If you’re trying to buy a vacuum, you can choose from more than 450 different models. How do you even begin to narrow down the field? We’ve done hundreds of hours of research and testing on vacuum cleaners over the past five years, searching for the best ones to fit all kinds of living situations and lifestyles. This guide will help you figure out the right kind of vacuum to suit your home, whether it’s a small apartment or a big Victorian, covered with shag carpets or left with bare wood floors, or filled with kids and pets. A great, affordable vacuum Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 *At the time of publishing, the price was $160. Get a bagless upright vacuum. You’re like most people. A bagless upright vacuum that costs between $150 and $200 is a great fit for most American (and Canadian) homes, with any number of floors, any number of pets, and almost any kind of wood, tile, or carpeting. Here’s why we think a cheap bagless upright is the best choice for most people:
Check out our full guide to the best vacuums for our up-to-date recommendations. Here’s why you might consider buying something other than an affordable bagless upright: Expensive, but the absolute best Miele Complete C2 Limited Edition Get a high-end vacuum. You, my friend, are very wise. If you have the cash, you’ll be happy that you’ve made the investment in a high-end vacuum. Here’s why you might want to consider buying something besides a high-end vacuum: The best cordless vacuum for most people A good cordless vacuum if you’re on a budget *At the time of publishing, the price was $96. Get a cordless vacuum. If your floor plan is relatively small (less than 1,200 square feet) and somewhat cramped, cleaning without a cord can make vacuuming much less of a hassle. Check out our guide to cordless vacuums for our current recommendations. Here’s why you might want a different kind of vacuum: A totally decent vacuum for pet owners
Any vacuum can clean up pet hair, and pet owners don’t need to buy a special model to do the job well. Any time you see “animal” or “pet” in the name of a vacuum, it only means that it comes with a tool that makes it easier to clean pet hair off of upholstery. One exception to consider: If you have a lot of hairy pets, like four golden retrievers, or a half-dozen furry cats, you might want to avoid bagged vacuums entirely. Pet hair fills bags quickly, and the cost of replacing them so frequently can add up. A lighter high-end upright Sebo Felix 1 Premium *At the time of publishing, the price was $600. A canister for bigger homes Miele Complete C3 Kona Almost all of today’s best vacuums weigh less than the tanklike uprights of yesteryear, and are easier to steer, too. Handling will not be a problem for most people. However, some uprights still weigh 20 pounds or more, and that’s just too heavy for some people to carry up a flight of stairs.
If you need a lighter vacuum, here are your options: An affordable vacuum for long, thick carpets *At the time of publishing, the price was $186. Get a vacuum with manual height-adjustment feature. High-pile carpets (like shag, frieze, saxony, cable, or long plush) pose a problem for some vacuums. The long fibers can tangle around the brush roller and/or block the intake, essentially choking the vacuum. Should you get a special vacuum to accommodate this kind of flooring? That’s up to you. If you want to be safe, get a vacuum that has a cleaning head with a manual height adjustment. Crank it up to the tallest setting, and it’ll have enough clearance for high-pile carpets. (You can dial it in to the proper height for other surfaces as well.) Plenty of vacuums at plenty of price points have this kind of cleaning head. A cheap canister is usually the most affordable option, while high-end uprights and very high-end canisters can have them, too. An excellent vacuum for allergies
Miele Complete C3 Calima Canister A high-quality bagged vacuum is a safe bet. Our favorite high-end vacuums do an excellent job of sucking up allergens and irritants—and keeping them contained during disposal. If you start digging deep on this topic … well, it’s controversial. Experts disagree on the traits a “clean-air” vacuum needs to have. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America thinks that some bagless vacuums are okay, but most boots-on-the-ground salespeople and technicians told us that they would not recommend them for households where air quality is a major concern. HEPA filters are great—but don’t mean anything if the rest of the system isn’t totally sealed with rubber gaskets. As such, HEPA can be part of slippery marketing schemes. And most people without allergies will do fine without HEPA filters. Basically, you’ll get a slightly different answer about air quality depending on who you ask. But they’ll all pretty much agree that a bagged, sealed-system vacuum gets the job done for sure.
You probably don’t have to worry about this. Most wood and tile floors are very hardy, enough so no vacuum will scratch them. Furthermore, most worthwhile vacuums come with rubber wheels, which is one extra layer of protection against scratches. However, if your expensive tile floors sit near the soft end of the Mohs hardness scale, or your softwood floors are prone to scratches, your safest bet is to get a canister vacuum with a parquet floor tool. It has no wheels and no brush roller—just a straight suction tool with soft trim around the edges. This kind of tool is usually a toss-in with any high-end canister vacuum, and you can even buy configurations that come with only this tool. A flexible handheld vacuum for cars Black+Decker Max Lithium Flex Vacuum BDH2020FL *At the time of publishing, the price was $130. Get a handheld vacuum. Today’s best handheld vacs have powerful, long-lasting batteries, and come with attachments for cleaning crevices and upholstery.
Plus, this style is convenient for quick clean-up jobs around the house, unlike some car-specific handhelds that need to be plugged in. If you live in an apartment and want to clean your car, the best new cordless upright vacuums pull double duty as handheld vacuums, too. One machine for everything you own. A little handheld vac for quick cleanups *At the time of publishing, the price was $54.A cheapish one is fine. They can suck up small spills on floors and countertops easily. Check out our full guide to handheld vacs here. *At the time of publishing, the price was $350. If you’re willing to pay for it, then hell yeah, get a robot vacuum. They aren’t perfect, but they help keep your floors tidy with very little effort and oversight on your part. The people who tend to like bots the most are: You can find our current recommendation in our full guide to robot vacuums. Here are some other things to consider before you buy a robot vacuum: (Top photo by Liam McCabe.)