Vacuum cleaners are a wonderful tool for keeping your floors cleaned, tidied, and healthy. But everyone has different lifestyles and household needs. Therefore, it’s important to find the right vacuum cleaner model for your home. If you have pets, or kids, or a small home with limited storage space, or even a large home with lots of carpet, there’s a lot to consider when choosing the right one. Cordless, or bagged? Upright or cylinder?
The right vacuum cleaner will extend the lifetime of your carpet, take care of your health, and make your home feel more inviting for yourself, and guests alike.
If your current vacuum is no longer picking up debris like it used to, has increased in sound when you use it, or your needs have changed (perhaps you’ve moved house, or brought a furry friend into your home), it may be time to consider investing in a new vacuum cleaner. This guide will help you through the top things to consider when choosing your next vacuum cleaner.
Types of Vacuum Cleaners
Cylinder Vacuums
Considered a good all-rounder, a cylinder vacuum is ideal for large spaces, and a variety of floor types. They can also be great for cleaning furniture, or reaching cobwebs in ceiling corners. They can also come with a powered turbo head for deep cleaning of carpets. Generally, they come in bagged and bagless models, HEPA and multi-cyclonic filters.
Upright Vacuums
For high-traffic areas and deep carpet cleaning, upright vacuums can be a great choice. They tend to come in a traditional design, and work well for carpet cleaning. They use a combination of beating, sweeping, and suction action to clean the material, and remove dust and dirt from deep within the fibres. They can also come with modern enhancements such as advanced filtration and the ability to clean above the floor.
Cordless Stick and Handheld Vacuums
If you live in a smaller, more compact place, and have limited storage space, a handheld vacuum or stick vacuum might be a good choice. They are convenient, capable of cleaning tight corners and can be great for when you need to clean your car. Lightweight and easy to move around, they take up less space, making them great for storing. They are often battery operated.
Robot Vacuums Cleaners
Robot or automatic vacuum cleaners have grown in popularity recently for their time-saving and convenient capabilities. They can make regular floor cleaning that little bit easier, especially for busy households. However, they can be more costly, due to their need to remain connected to their charging dock, and may not clean as thoroughly as other models.
Robot vacuums can work while you aren’t even home, thanks to their smart capabilities. Simply connect it to the robot’s app, and control it from your home. You can instruct the robot to skip a room, or cover the whole floor with just the click of a button on your phone.
Bagged VS Bagless
Bagged Vacuums
Bags act as filters, and collect the dust and dirt. They are generally easy to replace, and are ideal for households with allergies because they minimise exposure to dust during disposal. They can be an inconvenience because of the ongoing cost of replacing bags, and if you run out of bags – the vacuum cleaner cannot be used without one.
Bagless Vacuums
Bagless vacuum cleaners use a reusable container to collect dust and dirt. Containers are often clear, making it easy to see if they need emptying. Bagless models don’t require purchasing replacement bags. However, you do need to regularly empty the container to keep the vacuum working efficiently. There can also be the risk of being exposed to dust when emptying.
Corded VS Cordless
Corded Vacuum Cleaners
These vacuum cleaners generally have a more power suction, making them the better choice for households with lots of carpets and rugs, and pet owners. They are reliable, and there’s no battery to think about.
However, corded models can be heavier and not as easy to move around the home, and you may need to change the plug, depending on the size of your space, as you are using the vacuum cleaner.
Cordless Vacuum Cleaners
Choose a high-voltage lithium battery for consistent suction power and lasting longer. They are lightweight, and easier to move around the home, making them a little easier to store away, too. You can also get cordless vacuums that convert into handheld models so that you can clean tight spaces in your home with ease.
It’s important to remember that cordless vacuum cleaners need to be charged, and their suction power can decrease as the battery runs out. They tend to need more frequent emptying due to their smaller debris container, and filters may need more regular cleaning to maintain performance.
Performance Considerations
- Agitation: How well can the vacuum cleaner loosen dirt from surfaces, particularly carpets?
- Suction: Does it draw dirt into the vacuum cleaner well?
- Airfrow: The volume of air moving through the vacuum, pushing dirt into the collection system.
- Maneuverability: How well can you move the unit around your floors when using it?
Filtration Systems
Filtration systems maintain vacuum performance and air quality.
- Vacuum bag: for large debris.
- Gauze filters: protects the motor from large debris.
- Foam filters: pre-motor that stops large debris from entering.
- HEPA: trap the smallest allergen particles, essential for allergy and respiratory sufferers.
- Cyclonic filtration: separates the dirt from the air to prevent the filter from clogging, and maintain the suction power.
- Two-stage cyclonic: separates larger dirt first, and then finer dust.
- Two-stage multi-cyclonic: multiple high-speed cyclones remove microscopic particles to maintain suction power.
What about Pet Owners?
Pets can leave a lot of fur on our floors. It’s important to choose a vacuum cleaner that is powerful enough to specifically deal with pet hair. There are a few things you’ll want to consider these functions:
- Powerful suction to ensure large debris can be removed efficiently.
- Vacuum with an agitator to remove pet hair from carpet, rungs and furniture.
- HEPA filters are ideal for helping to remove allergens.
Shop Vacuum Cleaners on PriceMe
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