The 8 Best Vacuum Cleaners for Every Floor and Lifestyle
Updated: May 09, 2023Whether you're making a brand-new purchase or upgrading an old model, the best vacuum cleaner will keep your entire home tidy.
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A vacuum cleaner is one of the most essential cleaning tools for managing pet hair, cleaning floors and removing cobwebs. With all the mind-boggling choices out there, how do you know which is the best vacuum type for your living situation? We can help.
From stick vacuums to vacuums for cars and even vacuums for laminate floors, there isn’t a type of vacuum our team hasn’t researched and tested—that includes a handheld cordless one. Although a substantial cleaning product, it doesn’t have to make a substantial dent in your wallet. Now let’s find the best vacuum cleaner for your specific household needs!
Best Overall Vacuum Cleaner
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pro Vacuum
Our top pick is a classic corded, upright option. We love the Shark Navigator Vacuum for the way it works on laminate, hardwood, tile and vinyl floors. You can separate the canister from the base to tackle stairs, which is normally a problem for most traditional upright vacuums. It also works on tougher messes, like pet hair, and the 5-foot hose allows you to access hard-to-reach areas.
The Navigator’s swivel steering lets you maneuver around furniture with ease, and the HEPA filter traps up to 99% of dust and allergens. This vacuum has an on/off switch for the beater brush, a bare floor setting (natch!) and onboard attachments for upholstery and more.
Pros
- Center pod detaches to clean hard-to-reach places
- Features an anti-allergen seal
- Has a 2-liter dust cup capacity
- Has a 30-foot power cord
Cons
- Number of latches and releases might get confusing
Best Value Vacuum Cleaner
Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Vacuum Canister
We picked the Eureka Whirlwind Vacuum Canister for the combination of low price and quality features. At a featherweight 8 pounds, the Whirlwind is light, effortlessly maneuverable and easy to carry all through the house. It has three multi-surface suction settings—carpet, upholstery and hard floors—and it’s bagless with washable filters for even more cost savings. This best vacuum cleaner features swivel steering, a telescoping metal wand, automatic cord rewind and one-button dirt cup release.
Pros
- Affordable
- Automatic cord rewind
- Bagless and has a washable filter
- Has three settings for carpet, upholstery and hard Floors
Cons
- Loud
- Cord is on the shorter side
Best Vacuum Cleaner for High-Pile Carpets
Soniclean Soft Carpet Upright Vacuum Cleaner
The Soniclean Upright Vacuum Cleaner is the only vacuum that uses a patented high-frequency sonic cleaning technology to dislodge dirt embedded deep into carpet fibers—but that’s not its only patented feature! It includes three more: an EZ-Push adjustable vent system that helps push-and-pull the machine across the plushest pile; jam protection, which automatically shuts off the vacuum if something gets stuck; and the Sonicfresh fragrance dispensing system (optional), which releases a light scent of freshly washed laundry every time you vacuum. Way to read our minds, Soniclean.
Pros
- Patented technology to clean deep
- Has a 35-foot cord
- Features a HEPA filtration system
- Has advanced jam protection
Cons
- Doesn’t include attachments
Best Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
Dyson Outsize Cordless Vacuum
Automatically adapting to any floor height, the Dyson Outsize is a powerful cordless and bagless stick vacuum. The whole-machine filtration traps up to 99.99% of particles, dust and allergens—a real plus for asthma suffers. The two battery packs deliver a combined 120 minutes per charge, providing more than enough time to tidy up a small, medium and large homes. The Outsize comes with a wall-mountable docking station and five attachments, including a mini-motorized tool to get into tight spaces and remove pet hair from upholstery.
Pros
- Comes with two battery packs
- Motor speed and torque adapt to floor type
- Has a full-size bin and full-size cleaner head
- Features a wall-mountable docking station
Cons
- Expensive
Best Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
Black+Decker Max Handheld Vacuum
With tons of suction power for its size, the Black+Decker 20V Max Handheld Vacuum is small enough to store in the kitchen, garage or your RV. It cleans up common messes without special attachments or tools, using cyclonic action to spin dust and debris away from the filter for optimum suction capability. The pivoting nozzle and extending crevice apparatus make it easy to clean up tight spots, like between sofa cushions and behind appliances. Plus, the convenient charging base provides a compact storage solution.
Pros
- Weighs 3 pounds and is compact
- Features a 200-degree pivoting nozzle
- Charging base doubles as storage
Cons
- Has a small capacity bagless dirt bin
Best Vacuum Cleaner for Pet Owners
Bissell Cleanview Swivel Pet Vacuum
If you have pets, then you know how fur gets under furniture and collects in corners. The Bissell Cleanview Swivel vacuum features a specialized brush roll for vacuuming pet hair. The vacuum’s triple-action brush roll gets down deep into carpets to loosen and lift out dirt and dog and cat hair. Scatter-free technology keeps debris from flying and flinging about, which is especially handy when vacuuming hard floors. This upright, bagless vacuum is simple to clean, thanks to the easy-to-empty 1-liter dirt cup. We also appreciate that part of every purchase goes towards supporting the Bissell Pet Foundation, which helps save homeless pets.
Pros
- Triple-action brush roll lifts pet hair
- Has scatter-free technology
- Features swivel steering and edge-to-edge cleaning
- Has a 27-foot cord
Cons
- Doesn’t have automatic cord rewind
Best Splurge Vacuum Cleaner
Miele Complete C3 Marin
As far as canister-style vacuums go, the Miele Complete C3 Marin is definitely splurge-worthy. Miele, the gold standard of home appliances, designed this heavy-duty workhorse to lift the deepest embedded pet hair from carpet and the tiniest particles off bare floors. Its flexible Parquet Twister (a double swivel joint cleaning head) is gentle on the most delicate hardwood floors. The height-adjustable electro-brush with LED lights helps you see underneath furniture, where dust tends to gather.
Pros
- Has a 1,200-watt vortex motor
- Has 4.5-liter dust capacity
- Includes integrated accessories and LED lights
- Features a multi-stage HEPA filter
Cons
- Weighs almost 20 pounds
Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner
iRobot Roomba j7+ Robot Vacuum
Robot vacuums clean your floors without much effort on your part—and some even recharge themselves so you don’t have to do that, either. The iRobot Roomba j7+ returns to its base when finished cleaning, empties its bin into a sealed bag and then charges. It also has a built-in camera and navigation technology to automatically avoid household obstacles.
The Roomba j7+ has significantly more suction power than the Roomba 600 series, and it has an edge-sweeping brush to clean in tight corners. It’s compatible with Alexa and Google Home, so you control it with your voice. That means you don’t even have to lift a finger to vacuum!
Pros
- Features a self-emptying base
- Smart mapping and scheduled cleanings through app
- Compatible with Alexa and Google Home
- Avoids pet waste
Cons
- Expensive
What to Consider When Buying a Vacuum Cleaner
Here are the basic features to look for in the best vacuum cleaner:
- Style: Upright, canister, stick, handheld or robot/smart
- Dirt collection: Bagless (bin) or bag
- Power: Cord or cordless
- Suction power: Measured in watts
- HEPA filter: Included or not
Other factors to consider:
- Budget
- Size of home
- Types of flooring
- Kids and pets
How We Found the Best Vacuum Cleaners
As shopping experts, our only job is to help you find a winning product. We start with the research and reporting basics—what products are made of, what they look like and how much they cost—to ensure that we’re only recommending the buys that are worth your time and money. Then, we research the features that speak to the product’s quality, taking advice from industry insiders and subject matter experts on what makes a product a smart value (or worthy of a splurge). Finally, we do the work of combing through user reviews to see how real people interact with the product, and if it stands up to the test.
FAQ
How much should I spend on a good vacuum cleaner?
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a vacuum cleaner for it to be effective. Our top choice above, the Shark Navigator Vacuum, will cost you less than $200. However, if you’re looking for a high-end one to splurge on, a handful of models will cost you $1,000 or more.
How many years should a vacuum cleaner last?
According to Consumer Reports, vacuum cleaners last about eight years on average. Of course, the lifespan of any vacuum or household appliance will vary depending not only on the make and model, but also on the way it’s used. If you vacuum tough messes frequently (especially those with considerable amounts of long hair), your vacuum cleaner may have a shorter lifespan.
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