Why You Need a Reliable Vacuum Cleaner
When it comes to home cleanliness, there is no tool as important as your home vacuum cleaner. Sure, there are brooms and dustpans, but those aren’t as good at cleaning dirt, debris, hair, and dust as a vacuum cleaner.
The single biggest pro for having a reliable vacuum cleaner to keep your home clean is that it can clean any type of floor: carpet, concrete, wood, tile, vinyl, rugs, stairs, upholstered furniture, and more. Most of today’s upright vacuum cleaners have various attachments for cleaning different areas as well as different settings for different types of floors.
Without a reliable vacuum cleaner, you’re going to be leaving plenty behind with a broom and dustpan.
How Vacuum Cleaners Work: A Simple Explanation
At their core, vacuum cleaners are a very simple machine.
- Brushes to agitate dust on the floor
- Dust and debris is sucked in through the front of the vacuum
- The air takes it through a filter that traps it
- The debris is then emptied out either through a bag or a reusable canister
The core components of a vacuum include:
- intake port – often the front of the upright vacuum or a hose
- exhaust port – often on the front of the vacuum
- electric motor that helps move air through the appliance
- permeable bag or compartment that will trap dust, debris, hair, and other contaminants while allowing air to flow through
Different Types of Vacuum Cleaners
There are 6 main different types of vacuum cleaners:
Upright Vacuum Cleaners
You’ve seen this type of vacuum cleaner before. Upright vacuum cleaners are your typical household cleaners. They have a bag or a plastic bin that traps debris, an upright handle that swivels up and down at various angles, suction at the front, and – oftentimes – various attachments to help you get in those “hard to reach” places. Most, if not all, upright vacuum cleaners are powered by a nearby electrical outlet.
Upright vacuum cleaners range in cost anywhere from $70 – $500 depending on the model and brand that you get. Some upright vacuum cleaners are designed specifically for different types of households. A lot of popular brands have a model that is specifically for homes with pets.
Cordless Vacuum Cleaners
Recently, there are more and more models that act more like a “cordless” upright vacuum cleaner. These models have a full brush suction, long stemmed tube that leads to a small canister right by the handle. They offer the power of a full upright vacuum cleaner, but with the convenience of a handheld.
Dyson is one of the leading manufacturers of this type of vacuum cleaner, but others have started to manufacture similar models in recent years.
While the convenience is nice, cordless vacuum cleaners often struggle with heavy duty jobs, charge life, and price point.
Canister Vacuum Cleaners
Canister vacuum cleaners are comprised of a floor canister, a long hose attachment, and a wide head with suction. These types of vacuum cleaners offer the same cleaning power as your typical upright, but with a little more flexibility in where you can reach. These types of vacuum cleaners are great for homes that don’t have a ton of floor space.
Handheld Vacuum Cleaners
Portable, or handheld vacuum cleaners work the same way an upright vacuum cleaner does. The only major difference is that these are portable or handheld so they don’t need to be attached to an electrical outlet to run.
These types of vacuum cleaners are often smaller so they’re easy to carry around. They’re ideal for quick jobs – like cleaning stairs or dusting vents – or hard to reach places where you can’t typically fit a full upright vacuum cleaner. A great place to keep and use a chargeable, portable, or handheld vacuum cleaner is in the car.
Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaners
Wet/dry vacuum cleaners are the utility workhorses of the vacuum cleaner world. They’re designed to be able to handle your typical dry debris (dust and dirt) as well as “wet” applications such as typical household spills, leaks, and more.
Often, you won’t see wet/dry vacuum cleaners in use for typical household applications because they’re bulky, loud, and – oftentimes – too much power for the job. You’re more likely to see wet/dry vacuums at use in garages, utility rooms, laundry rooms, and bathrooms.
Robot Vacuum Cleaners
In the last 10 years, the robot vacuum cleaner has taken over. They’re a close second behind upright vacuum cleaners in terms of preferred daily use around the house.
Robot vacuum cleaners are exactly what they sound like: they autonomously roll around your house and clean your floors. All robot vacuum cleaners have a dock which is placed somewhere on the main floor. Using sensors and new technology, they are able to avoid getting stuck on walls and under sofas while cleaning your floor without you having to lift a finger.
The Best Upright Vacuum Cleaners of 2023
There are a lot of opinions about which vacuum is the “best” for home. Below, we are listing the top performing vacuum products from reputable sources and then we’ll provide a list that shows the best overall ratings.
New York Times’ Best Vacuum Cleaners
- Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 (upright)
- Miele Complete C3 Calima (canister)
- Tineco Pure One S11 (cordless)
- Dyson V15 Detect (cordless)
- iRobot Roomba i3 EVO (robot)
- Eufy RoboVac 11S (robot)
- Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme 20V Max (upright)
- Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360 (upright)
- Black+Decker 20V Max Lithium Pivot BDH2000PL (handheld)
- Black+Decker 16V Max Lithium DustBuster Hand Vacuum CHV1410L (handheld)
Tom’s Guide Best Vacuum Cleaners of 2023
- Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 (upright)
- Shark Apex DuoClean with Zero-M Powered Lift-Away (canister)
- Miele C3 Complete Calima (canister)
- Kenmore Elite 31150 Pet Friendly (upright)
- Dyson V11 Torque Drive (cordless)
- Eureka RapidClean Pro Lightweight Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (cordless)
- Black+Decker Dustbuster cordless vacuum (handheld)
- iRobot Roomba s9+ (robot)
- iLife V3s Pr (robot)
- DeWalt 9-gallon 5HP shop vac (wet/dry)
Consumer Reports’ Best Vacuums for 2023
- Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly (upright)
- Shark Navigator Powered Lift-Away NV586 (upright)
- Miele Complete C3 Marin (canister)
- Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog (canister)
- Shark APEX DuoClean Corded ZS360 (upright)
- Tineco Pure One S11 (cordless)
- iRobot Roomba S9+ (robot)
- Shark Ion W1 WV201 (handheld)
Good Housekeeping’s Best Vacuums
- Shark APEX Upright Vacuum Cleaner (upright)
- Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Plus Vacuum (upright)
- LG CordZero Auto Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner Wet Mop All-in-One Tower (cordless)
- Dyson V15 Detect Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (cordless)
- iRobot Roomba s9+ Robot Vacuum (robot)
- Roborock S7 Robot Vacuum and Mop Cleaner (robot)
- Worx 20V Cordless Cube Compact Vacuum Cleaner (canister)
- Miele Complete C3 Vacuum for Soft Carpet (canister)
The Ultimate List of Best Vacuum Cleaners
We crunched the numbers and here are the best vacuum cleaners for the home in order:
- Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 (upright)
- Shark Apex DuoClean with Zero-M Powered Lift-Away (upright)
- Miele Complete C3 Calima (canister)
- Kenmore Elite 31150 Pet Friendly (upright)
- iRobot Roomba s9+ Robot Vacuum (robot)
- Black+Decker 20V Max Lithium Pivot BDH2000PL (handheld)
- Tineco Pure One S11 (cordless)
As you can see, the overwhelming sentiment is that upright vacuums are still the ideal home floor cleaning tool. It has all the accouterments that most of our readers are likely used to: corded power supply, removable canister, variable attachments, and supreme suction power at an affordable cost.
The Best Upright Vacuum for the Home
When it comes to tried and true cleaning appliances, the experts all agree that Shark’s Navigator Lift-Away (model number NV352) has the best bang for your buck. It comes at a very reasonable price point (you can buy it on Amazon for under $200) and has plenty of attachments to help homeowners get into those hard to reach places.
The Best Cordless Vacuum for the Home
It was a tie for the best cordless vacuum between the Tineco Pure One S11 and Dyson’s V11 Torque Drive. Both offer the convenience of cordless mobility with a high-power suction so you can clean your floors effectively and not have to worry about moving from socket to socket.
The Best Handheld Vacuum for the Home
The overwhelming winner for the best handheld vacuum is Black + Decker’s 20V Max Lithium battery-powered Pivot (model number BDH2000PL). This is a powerful handheld tool that gives you convenience, plenty of suction power, and mobility to tackle even more difficult jobs. Great tool to have for quick cleanings, car cleanings, and more.
Best Robot Vacuum for the Home
iRobot emerged several years ago as one of the earliest brands to manufacture robot vacuums. So it’s no surprise that they still reign supreme today as the trusted brand for robot vacuums. Topping our list as the best robot vacuum for the home is iRobot’s Roomba S9+ model.
Honorable Mentions
Below are all the other rated vacuum cleaners that didn’t come out on top of any lists above. These will still be reliable, effective floor cleaning tools, but they’re not considered to be one of the best vacuum cleaners in any of the categories.
- Dyson V15 Detect (cordless)
- iRobot Roomba i3 EVO (robot)
- Eufy RoboVac 11S (robot)
- Shark Apex DuoClean with Zero-M Powered Lift-Away (canister)
- Kenmore Elite 31150 Pet Friendly (upright)
- Eureka RapidClean Pro Lightweight Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (cordless)
- iLife V3s Pr (robot)
- DeWalt 9-gallon 5HP shop vac (wet/dry)
- Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly (upright)
- Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog (canister)
- Shark APEX DuoClean Corded ZS360 (upright)
- Shark Ion W1 WV201 (handheld)
- Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Plus Vacuum (upright)
- LG CordZero Auto Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner Wet Mop All-in-One Tower (cordless)
- Dyson V15 Detect Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (cordless)
- Roborock S7 Robot Vacuum and Mop Cleaner (robot)
- Worx 20V Cordless Cube Compact Vacuum Cleaner (canister)
