How to Choose a Vacuum for Your Home

Robot vacuums can be highly convenient. They allow you to schedule cleaning times and let the vacuum do the work for you. They also maneuver easily under a lot of furniture that’s difficult to reach with manual models.  They do have downsides, including cleaning time, navigation, and thoroughness. For example, a robot vacuum might need up to an hour and a half to clean an apartment that would take you only half an hour to vacuum by hand.

This is not a big deal if you’re at the office during the day, but if you work from home or you’re completing other tasks around the house, it can be annoying to side-step the machine or put up with the extra noise. Robot vacuums aren’t as loud as upright models, but they run for a longer amount of time since they are automated and not manual.

You’ll also have to vacuum-proof your home by picking up obstacles and potentially having to reorient furniture. This second step gives your vacuum full access and helps prevent it from getting stuck. Also, if your home has multiple floors, you’ll need to create separate cleaning maps for each level and move the vacuum from one floor to the other.

If this all sounds like a worthwhile trade-off for the ease of an automated vacuuming schedule while you’re out, then the robot vacuum is for you. If not, then perhaps a more traditional vacuum is more your speed.

An upright vacuum is the most common type of home vacuum. The advantages are that they’re easy to store and most are compact enough for moving and pushing around. However, some models – especially ones with powerful motors – can be heavy, which makes pushing them and getting them up and down stairs tiring and difficult.

Fortunately, the upright vacuum category has expanded in recent years to include ultra-lightweight versions known as stick vacuums. These models are much slimmer and can usually be transformed into a handheld vacuum, which works well for cleaning furniture or vacuuming the car. To give you the option, there are corded and wireless stick vacuums. The corded models will give you limitless run time while the cordless units will give you more range of motion.

But while stick vacuums are highly convenient, they do sacrifice some suction power and canister capacity. These factors make them less efficient at handling carpet or deep cleaning. Meanwhile, canister vacuums, offer the lightness of a stick vacuum but include a rolling canister that offers greater suction power and capacity. If you’re new to using a canister vacuum, it can take a little time to get accustomed to managing the canister as you vacuum, but many people consider it worth the effort. Plus, these vacuums offer a wide range of attachments for specific cleaning tasks. Other benefits are that they are easy to break down into separate parts for hauling up and down stairs and most canister vacuums are quieter than uprights.

Bagless vacuums have a chamber that collects the dirt and debris you suction up. While you don’t have to buy new bags for the canister emptying it can be messy because dirt and debris are loose inside the container. Inevitably, some of the dust you just cleaned up will escape into the air again when you dump it into the trash can.

Alternatively, bagged vacuums have a dust bag that collects everything you vacuum up, which makes disposing of the picked up dirt and grime much more hygienic. Although, the bag needs to be replaced each time it fills up and the cost of buying replacement bags can add up over time.

Naturally, there are trade-offs with each type, so you’ll need to decide what’s most important to you. For instance, if you have allergies to dust, a bagged vacuum is a better choice because of the cleaner emptying process. But if you don’t want to have to remember to pick up bags at the store, go with the bagless model. Speaking of allergies, be sure to choose a vacuum with a HEPA filter no matter what style you end up purchasing and replace it as recommended in the user manual.

When it comes to ease of movement, a cordless vacuum might seem like the obvious choice. These cord-free models aren’t tethered to an outlet and they are more lightweight, making for a much easier vacuuming process. A corded vacuum will have a more powerful motor (and therefore more suction) because it operates on a higher wattage. This specification makes it a better option for cleaning carpets and rugs. Additionally, since they don’t need to be recharged, corded vacuums offer a longer runtime than their cordless counterparts.

On that note, remember to take the amount of battery life into account if you like to vacuum your whole house in one session. Depending on the model, cordless vacuums can usually be used for around 30 minutes before they need to be returned to the charging dock. It’s worth mentioning that higher-end models not only have better features, but they also run for longer periods of time.

If you have children or pets, chances are that you’ll have to clean up messes from time to time. For dry spills and cat or dog hair, pet vacuums and other upright vacuums will do the job. But for liquids, you’ll want to have a wet/dry upright vacuum that can suck up dropped drinks and cookie crumbs. Another benefit of these dual purpose vacuums is that you can add vacuum cleaning solutions to sanitize carpets and floors.

For carpets that are significantly soiled, you might need something more powerful than a wet/dry vacuum. In this case, a carpet cleaner is probably your best bet for deep cleaning fibers with ground in dirt and debris. While these aren’t ideal for everyday vacuuming, they’re nice to have on hand when you need them.