Choose the Right Vacuum for Your Home - Consumer Reports

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We test hundreds of models, including lightweight stick vacuums, heavy-duty uprights and canisters, and zippy robovacs

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Which type of vacuum is best?

You shouldn’t expect a stick, handheld, or robotic vacuum to have the same cleaning power as a full-sized canister or upright vacuum. But for some jobs, the portability of a handheld vacuum or the independent operation of a robovac is just the thing. All vacuum types have their pluses and minuses.

What type of vacuum is right for my home?

Got stairs? Carpet or hardwood floors? Pets? These are just some of the factors you should consider when buying a vacuum.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Do I need a second vacuum?

In a word, yes. While you'll want a solid upright or canister as your primary vacuum, a second vacuum that's a stick, handheld, or robovac is useful for quick cleanups or to avoid having to lug your main vacuum up and down stairs. Consider these options.

While corded stick vacuums are considered more reliable and generally less expensive 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).

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.

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.

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.

Robotic vacuum basics

Cleaning performance and navigation continue to improve for robotic vacuums. A CR tester shares the features that matter and whether or not your home and lifestyle are a match for a robotic vacuum.

Just about anytime. Vacuum cleaners are featured in almost every holiday sale, including Presidents Day and Black Friday. If you miss one sale, another is likely to be coming right behind it. So unless you’re in dire need of a replacement, you can avoid paying full price. You can even find high-end brands like Dyson and Miele at reduced prices on many sale days.

Vacuum features to look for

Here are the most common bells and whistles you’ll come across while shopping for a vacuum. Some features improve performance in specific situations, while others aim at convenience.

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.

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, which is helpful for people with allergies and respiratory issues.

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.

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.

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.

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.