The Best Home Vacuum Cleaner
The ideal home vacuum cleaner is a multi-functional tool that is easy to maneuver and use. The right model should also be lightweight, efficient, and quiet.
This pick offers great suction at a bargain price it comes with a highly effective anti-hair wrap floorhead and an odor-neutralizing puck. It has a large bin that is easy to empty.
1. Power
A powerful vacuum cleaner will efficiently manage household debris, making it easier to keep mess under control. If you're dealing with a heap of pet hair or a clogged kitchen drain, it should be able to suck up the mess with a minimum of effort. It should also capture fine dust and stop bacterial growth, for clean, healthy air quality. The best model to meet your needs is contingent on factors like the type of flooring, the size of your household and budget. The most commonly used types include uprights, portable handhelds lightweight sticks, and convenient robots.
The Black+Decker Flex Vac is a lightweight handheld vacuum that has an impressively strong performance. It is perfect for households with multiple pets or large homes. It also has an easy-to empty trash bin to avoid messy cleanups. The vacuum can even be used to mop and allow users to finish two tasks at the same time.
For households with lots of furniture, it's a good idea consider a more robust full-size corded upright or canister vacuum. These models typically have stronger motors and a motorized floorhead to tackle stubborn dirt and embedded carpeting. They are also available in a variety of power modes to provide different suction power and a longer battery life. If you or anyone in your household suffers from allergies it's recommended for you to select one that comes with an HEPA filter system.
2. Flexibility
The best vacuum cleaners are able to perform a variety of household chores, from quick dusting to cleaning carpets. They are usually lightweight and easy to maneuver. They should also come with several attachments to will meet your requirements.
best automatic vacuum robotvacuummops should consider a vacuum that is designed to remove hair from pets if you have pets. These vacuums typically have a brush specifically designed to remove pet hair from the main floorhead and then directs it to the dust container so it does not block the brush roll or wrap around it.
The best vacuums come with smart features, which integrate with your home systems or adjust for different floor types and dirt levels. This is particularly important for people with allergies, since these features keep dust particles from getting recirculated in the air.
Vacuums can be expensive However, they are on sale during major occasions such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. You can also find deals throughout the spring time, when retailers offer sales in anticipation of customers' annual spring cleaning.
The life expectancy of a vacuum can vary depending on the model you choose and the way you use it. The majority of our top-rated vacuums last on average eight years. If you want to be sure yours will outlast the competition, look for one with an extended warranty.
3. Easy of Use
A vacuum cleaner must be simple to operate and use, even for an extended cleaning session. A compact, lightweight vacuum cleaner with easy controls attachments, large, non-emptying bins are all essential. A variety of features contribute to this ease of use, including motorized power nozzles that tackle carpets and rugs with greater efficiency, a wide and tall floor head that is able to reach under furniture, a rotating nozzle to ensure better corner cleaning, a self-cleaning roller system and LED lighting that illuminates the way ahead.
For example our top pick in this category, the Shark Stratos cordless vacuum, was easy to maneuver and used the most power from the battery during our testing. It also features automatic adjusting suction, it has a sleek LCD display with an indicator for the battery and the ability to switch between Eco, Auto and boost modes.
The Stratos also took in kibble, ground coffee and flour effortlessly in our tests. It handled low-pile carpet well cleaning up rice and sand in just two passes. It also comes with a soft front brushroll to capture tiny particles and prevent pet hair from spilling back out, as well as a rigid rear brushroll that digs into carpeting.
The budget-friendly Kenmore Elite also has a dual brushroll design that is able to pick up wet spills and messes from hard surfaces. It's light enough to be able to be carried up and down stairs and across the home, without breaking a sweat. It's much easier to clean than most other upright models too and comes with a removable HEPA filter and disposable dust bag that can be changed when full.
4. Versatility

The Levoit is a versatile model that can handle the majority of cleaning tasks. It isn't equipped with the perks offered by pricier models however, it does come with many key features that ensure it is suitable for daily use. It has a variety of cleaning modes that vary suction power and battery run time (including Eco), an 8-foot hose for reaching over floors, and a huge easy-to-empty dust container.
Its brush roll is designed to capture and suck up hair without wrapping it around bristles making it a perfect option for households with hairy pets or even humans who shed lots of hair. Its performance in tests proved that it was able to manage a variety of debris including carpets with low piles and hard floors. It also removed sand, rice and Cheerios.
In addition to its versatility, the Miele Flex Vac has an impressive amount of power for an electric vacuum cleaner. It was particularly effective at cleaning pet hair, and also took larger particles such as cereal, although it struggled with more caked-on debris like car dirt. It also has a wide range of attachments, including a motorized power nozzle that can make short work of pet hair and dirt that accumulates on upholstery.
5. Battery Life
A good home vacuum cleaner is one that can run for at least an hour without needing to be recharged. For a cordless model, this is crucial because it lets you to get your cleaning done without stopping and start again.
Shark Stratos cordless vacuum is our top pick. It comes with an extended battery life as well as a powerful debris pickup. The three cleaning modes it has - Eco, Auto and Boost assist in regulating the power level, so you can clean longer without draining your battery too quickly. The vacuum has a sleek LCD display that lets you know whether there's a blockage or blockage, how long you have left and the status of your battery.
This model is perfect for households with furry pets since the brushroll that is non-tangled works well to remove pet hair. It also is very effective in tackling dust and dirt. However, it struggles to remove small particles like flour from flooring that is hard and cannot get coffee grounds from carpeting.
If you're looking to tackle wet spills too then the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro is a great choice. It is a bagged model with features like an iLoop sensor which detects dirt, stains and spills. It also features self-cleaning that dries out the brush roll. It also has more effective edge cleaning that can reach the corners and baseboards. The battery can last for 40 minutes - more than any other model that we test.
6. Ease of Cleaning
The best vacuums make cleaning up messes easy. The Levoit LVAC-200, for example is compact and lightweight but impressively powerful. In our tests, it sucked everything from kibble to ground coffee to dog hair. Its dual brushroll design catches pet hair and other debris without spitting it back out or wrapping it around the cleaner's head to keep it clear of clogging. The motorized tool is able to remove embedded pet hair even from areas that are difficult to reach.
Another standout is the Shark Stratos Cordless, which easily handled pet hair and other large debris in our standard tests. The main floorhead is fitted with a soft brushroll designed to capture fine dust and debris. The second floorhead with its rigid bristles can reach deeper into carpeting for larger mess. The dust cup is large and easy to empty.
If your house is heavily carpeted, consider an upright or full-size canister vacuum with beater bar for longer cleaning sessions. Choose a wet-dry vacuum cleaner which can take care of floors and messes resulting from food or water. Examples include the Miele Cat and Dog or the Henry Hoover. These machines can handle various household waste including small crumbs and larger messes, and could provide more advanced features than the handhelds on this list.