For more than six months, we’ve tested the top-rated vacuums – including cordless, robotic, canister, hand-held and stand-up vacuums – to make it easy for you to choose a vacuum. best for your needs.
So whether you live in a small apartment or a spacious house, need to clean up after pets or young children, or just want to avoid messes as soon as they happen, we’ve gathered the best vacuums from our test to make sure you’re getting the right tool for the job.
Best upright vacuum cleaner
The standout in all of our tests, the Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away NV501 combines great maneuverability and excellent cleaning.
The best cordless vacuum cleaner
This impressive cordless option tackles even the toughest cleaning jobs on surfaces ranging from heavy carpets to hard floors, firmly sucking pet hair and dirt and strong.
Best handheld vacuum cleaner
Easiest to charge, empty and use, this reliable hand-held vacuum cleaner from Black + Decker comes with a large capacity carrying case and convenient built-in accessories, perfect for any small cleaning job. any.
Best box vacuum cleaner
Powerful, maneuverable, and built to last, the Miele Classic C1 Turbo Team features six suction speeds and a variety of useful tools. Perfect for hard floors, low carpets and rugs, upholstery and even dusting.
Best robot vacuum cleaner
Smarter and more powerful than any other robot vacuum we tested, the iRobot j7+ also comes with simpler mapping.
In our testing, the Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away NV501 was one of the easiest upright vacuums to handle, and thanks to its swivel head and 15.8-pound weight, it’s also easy to pick up and move. Simply press the large button to easily lift the case off the vacuum base to remove the case and carry it independently, then press the button on the side of the case to release the wand.
The Shark Rotator comes with accessories such as a wrap tool, dust brush and crevice tool, which fit conveniently onto the end of the handle. It also has headlights, a useful feature when vacuuming on hard floors.
In terms of suction power and performance, both the main and accessory brush heads pick up pet hair in one go on all floor types, and the main brush head makes it easy to pull cat poop out of high-density carpets.
Shark’s XL bagless trash bin allows for continuous cleaning and is easy to remove and empty. However, since this vacuum has three filters, there is no dust or backflow when water is poured into the machine.
Our only complaint is the way that the vacuum itself sometimes flips upside down when the bin is off, landing hard on the floor a few times before we better position it. We also fell in love with a retractable cord, but none of the units we tested had one, so we couldn’t go against the Shark.
• Related: Read more from our complete test of upright vacuums
The Dyson V11 Animal is an absolute machine that works equally well on high and low area rugs and rugs, and all types of hard floors – vinyl, tile and hardwood. The swivel head and lightweight body, weighing 6.68 pounds, also make it easy to move around. It sucked so much debris from the rug in our living room that no animal hair, no dirt escaped.
Its three modes, Boost, Auto, and Eco, allow you to easily get around at the touch of a button even though the vacuum is defaulted to Auto. The boost mode is useful for pulling dirt and heavier debris, like cat poop, out of plush carpets.
In theory, the Dyson V11 should give you 60 minutes of continuous runtime when fully charged, but in practice usage drops to 30 to 45 minutes when you’re using it on Auto or Boost. The spacious 0.2-gallon (or 0.76-liter) trash can made the V11 Animal one of the bulkier cordless sticks we’ve tested, but we’ll gladly grab a large one. bit instead of continuously emptying it.
In addition to the main high-torque cleaning head, the Dyson V11 comes with four additional attachments, and you can swap out the main brush head for each attachment, or remove the entire wand and use the V11 Animal as an attachment. hand held.
• Related: Read more from our complete wireless vacuum cleaner test
For many people, “Dustbuster” is synonymous with “hand-held vacuum cleaner”. So it’s no surprise that this handy machine beats the competition with its well-balanced combination of size, function and convenience. With a comfortable, well-balanced feel, it is very easy to control and the controls are extremely simple.
All of its accessories and tools are built-in, making it easier to find and keep track of anything you might need. The Dustbuster’s only drawback, although not a discounter, is that it lacks a flat-wrapped fabric attachment. And, we appreciate that the ultra-small charging station comes with a corresponding ring as a connector, so it can be placed into the base in any direction.
A powerful motor picked up all of our test debris, even those troublesome Cheerios, without clogging issues, while the dust canister easily removed and dumped without clogging. no mess. There is only one other vacuum we tested that has a larger dust container, and when you factor in the affordable price, the Dustbuster is a no-brainer.
• Related: Read more from our complete hand-held vacuum test
A lightweight, portable six-speed box vacuum that’s incredibly comfortable to use, the Miele Classic C1 Turbo Team does everything from knock hair and dust off low-quality rugs and rugs to glide over wooden floors. Conveniently dust baseboards and overhead furniture 90 degree swivel tool. But you’ll love it because it hits a great spot between portability, versatility, build quality, and price.
Easier to use on stairs, its 13-pound carrying case is 10 pounds lighter than the premium Miele Complete C3 and 9 pounds lighter than the Kenmore Pet-Friendly Pop-N-Go. Its floor head features a suction-powered rotating brush and a fairly maneuverable 11-inch-wide deck head. The C1’s handle and telescopic metal wand do not need to support the floor brush, making them lighter than those used on the box using the support accessory. And, since the handle of the handle is integrated into the straw, it is less tiring to use.
The six labeled suction settings, from curtain to hard floor, are controlled by a dial on the box – smaller because there’s no on-board tool storage. Instead, the crevice tool, dusting brush and wrapping tool rest on a clamp at the base of the tube.
Multilayer, 4.5 liters GN AirClean 3D filter bags are not HEPA rated, although Miele says that in combination with the engine guard and exhaust filter, they block “99.9% of fine dust particles”.
The Turbo group isn’t the only model of the Classic C1, but it’s the one that should work for most people. Miele also earns $699 Dogs and cats version of Classic C1, comes with electric brushone Mini booster brush with suction support to remove pet hair from upholstery and activated carbon exhaust filter.
• Related: Read more from our complete vacuum cleaner test
The iRobot j7+ beats all others in mapping, virtual boundary creation, and obstacle detection and avoidance, which means it’s the best “set it up and forget it” smart robotic vacuum – and it even empties itself. More importantly, it sucked up dust and debris and cat droppings from hardwood floors and low floor rugs better than others we tested.
The J7+ has a multi-surface rubber brush on the underside that prevents the main brush from tangling with pet hair. Plus, when it’s done cleaning, it returns to the base and empties itself into a bag in the larger dustbin at the back of the base, making everyday handling a whole lot less messy. It also did a great job at keeping everyday household items out of the way like headphones and light cords, while easily fitting under furniture that’s only 3.4 inches tall.
All those premium smart features will cost you, of course, and at $699, it’s one of the most expensive vacuums we’ve tested.
• Related: Read more from our complete robot vacuum cleaner test
Not sure which vacuum cleaner is best for your particular home? Here’s a short guide to choosing the right one for your needs.
A far cry from their corded, pocket-sized ancestors, today’s cordless vacuums are impressively compact, light and powerful – especially for smaller apartments or homes where they can be all you need. need.
With a powerful motor, long hose and wand and a wide range of accessories, the canister vacuum can clean your entire home with better suction and filtration than a stick vacuum and more versatility than a vertical vacuum. , allows you to take care of everything from floor care to upholstery, stairs, curtains and dusty furniture.
More powerful than vacuums and easier to maintain than canisters, vertical vacuums bring a modern twist to traditional products. And because they’re easy to use, they’re also great for spot cleaning – especially in households with lots of pets or children.
• Related: The best vacuum cleaner for pet hair
No one wants to crack a bulky, full-size vacuum for everyday messes. That’s why compact, cordless handheld vacuums are so popular for light cleaning jobs. Yes, their small capacity and limited battery life make them unlikely to function as your primary vacuum, but boy does it come in handy for everything from spills in the kitchen and mess in the car to hair and fur. pet.
A good robot vacuum will clean the floor so you don’t need to do it as often. They’re especially great for keeping pet hair out, but can also keep your home tidy when you’re too busy. They may not be able to replace a full-sized vacuum (and they can’t handle upholstery, curtains, or any floor work) or eliminate your weekly chores, but are part of the process. overall cleaning strategy, they can make the job a lot easier.
