Some vacuums are better designed for hardwood floors, whereas some are better suited for carpet. This is usually based on whether they have a rotating head to get in between the carpet fibres or just a simple suction head.
Accessories and additional nozzles can also make a vacuum far more versatile for vacuuming other surfaces such as cobwebbed ceilings or bookshelves or for better dealing with difficult dirt such as pet hair.
Dyson has done it again with the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, a cordless stick vacuum cleaner that trumps everything else on the market. Although it looks remarkably similar to its predecessor, the V11, Dyson has improved and built on this solid base, boosting the power and adding new features. Its High Torque and smaller motorised heads now have anti-tangle technology, to stop the roller brushes collecting hair and needing regular cleaning.
These new features don't come cheap: the V15 Detect Absolute is one of the most expensive vacuum cleaners money can buy. Read our full Dyson V15 Detect Absolute review for more details. Buy now from Argos.
The Small Ball is Dyson's cheapest upright vacuum cleaner. Lightweight and quiet, this particular model is certified asthma and allergy friendly by Allergy Standards Limited, so it's a perfect choice for homeowners with dust allergies. Despite being limited to W, this vacuum cleaner picks up a lot of dirt.
Not only does it clean well, but it can also do it on a variety of different floors. Buy now from AO. Henry is something of a British institution, but while he looks like little more than a cheap plastic bin on wheels, his hoovering talents are a force to be reckoned with.
The most recent HVR model has halved the power rating of the previous generations — it's dropped from 1, to W — but suction is still more than respectable.
Effective dust-gathering is matched with pleasingly quiet performance, and the huge 9l bin capacity dwarfs that of other vacuum cleaners in this lineup.
The enormous Other fibers and materials used in area rugs include sisal, sea grass, mountain grass, bamboo, coir, cotton, jute, viscose, and even leather! Many of these rugs are woven and quite durable, but they still require softer bristles on the vacuum cleaner used to clean them. Specialty brushes are available for these materials, and we recommend consulting with a floor care expert for the best advice which one is best suited for your rug.
Always check the manufacturer's recommended care instructions before purchasing a new vacuum cleaner or using your current machine on a new rug , but here are some rules of thumb to follow:. If you have wool or other natural fiber carpeting or rugs, you'll need a power brush with flexible and forgiving bristles to properly vacuum without damaging the fibers. The option of softer, more flexible bristles is available primarily on power team canisters but there are some uprights available with less aggressive bristles.
Most homes have just one or two types of carpet, but if you have a variety of different types of carpeting and bare floors, be sure to choose a vacuum that has tools available for the most delicate rug you own. Once you have identified the type of vacuum cleaner you want and matched it to the amount of traffic and the types of soiling in your home, you can begin look at other considerations to help narrow down your choices even further.
Vacuum Cleaner Performance You will certainly want to evaluate the performance, or cleaning ability, of the vacuum cleaners you are considering. While this requires evaluating a range of vacuum cleaner specifications, the most important are water lift or sealed suction and airflow.
Many manufacturers tout the watts or amps of their vacuum cleaners. On canister vacuum cleaners with or without power heads airflow of CFM or more or water lift of 90 inches or more is recommended.
Upright vacuum cleaners come in a wide variety of configurations, but there are two basic designs that affect airflow and water lift. Dirty air uprights are only rated in amps. The second basic design is one that features a by-pass motor where unfiltered air does not go through the motor.
In uprights with this design, only filtered or completely clean room air passes through the motor in order to cool it.
By-pass uprights will usually provide airflow but not water lift specifications and a high performing upright will offer 60 CFM or better. Filtration An important, but often overlooked, element of cleaning ability is the capability of the vacuum cleaner to retain the soils, and especially the fine particulates, that it picks up. If a vacuum cleaner does not offer high levels of filtration, these fine particles can simply go right through the vacuum cleaner and back to the room air, where they settle as dust.
Most quality vacuum cleaners will do an adequate job of filtering the air the leaves the machine. But if anyone in your home suffers from allergies, asthma or any other health condition that is impacted by fine particles or allergens in the indoor air, a high filtration or HEPA filtration vacuum cleaner is strongly recommended. A HEPA filter must remove In Europe, companies generally refer to the same filter as an S-Class filter and some manufacturers, like SEBO, use the terminology here.
Quality and Durability The quality of your vacuum cleaner is also important and will determine whether your vacuum cleaner will be replaced in a year or two or will last for many years and even decades. When evaluating durability, look at the quality of the construction. Look for solid components of good quality as opposed to flimsy or brittle appearing materials.
Look for good fit and finish without rough edges. The seals should be heavy duty and components that open and close should do so with a nice solid feel. Generally, mass-market, low-priced products are not designed for long-term use. Once you compare a mass-market vacuum cleaner to those made by companies specializing in high-quality, long lasting machines, the differences will be obvious.
Another indication of quality and durability can also be partially determined by the length and specifics of the warranty. These include equipment and features that help when cleaning hardwood, vinyl, and other uncarpeted floor surfaces. This roller has bristles attached to it and spans the width of the base. It dislodges dirt, dust, and grit from the carpet so that the intake can pick it up more easily.
Some models have a switch to turn the roller brush off for cleaning bare floors. A rotating brush on a bare floor can move dirt and debris around before it can be sucked up.
The switch also makes it less likely for throw rugs, bedspreads, and the like to become tangled in the roller.
This feature adjusts the height of the machine's brush roll to a carpet's pile height to allow for easy movement and thorough cleaning. Adjustments are automatic on some models, but a manual control is more precise. A switch for suction control lets you reduce the flow of air through the hose, which can be helpful when cleaning upholstery and curtains. A growing number of vacuums are claimed to filter the fine particles that could pass through the machine and escape into the air through the exhaust.
Micron filters can provide a higher level of filtration than standard models either through the bag or a separate filter, but possibly not as high as HEPA filtration. HEPA filtration might benefit someone with asthma. In our tests, models with a HEPA filter have been very effective at reducing emissions. Some models that don't have HEPA filters, however, have performed just as well in our tests, and such vacuums may cost less.
More common in canisters, it lets you rewind the cord with a slight tug or the push of a button. Most machines have an electrical cord of at least 20 feet; some cords are longer than 30 feet. A cord-release clip, found mostly on upright models, lets you free the entire cord at once, rather than one wrap at a time. This feature typically uses a transmission and drive system to assist the pushing and pulling of the vacuum, thereby requiring less effort by the user.
The downside: It adds weight that can make some vacuums difficult to carry. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. Sign In. Become a Member. Remember Me.
Forgot username or password? Not a member? Need further assistance? Please call Member Services at Vacuum Cleaners. Sign in or Become a Member. How We Test Vacuums To determine how well a vacuum cleans, we conduct a different set of tests on each type , based on what they're designed to clean. Vacuum Ratings. More on Vacuum Cleaners. Shopping by Vacuum Type Start by determining the best vacuum for the type of cleaning you do. Cons: They lack the power and capacity of full-sized upright or canister models.
Note: CR does not currently test central vacuum cleaners. Video Buying Guide Watch our video below for more. Vacuum Cleaner Ratings. If this gets clogged with dust it will reduce the efficiency of the machine. Always replace the bag when the indicator light comes on.
With a bagless machine, empty the canister after each use. To unblock a vacuum cleaner, always switch it off and unplug it. As well as teasing out any blockages in the tube, undo the hose and check the entrance to the machine or top of the bag for further debris.
GHI tip: If the blockage is immovable, soak the tube in warm, soapy water. Many vacuums have at least one washable filter. If it is washable, run the filter under lukewarm water and allow it to air dry thoroughly — for at least 24 hours — before returning it to your machine.
Additional filters in your machine may not be washable, so make sure you check the instruction manual. Make sure the brush on the head is free from hairs and threads. Be careful to avoid cutting the bristles. Smelly vacuums are usually the result of not emptying your machine regularly enough or possibly sucking up something. Find out which of these it is, then give the outside a wipe over with an anti-bacterial wipe or warm, soapy water and a cloth to keep it smelling and looking fresh. For bagless vacuums, wash the canister in soapy water after emptying it and leave it to completely air dry before putting the machine together again.
We test each vacuum cleaner on four different floor types: laminate, floorboards and long- and short-pile carpet. Firstly, we assess general pick-up using a formulation of dust that we create ourselves. We lay down a set amount and then, after a fixed number of sweeps, we weigh out exactly how much each vacuum has collected.
We also call in plenty of pet hair from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to find out how well each vacuum copes. This is ground into the carpet to create the worst-case scenario before vacuuming.
We also test performance when picking up small residue, such as crumbs, particularly when testing as a handheld. On top of this, we run an interior car cleaning test to see how well each vacuum gets in between the crevices. We try it out on a set of stairs, too, to monitor how easily it manoeuvres. For robot vacuums, we see how well they clean a whole room, timing how long it takes and looking closely at how well it reaches into crevices, cleans edges, and manoeuvres around furniture.
We also test the battery claims of handheld and stick models. The design, ease of use and instructions of every model are assessed, and we consider if it has any innovative features. Type keyword s to search. By Katie Mortram and Hannah Mendelsohn. Yevgen Romanenko Getty Images. Best upright vacuum cleaner. Best cylinder vacuum cleaner. Best cordless vacuum cleaner. Best robot vacuum cleaner.
Neato Botvac D6 Connected. Best handheld vacuum cleaner. Dyson V7 Trigger. Vorwerk Kobold VK Runner-up upright vacuum cleaner. Best upright vacuum for manoeuvrability.
Best for hard floors. Best for carpet. Numatic James Cylinder Vacuum. Best for large capacity. Best for pets.
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