
- Soft-bristle dusting brush and a good upholstery tool with microfiber strips.
- Air filter with charcoal for odor control.
- Consider a vacuum with a HEPA filter if someone in your home is allergic to pet dander.
In addition, since pet hair finds its way underneath appliances and in between walls and furniture, look for a long crevice tool like this one from Miele. It probably won’t come with the vacuum, but it’s definitely worth the investment.
You may also want to consider a robotic vacuum if you have large areas of bare flooring. Since they can be scheduled for cleaning jobs without you being home, you can keep up with pet hair on a daily basis.
Best Vacuum for Stairs
Multi-level homes have great appeal, but cleaning stairs can be tricky, especially if some have carpet and some don’t. Top choice is a lightweight canister vacuum with a far-reaching hose, extendable wand, and a long power cord. This will give you the flexibility to vacuum in between balusters and clean the entire staircase without having to change outlets or continually move the vacuum canister.
A motorized mini turbo tool is a great attachment, especially for carpeted stairs, while the upholstery tool works fine for short-pile carpet. Another option, especially if your upstairs is primarily carpeted, is a smaller upright or stick vacuum that is easily stored in a closet and eliminates the necessity of carrying the main vacuum up and down stairs.
Best Vacuum for Multi-Surface Cleaning
Remember, your vacuum is the most versatile tool in your home and can be used for a variety of cleaning tasks besides just the floors. Most come with at least a dusting brush, upholstery nozzle, and crevice tool for cleaning many types of surfaces.
Canister vacuums almost always have more included attachments than uprights and are equipped with long hoses, extendable or adjustable wands, and a low center of gravity that keeps them stable during cleaning. In addition, there’s usually a wide variety of tools that can be purchased separately, as needed, for specialized cleaning tasks.
That being said, there are upright vacuums outfitted with onboard, quick release wands and attachments for use on the spot without having to stop and attach a hose and tools. These vacuums from SEBO and this model from Simplicity are good examples of this. These are really great for homes with lots of carpeting while still giving you the ability to dust or clean upholstery as you go.
Best Vacuum for Allergies
Basically, if you have allergy-sufferers in your home, you want a vacuum with HEPA filtration. HEPA filters capture fine dust and particles as small as 0.3 microns with 99.97% efficiency, so the air exhausted from your vacuum is actually cleaner than the air entering it.
This article has detailed information about HEPA vacuums, sealed systems, and more. Plus you can visit our HEPA vacuum cleaner page to see specific models.
Need Help?
For quick reference on all the info covered in this article, download our Perfect Vacuum Chart.
Even when you narrow down your choices, navigating through a forest of vacuum cleaners can still sometimes be challenging. This vacuum cleaner buying guide and our vacuum cleaner buying tips article may help. You can also give our knowledgeable and friendly customer care folks a call at 1-800-934-9194, they’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
