What is the best vacuum for the money?

Investing in a good quality vacuum can make all the difference when it comes to keeping your home free of messes, germs and particles — and they’re especially useful if you have kids and pets running around, too. “Vacuuming your home once a week is one of those housekeeping jobs that involves very little work and immediately makes your home seem cleaner,” said Caroline Solomon, a home organizing expert.

GO AHEAD. What are the different types of vacuums? | What should you look for in a vacuum?

The characteristics to look for depend on the kind of vacuum you buy: canister, stick, portable, or robot. Here’s a summary of the qualities that experts we spoke to recommended and the questions you should consider while shopping for a quality option:

Bagged vs bagless Some vacuums have a reusable dustbin, while others have a disposable bag that must be changed. Do you want to invest the additional money to replenish the bags, which are easily discarded after vacuuming? Or do you like the ease of the reusable dustbin, which is more difficult to empty and may cause dust to fly everywhere?
V acuum size and weight : The square footage of your home, the number of floors and the amount of storage space you have are all major considerations when choosing a vacuum. Apart from the hassle of hauling it about, is the vacuum too heavy to pick up? Is the vacuum tall enough for you to not have to stoop?
Floor settings Is the vacuum suitable for all kinds of flooring?
Attachments : Vacuums come with a range of attachments to fit your specific cleaning needs. Do you have a shedding pet? Are you going to vacuum your curtains and furniture? Does your home have a lot of nooks and crevices?
HEPA filter Particles in the air may cause airborne infections, allergic responses, and respiratory problems. Does the vacuum contain a good HEPA filter to remove 99.7% of fine dust and air particles?

To help you sift through the many options out there, we talked to home cleaning experts about the different types of vacuums and how to shop for one. We have produced a list of vacuums that have been tested and endorsed by Consumer Reports’ test engineers.

Best overall vacuum: Miele

Miele Complete C3 Marin Canister Vacuum Cleaner

Our experts decided that Miele is the finest overall vacuum brand. Despite its high price, Kadi Dulude, owner of cleaning firm Wizard of Homes, claims that “Miele is everyone’s favorite [vacuum brand] hands down.” Consumer Reports recommends the Miele Complete C3 Marin as the finest bagged canister vacuum. It may be used on carpet or bare floors and comes with a variety of attachments such as a dusting brush, upholstery tool, and crevice nozzle. The brand’s Parquet Twister, an extra-large smooth floor brush, rotates 180 degrees and its stainless-steel wand, together with its one-touch auto-rewind electrical cord, has a cleaning radius of 36 feet, according to the brand.

Best bagless upright vacuum: Shark

Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum

This anti-allergen Shark vacuum, a favorite of Solomon’s, comes with a detachable canister for portability and a brushroll shutoff option that lets you easily switch from deep carpet cleaning to bare floor cleaning, according to the brand. The vacuum has Shark’s “Swivel Steering,” which the company claims allows you to move around tight corners and furniture. It also includes an upholstery tool and two crevice tools for reaching hard-to-reach areas. Morgan Greenwald, a former Select editor, owns this vacuum and enjoys how simple it is to go from cleaning her hardwood floors to her several Ruggable rugs.

Shark Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum

Best bagged upright vacuum: Kenmore

Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly Vacuum

Because of its strong inducer motor, this bagged upright vacuum from Kenmore is pet-friendly. According to the brand, this motor produces 20% more air power than the conventional Kenmore upright vacuum motor, enabling the brush roll to spin at a speed high enough to remove dander and stubborn pet hair. It features five height settings and a variety of attachments, including a crevice tool, bristle brush, and power roller. According to Kenmore, it also has a lightweight aluminum wand that can stretch up to 10 feet for hard-to-reach areas. Dulude suggested the Kenmore bagged canister model, which “can withstand the unending hair from a shedding lab without continuously becoming clogged.”

Best bagless canister vacuum: Miele

Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Vacuum

The Miele Blizzard CX1 — Consumer Reports’ pick for the best bagless canister vacuum — lets you switch between four suction power settings for different surfaces, including curtains, rugs, carpets and hard floors with the turn of a rotary dial. It also comes with a dusting brush, a crevice and upholstery nozzle, and a portable tiny turbo brush for taking up pet hair. The brand’s hygienic emptying system can also separate fine and coarse dust so it isn’t distributed back into the air when emptying, according to Miele.

Best cordless stick vacuum: Tineco

Tineco Pure One S11

Dulude likes cordless vacuums because they are lightweight and handy. She suggested the Tineco Pure One as an effective solution for hardwood floors: It has a runtime of up to 40 minutes and features an LED panel on the top of the handle that displays the adjustable power level and battery time remaining, according to the brand. The brand’s smart dust sensor detects the amount of debris and adapts the suction power accordingly and it alerts you if the vacuum ever becomes clogged.

Best lightweight stick vacuum: Dyson

Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cordless Vacuum

Dyson cordless vacuums were suggested by Solomon because they are ideal for “small dwellings with little storage space.” This Dyson model is one of the lightest vacuums on our list, at little over 6 pounds. It has a run time of up to 60 minutes on a single charge and the time remaining is displayed on the vacuum’s LCD screen, according to the brand. It comes with a variety of handy attachments, such as a crevice tool, a dusting brush, and a mini-motorized tool for eliminating pet hair. According to Dyson, the equivalent Dyson V11 Outsize offers a bigger dust container and up to 120 minutes of operating time for larger environments.

Best robot vacuum: iRobot

iRobot Roomba s9+ Robot Vacuum

This robotic vacuum from iRobot is a Consumer Reports favorite — it can map out an entire floor of your home to clean it more efficiently, and you can set boundaries using the iRobot Home app to prevent it from going into specific areas, according to the brand. According to the brand, it can also empty its own canister and return to its base when it realizes it needs to be charged. The Roomba works with both the Google Assistant and the Amazon Alexa voice assistants.

Best handheld vacuum: Shark

Shark WANDVAC WV200 Series Handheld Vacuum

The Shark WANDVAC WV201, which Consumer Reports engineers endorse, weights 1.4 pounds. It comes with a charging base and two attachments: a multi-surface pet tool that can clean pet hair, delicate fabrics and furniture, and a duster crevice tool to reach tight spaces, according to the brand. The WV200 is the same basic vacuum as the WV100, but without the dual onboard accessory storage. According to Shark, the vacuum also incorporates a one-touch emptying debris bag to assist keep your hands clean.

What are the different types of vacuums?

Depending on your cleaning requirements and tastes, there are a few different kinds of vacuums to choose. To help you simplify your search, we spoke to experts about the differences between the five types of vacuums available: canister, upright, stick, handheld and robot.

Canister

This style of vacuum features a separate canister that houses the motor and receptacle, as well as a lengthy hose with removable attachments. A great option for the homeowner who has a mixture of stairs and surfaces to clean, since canister vacuums are “much lighter and far easier to maneuver than upright vacuums,” Solomon said, adding that they also are typically quieter. Canister vacuums also have fewer moving parts than upright vacuums, so they need less maintenance and repair. They have strong suction, which is particularly useful on bare floors, according to Solomon. Canister vacuums, on the other hand, are sometimes more difficult to store owing to their hose, wand, and heavier base, according to her.

Upright

Upright vacuums are ideal for households with vast, open areas since they are simpler to operate than canister vacuums. According to Carl Prouty, a tech specialist at Abt Electronics, “the whole vacuum travels with you, making it less burdensome than a canister type,” which needs you to move the bin around. Upright vacuums also work well on both carpet and bare floors, making it easier to clean in multiple areas of your house, especially if you have pets that shed regularly, Solomon said. She did warn, though, that upright vacuums are heavier than canister vacuums, weighing up to 20 pounds, making them difficult to move up and down the stairs. They can’t clean vertical surfaces like walls, upholstery, or curtains unless they come with a wand.

Stick

Stick vacuums are small and lightweight, making them ideal for rapid cleanups and households with limited storage space. “Cordless models are simple to take around the whole home, and battery life on cordless versions is constantly improving,” said Prouty. He noted that these models are best for people with smaller spaces to clean, since they’re not as powerful as canister vacuums. They’re particularly useful for those who have children and are always cleaning up spills and messes, according to him.

Handheld

A handheld vacuum is a tiny cordless vacuum that is comparable to a stick vacuum but smaller and more portable, making it an excellent choice for vacuuming your vehicle or spot cleaning. Since they’re typically the least powerful type of vacuum, our experts noted that a cordless vacuum should complement a heavier-duty model like a canister or upright vacuum, not replace it.

Robot

A “smart” counterpart to the traditional vacuum, robotic models typically can run at any time — even when you’re not home — and reset themselves to charge. They can reach forgotten nooks and clean under furniture that bigger versions cannot. “They are the greatest solution for folks on the road, people with shedding pets, or people who just like technology,” Prouty added.

Nevertheless, since robot vacuums are slower than most other kinds of vacuums, they are not the ideal solution for a rapid cleaning. “Manually cleaning may take 20 to 30 minutes, while utilizing a robot vacuum may take up to 90 minutes,” Solomon said. These vacuums also need some pre-cleaning since they can move around more effectively when the floor is clear.

What should you look for in a vacuum?

There are several features to consider before buying a new vacuum. The cleaning professionals we interviewed have provided their advice below.

Bagged versus bagless

Bagged and bagless upright and canister vacuums are available; the difference being where the dirt goes when it is vacuumed up.

“Bagged vacuums generally do a better job of keeping dust and debris contained when you’re emptying them, but the bags are a one-time-use product so you’ll need to purchase new ones every once in a while,” said Prouty. Bagged vacuums, according to Prouty, are often a better alternative for persons with severe allergies since they keep these particles confined.

Bagless vacuums, on the other hand, are ideal for individuals who do not want to deal with the hassle of purchasing and replacing bags—these models use a receptacle known as a dustbin to collect dirt and debris. “You’ll want to be sure the size of the dustbin is big enough to accommodate your areas — having a small dustbin means you’ll need to empty it out frequently, which makes vacuuming your home take a lot longer,” Prouty said. He suggests opting for a dustbin with a minimum capacity of.25 gallon for an upright bagless option or.15 gallon for a stick vacuum.

Vacuum size

“Vacuum size is an important consideration if you live in a tiny place with little storage,” Solomon said. She also said that weight is an essential factor to consider if you have mobility concerns, which may make dragging about a canister or upright vacuum more challenging. In these circumstances, our experts recommend selecting for a vacuum that is lightweight and tall enough that you don’t have to stoop or bend over while using it.

Floor settings

If you have a variety of floors in your house, seek for a vacuum that can handle all of them. Furthermore, bear in mind that various carpets demand different settings. “Choosing the correct floor setting is critical to avoid ruining or scratching the surface,” Dulude said.

The lowest setting on most vacuums works well for bare floors and thin carpets, whereas the highest setting is optimal for thicker carpets and area rugs, Solomon said. A dense high pile rug, for example, requires a higher setting, but bare wood floors need a lower setting and no automated roll brush, according to Dulude.

Attachments

Various vacuum types come with a variety of attachments to meet your individual cleaning demands, particularly on hard floors, upholstery, and crevices. The most common attachments are the brush tool, which comes in handy when cleaning upholstery or curtains, and the crevice tool, which is “excellent at cleaning all the nooks and crannies of your home, particularly in between cushions and in between cabinets and vents,” according to Solomon.

Certain vacuums may also have pet-friendly attachments, such as an upholstery cleaner that collects pet hair on furniture and a detachable beater brush (similar to the revolving brush beneath the vacuum) that often becomes blocked when exposed to huge volumes of pet hair, according to Solomon.

HEPA filters

According to Marilee Nelson, co-founder of Branch Basics and an environmental consultant and building materials expert, the “dirtiest” spot in your house may be the invisible air you breathe. “Particles in the air can not only be a vehicle for the spread of airborne disease and the major cause of many allergic and respiratory reactions, but also a carrier for harmful chemicals called SVOCs, which ride on dust,” she said, adding that dust may expose us to bacteria, viruses, mold, pollens, harmful chemicals and more.

That is why purchasing a vacuum with a HEPA filter is worthwhile: It might not only reduce filth on your floors but also have an effect on the air you breathe. Similar to air purifiers, vacuums with at least one High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (HEPA) filter can remove 99.7% of fine dust and airborne particles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They’re airtight and sealed, so all air drawn through the machine goes through the filter and no dust escapes at any stage, even while emptying it.

“Cleaning regularly with a certified sealed HEPA vacuum dramatically improves air quality by reducing the amount of airborne allergens, dust and harmful chemicals in your home,” Nelson said. She went on to say that a HEPA vacuum may be used to clean dust from nearly every surface, including stuffed animals, books, furniture, walls, ceilings, lampshades, and vehicles.

Meet our experts

We collaborate with professionals who have specific expertise and authority as a result of appropriate training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

Caroline Solomon is a New York City-based home organization and lifestyle specialist.
Kadi Dulude is the proprietor of Wizard of Homes, a domestic referral firm that outsources cleaning duties to independent domestic employees.
Carl Prouty Abt Electronics’ tech guru and media specialist.
Marilee Nelson is a board-certified dietitian and the co-founder of the environmentally friendly cleaning company Branch Basics.

Best overall vacuum: Miele

Miele Complete C3 Marin Canister Vacuum Cleaner

Best bagless upright vacuum: Shark

Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum