For a brand with such a strong reputation for market-leading products, the R10 Pro feels like a chink in Dreame's armor.

When it comes to design, maneuverability, and dust, it's a capable machine with glimpses of greatness as one of the best vacuums. It's one of the lightest and easiest-to-use stick vacuums I've tested, effortlessly gliding across floors. And for such an affordable device, smart features, such as LED lights and a handy lock button that keeps the vacuum running without you having to press the trigger, elevate it closer to more expensive models.

However, when it comes to providing a thorough deep clean, I was disappointed with this cordless vacuum's battery life and ability to tackle large messes. To find out if the Dreame R10 Pro could be the right vacuum model for your home, read on to explore my in-depth review.

My One Minute Verdict

Dreame products so often punch above their weight in terms of price and value, but with the R10 Pro you sadly get what you pay for.

If you have a smaller home or are looking for one of the best vacuums for pet hair that's light and easy to manage day to day, it's not a bad price to pay. Even on the super-quiet, less-powerful Eco mode, it clears fine debris in a single pass, and its Turbo mode is great for getting pet hair out of carpet fibers.

Beyond those everyday tasks, however, its limitations become difficult to ignore. Although Dreame claims up to 65 minutes of runtime, I managed just 25 minutes during mixed-mode testing, and even the brief use of Turbo mode drains the battery quickly. Large debris pickup is inconsistent, often requiring multiple passes and further extending cleaning time.

The vacuum won't stand securely without its wall mount, the modest 0.6L dust cup fills quickly, and debris repeatedly became trapped between the tube and dust cup, occasionally blocking suction. During one test, the dust cup even released unexpectedly, emptying its contents back onto the floor.

For those looking for a cordless vacuum for a larger home and to be able to tackle big cleans, I would recommend exploring options like the Dreame R20, which pairs a 90-minute runtime with a touchscreen display that takes the guesswork out of battery and suction mode, or the Shark Stratos cordless, which handles mixed debris smarter and more consistently.

Dreame R10 Pro: Specifications

Dreame R10 Pro: Design and Features

The Dreame R10 Pro doesn't veer too far from what you'd expect from a standard cordless stick vacuum. Its main unit sits on the top of a metal tube that connects to one of the vacuum's floorheads and attachments, and a transparent dust cup runs down the body of the handheld unit, so you can see how full it is.

You power the vacuum on and off using the trigger button on the underside of the main unit, and switch between the Eco, Med and Turbo modes using a slider switch on the top. A lock button keeps the vacuum running continuously without having to press the trigger, which makes a real difference during longer cleaning sessions, and there's a small LED dot alongside this button that lets you see how much battery life you have at a glance. It's lacking a more detailed display, but at this price point, that's not a surprise.

What was a pleasant surprise, however, was how much the R10 Pro's matte black design with gold accents elevates it well above its price, making it look more expensive than it is. At 3.64 lbs (1.65 kg) for the main unit, it's also on the lighter side for a cordless vacuum without sacrificing too much power.

Rather than a single multi-surface head, the R10 Pro comes with two interchangeable floorheads. The multi-surface brush uses V-shaped bristles and a comb design to grab hair and direct it up the tube rather than letting it tangle around the roller. The soft roller floorhead is added as a dedicated hard floor option, with a roller that picks up fine dust without scattering it across the room. Both floorheads have built-in LED lights at the front to help you see dust and debris, especially under furniture and in darker corners.

Beyond the floorheads, the kit includes a motorized mini-brush for upholstery and furnishings, a wide combination tool that acts as both a dusting brush and a crevice tool, a bendable crevice nozzle for tight and hard-to-reach spaces, and a short extension tube – all of which click on and off at the center of the tube with a button press.

Filtration is then managed by a five-layer washable filter system that Dreame claims captures 99.9% of particles down to 0.3 microns. It's not officially certified as HEPA-grade, but it comes close.

Inside the box is a wall-mounted bracket that stores the vacuum in an upright position. This is a necessity because the vacuum can't free-stand on its own; the floorhead doesn't lock into position and has a tendency to roll away or fall over. You'll also need to install this bracket near a plug as the charging cable doesn't stretch very far. Once plugged in, it takes around 3.5 hours to charge, but you only get up to 65 minutes of battery life on Eco mode (and less than 15 minutes on Turbo).

What Is the Dreame R10 Pro Like to Use?

The R10 Pro is easy to pick up and get going – there's no complicated setup and swapping between attachments is quick enough. The lack of dedicated storage for these attachments is disappointing but expected at this price.

In general cleaning terms, the R10 Pro handled day-to-day messes well, picking up pet hair from hard floors and low-pile carpet without fuss. The soft roller floorhead is quiet and smooth on hard floors, with no sense that it's going to scratch or drag across anything delicate, and it handles everyday debris – crumbs, dust, the odd bit of dried mud – without much effort.

On carpet, the vacuum works harder, and you feel a bit more resistance in the push, but it picks up well, and the suction is good. The anti-tangle design of the multi-surface floorhead largely holds up in everyday use too.

I liked having the option of the two floorheads, but storing the spare is a pain, and I almost exclusively ended up using the multi-surface head because it did the job well enough to not have to switch.

In use, the vacuum is light enough to carry upstairs or use for long periods. It can feel a little unbalanced when you're pushing it round the home because it's quite top-heavy, but this isn't a dealbreaker, and you soon get used to it.

The lock button is also a benefit for long cleans. Taking away the need to keep your finger on the trigger makes it maneuverable enough to get into corners and along baseboards without constantly repositioning yourself, plus the low-profile floorhead gets under most furniture without having to tilt the vacuum at an awkward angle.

What's not a benefit for long cleans is the poor battery life. For a vacuum this affordable, I didn't expect industry-leading runtimes, but I do think being able to do a full pass of my house in one run shouldn't be too much to ask. Dreame claims Eco mode lasts 65 minutes, and that holds true; however, in reality, Eco mode isn't strong enough to make a dent in pet hair or deeply clean. This means you have to ramp the vacuum up to Turbo periodically, and in my tests, I got (at most) 25 minutes switching between the two. For most everyday tasks and quick cleans, this will be ample, but for anything deeper or longer, you'll need to revert to a wired vacuum alternative or wait for the R10 Pro to charge.

The LED lights in the floorheads turned out to be more useful than I thought. They pick out dust along baseboards and under the sofa that I would have otherwise missed, and I found myself cleaning more thoroughly because of them – going over areas I would have assumed were fine and finding they weren't.

On noise, the R10 Pro is quiet enough on Eco, at 62dB, for someone to work comfortably in the next room. Turbo steps up the noise to 71dB on average, but the pitch is low, which makes it more gentle on the ears than I'd expected.

Compared to other cordless sticks I've tested at this price, the R10 Pro is impressive on pet hair in Turbo mode; the quality of the LED lighting stands out.

Where it falls is the lack of a freestanding dock, disappointing runtime, and mixed results between Eco and Turbo modes. Also, during one clean, the dust cup just opened by itself, pouring 10 minutes of dust and dirt back onto my floor.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

To test how the R10 Pro handles fine debris, I scattered half a cup of flour and sugar in roughly a 50/50 split across carpet, hardwood, and laminate, spreading it over a wide enough area to clearly see the vacuum's path with each pass.

Flour and sugar work well because they mimic the kind of fine debris that builds up on floors between cleans and is often harder to shift than larger pieces.

On carpet, the R10 Pro performed well, pulling the flour and sugar out of the pile without spreading it around. Most of the debris was gone in a single pass, with only a very light dusting of flour remaining in the deeper parts of the pile on the first run. A second pass cleared it completely.

Flour did tend to gather at the edges of the brushroll, but this can be easily cleared away, and it doesn't transfer back onto the floor as you move the vacuum around.

On hardwood, the flour, at times, had a tendency to get pushed slightly ahead of the floorhead on the first pass, but it was quickly cleared on a second pass.

The sugar cleared more cleanly, but getting into the cracks between floorboards took an extra pass with the floorhead angled slightly, and some flour settled into the joins and needed the crevice nozzle to finish the job properly.

On laminate, the results were similar to hardwood, though the smoother surface meant slightly less scattering on contact and the flour cleared more easily across open areas. The edges of the room and the join between the floor and baseboard needed a second pass, but the overall result was clean without needing to change suction mode or switch attachments for the bulk of the test.

Test 2: Pantry

For the pantry test, I scattered half a cup of cereal and red lentils across carpet, hardwood, and laminate. Cereal and lentils represent the kind of debris that ends up on floors every day. For the cereal, we use off-brand Cheerios – which stand in for larger pieces of debris like crumbs and dry food, while the lentils are smaller and have a slightly tacky texture.

On carpet, the R10 Pro picked up the lentils confidently and without flinging pieces around, clearing most of it in a single pass. The cereal took a lot more work. The floorhead largely pushed them or sent them flying around rather than sucking them up. I had to physically lift the floorhead and make multiple passes over each one to remove them, or I had to resort to an attachment.

On hardwood, there was some scattering of the lentils on the first pass, but a second pass over the same area dealt with them, and on laminate, performance was similar to hardwood. The lentils again needed two passes in places, and there was a little scattering on contact, but nothing that required lifting and dropping the vacuum to dislodge pieces or any heavy-handed maneuvering.

The cereal performance proved even worse on hard floors. I was left with just piles of cereal in corners or along the edges, and those that did get sucked in ended up clogging the unit. I had to use water to soften the blockage and then clear it with the end of a spoon, which is less than ideal.

Test 3: Pet Hair

To test the R10 Pro on pet (and human) hair, I ran it across both carpet and hard floors after a typical day with my dog Maisie, without pre-cleaning either surface first.

On hard floors, the R10 Pro handled Maisie's hair well, pulling it in cleanly without spreading it around or leaving trails at the edges of the floorhead. The comb teeth design came into its own here – hair moved through the roller and into the dust cup without bunching. After a full pass, there was little left behind, and what remained was easy enough to catch on a second run. On carpet, the vacuum lifted most of the surface hair well, but the deeper the pile, the more effort was needed.

I did notice on one of Maisie's heavy shedding days, which are common when the weather is hot, that some of her hairs caught at the edges of the roller and had to be removed by hand, so you'll want to check it periodically rather than assuming it's clear.

My hair told a similar story. Longer strands cleared well on hard floors and low-pile carpet, though on thicker carpet strands occasionally needed a second pass to come up fully. The dust cup filled noticeably faster on heavy hair days, which is worth bearing in mind if you have multiple pets or a large home – the 0.6L capacity is on the smaller side, and you may find yourself emptying it mid-clean.

Test 4: Attachments

Swapping between attachments is easy on the R10 Pro. The button release at the collar joint is easy to find and operate with one hand, and nothing feels flimsy or loose once clicked into place.

The motorized mini-brush got the most use outside of the main floorheads. On the sofa, it lifted Maisie's hair from the fabric better than the main floorhead, and on cushions and upholstered chairs it did a thorough job without being rough on the material. The wide combination tool – which flips between a dusting brush and a crevice mode – is versatile enough for lots of different tasks and I used it regularly on baseboards, shelves and around the edges of radiators. It isn't as precise as a dedicated crevice tool, but it covers a lot of ground without needing to swap again.

For the crevice attachment, I sprinkled flour and sugar along the base of a wall, pressing some of it into the join between the floor and the skirting board. The nozzle cleared both the flour and the sugar cleanly in a single pass without spreading the debris outward.

The extension tube adds useful reach for high shelves and ceiling corners but feels unnecessary. The existing tube length covers most situations without it. Of all the attachments, it was the one I put back in the box most quickly and didn't miss.

Dreame R10 Pro Name: Setup and Maintenance

The R10 Pro arrives in a large, fairly hefty box, but unboxing it is straightforward.

The packaging is mostly cardboard with some paper wrapping around the individual components, and little unnecessary plastic. Everything is organized into separate cardboard compartments inside, so nothing is loose or rattling around, and the user manual sits on top so it's the first thing you see when you open it.

The box contains:

• Main handheld unit
• Metal wand
• Multi-surface floorhead
• Soft roller floorhead
• Motorized mini-brush
• Wide combination tool
• Bendable crevice nozzle
• Extension tube
• Wall-mounted storage bracket
• Charging cable and adapter
• User manual

That's a generous kit for this price.

Before you can use the R10 Pro, you'll need to charge it fully, but to do so you'll likely have to install the wall bracket first. This isn't 100% necessary, but the vacuum won't stand by itself, and you'll have to do it eventually anyway. Slotting it into the wall bracket and plugging in the cable takes seconds, and from flat it took around 3 hours to reach full charge – roughly in line with the 3.5 hours quoted by Dreame. There's no assembly required beyond attaching your chosen floorhead, which clicks into place with a single push.

Day-to-day vacuum maintenance is simple too (as long as you don't vacuum up lots of large debris that can block the unit). The dust cup empties with a single button press and the bin itself is easy to rinse out when needed. I didn't think having such an easy release system would impress me so much, but seeing as I always struggle with the systems on Dyson vacuums, this mattered more than I thought. The filter is removable and fully washable – Dreame recommends cleaning it every month or so depending on use – and it's a simple process of rinsing it under cold water, leaving it to dry for 24 hours, and clicking it back in.

The brushroll on the multi-surface floorhead can be removed for cleaning too, and the soft roller floorhead pulls apart easily enough to clear any debris that's worked its way inside. None of it requires tools or any particular effort, and keeping on top of it takes only a few minutes.

How Does the Dreame R10 Compare?

The R10 Pro sits in the middle of Dreame's R-series lineup, above the Dreame R10 and the Dreame R20. If you mainly clean hard floors and don't need the soft roller, the R10 undercuts the Pro on price and covers the basics, but given that the battery life complaints that dog the R10 Pro apply here too, and you lose the soft roller in the bargain, the Pro is the better buy if the price gap is small.

Dreame R20 is $50 / £50 more, but for that extra money you get 190 AW of suction, intelligent dirt detection that automatically adjusts power based on the floor type and debris, a touch screen display, and 90 minutes of runtime.

Against the competition, the Shark Stratos cordless ($499.99 / £399.99) is a significant step up in price but brings Clean Sense IQ technology that senses dirt and adjusts suction automatically, more reliable large debris pickup, and a MultiFLEX wand that folds flat for freestanding storage. It also often sells for much less than its RRP, and if you can get it on sale, it's a much stronger investment. At the other end, the Bissell CleanView XR Pet ($119.99 / £99.99) is cheaper than the R10 Pro and covers the essentials for pet owners and smaller homes, even if it lacks the LED lighting and the soft roller floorhead.

How We Test Vacuums

At Homes & Gardens, we take a detailed and standardized approach to how we test vacuums.

This includes vacuuming set amounts of fine and large debris on carpet, linoleum and hardwood floors to check cleaning performance across different types and surfaces. We test the anti-tangle performance and pet hair pickup as well as using each vacuum around the home to check weight, maneuverability, battery life, dustbin emptying, noise levels, and anything else you might need to consider before buying. Every factor is then weighed against the price when we give it our final mark.

I tested the Dreame R10 Pro for four weeks in my home, where I have two children and a dog. I ran it across carpet, laminate and hardwood floors, tested its noise levels using the DecibelX app and checked how easy it was to use and how well it fit into my life.

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The Spot+Scrub Ai marks a shift for Dyson as its first robot vacuum to combine suction with a built-in mop. It's also the first real attempt at the wet-and-dry category dominated by rivals for years.

When it comes to vacuuming, particularly on carpet and pet hair, it's a strong contender for one of the best robot vacuums I've tried. When it comes to mopping, it falls short.

At $1,199, this isn't a cheap appliance, and after four weeks of testing, I found the Spot+Scrub Ai does most of what Dyson promises, just not all of it. Read on to find out where it excels, and where it let me down.

The One-Minute Summary

Dyson's first entry into the best vacuum-mops category combines serious vacuuming credentials with a disappointing mop.

Across four weeks of testing with a dog and children in the house, it cut my manual vacuuming by more than 90%, the biggest reduction I've seen from any robot vacuum I've tested. Its carpet and pet hair performance consistently impressed me more than my own upright Dyson, and its see-through dustbin reinforces that, regularly revealing just how much debris and hair it's pulling out of carpets I thought were already clean.

In standardized testing, the Spot+Scrub Ai handled sugar and lentils cleanly, but treated scattered cereal as an obstacle rather than mess, working through it in a stop-start pattern that often left pieces behind. It's a similar story with mopping, where ketchup cleared well, mustard was simply smeared around, and a foam trail left by the wet roller would occasionally trigger the robot into a repeated stain-removal loop until it gave up entirely. Over several weeks, I found myself mopping manually more often than I'd like.

The dock handles roller washing and bin emptying automatically, though the bin's release mechanism isn't obvious without checking a video first. If you're after the best robot vacuum for vacuuming and pet hair, this is one of the strongest I've tested. If mopping matters just as much, the Dreame Aqua 10 Roller remains the more dependable all-rounder, and it's the robot vacuum I always come back to at home when I'm not testing anything else.

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai: Specifications

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai: Setup

Getting the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai up and running took a little longer than most robot vacuums I've tested, but that's not a huge surprise for a model with this many moving parts. Inside the box is the robot itself, the docking station, and a docking ramp. The two side sweepers (one red, one blue) and charging cable are in a separate tray, and all of it is packaged neatly and in easy-to-recycle packaging.

The docking ramp clicks onto the front of the station, and the charging cable connects at the back, at which point an LED confirms it's live. This LED was flashing red for a long time, and I wasn't sure what the error was until I filled the clean water tank, at which point it turned white.

To fill this tank, lift it out using its handle, lift the blue rubber flap on the back of the dock, and pour in your floor cleaner. Dyson recommends only using its own 02 Probiotic hard floor cleaning solution, but it doesn't include a bottle in the box, which means spending another $23.99 on top of what is already an expensive robot vacuum.

You can, in theory, use any hard floor cleaning solution or even skip this step completely, but this can cause problems with excess foaming – as I explain more about in the Performance section – and could invalidate your warranty. Once the solution is added, unclip the tank's lid and top it up with clean water before slotting it back into place.

Attaching the side sweepers is the easiest part of the process: turn the robot over on a soft surface, and click the red sweeper into the left mount and the blue one into the right.

Once assembled and positioned, the smart home setup via the MyDyson app is quick and easy. With the robot placed on the dock, the app walks you through connection, and you confirm the pairing by pressing the Power and Home buttons on the robot.

The robot then does a mapping run. Mine created a decent first map in a little under 15 minutes – although it thought my garden was an extra room. Obstacles, furniture, and room boundaries were identified, and the robot was then ready to start deep cleaning my home.

The app recommends charging the robot to 100% before running the initial deep clean, although mine managed it on 52% (the level of battery it had straight out of the box). The dock then takes care of all the prep, including washing the roller mop. All you need to do is clear the floor.

In my test, this initial setup took around 25 minutes, including water tank filling and the first mapping run. This puts it on par with the Dreame Aqua 10 Roller, which I found similarly quick to map but more fiddly to assemble.

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai: Design and Features

The Spot+Scrub Ai is unmistakably and unapologetically a Dyson, complete with its red, purple, and gray colour scheme running throughout.

The dock is matte gray with a large, see-through dustbin on the left that has Dyson's iconic purple plastic lid with red clips and buttons. Next to this dustbin are two cylinders: one with a small, filled purple circle on the top (clean tank, right-hand side) and one with an outline of a circle (dirty tank, center).

It's not immediately clear which is the clean tank and which is the dirty water reservoir, and even now, after a month of testing, I occasionally forget and have to remove each to see which has the cleaning solution port behind it, and is therefore the clean tank.

Below the tanks are the two charging ports and the textured ramp where the robot sits when it's charging.

The charging cable that comes with the dock isn't very long, which limited where in my kitchen I could set it up so it was close enough to a plug but not in the way. Dyson's manual recommends putting the dock against a wall, on a level surface, with at least 19.7 inches of clearance around the sides and a staggering 59 inches in front, which narrows down suitable locations even more.

As does the fact that this isn't a unit you can tuck unobtrusively into a corner; at 17.9 inches high, 17.3 inches wide, and 20 inches deep, it has a large physical footprint, and I'd recommend checking the space in your own kitchen or boot room before committing.

As a side note, 59 inches is almost 5 ft, and for a lot of kitchens that will be impossible. I positioned mine in a much smaller area, and it had ample space to move around.

The robot itself is a round disc made of matte black plastic. Power and Home buttons sit on the top, and a status light between the buttons pulses white when charging and turns amber if something is wrong.

Just behind these buttons is a hinged panel marked Filter, where you'll find the removable built-in dustbin and filter. To access this bin and filter, you need to push the bottom of the robot up to release the latch. This isn't immediately clear and can be fiddly.

Flip the robot over, and you'll see the wet roller on the front half, which consists of a horizontal blue microfiber cylinder. The two side sweepers, which are used for pulling trapped debris from corners and edges sit above it.

Behind the wet roller is the anti-tangle brush bar, a shorter red-bristled roller beneath a hinged cover with a red release tab, two large treaded wheels and a camera and sensor cluster is built into the front.

According to Dyson, the wet roller uses a "12-point hydration system" that refreshes the roller with heated water on every rotation rather than dragging a single damp pad around the floor. It also extends to both the left and right as and when needed for better baseboard cleaning.

A camera and sensor cluster is built into the front edge, and this is where the Spot+Scrub Ai's stain-detection system lives. This system beams a blade of green light over the floor to spot and catch dust, crumbs, and stains that can sometimes be missed in normal lighting.

On carpet, for example, the AI lifts the wet roller out of the way to avoid spreading stains, while the dry brush bar retracts when it senses liquid, so wet messes don't dirty the roller.

The HD camera then sits just above this light strip, sending what the light sees to an onboard AI processor that compares the image against a reference bank of nearly 200 different substances, from food and liquid to pet mess and hidden dust.

This AI decides how the robot should respond, and all of this happens locally on the robot itself rather than in the cloud, which Dyson positions as a privacy benefit as much as a speed one.

The dock then handles everything else. Its cyclonic system empties the robot's bin, while the wet roller is washed in 60°C water and dried with 45°C warm air, ready for the next cycle without you touching it.

All of this runs through the MyDyson app, which – if you've used any smart Dyson product before – will be instantly recognisable and is where all of your Dyson appliances and tools live.

If you haven't used the app before, it has a black background with white text and icons. The home screen shows a 3D render of the robot and dock, sitting above a navigation bar split into Overview, Manage maps, and Product settings tabs. From Overview, you get a live status showing battery percentage, current activity (washing or drying the wet roller), and an Activity history screen where you can check previous cleans.

The Manage maps tab is where the floor plan lives, and tapping into a clean brings up a "Set up clean" screen with two toggles at the top: Room and Target. This lets you either select specific rooms or draw a target zone for one-off cleans.

For the cleans themselves, you can switch between Auto, Quick, Quiet, and Boost cleaning modes, choose vacuum-only, wash-only, vacuum-then-wash or even adjust hydration level, plus create cleaning schedules. It's a similar level of control to the Dreame Aqua 10 Roller and is one of the best parts of the Spot+Scrub Ai in my opinion.

Maintenance features are built into the app too. You can check the condition of brushes, filters, and bags, see when parts need replacing, and order spares directly. Plus, it's a good place to start if your robot vacuum keeps getting stuck or isn't working as it should.

What Is the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai Like to Use?

Living with the Spot+Scrub Ai is mostly hands-off, which is the point of a robot in this category, but the app takes longer to get used to than the interface suggests.

The basics are easy, but where it often slowed me down was room identification. The dark background and white labelling look sharp, but the room icons on the map aren't always easy to tell apart, and working out which numbered room matched which actual space in my home took some trial and error. Zooming and panning around the 3D map view is also less smooth than the flat 2D view, which I found easier to read during a clean.

The robot moves with the deliberate pace I'd expect from a LiDAR-equipped robot – it knows where it is and easily moves around and avoids furniture legs, shoes, and messy cables left on the floor. It also moves well over the thresholds between rooms.

I have a high threshold between the Karndean flooring in my kitchen and the solid wood of my hallway and the Spot+Scrub Ai didn't once hesitate or get tripped up by this in the same way other robots – even robots that cost a similar amount – have in the past.

Where the AI navigation is less convincing is how it interprets what it finds. You can visibly see the robot reacting to mess and on the most part, this is impressive. The Spot+Scrub Ai can return to areas time and again until it's successfully cleared the mess.

However, there were several occasions where I watched it treat larger debris as obstacles, rather than mess. It would approach, pick up a piece, divert, approach again, pick up another, divert again, rather than running a few passes over the whole area the way it does with finer debris. It would then effectively give up and say 'clean complete,' which meant I had to finish the job manually.

Finally, onto noise. When I first started using the Spot+Scrub Ai, it rattled and was annoyingly loud until I realised the cover on the dry brush compartment hadn't been locked into place properly, after which it was near-on silent during cleans.

The only time its noise felt intrusive was at the end of cleans when the dock automatically emptied the dustbin. It also makes a low hum when it cleans the mop, and that hum lasts for a few hours as the dock dries the mop too, but neither is a problem, and you soon get used to it.

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai: Vacuuming Tests

To assess how well the Spot+Scrub Ai handles different types of mess, I ran a set of standardized tests on both hard floor and carpet, scattering a quarter cup each of sugar, lentils, and cereal across the floor with some pushed into corners and edges.

Sugar is used as a stand-in for fine debris like dust, lentils are a good proxy for medium debris, and cereal represents larger crumbs, kibble, or similar.

Sugar and lentils were handled well on both surfaces. The Spot+Scrub AI lifted around 95% of the remnants cleanly in a single pass without scattering further across the floor and picked up the rest on a second pass.

I was consistently impressed, both during these fine and medium debris tests and in day-to-day use, by how much was picked up and emptied into the dock each time.

Having the see-through bin helps with this, and it regularly highlights just how dirty my floor can be (even when it's recently been manually vacuumed), and just how much the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai collects.

The standout performance and depth of cleaning, on carpet particularly, also makes the Spot+Scrub Ai a fantastic robot vacuum for pet hair.

Not only could I see just how many hairs had been collected on each run thanks to the see-through dustbin again, but even while building Lego, playing chess or sitting on the floor with my dog, I noticed far fewer dog hairs ending up on my hands, the board or the pieces. This was more impressive than my upright Dyson and gave me huge confidence about how clean my floors were with the Spot+Scrub Ai.

Even areas my dog tends to settle in, which usually need a manual vacuum to remove the dander once a day, stayed visibly clearer for longer than I'm used to.

Sadly, this performance set my expectations so high that when the Dyson performed so poorly with large debris, it made it all the more disappointing.

Rather than clearing the scattered cereal pieces in a few passes – or at all in some cases – the robot seemed to treat them more like obstacles than mess. When used in Room mode, the vacuum worked relatively methodically and was able to capture most of the large debris other than pieces at the edges of rooms and furniture. It wasn't perfect, and it didn't live up to its performance with fine and medium debris, but it was passable.

In Target mode however, when cleaning hardwood floors as well as carpet, the Spot+Scrub Ai consistently failed at the most basic of tasks.

It would often approach a piece of debris, recoil slightly as if it was an obstacle, go back to it, pick it up, divert slightly, approach the next piece, bounce away from it, return to pick it up, divert again and repeat.

It worked in a stop-start pattern rather than running a clean sweep over the area, and this meant that sometimes it cleared the lot, but at other times it only cleared small pockets of debris. It would then announce it had finished and return to the dock, leaving me to finish the job myself again with a manual sweep or vacuum.

In practical terms, and for most day-to-day messes and general upkeep of the house, I can hardly fault the vacuuming prowess of the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai. It cut my manual vacuuming by in excess of 90% – the biggest reduction I've seen in all my time testing robot vacuums. I still used my cordless vacuum on carpets and stairs every weekend, but for daily maintenance, the robot handled most of the work.

I rarely have spills that involve large debris, so beyond the standardized tests, its poor cereal performance didn't make a noticeable impact on my everyday life. It's most definitely worth noting and is a significant flaw in an otherwise brilliant vacuum, but it didn't end up being a dealbreaker.

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai: Mopping Tests

As the first Dyson robot vacuum to come with a mop, a feature that was missing from its predecessor, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, I was most excited to see if Dyson's vacuuming expertise could expand to mopping. Sadly, it didn't.

I tested its mopping skills using our standard two-stains method. For the first test, I poured a quarter cup of ketchup onto my kitchen floor; for the second, I used a quarter cup of mustard.

The ketchup, which is slightly thinner, was cleared reasonably well. The mop lifted it within a couple of passes without much residue left behind.

Mustard, being thicker, didn't fare nearly as well.

The robot moved over it repeatedly but largely just spread it around rather than lifting it away. Similar to how it handled the large debris, the vacuum incorrectly concluded it had finished, even when there were still large blobs of mustard on the floor. It scanned the area, announced it was done, and returned to the dock.

After both tests, the floor felt sticky rather than clean, and even when my husband returned home three hours later, he said he could still smell ketchup.

The issues didn't stop there, though. The wet roller would leave trails of foam, evenly spaced, behind it as it worked. Unless caught early, these trails would dry and become water marks, and you could visually see the route the Spot+Scrub Ai had taken.

On the odd occasion, the stain-detection system that makes the robot so attentive to spills also made it overly sensitive to problems like the foam trails. It kept reading each foam trail as a fresh stain; it would then spin back around to deal with it, which would leave more foam behind it, which it would read as a stain, and it got stuck in a stain removal loop to the point I had to send it back to the dock manually.

On one hand, this may be my fault for not using Dyson's own solution. On the other, it's poor form that you're forced to spend more on a very specific product to not have to suffer poor performance. Plus, I've never had this problem using my own solution with any other robot vacuum-mop I've tested, so it's hugely disappointing.

After mopping, floors were left slightly damp but not soaked on the default hydration settings, but you can increase or reduce how much water is used in the app. In most cases, they were dry enough to walk on comfortably within five minutes, albeit a bit sticky.

Over several weeks of testing, I found myself actively avoiding using the mopping feature on the Dyson and mopping manually more often, which is far from ideal.

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai: Maintenance

One of the main reasons to buy a robot vacuum is to cut down on day-to-day chores rather than add to them, and the Spot+Scrub Ai is a mixed result on that front.

Most routine maintenance is meant to be handled by the dock. After each run, it empties the dustbin, washes the wet roller to stop odor and dries it with warm air automatically. During my tests, the roller always came out clean and dry and never damp or musty.

Hair management is also good, helped by the anti-tangle design on the main brush bar. With a dog in the house and my long hair, I still needed to check the brush bar every couple of weeks and pull out the odd wrapped strand by hand, rather than never touching it at all but it was minimal.

Day-to-day, the clean and dirty water tanks are easy to lift out and refill, but the dustbin itself is trickier, and I had to watch a video to work out how to empty it – it's very easy once you know how, but it's not immediately obvious.

The bin and filter assembly pops up from a hinged panel on top of the robot with a gentle press, and both the robot's filter and the docking station's filter can be rinsed under a tap and left to dry for 24 hours before refitting. The wet roller and brush bar slide out in a similar way, each released by a button or tab rather than anything more involved.

Dyson recommends washing filters monthly and replacing the water filter in the dock annually, and the MyDyson app doesn't yet flag these reminders automatically in the way some rival robot vacuums do, so it's on you to keep track in the Product Settings menu.

It does, however, let you order replacement parts from the app, and because knowing how to clean a robot vacuum is key to extending its lifespan, this is a welcome touch.

Overall, maintenance sits somewhere between hands-off and hands-on. Topping up water, emptying the dirty tank, and the occasional hair check are unavoidable, but the dock does handle the bulk of the day-to-day work without intervention. For a robot at this price, that's about what I'd expect, even if it isn't quite as effortless as the most hands-off robots on the market.

How Does the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai Compare?

Against the eufy Omni S1 Pro, our current favorite robot vacuum, the Spot+Scrub Ai's biggest advantage is its dock, which stores debris for up to 100 days versus the eufy's 60. That means longer stretches between having to manually empty the bin. The eufy edges it on overall vacuuming and mopping consistency, though, and fewer of the stain-detection quirks I encountered.

The Roborock Saros Z70 sits at a similar level but takes a different approach, using a mechanical arm to physically pick up socks, tissues, and other small objects from the floor. It's a novel answer to a problem the Spot+Scrub Ai still hasn't solved, given how it treated cereal more like an obstacle than a mess during my tests.

For a more direct mop comparison, the Dreame Aqua 10 Roller offers stronger suction on paper at 30,000 Pa against the Dyson's 18,000 Pa, along with a longer-running self-cleaning system that I found much more dependable on tougher stains. The Dreame Aqua 10 Roller is my go-to robot vacuum at home when I'm not reviewing alternative models, which says a lot about how highly I rate it.

Alternatively, if budget is the priority, the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 costs less but still offers a capable clean across both vacuuming and mopping. It doesn't match the Spot+Scrub Ai's hair pickup on carpet, but for homes without pets that gap may not justify Dyson's premium.

How I Tested the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai

I used the Spot+Scrub Ai as my main robot vacuum for four weeks, running it across hard flooring and carpet, with a dog, children, and the usual day-to-day mess that comes with both.

Alongside daily cleans, I ran our standardized vacuum tests, scattering a quarter cup each of sugar, lentils, and cereal on both hard floor and carpet to assess fine, medium, and large debris pickup, and setting two stains, ketchup and mustard, on hard flooring to test the mopping function.

I tracked how the robot navigated my home, how it handled the dock's self-cleaning and self-emptying cycles, and how the MyDyson app held up across day-to-day scheduling, room management, and cleaning history.

Next, learn how to choose the best vacuum for every home and budget.

Small, compact cleaning gadgets are having a real moment right now, especially as more of us look for easier ways to stay on top of everyday mess without constantly hauling out a full-sized vacuum or heavier cleaning equipment. The latest ALDI Find taps neatly into that shift – and it lands just in time for the busy summer season.

Launching in stores on 1 July, the Ambiano Portable Vacuum Cleaner comes in a choice of black or white, offering a sleek, minimalist finish that feels more like a modern home accessory than a bulky utility appliance. Its compact, lightweight design is exactly what makes it so appealing – it is small enough to sit neatly alongside other vacuum cleaners without taking up the same level of space, while also offering a quick alternative to dragging out a cordless vacuum for smaller everyday messes.

It is easy to leave on a countertop, tuck on a shelf, or store in a kitchen cabinet without taking over valuable space. I currently own the Shark WANDVAC Cordless Hand Vac from Amazon, and I wouldn't be without a cordless vacuum. It is a godsend for small spills, messes and sucking up my cats fur, which just seems to get everywhere.

Given ALDI’s reputation for new launches selling out quickly, we expect this one to fly off shelves once it arrives in stores.

A Compact Design That Fits Real Life

There is no setup, no fuss, and no reason to delay tackling a mess. It is the kind of tool you can grab in seconds – whether it is crumbs after breakfast, flour spilled while baking, or bits of soil tracked in from the garden.

The small size is a genuine advantage in busy homes, particularly in kitchens and open-plan spaces where mess tends to happen in real time. Instead of waiting for a 'proper clean,' it encourages quick, immediate tidy-ups that keep things feeling under control throughout the day.

It is especially useful for those in-between moments when you would not bother pulling out a full-sized vacuum or cordless vacuum, but still want surfaces looking presentable in seconds.

Why Choose a Handheld Vacuum?

I have to admit, I have always been a fan of a handheld vacuum for exactly this reason. There is something incredibly satisfying about spot-cleaning as you go – whether it is clearing crumbs from the dining table after lunch, tidying around the hob while cooking, or doing a quick pass over the sofa before guests arrive.

It takes the pressure off those small messes that would not usually justify pulling out a full-sized vacuum or cordless vacuum, removing that mental load of ‘I will deal with it later’ because it takes seconds rather than becoming a full cleaning task. In a busy household, that small shift makes a noticeable difference to how calm and put-together a space feels throughout the day.

A Surprisingly Useful Tool For Floorcare

In terms of floor care, the Ambiano Portable Vacuum works best as a supporting tool rather than a replacement for your main vacuum. It is particularly useful for hard flooring such as laminate, vinyl, tile, and engineered wood, where small debris like crumbs, dust, and grit can gather quickly. It really shines in those awkward in-between areas – along baseboards, in corners, and around dining chairs – where larger vacuums are less convenient to manoeuvre. It is also ideal for entryways, where dirt and debris are regularly tracked in and can easily spread further through the home if left. Used alongside a regular vacuuming routine, it helps maintain a consistently cleaner floor with minimal effort.

Tackle Pet Hair, Spills, And Everyday Mess

While you may still need a vacuum for pet hair with stronger suction for deeper cleans, this compact option is ideal for everyday spot cleaning and quick touch-ups. For pet owners, it is especially handy for lifting loose fur from sofas, cushions, stairs, and pet beds before it has a chance to build up or spread through the home.

Rather than waiting for a full cleaning session, it allows you to tackle shedding as it happens – keeping surfaces looking tidier with minimal effort. It is just as useful for everyday messes, from dried crumbs in the kitchen and cereal under the dining table to dust and debris that quickly reappear in high-traffic areas like entryways and living rooms.

Shop Alternative Handheld Vacuums

The Ambiano Portable Vacuum is an affordable handheld cleaning tool that fits easily into everyday routines and stores almost anywhere, making it more likely to be used regularly rather than left out of reach. With strong demand expected, this ALDI Find is likely to sell out quickly once it hits stores.

In cases where a second vacuum cleaner is required for more robust cleaning (que tidying up after some DIY or sweeping up patio debris), a wet and dry vacuum cleaner will give you the versatility you're after since, after all, you should already have one of the best vacuums to use day to day.

I've tested the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum to see if it can fulfil its mission of providing a 'powerful, convenient cleaning performance'. For one week, every other day, I have challenged it with: removing debris from the patio, blowing leaves out from underneath a table on the patio (using the blower function), lifting cereal and flour from hard flooring, and even removing water from the kids' sandpit.

The WD5 P has a 1100-watt motor to deliver superior air flow, and a 6.6-gallon container capacity for wet or dry debris. It'll remove the debris that you do not want your household vacuum to tackle, and I've found that it's a good appliance to have before pressure washing the patio (for example).

My One Minute Verdict

Easy to set up and simple to use with brilliant results, the Karcher WD5 P wet & dry vacuum cleaner is certainly one of the better wet & dry vacuums that I have used in a long time.

The 1100-watt motor delivers powerful suction to clear fine dust and heavy debris, and the built-in blower will quickly move dirt and debris from hard-to-reach places. It is a top-mounted design, which means that it is suitable for dry and wet debris, indoors and outdoors, but you'll need to swap out the fleece filter bag for any liquid pick-up.

It's one of six wet and dry vacuum cleaners by Karcher, with the WD5 P positioned toward the higher end. For example, it'll dent the wallet by $249, whereas the Karcher WD4 is $199, and the WD3 is $99.99. It is, however, robust. I've also tested the Karcher WD4, and I found that it is overall more powerful (despite having the same 1100-watt motor), more robust, and much easier to move around.

Throughout testing, though, the 26ft/5m power cable came up short. The 11.5ft suction hose is also gangly. And the 84dB noise level causes a stir.

A wet and dry vacuum cleaner that more closely resembles a cordless vacuum, such as the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Wet-to-Dry Vacuum, may be the better option if this noise and practicalities are likely to bother you. Alternatively, the Shark Messmaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum is compact enough to take outside to the car and leave it there to clear up after any little accidents, like spilled coffee or chip crumbs.

Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Specifications

Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Design and Features

The Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner is designed to be used on dirt created by home projects outside of the home, which your standard vacuum simply can not handle.

It has a large 6.6-gallon (25L) container, which is suitable for holding wet and dry debris. The top-mounted filter allows for quick and easy removal from the filter box – without coming into contact with dirt. This means that there is no need to remove the filter as you switch between wet and dry cleaning, but you will need to remove the fleece bag to remove any wet stuff.

The top-mount can be released to access the fleece bag by folding down the handle and lifting to remove.

The WD5 P is packed with a 1100-watt motor, which can either clean up or blow away debris. To alternate between the two functions, attach the 11.5 ft. (3.5m) suction hose to either one of the outlets. You do only have the one power setting to use either function, but I found this ample enough for lifting dry or wet debris – and blowing it too.

It has a 26ft power cable and, unless you have a power outlet outside, you may benefit from an extension cord like this 10ft Amazon Basics cord ($6.99, Amazon). And while the 11.5ft suction hose with bent handle provides some extra length during cleaning, it can make it a difficult appliance to store because it doesn't like being wrapped around the container, and it increases the height required in the shed to house it.

At the base of the container are five wheels that help to maneuver the WD5 P. These are installed as part of the setup. You can either wheel it around by the fixed handle or lift it with this handle when taking it to another space to clean.

What Is the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner Like to Use?

The Karcher WD5 P wet and dry vacuum cleaner is a large appliance that'll need to be stored in the utility room or, better yet, in an outbuilding. It measures 25.7(H) x 15(W) x 16.5(L)in and weighs 19.2lbs, and when it's in use, it will get dirty.

It's designed to be used with either the floorhead or crevice tool attached to the suction tubes while removing debris off the floor, or while using the blower function. I found it easy to switch between the two different functions – blower and suction – by removing the suction tubes and tools, and turning the appliance with the one-speed dial.

The WD5 P is noticeably louder than a standard vacuum cleaner and is more in line with a pressure washer. I recorded a noise level reading of 84dB using the decibel meter reader app on my smartphone. This noise level is the same as that of the Karcher WD4, and it's equivalent to that of a passing vehicle.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

In instances when you'll be wanting to clean up dust and dead skin, I wanted to see if the Karcher WD5 P could handle it by sprinkling half a cup of flour and half a cup of sugar on our tiled floor in the utility room. The flour is also an excellent visual test, as we can spot when it's left on the floor or stuck in any of the vacuum's parts.

With the floorhead attached to the suction hose and powered by the 1100-watt motor, the WD5 P effortlessly cleared a pathway through the flour and sugar in one clear pass. All the debris made it into the fleece bag; no clouds of 'dust' escaped before, during, and after the removal, either.

Test 2: Pantry

For my next test, I spilled cereal and rice on the tiled floor in our utility room. This was to replicate a scenario where the WD5 P could face larger debris, indoors and outdoors, such as small stones, sawdust, and wood chippings.

The floorhead made a clear pathway through the rice with no grains getting stuck or blown off course. However, the cereal got pushed along by the floorhead unless I lifted and dropped the floorhead on it so that it could be vacuumed. No cereal became stuck or lodged in the hose.

Test 3: Water

As a wet and dry vacuum, I wanted to demonstrate how the WD5 P removed liquid. To do this, I used it in the yard and challenged it with the removal of rainwater from my kids' sandpit after a deluge of rain over the past few days. I figured that it would be a big help to remove and contain the rainwater prior to emptying, rather than to flood the patio and make it wet for play.

When removing liquids, you'll need to remove the bag by lifting off the top of the canister. This will prevent the fleece bag from getting weighed down by liquid and avoid frequent replacement in case the fleece starts to degrade.

For the purpose of the test, I also removed the floorhead to get a clear visual, although it is suitable for use on liquids when the bristles are raised by flipping the switch on the floorhead.

All the liquid was quickly removed from the sandpit and deposited in the container. When I turned off the appliance, water ran back down the suction tubes that were being held in by the strong suction. This is something to be aware of, especially if you're removing floodwater or spilt liquids from washing machine leaks or gas can drops.

Test 4: Attachments

The Karcher WD5 P only comes with one attachment other than the floorhead, and that is the crevice tool. This tool is suitable for targeting the suction and blower delivered by the 1100-watt motor air flow. However, over time, I wouldn't expect this attachment to get much use because you can just use the handle to the same effect.

Throughout the week-long tests, I also used the Karcher WD5 P to clear up the patio in the yard. It was littered with sand from the kids' sandpit, leaves from fall, moss from the roof, and rotting vegetation.

I stretched the 5m-long cable and reached as far round as I could before pulling the plug out of the outlet, and my toddler son wanted to take over.

The WD5 P did a great job at removing everything within its path, with all debris contained in the container. However, some debris did become lodged in the floorhead and suction hose, which limited the suction power. I noticed a shift in gears when this occurred, so I switched off the power to dislodge the tissue and twigs.

Karcher WD5 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Setup and Maintenance

The Karcher WD5 P wet and dry vacuum cleaner is a large appliance, so it arrives in a large delivery box. This big, branded yellow box doesn't have any handles, which makes it difficult to move into a space to set up, so I recommend having an extra pair of hands to help out.

A combination of cardboard and plastic packaging secures the parts inside the box. Inside the box are all the parts required to start using the WD5 P from the get-go. This includes: an 11.5 ft. (3.5m) suction hose, (2x) 1.8 ft. (0.5m) suction tubes, hand nozzle, crevice nozzle, a switchable wet/dry floor nozzle, automotive-style pleated filter, and a fleece filter bag. If you're buying the WD5 P in the States, you'll also receive a power tool adapter for attaching to an industrial DN 35 suction hose.

It also comes with the addition of a clip-on storage belt for securing the crevice nozzle and floor nozzle, which, although it isn't classed as an 'accessory' per se, it is a part that doesn't come with the Karcher WD4.

Upon opening, you'll find that the suction hose and five castor wheels are located inside the 6.6-gallon container. It also comes with instructions to "help" with setup, but, as with all Karcher instructions, I found these difficult to interpret and follow because there are no words to support the minuscule diagrams.

Fortunately, I could figure out what goes where using no fewer than some essential DIY skills, such as clipping and slotting together, and some thought.

To set it up, I clipped on the storage belt; attached the suction hose to the container; connected the suction tubes to the hose and hand nozzle; installed the fleece filter bag and popped on the five castor wheels. The pleated filter was already in place. This took no longer than five minutes.

All these parts will need some level of maintenance.

The fleece filter bags will need replacing when they get full, or if they get too damp from removing wet debris. How often you replace it will depend on the type of dry debris that you're removing. Replacement bags can be bought from Amazon for $16.19 (pack of 4), which can be attached by simply opening the bag and placing it inside the vacuum.

The filter bags will need to be removed when vacuuming wet debris or liquids. When this type of debris is being removed, the container will need to be wheeled over to a drain for emptying, which is OK in itself, but the container is large, so it's a bit cumbersome to lift or tip. The liquid will also be filthy dirty, and you won't want that being taken into your home.

In use, I found that the switchable wet/dry floor nozzle and suction tubes became lodged with larger debris, which stopped me in my tracks. I removed the blockage by unclipping the floor nozzle or suction tube (depending on the blockage location).

Over time, a cleaning tip that I would recommend is to wipe each part of the WD4 to keep it in a good working order. The top-mounted filter may also begin to perish and become damaged, so you'll need to replace it with a new one ($22.99, Karcher.com).

How Does the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner Compare?

The Karcher WD5 P is one of eight wet and dry vacuum cleaners from the German brand, which is available in the United States and the UK. As with half of the category, it's mains powered, whereas the other four wet and dry vacuum cleaners by the brand are battery-powered.

It's priced at $249.99 and is available to buy directly from Karcher or resellers such as Amazon (where you might find it a little cheaper). It is one of the more expensive wet and dry vacuums from the brand, with the more expensive tagged at $349.99 (Karcher WD6 PS) and the more affordable at $99.99 (Karcher WD3).

I've also reviewed the Karcher WD4 wet and dry vacuum cleaner and, after comparing the two, note that the WD5 P is generally more robust with sturdier onboard storage; one button to remove the top mount (rather than two clips at the side) and a stronger, fold-down handle. While it has the same 1100W motor as the WD4, it has a greater suction power (260 watts) and can pack away more debris into its 6.6-gallon container.

The wet and dry vacuum cleaners with a plug do fall short on what it can reach to clean because of the length of the power cable – it's just 5m in length, which can be restrictive when working on different jobs around the home. Karcher also has battery-powered wet and dry vacuums, like the WD2-18 Cordless Wet and Dry Vacuum, which is powered by an 18V / 2.5 Ah Karcher battery and has the largest container capacity (3.17 gallons) in the battery-powered category.

Alternatively, I appreciate that not everyone would be looking to have a wet and dry vacuum quiet as big as these Karchers (including the battery-powered), so, if you're after a second vacuum of this nature that is perhaps even more portable, then I'd be looking at the Shark Messmaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum.

This option retails for around $100, and our reviewer, Camryn Rabideau, found that it’s a powerful and versatile cleaning tool that can be used all around your home. On test, Camryn found that it had no problem sucking up spider webs, debris under car seats, and even spilled milk, and unlike a full-size shop vac, this model is quick and easy to clean. Plus, it’s compact enough to tuck into a closet when it’s not in use, so it’s ideal for anyone who has limited storage space in their home.

A wet and dry vacuum that more closely resembles a cordless vacuum is the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Wet-to-Dry Vacuum. As a stick vacuum, it is a lot lighter to use, and it'll do a great job of removing pet hair from hard flooring and carpets. Our reviewer, Victoria Woollaston, found that 'it's an impressive multitasker that delivers on its core promise of being a full-power cordless vacuum and floor washer in one.' The Z30 also has a self-cleaning station. However, it is almost double the price of the Karcher wet and dry vacuums, which isn't a drawback, just something to think about.

How We Test Vacuums

At Homes & Gardens, we have a dedicated and thorough procedure for how we test vacuums so we can get a like-for-like comparison between models, and to make sure we're recreating real-life circumstances.

I tested the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner as and when it was required over a two-week period. It was used on hard flooring (laminate and tiles), liquids and solids, indoors and outdoors. In addition to running all three standardized tests – flour and sugar; rice and cereal – I used it to clean the moss-heavy patio, and to remove water from the kids' sandpit. This included removing leaves, small stones, and moss fallen from the roof. I then recorded how noisy it was using the DecibelX app.

This gave me the complete picture of how this wet dry vacuum would perform in real conditions, rather than a single test session, including the practicalities of cleaning and storage, and its overall condition after the two weeks of testing.

If you're sold on getting the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner, then it would be wise to know about the things that you can clean with a wet-dry vacuum. However, if you only need a vacuum cleaner for removing dry debris, then check out these vacuum cleaners for pet hair, which are equally as good; just a different spec.

The Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra carries only a modest premium over the standard S20, with a price tag that comes in just shy of $1000.

And while that seems like a steep price to pay, it’s competitive in the world of the best robot vacuums. For this price, you're getting a machine that vacuums and mops effectively, delivers strong suction performance, independently navigates around the home, and incorporates several genuinely advanced features.

Like the non-Ultra Yeedi S20 Infinity version that I also reviewed, this robot vacuum also uses two cleaning solutions for cleaner floors – something I appreciate when testing for the best vacuum. Read on to discover how the new Ultra model (currently discounted to $849.99 at Amazon) compares to its predecessor and if it's truly worth the premium price tag.

The One-Minute Summary

When I reviewed the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra’s non-Ultra predecessor, I was impressed, if not quite blown away. While this upgraded version is not perfect, it gets much closer. It’s quieter in operation. Its vacuuming is just as good. Its mopping seems even better. And it’s easier to maintain.

It also keeps the things that I liked about the previous version, including the two cleaning solutions and the Matter-certified smart home support. It adds a few new features like an AI Agent Mode, though the touted 'Jet Spray' addition doesn't feel like a worthwhile addition.

I also think that, despite the price, it’s competitive with other models that offer the same type of cleaning experience. Just be prepared to spend close to a thousand dollars for it. Of course, that’s typically the case with the vacuums of this variety. You’re paying for the convenience and hands-free operation. A typical vacuum offers a deeper clean, but requires some elbow grease, and the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra allows you to postpone those deep cleans and keep up regular cleans with ease.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Specifications

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Setup

For a product that’s mostly already assembled and arrives in just a few pieces, the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra does take a little while to set up. Now, it’s not complicated. The base station is intact except that the extended base plate needs to be attached (and it just drops in), and the robot vacuum itself already has all the brushes installed. Opening and adding the two different included cleaning solutions is not difficult.

Really, what takes so long is removing the various sheets of plastic and smaller pieces of styrofoam used to keep the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra safe during transport. It’s a little annoying and feels a bit wasteful, but it does at least keep everything extra safe until fully set up, even if it takes five minutes to remove everything.

The physical assembly is otherwise straightforward and takes about three minutes of work. Plug the base station in, add the extended base plate, put the robot vacuum all the way back in the base station, and then just power on both the base station and robot vacuum. At that point, the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra just needs to map your space before cleaning.

To fully finish setting up the robot vacuum, you will want to go through the app setup as well to get access to all the functionality of this vacuum. I did have some initial trouble connecting the robot vacuum to my phone (the whole process starts with a Bluetooth connection between a smartphone and the S20 Infinity Ultra), but I do have some wonky internet. Once connected, I had to just go through the prompts to finish setup. I would say the app setup process, not including my technical WiFi difficulties, probably took ten to twenty minutes.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Design and Features

One thing, among many, that I’ve noticed about expensive robot vacuums is that they all talk to you. They talk when they start up. They talk when they’re done. They talk when something’s in the way. But not all of the vacuums let you talk to them. The Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra, with its Matter Ecosystem support, lets you do so via voice assistant (as long as you’ve set up the robot through the Yeedi app already). I was able to connect through Alexa.

And like most expensive tech these days, the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra also uses AI. You can run the vacuum in AI Agent Mode in the app, and the vacuum will adjust on its own the various cleaning settings, like suction power, to clean my floors as it sees fit. And truthfully, when using the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra more passively (and not to vacuum up large messes), I ran it in this mode.

While features are a bit more fun to write about, the actual design of the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra can’t be overlooked. I don’t quite mean the durability or build – those are on par with every robot vacuum I’ve tested above $500, but there are a couple of additions that make cleaning easier.

I really appreciate that the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra uses two different cleaning solutions with its mopping capabilities. There are two cleaning solution-specific reservoirs inside the base station – along with the much bigger 4 and 2.2 litre respective clean and dirty water reservoirs – for those solutions, which help break down stains and feel more like a deep cleaning.

The base station also has a decently sized 2.5-litre dust bag. It can probably hold a good month or two of auto-empties from the robot vacuum before needing to be replaced. Also, it's worth mentioning that the base station is that it does mop drying, so be prepared to wait a few hours after mopping for the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra to fully dry the mop roller.

As far as the robot vacuum itself goes, it’s flat on top – no little lookout tower in the middle – with just a magnetic top plate hiding its onboard dustbin and onboard controls, so that it can fit under furniture like a couch that some other robot vacuums can’t.

On the bottom, it may have just one side brush, but at least the bottom roller brush hoovering everything up, has zero tangle technology, a good option for those dealing with lots of pet hair. I find some variation of this type of anti-tangle tech on most mid-range to premium robot vacuums, so I’m a little more impressed by the Ozmo Roller 3.0, Yeedi’s mop roller, which not only mops a very even 27cm wide path, but lifts when going over carpet, and, most importantly, can extend out a couple of inches to get into edges and corners.

What Is the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra Like to Use?

Interacting with the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra is much the same as its smaller sibling, the non-Ultra version. Press the center button on the robot vacuum itself, and it will just start – usually using whatever settings were selected the last time the app was open. If you press the button without setting up the app, it does a standard level of vacuuming and mopping.

Within the app, starting to clean is pretty straightforward as well. If AI Agent Mode is selected, all you have to do is press start for a cleaning. If you want something specific, you can manually adjust several settings specific to that cleaning, such as cleaning mode (vacuum only, vacuum and mop, vacuum then mop), four levels of suction power from quiet mode to max, water flow level up to 50 (mL presumably), three levels of cleaning speed, and whether I want it to do one or two passes. My only issue here is that the app wanted to collapse this menu when I changed the water flow level, even though I was not done choosing my settings.

It’s also worth noting that the app allows you to choose some station-specific functions – Empty Bin, Wash Mop, Dry Mop – at will, which is nice. The app also lets you create a schedule as well as clean specific rooms or even specific zones if there’s a specific spill that needs cleaning – something I had to do for the vacuuming and mopping tests below.

Speaking of the map, I had no trouble dividing or combining rooms, though I didn’t need to with how accurately the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra mapped out my space. I was also able to select rooms and select what kind of flooring is in that room (hardwood flooring, marble, etc.) as well as whether there’s carpet (a separate selection for some reason). You can even add furniture on the map, though this doesn’t seem necessary, and create a second map for another area in your home.

I want to mention some general things when the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra is running. First, it’s among the quieter robot vacuums I’ve used. At standard vac and mop settings, this robot vacuum registers around 56dB in volume. That doesn’t mean you can’t hear it while going, but it’s quiet enough to ignore.

Also, I’ve already mentioned how this robot vacuum can get under furniture easily thanks to its flat top. What I haven’t mentioned is object avoidance, which I found to be very good here. Since I had it set to be very sensitive, it registered and avoided just about everything I would put in front of it, even thicker cables like an HDMI cable, only having trouble with a translucent container with water. That said, I still suggest picking up before running the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra as it gives a good six-inch berth to anything it’s trying to avoid, so it will leave fairly large spots untouched because it’s avoiding a frisbee sitting on the floor.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Vacuuming Tests

When testing robot vacuums, we reviewers like to spot clean an area covered in different-sized granules to see how the unit responds. Usually, it’s cereal, lentils, and sugar. I had run out of lentils, so I used long-grain rice instead. For the vacuuming tests, I ran the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra on both hard flooring and carpet.

After having run my tests, I found this robot vacuum to do well on both surfaces, but still not quite catch everything put down in front of it, especially if it wasn't set to deep cleaning and two passes in the app. This was particularly true on hard flooring, where it did kick a Cheerio or two around and left a trail of sugar on its first pass. It did pick up the rice immediately, however.

The story was much the same on carpet, though it didn’t kick the cereal around. It still needed an extra pass to pick up all the sugar. With a suction power rating of 22000Pa, the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra is as powerful a robot vacuum as I’ve come across.

It still does not replace the need for a regular vacuum for deep cleaning. This is true more on carpet than on hard flooring, because the mop brush is not involved (it lifts up 15mm off the floor to keep it from getting wet), and that mop brush is the only part extending out, meaning that the vacuuming alone is not getting to the edges and corners where dust tends to build up most.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Mopping Tests

I was more impressed with the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra’s mopping than its still-good vacuuming. A big part of that is that 27cm cleaning path width from the mop roller that is not only covered in a micro-fiber type fabric but puts 2800pA of downward pressure as it’s mopping. Also helpful is the fact that the mop roller extends out when cleaning. The Ozmo Roller 3.0, as Yeedi calls it, is how this robot vacuum is able to get into the edges and corners of a room.

As mentioned before, the addition of the two cleaning solutions is also something that I believe adds to this robot vacuum’s cleaning prowess. And, of course, the fact that it has the new 'Jet Spray' feature, to handle stains one would normally grab a wet/dry vacuum for, is nice, though I have to select a zone for the feature to use it, as opposed to doing it on its own. To test this feature, I rubbed some wet dirt on the floor and selected 'Jet Spray.' The Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra seems to spray water at the corner of the zone just to add extra water that it would push around instead of directly on the dirt, strangely enough. However, it also sucked everything up and left a very clean floor. I can’t decide if this feature is useful or a gimmick, but again, the floor was clean.

For the actual mop testing, I put some soy sauce, ketchup, and mustard on the floor all at once to see how the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra would fare. The robot vacuum needed just one pass to mop everything up and leave a clean, non-sticky floor.

Just be aware that if you’re mopping large areas – I’m usually covering about 7 - 800 square feet on a usual cleaning - the robot vacuum will return regularly to the base station to fill up water and wash the mop roller. I appreciate the thoroughness and cleanliness, even if it does mean that the actual cleaning time for that space is about an hour.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Maintenance

When I reviewed the non-ultra version of this model, I felt that the ability to clean it up and maintain it was good, but not great. I could get to the onboard dustbin if I needed to, I could remove the central roller brush if something got tangled, and the app would let me know when certain things needed to be refilled or replaced.

But figuring out how to clean this robot vacuum is just a little bit easier than the previous model. That’s because the mop roller brush is actually removable, something that was not the case on the previous version meaning if it ended up trying to mop up a mess too big for it and something got behind the mop roller, I would have to use a Q-tip to get behind the mop roller and do what I could, hoping that running the mop wash feature in the app would be enough to finish the job. With the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra, I can just remove the mop roller, clean it, clean behind it, and put it back in. Much easier.

The water tanks are as easy to access as they are with any other model. I will say that the door covering the cleaning solution reservoirs and the dustbag requires a little more force than expected to open. Out of all the expensive, feature-filled robot vacuums I’ve tested, I think this might be the easiest to clean. Just expect to spend a little money down the line to replace the cleaning solutions and dust bags.

How Does the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra Compare?

Homes and Gardens’ top robot vacuum pick at the time of writing is the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller, which has an MSRP of $1,599.99, though it is currently being offered up for a slightly more reasonable price of $1,049.99. It has a lot in common with the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra thanks to its excellent mopping and object avoidance, not to mention its fairly low maintenance. The reviewer of the Dreame robot vacuum did find the app a bit overwhelming and not consistent when cleaning carpets.

Considering the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra costs $999.99, I find it a very competent alternative to the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller. After all, the app only becomes a bit much if you’re digging into all the various extra settings, and the carpet cleaning is good. That said, the Dreame is a little stronger in the vacuum compartment since it has 30,000pA of suction power, requiring fewer passes to handle vacuuming up, say, some spilled sugar.

It’s also worth comparing the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra to the Yeedi S20 Infinity, which has an MSRP of $899.99. While the Ultra has the jet spray feature, I think the Ultra is worth the extra cost mainly because of the removable mop roller and quieter operation. That said, the non-Ultra version has a dustbin that doesn’t require dustbags, so it has less recurring costs in the long run.

How I tested the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra

We take a methodical approach to how we test vacuums, which involves in-depth and standardized performance tests, running benchmarks, and living with the product to see how it fits into everyday cleaning.

For the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra, I used it for a week, running it every day in an area regularly occupied by five adults and two French Bulldogs (with the odd appearance of a reclusive cat). I ran it typically with vacuum and mop functionality together – often with the AI Agent Mode on – though I’ve run it with just one or the other for testing.

As far as targeted tests go, I did run it to pick up about a quarter cup of sugar, rice, and cereal, testing with each type of substance individually on both hard flooring and carpet. I also tested the mopping by running a test with ketchup, mustard, and soy sauce.

Next, explore our guide for choosing the best vacuum for pet hair for your home.

Sometimes, you need more than just a vacuum cleaner when cleaning. I'm thinking of the times when cereal has been spilt; the car is in need of a deep clean and the outbuildings need a vacuum. Fortunately, the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner is designed to handle these messes, and more.

It'll effortlessly remove wet and dry debris, and all the things that you're best vacuum can't or won't want to get involved with. I know this first hand because I've been using it over a long weekend in my own home in other scenarios including to vacuum-away spilt dried cereals; clean-up the porch and suck-up water from the kids' sandpit after a deluge of rainfall.

On paper, the specification says that the 1100W of suction power will clear fine dust and heavy debris. Was it any good? Keep reading to find out what I think about it, and how it compares with similar wet and dry vacuums.

My One Minute Verdict

The Karcher WD4 wet and dry vacuum cleaner has been designed for substantial home projects where a standard vacuum cleaner lacks the durability required.

It provides 1100W of suction power to clear fine dust and heavy debris, including the removal of all the things that you really don't want your household vacuum to get involved with. The top-mounted design means that it is suitable for dry and wet debris, indoors and outdoors; you'll need to swap out the fleece filter bag for liquid pick-up, though, admittedly, I did find it to be a bit of a faff.

It's one of six wet dry vacuum cleaners in the product category, with the WD4 positioned as a mid-range appliance. For example, it has a greater capacity than the WD3 (17L), yet smaller capacity than the WD5 (25L). The price of Karcher wet dry vacuum cleaners ranges from $89.99 to $349.99, and the WD4 is marked up as bang in the middle of this range with a price of $199.99.

On test, I found it bulky to maneuver around; it has a restrictive 26.2ft power cable and 7.2ft suction hose that I felt like I was wrestling with. If you're after a wet dry vacuum that is perhaps more portable then I'd be looking at the Shark Messmaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum. Alternatively, the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Wet-to-Dry Vacuum more closely resembles a cordless vacuum, so it's more portable and versatile, and it handles pet hair on both carpet and hard floors.

Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Specifications

Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Design and Features

The Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner is designed to be used on the inside of the car, garage floor, or on yard jobs that your standard vacuum cleaner can not handle. I see it as the larger cousin to a canister vacuum.

It has a large 5.3-gallon (20L) container that'll hold large debris and liquids. The tear-resistant fleece bag slots inside the container and clips over the hose. When you're vacuuming liquids, it's advised to remove this bag, although it can easily cope with damp debris such as soggy cereal and wet houseplant soil.

To access the bag, the motor can be removed and lifted off the container by releasing the two clips on the side.

You'll find that the filter is top-mounted too. This is enclosed in the filter box, which can be easily removed without coming into contact with any dirt. This means that in the event that the filter becomes damaged, it can be easily replaced with a new one ($22.99, Karcher.com).

The WD4 is kitted out with 1100W of suction power, and the 2025 model (that I have) has a blower function too. There is only one power setting when using the "suction" or "blowing" function, which is strong enough to remove small stones or empty a 200lb sandpit full of water, and blow away dropped damp compost.

I found that the 26.25ft power cable was sufficient for the cleaning tasks I set. However, I will need an extension cord like this 10ft Amazon Basics cord ($6.99, Amazon) so that I can clean the car and further around the patio area.

The WD4 also has 7.2ft suction hose that connects to two suction tubes to add a further 3.28ft to the overall length when vacuuming; the floorhead or crevice tool accessory (included) simply slots onto the end of a tube. These can then all be taken apart just as easily as they connected together for storing onboard.

It can all be maneuvered as one appliance unit on four castor wheels that slot onto the base of the container as part of the setup. You can either wheel it around by the handle or lift it with this handle when taking it to another space to clean.

What Is the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner Like to Use?

To look at, the Karcher WD4 wet dry vacuum cleaner is big. Measuring 20.7(H) x 14.4(W) x 15.1(L)in and weighing 15.2lbs, it is positively a unit and one that I needed to allow a generous amount of space for while cleaning my allocated spaces. It's also one that I would use and store at ground level because its size would be difficult to carry up/down stairs.

It's designed to be used with either the floorhead or crevice tool attached to the suction tubes while removing debris off the floor, or with the bent handle attached to the suction hose while using the blower function. I found it easy to switch between the two different functions – blower and suction – by removing the suction tubes and tools, and turning the appliance with the one-speed dial.

The WD4 is noticeably louder than a vacuum cleaner and is more in line with a pressure washer. I recorded a noise level reading of 84dB using the decibel meter reader app on my smartphone. This noise is equivalent to that of a passing vehicle.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

In an instance where you'll be wanting to use the Karcher WD4 to clean up flour and sugar, I spilled some on our tiled utility room floor. I used half a cup of flour and sugar (about 50/50 split) to see how well the suction coped with fine debris.

The 1100W suction meant that the floorhead was firmly attached to the floor, but because this debris was so fine, the suction created a clear radius around it, and it removed all the flour and sugar within its path in one clear pass.

Test 2: Pantry

Next up, I spilt cereal and rice on the floor to emulate the type of larger debris that the WD4 could face, indoors and outdoors. I poured half a cup of cereal and half a cup of rice onto the tiled flooring in our utility room.

The floorhead effortlessly removed the rice with no grains getting stuck or blown off course from the floorhead. The cereal, however, got pushed along with the floorhead unless I lifted and dropped the floorhead on it so that it could be vacuumed. No cereal became stuck or lodged in the hose.

Test 3: Liquid

As a wet-dry vacuum, I wanted to demonstrate how the Karcher WD4 removed liquid. To do this, I took it into the yard and challenged it with the removal of rainwater from my kids' sandpit, which is more used to holding 200lbs of play sand, rather than rainwater. I figured that it would be a big help to remove and contain the rainwater prior to emptying, rather than to flood the patio and make it wet for play.

When removing liquids with the WD4, you'll need to remove the bag by lifting off the top of the canister and removing it. For the purpose of the test, I also removed the floorhead, although the floorhead is suitable for use on liquids because it doesn't have any bristles.

All the liquid was quickly removed and contained in the 5.3-gallon container. When I turned off the appliance, water ran back down the suction tubes that were being held in by the strong suction. This is a testament to the powerful suction and versatility.

Test 4: Attachments

The Karcher WD4 wet-dry vacuum only comes with one attachment other than the floorhead, and that is the crevice tool. This tool is suitable for targeting the vacuum suction. However, this would get seldom used if the WD4 is going to be used as an outdoor vacuum (porch, shed, and patio). It'll be better used to help clean the car, although I find it easier with a cordless vacuum cleaner.

I've also tested the WD4 in our grubby porch, which was shamefully littered with debris such as dirt, old receipts, cobwebs, and even Christmas tree branches. It's one of those jobs that I didn't want my household vacuum to clean, so I'm glad I had the WD4 around.

The only item it struggled to lift was a scrunched-up piece of tissue because it was larger than the diameter of the hose. Everything else was removed and banished into the 5.3-gallon bag in the container.

I then thought it would be prudent to try out the "blower" function. To do this, I dropped some old, damp compost on the patio in the yard. The WD4 had enough power to propel it in an onwards direction, and in any direction I wanted it to go. I imagine that this function would also be great for blowing away leaves, but this test will need to wait until fall, when the leaves are off the trees.

Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Setup and Maintenance

As a large appliance, the Karcher WD4 arrived in a big and heavy box. The box doesn't have handles either. To move it I managed to get my arms around it to lift but I imagine that, for some, it may be too difficult to move without some help.

The WD4 arrived as a complete kit, packaged using cardboard to secure each part inside the box and plastic bags around each part. I don't think that the use of plastic bags was necessary because with cardboard packaging securing it all within the box, there was no risk of movement and, therefore, no risk of damage.

Inside the box is: the main unit (WD4), a 7.5 ft. (2.2m) suction hose, (2x) 1.8 ft. (0.5m) suction tubes, hand nozzle, crevice nozzle, a wet/dry floor nozzle, an automotive-style pleated filter, and a fleece filter bag.

It also comes with some instructions, as with all Karcher instructions, I really struggled to read them. Fortunately, as all the parts were laid out, it was obvious how it all fitted together using no more than just a few essential DIY skills.

To set it up, I attached the suction hose, connected the suction tubes to the hose and hand nozzle, installed the fleece filter bag, and popped on the four caster wheels. The pleated filter was already in place. This took no longer than five minutes.

The fleece filter bags can hold up to 53 gallons of debris. How often you replace it will depend on the type of dry debris that you're removing, or if you end up cleaning more damp dirt than dry. Replacement bags can be bought from Amazon for $16.19 (pack of 4), which can be attached by simply opening the bag and placing it inside the vacuum.

When removing liquids, this will need to be poured away – ideally wheeled over to a drain because the size and weight of it is difficult to lift, and you may not want the dirty liquid poured down a sink plug inside the home.

Over time, a cleaning tip that I would recommend is to wipe each part of the WD4 to keep it in a good working order. The top-mounted filter may also begin to perish and become damaged, so you'll need to replace it with a new one ($22.99, Karcher.com).

How Does the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner Compare?

The Karcher WD4 wet and dry vacuum cleaner is one of eight in the category from this German brand, and it's positioned in the middle of the range. For example, it has a greater capacity than the WD3 (17L) yet smaller capacity than the WD5 P (25L). The price of Karcher wet dry vacuum cleaners ranges from $89.99 to $349.99, and the WD4 is marked up as bang in the middle of this range with a price of $199.99.

I've found that the Karcher WD5 P wet and dry vacuum cleaner is generally more robust than the WD4 with sturdier onboard storage; one button to remove the top mount (rather than two clips at the side) and a stronger, fold-down handle. While it has the same 1100W motor as the WD4, it can pack away more debris, so it's made for bigger projects. This one costs $249.99 and, for the money, it must be said that I feel a lot more confident with it.

I appreciate that not everyone would be looking to have a wet-dry vacuum as big as these Karchers. If you're after a wet-dry vacuum that is perhaps more portable, then I'd be looking at the Shark Messmaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum.

This retails for around $100, and our reviewer, Camryn Rabideau, found that it’s a powerful and versatile cleaning tool that can be used all around your home. It had no problem sucking up spider webs, debris under car seats, and even spilled milk, and unlike a full-size shop vac, this model is quick and easy to clean. Plus, it’s compact enough to tuck into a closet when it’s not in use, so it’s ideal for anyone who has limited storage space in their home.

Alternatively, the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Wet-to-Dry Vacuum (LINK WHEN LIVE) more closely resembles a cordless vacuum, so it's more portable and versatile, and it handles pet hair on both carpet and hard floors. Our reviewer, Victoria Woollaston, found that 'it's an impressive multitasker that delivers on its core promise of being a full-power cordless vacuum and floor washer in one.' The Z30 also has a self-cleaning station, but it costs around $470, which puts the Karchers' indoor and outdoor versatility back into perspective.

How We Test Vacuums

At Homes & Gardens, we have a dedicated and thorough procedure of how we test vacuums so we can get a like-for-like comparison between models, and to make sure we're recreating real-life circumstances.

I tested the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner as and when it was required over a two-week period. It was used on hard flooring (laminate and tiles), liquids and solids, indoors and outdoors. In addition to running all three standardized tests – flour and sugar; lentils and cereal; hair – I used it to clean the grubby porch and moss-heavy patio, and to remove water from the kids' sandpit. This included removing leaves, dried mud, bits of Christmas tree, and moss fallen from the roof. I then recorded how noisy it was using the DecibelX app.

This gave me the complete picture of how this wet-dry vacuum would perform in real conditions, rather than a single test session, including the practicalities of cleaning and storage, and its overall condition after the two weeks of testing.

If you're sold on getting the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner then it would be wise to know about the things that you can clean with a wet dry vacuum. However, if you only need a vacuum cleaner for removing solely dry debris then check out these best vacuum cleaners for pet hair which are equally as good; just a different gig.

On June 2, Levoit dropped two new vacuums – the Levoit VortexIQ and the VortexIQ Pro. Both vacuums boast Levoit’s new LED system called NeoSight, a 150-degree green LED light that better illuminates dust, pet hair, and debris that you wouldn’t be able to see by sight or with a regular light.

I’ve been testing cordless vacuums for five years, witnessing the evolution of vacuum technology from the introduction of auto-empty docks to smart features. So, I know that Levoit is not the first brand to employ a green light. Other vacuums like the Dyson V16 Piston Anima and the Ultenic U16 Flex boast it too. However, I’d never used a vacuum with this technology, which is why I was so excited to test the Levoit VortexIQ Pro for two weeks in my 1,600-square-foot home on historic hardwood and laminate floors and short- and high-pile rugs.

After running a variety of tests with the VortexIQ Pro, I understood the hype and got a better sense for its other features, like its impressive suction capabilities and attachments. Keep reading to learn more about this vacuum before checking out our best cordless vacuums guide to see how the Levoit VortexIQ Pro compares.

Levoit VortexIQ Pro: Specifications

Unboxing & setup

The Levoit VortexIQ Pro arrived in a lightweight compact box with two attachments, a charger, and a charging holder that can be affixed to the wall.

The vacuum was broken down into four parts, and it took me less than a minute to assemble it. The Levoit VortexIQ Pro arrived with a 77% battery life and took less than an hour to fully charge.

Levoit VortexIQ Pro: Design and Features

LED lights on vacuums aren’t anything new. They allow you to see dirt and debris in dark spaces. However, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro sports a NeoSight Dust Detection Light, or a 150-degree high-contrast green LED Light, which magnifies microscopic items on your floor like dust and hair.

According to Levoit, the green light makes particles appear 12 times larger than regular lighting. Unfortunately, the green LED light is only present when the regular vacuum head is in use and isn't employed with any of the attachments.

NeoSight light aside, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro is a standard cordless stick vacuum with a 180-degree lay-flat design and a single floorhead with an anti-tangle brush design that works on different floor types.

The handle features a power button and three power mode buttons – eco, mid, and turbo. Unfortunately, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro lacks smart features, which means the vacuum doesn’t increase the suction power if it recognizes dirt or debris or a different floor type.

Like other stick vacuums, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro can be broken down into a handheld device with or without the stick. Two attachments are provided. The 2-in-1 crevice tool is perfect for cleaning along baseboards, in corners, or blinds, while the mini motorized brush is perfect for removing pet hair from a couch or vacuuming in tight spaces, like next to your toilet.

The dustbin is 0.85 liters and features five-stage HEPA filtration that captures 99.99% of particles (like pet dander, pollen, etc.) as small as 0.3 microns.

Even though the vacuum can stand upright on its own, Levoit provided a charging dock that can be fastened to your wall (with screws provided). You can then plug the charger into the dock and set the vacuum to charge. If you don’t want to affix the charger to your wall, you can plug the charger into the battery when it's on or off the vacuum.

What is the Levoit VortexIQ Pro Like To Use?

At 3.5 lbs., the Levoit VortexIQ Pro is a considerably lightweight vacuum. As I vacuumed my house, it glided across my floors and didn’t scratch my historic hardwood. The vacuum head fit in tight spaces and maneuvered easily, so I didn’t have to move as much furniture around to clean in tight spaces.

With its 180-degree lay-flat design, I could reach under my bed and cabinets, pulling dirt and debris from hidden spots with ease. The vacuum head is also short enough to fit under my cabinet overhangs without issue.

The most prominent feature of the Levoit VortexIQ Pro is its NeoSight Dust Detection Light. I was astounded by the difference that a green LED light makes. It highlighted dirt, dust, and microscopic materials that I could not see with my naked eye or even a regular LED light. Tiny scratches on my historic wooden floor were even visible.

Although I wish the Levoit VortexIQ Pro had smart features – like the ability to recognize dirt and debris and automatically increase the suction power – I can see how the green LED light is meant to offset that lack of technology. I hope other vacuum brands adopt the green light. because I’m now convinced that I've been missing a lot of dirt, debris, and allergens in my home that I couldn't see before.

In general, I thought the Levoit VortexIQ Pro cleaned my house well, no matter the floor type. It suctioned up day-to-day dirt and debris that I tracked in from the mudroom, food waste that fell to the floor in my kitchen, and all the dust that comes with having a historic house. I tested the Levoit Aero last year, and I felt like the Levoit VortexIQ Pro did a better job at cleaning my floors of different-sized materials.

One of the biggest drawbacks to this vacuum was the front edge cleaning. When I used the vacuum head to clean straight at a wall, there was about an inch and a half strip of floor between the wall and the vacuum head that wasn’t cleaned. Thankfully, the edge cleaning was much better, reaching within a centimeter of the wall.

Whenever I turned on the vacuum, it automatically started in eco mode, but I preferred using the mid option as it offered better suction on hard floors and high-pile rugs, as well as 40 minutes of battery life. I was able to clean my entire house on the mid setting and still have 45% battery life left.

When I conducted cleaning tests (which you can see below), the eco mode performed better than expected. I was hoping that the battery would last longer than 48 minutes on eco mode, especially since the mid setting lasts 40 minutes. An eight-minute difference was disappointing.

The turbo setting was necessary to pick up larger debris, though with only a 13-minute battery life, I did not use that setting often because it then took 3 hours and 45 minutes for the vacuum to fully recharge. In terms of sound, Levoit VortexIQ Pro had a 75 dB rating on eco mode and a 79 dB rating on turbo mode – which is pretty standard, if not a bit on the low end.

It felt so good to use the VortexIQ Pro as a handheld vacuum, especially since I've been using a vacuum -- the Shark Freestyle Max cordless vacuum -- that can't be broken down. With the VortexIQ Pro, I utilized the 2-in-1 crevice tool to clean cobwebs from my 10-foot ceilings, dead bugs on my windowsills (I have over 20 windows), and dust around my tall baseboards (which cover the entire house). Not to mention, I used the mini motorized brush to clean tight spaces and my furniture, which is again something I can’t do with the Shark Freestyle Max.

Overall, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro is a solid vacuum for cleaning up daily messes, especially with the green LED light. The battery life is average, and the front edge cleaning is shockingly poor, but perhaps the attachment, side edge cleaning, and suction capabilities make up for that.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

When it comes to vacuums, we always want to see how well it can pick up fine materials, especially things like dust, dead skin, and allergens. That’s why I sprinkled flour and sugar on my high-pile rug, hardwood floor, and laminate floor then used the vacuum on the eco and standard modes to suction up the fine materials. The white coloring makes it easy to see what’s left on the floor or the vacuum during the test.

When it came to the carpet test, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro suctioned 100% of the flour and sugar on mid mode. On eco mode, it picked up 95% of the material and left a light dusting of flour and sugar behind that only required one more pass to completely suction up. Bonus -- the Levoit VortexIQ Pro did a great job vacuuming fine materials in reverse on my rugs.

Although I expected to have similar results on hardwood and laminate, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro performed slightly differently for each. It suctioned all the flour and sugar from my laminate floors on eco and mid power modes. However, if I tried to vacuum in reverse, the flour-sugar mixture got stuck behind the wheels.

As for the hardwood floors, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro appeared to pick up all the flour and sugar in a single pass. That is, until I noticed that some of the mixture had stuck to the wheels and created lines on the floor that I then had to vacuum over. At least, no flour or sugar remained in the grooves of the hardwood.

Test 2: Pantry

Whether it’s dried mud, cereal, or rice, there will come a time when you need to vacuum medium and large items from your floors. To see if the Levoit VortexIQ Pro could handle larger debris, I laid out a row of Cheerios and dried green split peas on my hard floors and high-pile rugs.

No matter the floor type, the vacuum did a great job with suctioning the green split peas on eco and mid mode.

However, it pushed the Cheerios forward when I tried to vacuum them on all three floor types, which made it much more difficult to suction them up. I had to go very slowly over them and/or use the turbo mode, and even then, some of the Cheerios and split peas were flung about.

Between the historic hardwood floor test (which came after the rug test) and the laminate floor test, I got an error message on the vacuum, and it powered off. A little investigation revealed that the Cheerios had gotten stuck at the top of the vacuum, right before making their way into the dustbin. I had to remove them with a butter knife before I could complete the final test.

The Levoit Vortex IQ Pro may do a great job with fine and medium materials, but its capabilities with suctioning large materials are subpar and could result in a blockage issue.

Test 3: Hair

In my 20s, I developed a slight allergy to pet hair, which is why I don’t have pets. However, to give you the best insight on how well the Levoit VortexIQ Pro does with pet hair, I went to my neighbor’s house and procured cat hair to test on my hard floors, high-pile rugs, and an armchair.

When it came to my hard floors and high-pile rug, the vacuum suctioned up the cat hair quickly and efficiently on eco mode alone.

I used the mini motorized brush on eco mode to clean cat hair from a cream-colored armchair – and was amazed to see that it picked up nearly all the hair in a single pass. Two small hairs weren’t picked up on the first pass, but if I’d been using the mid or turbo mode, I have no doubt the results would’ve been perfect.

I even went the extra step of grabbing some hair from my hairbrush and putting it on the same chair. The results were practically the same, with one long piece of hair needing to be suctioned up on a second pass.

Test 4: Attachments

The Levoit VortexIQ Pro has two attachments – a mini motorized brush and a 2-in-1 crevice tool – that are easy to swap out. I found myself using the mini motorized brush quite a bit, and not just to clean my furniture.

There are plenty of spaces in my home, like between the oven and my wall, and alongside the toilet where the vacuum head can't fit. Yet, the green light shone bright in those tight areas, showing me just how much dust and dirt needed to be picked up. It’s a little awkward to use the mini motorized brush on my hard floors because it doesn’t bend like the robot vacuum head, but I got used to it because I'd rather use the attachment than pull out a broom.

The 2-in-1 crevice tool was excellent at cleaning the top and bottom of my baseboards and grabbing spider webs from the corners of windowsills and the ceiling. It even suctioned sugar in a single go on eco mode when I sprinkled it along the edge of a wall. The brush tool cleaned dust from my blinds decently on eco mode, but I had better results on mid and turbo modes.

Levoit VortexIQ Pro: Cleaning and Maintenance

The Levoit Vortex IQ Pro doesn’t come with an auto-empty dock, so whenever the dustbin became full, I had to turn it into a handheld vacuum and place it over the trash. From there, I pushed a button, and the lid swung open, emptying the dust and debris. The process is simple, but if you’re very sensitive to allergens and dust, there’s really no way to prevent the fine particles from escaping into the air. Cordless stick vacuums with sealable dust bags aren't common, but there are a few on the market.

I should note that when I emptied the dustbin, clumps of dirt and debris got stuck on the metal filter. I had to rotate the metal filter counterclockwise and remove it so that I could empty all the materials into the trash.

The dustbin can be removed from the vacuum and washed by hand with water. Same with the metal filter. The felt and foam filters should also be removed and washed by hand at least once a month and replaced every three months. As for the HEPA filter, it can be washed once a year.

How Does the Levoit VortexIQ Pro Compare?

Levoit has plenty of great cordless vacuum options that are comparable to the VortexIQ Pro. I recently tested the Levoit Aero, which performed similarly in suction tests, edge cleaning, and battery power to the VortexIQ Pro. The Aero has a headlight, but it’s not a green LED headlight. If you dislike maintenance, you may want to go with the Aero, which has an auto-empty charging base.

The Dreame R20 has a similar price point to the Levoit VortexIQ Pro but boasts smart features like adjusting the suction based on dust volume and floor type. The Dreame R20 may not be ideal for those with pets, but an up to 90-minute runtime and a weight of only 3.88 lbs. is impressive. Interestingly, it has a blue light that emits from the bristled floorhead (there are two floorheads), which does better than a regular light at revealing dust, though it's not up to par with Vortex IQ Pro's green light. Oddly, the soft floorhead – which is better on hardwood floors and tile – doesn’t have a light.

The Ultenic U16 Flex is probably the most similar cordless vacuum to the Levoit VortexIQ Pro, because it lacks auto-suction capability and has a floorhead outfitted with a green LED headlight. The two vacuums differ slightly in their cleaning capabilities, with the Ultenic U16 Flex performing better with large debris and the Levoit VortexIQ Pro better suited to suctioning pet hair and fine materials like flour and sugar from carpet.

Should You Buy It?

Thanks to the green LED light on the Levoit VortexIQ Pro, I was able to see a lot more dirt and debris on my floors, which resulted in cleaner floors.

Its lightweight nature, 180-degree lay-flat design, and compact floor head meant I could access tight and hard-to-reach spaces without having to move a lot of furniture. The suction power isn’t the highest I’ve tested, but it performed above average suctioning fine materials like flour from carpet and pet hair from furniture. It may struggle with larger materials like Cheerios and have poor front edge cleaning, but at least its side edge cleaning is efficient.

The battery dropped to about 50% once I cleaned my entire 1,600-square-foot home on a single charge on eco and mid modes. Those with decent-sized homes and apartments will likely have the same experience. Larger homes should consider a vacuum with a higher battery life.

All in all, the Levoit VortexIQ Pro is a great mid-range option for pet owners and those who hate the idea of missing any dirt, dust, and debris on their floors.

How We Test

At Homes & Gardens, we have a dedicated and thorough procedure of how we test vacuums that involves noting everything from unboxing to maintenance and using the vacuum around the house. I tested the Levoit VortexIQ Pro for two weeks on my high-pile rugs and hardwood and linoleum floors. This included sprinkling various substances on the three floor types to recreate real-life cleaning scenarios.

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My One Minute Verdict

The Karcher WD 6 P is not a vacuum for the faint-hearted. At 21.2lb / 9.6kg with a 7.9-gallon / 30-liter stainless steel tank, it most definitely earns its industrial, wet/dry shop title. It's a machine built for the kind of mess your everyday cordless won't touch, like flooded garages, workshop sawdust, post-renovation rubble, and anything liquid or heavy that has no business going near a regular vacuum.

When it works, it really works – and it’s a strong contender for the best vacuum for pet hair in the right setting. The suction is impressively powerful; my chocolate Labrador’s hair disappeared from hard floors and upholstery in a single pass. The blower function is equally effective, making quick work of leaf clearing and even blasting away water balloon debris scattered across the garden.

On carpet, the brushes on the main vacuum nozzle make the head stick and drag rather than glide, and on smooth hard floors, the same brush strips pushed debris around rather than picking it up cleanly.

This made it abundantly clear that the Kärcher WD 6 P is designed for rougher, uneven surfaces – garages, patios, workshops – rather than everyday flooring. Switching to wet mode, where the rubber lips take over from the brush strips, is a much more satisfying experience, and the machine's true strength lies in liquid pickup and heavy outdoor tasks.

Elsewhere, it's not an easy vacuum to build. Setup took close to 20 minutes – longer than any vacuum I've tested. Once built, it's also a beast of a machine and takes up a lot of space, which saw it quickly relegated to the garage.

At $349.99, this is a premium investment in a very specific kind of cleaning. If you have a garage, workshop, or outdoor space that regularly generates mess, it may well be the most capable tool you own. Especially if you have the storage space to match. For DIY fans, the integrated power tool socket on the front lets you plug your sander or drill directly into the machine and the vacuum starts and stops in sync with your tool, capturing dust at the source without any extra effort. Yet it is ultimately a niche recommendation.

If you're hoping for a versatile everyday vacuum that also handles the odd spill – especially if you have a low tolerance for noise and friction – you're better off with a standard wet-to-dry upright, like the Dreame H14 Pro or the Dyson V15 Detect.

Kärcher WD 6 P: Specifications

Kärcher WD 6 P: Design and Features

There is nothing subtle about the WD 6 P. It's unapologetically large, bulky and bright yellow. The 7.9-gallon / 30-liter stainless steel tank sits on five castors and is topped by a yellow motor head that houses the controls, filter system and accessory storage.

As with the rest of the Karcher range, it's a design that says workshop rather than home, which is exactly what Karcher intends – this vacuum is built for the kind of heavy-duty mess that a domestic canister or cordless simply can't handle.

The motor delivers 1,300W of rated input power and 300W of suction power – figures that put it well ahead of the Kärcher WD 5's 1,100W, and on par with the Bosch AdvancedVac 20's 300W suction, despite the Bosch drawing only 1,200W. The stainless steel tank is noticeably more durable than the plastic containers on lower-priced wet-dry vacs and is designed to withstand abrasive debris.

One of the WD 6 P's standout features is its push-button filter cleaning system, which Kärcher calls pulse technology. A single press sends a burst of air through the flat pleated filter, dislodging accumulated hidden dust back into the tank and restoring full suction power. This is particularly useful when vacuuming fine dust without a filter bag.

The flat pleated filter is also designed to stay dry during wet pickup – it sits in a top-mounted filter box that doesn't come into contact with liquid. This means you can switch between wet and dry tasks without removing or changing the filter. You do have to remove the fleece dustbag when switching to wet vacuuming, though (which I have forgotten on several occasions to my despair.)

On the front of the motor head is a rotary dial that you turn left to control the suction/blow power of the vacuum, and to the right to control the integrated power tool socket. This socket sits next to the dial and lets you plug in external tools to either provide power without the need for a separate extension lead, or it can be used to set the vacuum to switch on and off in sync with the tool. This is a useful feature during sanding or drilling and is something its predecessor, the WD 5 lacked.

An 8m (26.2ft) cord and 2.2m (7.2ft) hose then give the WD6 P a total working radius of just over 10m (33.5ft), which is more than enough for most workshops or large rooms. I could vacuum all rooms on my entire ground floor and into my garden without having to swap to different plugs.

The hose connects to two stainless steel extension tubes, a removable handle, and the floor nozzle. The other attachments include a crevice nozzle for baseboards, stair edges, and corners. A 1m (3.3ft) flexible hose is also included for connecting to the dust port on a power tool, and there's a bent handle you attach to the tubes to give you better control across the floor.

The floor nozzle is relatively narrow for a machine this size, which does limit how well it covers open floor areas, but allows it to get into tighter spots. It has a lever on the side that switches between two modes – dry, where brush strips extend down to sweep debris toward the suction inlet, and wet, where rubber squeegee lips take over to drag liquid toward it.

There is no neutral position; the nozzle is always in one mode or the other, so for bare suction without either the brushes or the rubber lips, you need to switch to a different attachment.

Both the cable and hose have dedicated storage positions on the machine, and the floor nozzle has a parking position so it can be hooked onto the body during work breaks.

For wet tasks, a drain screw at the base of the tank allows liquid to be emptied without lifting the machine – a practical consideration given that a full tank of water on the Kärcher WD 6 P will weigh around 66lb / 30kg.

The blower function works by moving the hose to the outlet port on the machine, reversing airflow to dislodge debris from hard-to-reach areas such as gravel beds or patio crevices. It's a small and simple touch, but it's super effective and useful, especially outdoors.

What Is the Kärcher WD 6 P Like to Use?

One of my favorite features of the Kärcher WD6 P is its castors. I never thought I'd celebrate something so innocuous, but having reviewed dozens of vacuums, these genuinely elevated the experience for me.

They make the machine incredibly easy to pull across hard floors and carpet, despite its bulk. I often get frustrated with the cord on upright and domestic vacuums always getting in the way, but the smooth way the castors navigate and pass over the WD 6 P's cord, plus having 26.2ft / 8m of cord to play with, means this was never an issue.

At 9.6kg (21.2lb) without accessories, there's no denying this is a heavy machine, and the weight is still felt when maneuvering in tight spaces or changing direction frequently, but the castors again make it feel much lighter and easier.

Due to the brushes on the floor nozzle, the Karcher WD6 P's performance on carpet and hardwood floors depends on getting the nozzle angle right. You have to tilt it slightly in order to pick up debris, rather than just move it around, and this doesn't always feel comfortable.

On carpet in particular, the brush and powerful suction work against you: the head drags and sticks, requiring real effort to push, and the brush strips tend to bury finer debris deeper into the pile rather than lifting it. This is not a machine built for carpeted rooms, or certainly not without switching to a different nozzle.

Switching to wet mode is a much better experience. The rubber lips glide across hard floors and pick up liquid cleanly and confidently, which is where the WD 6 P really earns its price.

On noise, the Kärcher WD 6 P is loud. The specification lists 73dB, but in my test, it was closer to 89dB on the minimum suction power, and 92dB on maximum. It's not comfortable for long periods.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

For our flour and sugar test, I scattered a half-cup mixture across carpet, hardwood, and laminate to see how well the Kärcher WD6 P handles fine dry debris. This test is a proxy for the dust, skin cells, and fine dirt that build up across real homes.

On hard floors and laminate, the WD 6 P performed well, with the floor nozzle in dry mode picking up the mixture cleanly. The brushes on the underside of the nozzle come into their own here and guide the dust towards the suction inlet. Residue was minimal after a single pass.

Carpet was a different story. The suction and brush combo ended up simply pushing the flour and sugar deeper into the pile, leaving streaks across the carpet.

Working the nozzle repeatedly at different angles helped, but even with effort, some residue remained. If your home is predominantly carpeted, a dedicated upright or canister vacuum will serve you considerably better.

Test 2: Pantry

For my pantry test, I poured half a cup of cereal and lentils onto the same three floor types as before – carpet, hardwood and laminate.

On the laminate and wood, the Kärcher WD 6 P did an OK job with the lentils but struggled with cereal – you can clearly see in my review videos how the floor nozzle pushes the Cheerios around the surface rather than drawing them in cleanly, scattering pieces rather than collecting them.

Again, this is managed by angling the nozzle slightly, but the trade-off is that this isn't comfortable for long.

The brush strips work well on rougher, more uneven surfaces, such as garage floors or patios, where they have something to grip against, but on smooth flooring, they don't have enough purchase to guide lighter debris toward the suction inlet.

Test 3: Pet Hair

Maisie, my chocolate Labrador, is a dependable supplier of dark, dense, medium-length hair across my hard floors, upholstery, and carpets – and a solid real-world test for any vacuum claiming to be the best vacuum for pet hair.

On hard floors, the WD 6 P performed extremely well. Maisie’s hair vanished in a single pass, pulled straight into the hose without wrapping or leaving stray strands behind.

Suction is more than strong enough to handle even heavy concentrations of pet hair, and the lack of a brushroll means there’s nothing for hair to tangle around. A few strands do collect in the nozzle brushes, but they’re quick and easy to remove.

On carpet, the same angle-dependent performance applies, although longer pet hair is easier for it to lift and capture than fine dust and powder.

For pet owners with mostly hard floors and upholstery, the WD 6 P is highly capable. For carpet-heavy homes, however, a more dedicated pet-focused vacuum like the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog, available on Amazon, would be the better fit.

Test 4: Attachments

Swapping between attachments is refreshingly simple – in fact, it was the easiest part of the entire process. Everything twists and clicks securely onto the hose or extension tubes with a firm push, and detaches with a quick thumb press.

Nothing felt loose during use, although the fittings do require more force than you might be used to with a standard domestic vacuum – a reminder that this is built for tougher, more industrial-style cleaning.

The floor nozzle saw the most use. In dry mode, the brush strips are better suited to rougher, more textured surfaces than smooth floors, as noted in the tests above. In wet mode, however, the rubber lips performed noticeably better, giving a more controlled, purpose-built feel for handling spills and wet debris.

The lever switch between the two modes is easy to access and can be operated with your foot, making transitions quick and low-effort mid-clean.

The crevice nozzle proved genuinely useful. Dust in corners and along edges was removed cleanly in a single pass, with the strong suction doing most of the heavy lifting. It also came into its own for clearing the residue left behind during my flour and sugar tests, and it’s equally effective on baseboards, stair edges, and the gaps between appliances.

The bent handle noticeably improves control when pushing the floor nozzle across surfaces, particularly on carpet. It also detaches easily, allowing you to connect a nozzle directly to the hose for overhead cleaning or awkward angles without fuss.

One notable omission is the lack of an upholstery nozzle in the box – surprising at this price point – although a range of compatible accessories can be purchased separately from Kärcher.

Kärcher WD 6 P: Setup and Maintenance

The Kärcher WD 6 P was one of the most frustrating vacuums I’ve tested when it came to setup. Every step introduces more friction than you’d expect, from trying to attach the rotating castors to a wobbly, upside-down base, to repositioning the carry handle just to remove and refit the motor head.

Figuring out where everything goes isn’t intuitive either, and because the manual is mostly illustrated rather than genuinely explanatory, I ended up having to look up additional guidance online. The whole process took around 20 minutes and tested my patience more than once.

Emptying the WD 6 P is very dependent on what you’ve been cleaning. For wet waste, the drain screw at the base of the tank is the cleanest method – simply unscrew it, tilt the machine forward, and the liquid flows out without needing to lift the tank.

For dry waste, you need to move the carry handle forward to unlock the motor head, then twist, lift, and tip the tank into a bin.

Both emptying methods are straightforward enough, although the size and weight of the tank mean the process is less elegant than simply emptying a compact dustbin.

On the upside, the tank takes a long time to fill – unless you’re tackling a particularly large job – so this isn’t something you’ll need to do frequently in everyday use.

When used for dry tasks, the fleece bag does a good job of containing dust and can be lifted out cleanly without releasing a cloud of debris. That’s a meaningful advantage over bagless designs, especially after vacuuming fine dust or sawdust.

Replacement bags are readily available from Kärcher as well as third-party suppliers, and they’re simple to fit when needed.

The flat pleated filter is the component you’ll interact with most regularly. The push-button cleaning system takes care of the bulk of day-to-day maintenance, but when a more thorough clean is needed, the filter box releases with a press, folds open, and the filter lifts out cleanly without requiring you to reach inside the tank.

It can be rinsed under a tap and reused – Kärcher describes it as a lifetime filter when properly maintained – but it must be fully dry before being reinserted, which does require a bit of planning ahead.

The stainless steel tank interior is smooth and easy to wipe out, and shows less staining than a plastic container would over time. The hoses and tubes are straightforward to clear if blocked – disconnect, run water through if needed, and allow to dry.

Overall, the machine feels built to last, with the stainless steel tank and solid connection points giving it a durability that cheaper plastic wet-dry vacs don't match, and which helps justify the higher price.

How Does the Kärcher WD 6 P Compare?

The Kärcher WD 6 P sits at the mid-to-higher end of the wet-dry vacuum market at $349.99, and whether it justifies that price depends almost entirely on what you need it for. The most direct comparison is its predecessor, the $249.99 Kärcher WD 5. It shares the same core wet-dry design, but omits several key upgrades – including the power tool socket, push-button filter cleaning, and drain screw – all of which make a noticeable difference in day-to-day usability on the WD 6 P.

It also uses a smaller plastic container rather than the WD 6 P’s stainless steel tank, and the 16ft / 5m cord feels more restrictive in comparison. At $100 less, the WD 5 makes sense for lighter or occasional use, but for regular DIY work or more demanding wet cleaning tasks, the WD 6 P’s added features comfortably justify the step up.

How We Test Vacuums

We test every vacuum we review in real-world conditions across a range of floor types and debris categories. Each model goes through a consistent set of tests: flour and sugar on carpet, hard floors, and laminate to assess fine debris pickup; a pantry-style test using larger, heavier debris to evaluate general performance; and a pet hair test using real fur from Maisie, my chocolate Labrador, across both carpet and hard flooring.

We also assess each vacuum across setup time, ease of use, noise, manoeuvrability, and ongoing maintenance – including how simple it is to empty, clean, and reassemble. Every attachment is tested individually as well to understand its real-world practicality.

For wet-dry vacuums, we run additional tests covering wet pickup performance, evaluate any blower or secondary functions where included, and measure noise levels using the DecibelX app.

For full details of our testing methodology, see how we test vacuums.

When offered the chance to review the eufy Omni E25, I was delighted to oblige. Anything that can help keep the constantly-building layer of dust and hair at bay and leave my kitchen and bathroom floors sparkling is an excellent floorcare upgrade for a busy home such as mine.

As I live in a cottage with wonky floorboards and nooks and crannies that collect all manner of hair and debris that comes from a busy life as a family of four, including two young children, I'd always imagined that even the best robot vacuums would find my higgledy-piggledy home something of a nemesis.

However, I have been deeply impressed with how well this sleek and efficient automatic appliance performs, handling all floor types and obstacles with ease, and saving me around 80% of my usual manual cleaning.

My One-Minute Verdict

On the whole, I found the eufy Omni E25 did a great job of keeping on top of my day-to-day cleaning, and, as it's so easy to use once you've set it up, whether from home, remotely, or with the scheduling option. I cleaned far more regularly with this than when I have to use a manual vacuum or mop; my house definitely feels cleaner.

It's not perfect, of course, and despite the corner-roving arm feature, there was still some dust and dirt to deal with manually in those pesky crevices, and spot cleaning after an accidental spill was more fiddly and time-consuming than simply getting my trusty old cordless Dyson out.

I won't be giving up my cordless vacuum for quick cleaning tasks, but it is also fair to say that I haven't gotten my stick vacuum out once since owning the eufy Omni E25 - a testament to its ease of use and efficiency. The dual brushes have also saved me the usual hair-wrap frustration, disposing of hair cleanly and neatly by itself. This feature will be a big win for pet owners, too.

Plus, if you suffer from chronic pain, a robot vacuum like this could be life-changing. No more bending and reaching into awkward spaces, as it does the work for you.

Eufy Omni E25: Specifications

eufy Omni E25: Setup and Maintenance

On delivery, the box was very heavy, and I was unable to lift it myself, so you might want to ensure that you have someone on hand to help you put it in place for unboxing. The eufy Omni E25 was very well packaged with a handy quick-start guide right at the top of the box, featuring a QR code for the e-manual and app download.

Inside, another smaller box, with a handle, was easy to pull out, and contained the vacuum itself, along with the power cord, base plate from the Omni station and a bottle of mop cleaning liquid (a nice bonus, as some products require you to buy these separately from the outset at extra cost).

The base station could then be easily lifted out and placed in position. I'd recommend choosing a designated spot for this before you start unboxing, as eufy suggests a 1.6ft clearance on either side and 4.9ft in front.

In my small cottage, finding a spot with the right clearance proved tricky, but it's worth noting from our other eufy robot vacuum testers that if you don't have the larger clearance on each side, the appliance will still function as expected. The clearance in front, however, is a must.

I positioned mine in the corner of my kitchen near the bins (with a much smaller clearance space) and haven't experienced any issues. The video below shows the robot locating and docking in the base station.

The power cable was too short to reach my socket on the kitchen counter, so I had to use an extension cable. It's not a deal breaker, but a minor irritation and worth considering before positioning.

Once I'd filled the clean water tank, the circular ring light lit up, indicating it was ready to go. I slotted the robot into its charging position and got to work downloading and exploring the app.

I added my eufy Omni E25 as a device on the eufy app and it indicated over 90% battery power, so it was good to go straight out of the box without the need for charging. All in all, I'd say the setup and mapping took me around 1-1.5 hours, but it's a one-time job and worth spending the time to get it right. Read on for more details, or jump to design and features, or the results of the tests we ran to determine its vacuuming performance and mopping power.

Then I followed a series of voice commands, triggered by the app, including connecting the device to my WiFi network, which was easily done, then mapping my floor to create 2D and 3D maps of each room.

When you select 'start mapping', the robot does a cursory sweep of the space, using its cameras and laser sensors to detect any furniture or obstacles. Eufy's advice is to remove as many obstacles as possible, such as power cables, toys, shoes and lightweight furniture, such as dining chairs, for the initial mapping to give a full scope of the area to be cleaned. Once complete, a map of my ground floor appeared on my phone.

This wasn't as accurate as I'd hoped initially, and the map indicated additional rooms where there weren't any, but luckily, there's an 'edit' option which you can use to merge, divide, rename, and expand rooms on your map. Additionally, the map updates with each cleaning to improve accuracy, and it produced a much better representation of my space after the first full floor clean.

Once happy with the map, you can create cleaning tasks and schedules for individual rooms or zones, adjusting the settings to vacuum, mop, or both, and the suction power and water levels to suit your floor surfaces.

The vacuum also automatically recognises when a surface changes from hard floor to carpet or rug and raises the mop head accordingly, but you can also add elements to your map, such as carpet, and even update the specific floor material to wood, marble, tile, and terrazzo, for more tailored cleaning.

Adding furniture, no-go zones (like staircases), or vacuum-only zones to your map allows for an even more tailored result. This does take a little time, but once it's done, you shouldn't need to repeat the process, and you can make small tweaks at any point.

There's no messy dustbin emptying to do with the eufy Omni E25 as it automatically collects dust from the vacuum into the dust bag in the base station after every 15 or 30 minutes of cleaning, or after every clean, which can be adjusted in your settings.

This is the loudest it gets at nearly 80dB, but it's very short-lived, and the clever 'do not disturb' setting will ensure this doesn't happen between certain hours of the day, such as when the children are asleep, or overnight.

The 3L dust bag is large enough for 75 days of continuous cleaning, according to eufy (but it does only come with one bag included, so you'll need to buy replacements, which come in a set of three 3L bags directly from eufy for $16.99).

I can't comment on ease of emptying yet, as I haven't had it for long enough. However, others on our team who have been using eufy robots for over a year say it's as simple as opening the compartment lid on the dock, pulling the bag up and out, and then slotting a new one in its place. The eufy app also provides a prompt and visual step-by-step for all maintenance as it arises, making switches fast and simple.

The self-cleaning mop scrapes away dirt and washes the extra-long brush in real time whilst in use, then performs a more thorough wash and dry afterwards – this can take as long as five hours, but it's quiet enough that you'll barely notice. This stops mold and bacterial growth, causing any odors or sanitation issues.

You can cut short the drying time if you want to perform other tasks, but it's advisable to revert back afterwards to complete the process, as it will prolong the life and hygiene of your mop.

You can empty the dust, clean or dry the mop in the app easily, at other times, too. I haven't had to empty the dirty water tank yet, even after two weeks of use, but I only have a small area to mop, and eufy says this usually needs emptying around once a week, so it will depend on how big your mopping area is.

Our colleagues who have tested for longer tend to empty it weekly to avoid odors building up inside that area, although this is not something you can smell unless you open the compartment.

The high-performance filter is easy to remove and clean with running water, which eufy recommends doing every two weeks, with a full replacement every six months.

There's a handy maintenance guide in the e-manual, which recommends manually cleaning the mop and brushes once a month and replacing them every six months.

While this sounds like a substantial outlay, the most cost-effective way of doing this is to buy a eufy accessories package for $69.99, which includes at least one of everything, and actually works out as quite a good deal.

Design and Features

The eufy Omni E25 has a good range of features, as you'd expect for the $1300 price tag, including a 250% improved turbo suction power of 20,000ps, compared to the brand's previous generation models.

Then there's the HydroJet™ Self-Cleaning Roller Mop, which distributes water evenly through 32 ports, cleans as it mops (120 times per minute).

And, as it removes the dirty water as it goes, my floors were nowhere near as wet as they are when I use a manual mop, even on the high water level setting, meaning they dried quickly, too (no more being banished from the kitchen for hours when I'm craving a coffee).

The 11.4" brush head is nearly the full width of the vacuum itself, allowing for the maximum cleaning area, and it applies 1kg of downward weight as it goes, designed to replicate the pressure you'd apply with a manual mop.

The Edge-Cleaning CornerRover™ Arm extends from the vac body and has thin, flexible bristles that navigate around corners and baseboards, where dust, hair, and crumbs gather, and flick them underneath the vacuum to be sucked up. I found this to be reasonably effective, but sometimes larger debris was flicked away from the vac and missed if it didn't do a second pass of the room.

The AI.See™ Obstacle Avoidance claims to offer superior object recognition, enabling the robot to dodge over 200 common objects as opposed to getting stuck or attempting to climb over things.

It did successfully dodge rogue toys and cables, but proved a little tricky when I actually wanted it to vacuum larger debris, such as in our cereal tests.

However, for the most thorough clean, you'll want to pick up any obstacles before starting a full room vacuum. On the plus side, this has meant I've been keeping my floors tidier and clutter-free more regularly – one of the unexpected benefits of owning a robot vacuum.

The eufy Omni E25 also has built-in carpet detection, automatically increasing its suction power, which is audibly noticeable, and it worked perfectly in my living room, which has wooden floors and a large rug.

And if, like me, you have an ongoing battle with hair, from people or trying to keep your house clean with pets, the DuoSpiral™ Detangle system is a revelation.

As the name suggests, it features not one, but two roller brushes, which direct collected hair into a gap in the middle, where it's sucked up, rather than getting wrapped around repeatedly and caught up.

Head of Solved and cat owner, Punteha Van Terheyden, also wrote about how her eufy robot vacuum was a game-changer for tackling pet hair, too.

Before this robot, I was having to constantly manual unravel hair from my old vacuum's brushroll, which was a deeply unpleasant task.

What Is the eufy Omni E25 Like to Use?

Once the app and mapping were set up, I found the eufy Omni E25 really simple to use. I simply selected 'start' on the app to begin cleaning, or choose a room and tailor the cleaning preferences (mop, vac, turbo etc).

I also liked the option to add custom cleans by room, as this allows for pre-programming cleaning preferences. Another option is to 'draw' out a zone, which is handy if you want to just clean a specific area, like under the dining table, rather than the whole room. I also enjoyed setting it to clean from the comfort of my car (via the app), while I was travelling back from a weekend away, then coming home to a freshly mopped kitchen.

Whilst the vacuum re-charges automatically whenever it's in its base station, I've not noticed it drop below around 80% during my testing period, so losing charge during a clean hasn't been an issue for me. However, I will caveat that by saying that my home does have a relatively small square footage compared to some.

The manufacturer says that the standard run time for the E25 is 125 mins, which is comparable to most of its models and only a touch less than the older, but more expensive eufy Omni S1 Pro at 140 mins.

One of my concerns was whether I'd be able to use the eufy Omni E25 on different floors of the house (I have friends who have invested in one robot vac for each floor).

This proved surprisingly easy with the multi-map function, which allows you to create and edit up to three different maps. I carried the E25 upstairs and placed it on floor, then put a physical barrier at the top of the stairs so that it didn't fall down during the initial mapping process, though it has anti-tip technology to prevent this anyway.

I also added a 'no-go' zone as an extra precaution. Once the cleaning upstairs was complete, the robot returned to where it started, so I could carry it back down and place it back in the base unit to empty and recharge.

The eufy Omni E25 navigated corners and edges really well, stopping short of my wooden furniture and baseboards by a hair's breadth, meaning no bumps and scratches, but allowing for close cleaning.

It even managed to get in between the legs of my dining chairs (with enough force to slightly nudge them out of the way), as well as under my sofa without getting stuck – if you do encounter this problem, these easy ways to stop your robot vacuum getting stuck could help.

The corner rover arm did whip up most of the dust and debris stuck around the edges of the rooms, but this feature isn't faultless, as some larger debris was simply flicked too far away from the machine for it to register, meaning it gets missed. I do like that you can visibly see where it has vacuumed on carpeted floors – like stripes on a freshly mowed lawn – as it adds to that 'just cleaned' feeling.

Whilst the eufy Omni E25 coped well with the transition from my wooden parquet flooring to the central flat rug in my living room (auto-adjusting the suction power when it recognised the change of surface), it did struggle with my smaller, more lightweight rug, which has a fringed edge and got tangled in the brushes.

I followed the advice in the app to tuck it underneath, and the vacuum attempted to get up and over the edge before giving up and going around it, instead.

If you're concerned about noise, it's not loud – around 51-55dB for normal cleaning (which equates to 'quiet home' noise levels according to the decibelX app that I used), and 59dB at maximum in turbo mode. It certainly wasn't enough to interrupt my work or even a call if I closed the door. This is also considerably less than comparable robot vacuum models, like the Dreame X50 Ultra which runs at 73dB.

The mop function coped with day-to-day surface dirt well, but did struggle to remove more dried-on stains (like coffee) even after a few attempts on the same spot. Having said that, I think it did loosen the stains as they wiped cleanly away with a damp cloth afterwards. I also liked the fact that the floors weren't sopping wet after use, thanks to the excess water being vacuumed up, meaning they dried almost instantly.

It's a huge improvement on manual mopping.

Vacuuming Performance

I performed three specific suction tests (sugar, lentils, and cereal) on two different surface types (tile and carpet), to gauge how successfully the eufy Omni E25's vacuum function performed.

At Homes & Gardens, we carry out the same standardized vacuum tests to create an even playing field for comparing and rating performance.

Here's how the eufy Omni E25 got on.

Test 1: Sugar

I poured a quarter of a cup of sugar out onto my kitchen flooring for the first test to see how the eufy Omni E25 coped with fine debris. The thing I found most fiddly about this test was working out how to clean a small area. There is a spot cleaning function, but it's quite well hidden in the settings part of the app. This cleaned around a 2ft square area, but I did find it difficult to pinpoint where I actually wanted the vacuum to go.

I found the most effective option to be the remote control function, which gives you freedom to decide where the vacuum goes. With this option, I cleaned up most of the sugar, but some did get stuck in the grooves between my kitchen tiles, and I had to finish the job manually.

The same test on the carpet was more successful (no tile grooves to contend with), and the turbo suction cleared the fine sugar from my thick-pile carpet with ease, although it did need a few passes to get all the granules.

Test 2: Lentils

This time, I scattered a quarter of a cup of dried lentils on my tiled kitchen floor, ensuring some landed in the grooves and along the baseboards.

Using the remote control function again, the eufy Omni E25 crunched through the lentils, sucking up most of them, but quite a few were scattered further away thanks to the brushes on the corner rover arm.

When you're in spot cleaning mode, the vacuum doesn't detect the debris that has been flicked to the opposite side of the room, but with the manual controls, I was able to pick up all the loose lentils.

On the carpet, the performance was similar, and the lentils seemed to prove tricky to suck up from the thick pile, even in turbo mode. I did manage to clean up most of them, but the weight-to-size ratio of the lentils made this a more challenging task.

Test 3: Cereal

For the final vacuuming test, I spilt a quarter cup of O-shaped cereal on the kitchen floor and another on the carpet. Initially, the eufy Omni E25 backed up when it encountered some of the large pieces of cereal, acting as if they were objects to avoid (small Legos, perhaps) rather than clean up.

But when I switched to remote control mode, it actually coped better with this larger debris than with the lentils and crushed the cereal into a powder before sucking them up from the tiled flooring.

On the carpet, the odd few Os were flung into corners, but again the remote control function allowed me to go back and forth over the same area a few times to pick most of them up.

It's also worth noting that a few days (and a few bin empties) after all three tests, I was still finding remnants of sugar, lentils and cereal in the base unit, and when I took the filter out to clean it, there were lentils left in the vacuum's small dustbin compartment, indicating that they hadn't been sucked into the main unit, so I did have to empty it manually.

How It Performed on Hair

While this isn't a specific test, it's worth a mention here, as hair can be troublesome for vacuum cleaners, getting tangled in the brushes and negatively affecting performance. It's especially important if you own pets or have long-haired members of your household who are constantly shedding.

I fall into the latter category (no pets, but three long-haired family members, me included), and one of my most heinous chores involves taking apart my vacuum brushes to untangle handfuls of tightly wound hair from the mechanism.

I was interested to see how the eufy Omni E25 would tackle this, having read about its dual brushes, which claim to prevent tangling. Well, this was one of my favorite features.

When I turned the robot upside down after vacuuming the whole of my first floor (all carpet, and the worst offender when it comes to hair), the brushes were clean as a whistle. I picked out a very dense hairball that was in the middle of the brushes and about to be sucked up for disposal, and one or two of these were also dropped on my carpet during the process (which were easily popped in the trash), but – crucially – none in the brushes themselves.

I did notice a little bit of hair tangled around the wheels, though, which I had to unwind, but compared to the alternative, I can live with that.

Mopping Performance

To put the mopping power of the eufy Omni E25 to the test, I put it through its paces with Ketchup and mustard spills – the same tests Homes & Gardens use for all robot vacuums with a mop function. This helps us to make a fair comparison and you to decide what to spend your money on.

Test 1: Ketchup

The eufy Omni E25 features a built-in camera to detect stains. For this test, I squirted a quarter cup of ketchup across my tiled kitchen floor and set the mop to work. There's no mop-only function, so the only option is to vacuum and mop. Before it starts cleaning, the base station performs a mop clean in situ, dispensing clean water and cleaning fluid onto the roller.

While the robot did seem to detect the spillage, honing in on it (in the zone cleaning mode), it did leave a fairly substantial smear on the floor, with more between the tile grooves, before returning to the base station. Once a mopping task is complete, the base station auto-cleans the mop, and you have to wait until this is finished before starting another task. It then moves on to drying the mop, but you can interrupt this to do more cleaning, which is a good thing, as a full dry can take up to five hours.

I was able to start the mop again in remote control mode and cover the ground that it had missed before, but I still needed to wipe the remaining Ketchup up from between the tile grooves with a kitchen towel to complete the job.

Test 2: Mustard

The eufy Omni E25 did a good job of cutting through the thick mustard spillage (again, around a quarter cup's worth), on the tiled kitchen floor. It didn't seem to smear it around as much as it did with the ketchup, but it did still leave some in the grooves and a slight residue on the tiles.

When I flipped the vacuum over, I also discovered a fairly sustantial about of ketchup and mustard in the brush and the tread of the wheels. This was a concern as I didn't want to risk vacuuming the rest of my home afterwards, without thoroughly cleaning off the residue, for fear of smearing sticky sauce on my other floors and carpets.

Whilst in general I really like the mop function of this robot vacuum, and think it's really effective at day-to-day cleaning, I think it has some way to go in terms of being effective at spot cleaning. It's also worth noting that the spot clean and remote control options aren't available in mop mode, so you'll need to rely on full room or zone cleaning to tackle spills like this.

How Does the eufy Omni E25 Compare?

The only difference that you'll find the eufy Omni E25 and its upgraded sister model, the eufy Omni E28, which we're in the process of reviewing, is the lack of a detachable portable deep cleaner, which puts the price tag up by $100.

This would be useful for tackling problem areas and dried-on stains, but it depends on what you're looking for in a robot vacuum and how much you want to spend.

If you do like the versatility of having a stick and handheld vac as well, you might want to try the eufy 3-in-1 E20, which includes all three options that share a canister for dust collection. It's around half the price and will save on storage compared to three completely separate items, but the robot vacuum power is considerably lower than the eufy Omni E25, with 8,000pa compared to 20,000pa.

The eufy Omni S1 Pro is a good bet if you have cats or dogs. This robot vacuum still comes highly recommended for pet hair, by Home Tech Editor Dan Fauzi, despite being an older and less powerful model.

But, the eufy Omni E25 swings it for me thanks to the higher suction power (20,000pa vs 8,000pa), more rotations per minute, and the improved detangling brushes, as well as for its more compact base station (the S1 stands at over 26" tall, compared to the E15 at 17"). The E25 is also $200 cheaper, so it's a win-win. It can often be discounted by hundreds of dollars at a time during retailer events, so look out for good deals.

If you have a lot of hard flooring, you'd do well to check out the newer, but more budget-friendly eufy Omni C28, which has similar functionality but slightly lower suction power (15,000pa), for around half the price of the E25.

As for other brands, the Dreame X50 Ultra comes at a similar price point to the eufy Omni E25, and our reviewer said it offered 'outstanding' cleaning performance, was 'a breeze to set up,' and she liked its 'lightweight design'. It's a bit louder at 73db, compared to the much quieter eufy Omni E25, which maxed 55db on turbo mode. But if that's not an issue, this is a good alternative.

How I Tested the eufy Omni E25

At Homes & Gardens, we have a dedicated and thorough procedure for how we test vacuums. We recreate real-life circumstances by putting each vacuum through its paces, making note of how it performs with different substances on different surfaces.

I tested the eufy Omni E25 with sugar, lentils, and cereal on both hard and carpeted floors, using various vacuuming modes (from spot cleaning to zone cleaning and remote control) to find the most effective, and recorded how successful it was at vacuuming each substance. I noted down any issues and where the vacuum struggled or excelled in my home, and took photos and videos to give an accurate representation of daily performance over the course of two weeks.

To test the mopping functionality of the eufy Omni E25, I spilled ketchup and mustard on a tiled kitchen floor, and recorded how effectively it cleaned the spillages up. I noted whether it left smears or residue between tiles and whether it required an additional clean to finish the job, as well as what was left on the vacuum after the task was complete.

Once you've mastered using the eufy Omni E25, (or a different model, if you prefer), you'll want to know how to clean your robot vacuum to ensure it performs at it best and lasts for as long as possible.

The Yeedi M16 Infinity robot vacuum is one of the most feature-packed automated floor cleaners you can buy, with its advanced roller mop, hot-water self-washing capabilities, and intelligent cleaning options making light work of even the toughest stains on my floors.

It quite easily ranks among the best robot vacuum cleaners available, even if it’s a bit large.

At a retail price of $999, it’s expensive, but not nearly as expensive as competitors, from Dreame and eufy, and has been seen on sale for as low as $599 in the two months since it launched.

One-Minute Summary

For those who like to take full control of their house cleaning, the Yeedi M16 is for you. Not only does it offer superb vacuum and mopping performance, but the app also allows you to customize a wide range of settings to help you find the perfect cleaning setup for your home.

Like most other flagship robot vacuums from the past several months, it uses a new roller-style mop that delivers a much better clean than the traditional pad or scrubber mops. The dock completely cleans the vacuum, both emptying the dust and thoroughly washing the mop during and after each mopping run, saving you from having to complete the dirty jobs yourself and preventing odors from building.

It is simple to set up and use, and is quite intelligent about mapping and avoiding obstacles. It’s not perfect, and it's best to first remove smaller toys and clutter from floors before commenting on a clean.

While the plethora of options and settings in the app are great for fine-tuning your cleaning regimen, it can also be quite overwhelming for someone just wanting to set and forget it. Overall, it’s a great option for families who need some low-maintenance automated cleaning help.

Specifications

Setup

Setting up the Yeedi M16 Infinity was quite simple. I was pleased to see a very minimal amount of styrofoam in the box, with all the components well packaged. I was less pleased to see the lack of additional accessories included. Aside from a bottle of cleaning solution, there’s nothing else included. Even the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal, which was quite light on accessories as well, came with an extra side brush.

Once unboxed, the setup process in the Yeedi app is simple. Connect to your home Wi-Fi, tap through a few screens, and you’re ready to begin mapping. The mapping process was surprisingly quick and took less than 10 minutes to get through my entire 1-story, 1,800 sq. ft. home.

It is recommended to fully charge the vacuum before mapping your home for the first time, but you could manage it on less battery if you needed to. The app also recommends cleaning up the floors and moving curtains and such, but I noticed it only really moved through the middle of each room and spanned around to scan, so you won’t need completely bare floors to get up and running.

Design and Features

I personally like the design of the Yeedi M16 Infinity. The slightly two-tone white and beige color, combined with the matte finish, looks very premium and looks much better than many of the cheap black plastic-looking models.

It's a bit larger than some other models on the market, so if you're worried about it fitting into smaller spaces, make sure to check the dimensions of the spot you intend to place it in, my specifications table above.

The vacuum itself has only a large button on top with a panel that lifts to access the power and reset buttons, and the removable dust bin.

Around back are the charging connectors as well as the dock connections for emptying and refilling the mop water and emptying the dust bin. Underneath are the wheels, side brush, roller brush, and extendable roller mop. The Yeedi M16 Infinity is a bit thicker than some other models I’ve tested, but it never had a problem getting under my furniture.

The dock contains the dirty and clean water tanks on top, and popping off the front door reveals the disposable dust bag. The bottom of the dock, where the robot sits, houses the mop washing system, which is impressive at cleaning the mop roller thoroughly, so you don't have to. There’s also a tank for the cleaning solution.

The Yeedi app is where most of the controls live for the vacuum. From here, you can create cleaning schedules and fine-tune the way your vacuum cleans your home. When you select the Yeedi M16 Infinity in the app, the first thing you’re greeted with under the map is an option to immediately start a clean or to turn on Agent Mode.

Agent Mode uses AI to intelligently build cleaning patterns based on the cleanliness of your home and when you typically send it to clean. After a few uses, the app will automatically set whether to just vacuum or vacuum and mop, which suction power to use, the water flow rate for mopping, and a variety of other settings you would normally set manually.

The idea is that the Yeedi M16 Infinity will learn your home and your cleaning schedules and patterns, to quickly make the process even more hands-off over time.

In my testing, this worked pretty well but I have young children, which means lots of unpredictable messes. I had to exit out of Agent Mode to manually adjust settings, probably every three or four times I sent it to clean to better suit my household's floorcare needs.

In the same place where you turn on Agent Mode in the app, you can switch tabs between the vacuum and dock settings. Up front, you can tell the station to empty the dust bin, wash or dry the mop, and both tabs take you to more advanced settings at the bottom.

This is one area where the Yeedi M16 Infinity sets itself apart from the pack. There are more options in the settings menu for both the vacuum and the dock than I’ve ever seen in all my years of testing the latest robot vacuums.

There are all the expected settings like scheduling, auto-resume, do not disturb, and more, but Yeedi also gives you several additional useful options, like letting you select the order of rooms to clean, suction settings for the type of carpet you have, and even the sensitivity of obstacle sensing.

Most people won’t need to change the default settings, but it is impressive to see just how deeply you can customize the settings on the Yeedi M16 Ultra.

Vacuuming Performance and Tests

To test the vacuuming performance of the Yeedi M16 Infinity, I ran a series of our pantry tests using sugar, lentils, and cereal to represent fine, medium, and large debris.

Starting with tiled floors, I spread a bit of granulated sugar in a small area, but was sure to put some near the edge of the wall to see how well it could reach there. The results were not surprising; the Yeedi M16 Infinity picked up all the sugar in the first pass with no issues.

One thing I appreciated is that by default, the vacuum will clean long-ways across the area, then double back and clean in a perpendicular direction. This ensured that even the sugar that had fallen into the cracks of my tile was picked up, which is not something I can say for many other vacuums I’ve tested.

The lentils were also cleared away well, though, being large, some were pushed around a bit during the vacuuming. However, it did get them all in the first pass, and there were none left behind or pinged out of the cleaning path.

Cereal presented the hardest challenge on my tile floors, but again, the Yeedi M16 Infinitely performed admirably. As with the lentils, some of the cereal pieces got pushed around a bit on the tile while cleaning, and it missed a few on the first run.

However, the vacuum continued to clean the area until all the cereal was gone. If you typically deal with larger-sized debris like cereal, our best Dyson alternatives also handle large debris quite well.

My rugs offered a bit more of a challenge for the Yeedi M16 infinity, but once again, I was impressed with the results. On the standard suction, I could still see a few sugar granules left in the carpet after the first pass, but using stronger suction, it cleaned them up fine.

Once again, the lentils were picked up with no issues. It did push a few around again, but the extra pass got everything. Vacuuming in both directions in one pass provides an extra thoroughness I don't often see with other vacuums.

As expected, cereal debris presented the toughest challenge for vacuuming on the rug, but once again, I was impressed with Yeedi M16 Infinity's performance.

I had to run two passes to get it all picked up, but nothing was left behind after the second pass. Admittedly, I also spilled more on the floor than is likely to be the case with a typical spill, but it still shows the cleaning power of this robot.

Max suction power is typically only necessary for cleaning thick carpets or rugs, but I did run it just to see how it was, and it was honestly a bit loud. Granted, it would be quieter on a thick carpet, but it was still louder than I expected it to be at 88 decibels, which is as loud as a motorcycle.

Standard suction, which is the mode I most often left it on, registered at 66 decibels via the DecibelX app.

If you're more sensitive to noise and don't have much carpet, you might prefer one of the best cordless vacuums, which often offer quieter operation on area rugs.

Mopping Performance

For the mopping tests, I used ketchup and mustard to simulate stickier substances that might trip up some robot cleaners. Also, instead of cleaning the entire floor, I did a spot clean in only the area where the stain was. I was pleased to see that you can adjust the size of the spot cleaning depending on the size of the mess.

Also, similar to the Yeedi S14 Plus from late last year, the roller mop brush extends out from the side of the vacuum to get into all the corners and edges, which was much more effective than I thought it would be.

The Yeedi M16 Infinity had no problems cleaning up the ketchup. In just one pass, it cleaned up the entire spill without any residual mess left behind. This is the first vacuum I’ve tested with a roller mop instead of a pad mop, and I have to say it makes quite a difference.

Other vacuums have still been able to clean up similar messes, but not nearly as well as the M16 Infinity. Some, like the eufy X10 Pro Omni we have reviewed, didn't manage to clear ketchup and smeared it around. This performance from the Yeedi shouldn't be underestimated.

What impressed me most about the Yeedi M16 Infinity was how well it handled the mustard. Mustard is a thicker, oilier substance than ketchup, which makes it harder to clean, and it often leaves a smell behind.

With other vacuums, it took at least two, sometimes three passes for all the mustard to be cleaned up, but the Yeedi handled it in one go. I was truly impressed with just how well it cleaned.

One thing to note is that the M16 Infinity returns to the dock to clean the mop much more frequently than other mops I’ve seen. You can adjust this a bit in the settings if you want, but personally, I prefer it. It may take a few extra minutes to finish clearing, but it ensures the mess is cleaned more thoroughly, and it helps keep the mop from staining.

Overall, it performed better than most other vacuums I’ve tested, and for mopping your floors daily, it will do a superb job. This might make it particularly useful if you have lots of hard floors or have pets to contend with when keeping your house clean.

Ease of Maintenance

One of the biggest benefits of robot vacuum cleaners is that they mostly take care of themselves, and the Yeedi M16 Ultra does just as good a job at that as all the other top robot vacuums we’ve tested.

The OMNI dock empties the dust bin and dirty water after every clean and even washes the mop roller as well. The docking area would sometimes show pet hair or other dirt left behind from the cleaning, but that stuff never ended up back out on my floors.

My wife has long hair, which can often be a robot vacuum’s biggest challenge, but after a couple of weeks of testing, I never had to cut hair off from the vacuum brushes, which proves its anti-tangle technology is working exactly as expected. Even so, regularly checking the brushes as part of regularly cleaning your robot vacuum is a good idea.

Emptying and refilling the water tanks is very simple, as they both easily slide in and out from the top of the OMNI dock. I do miss the bag-less dustbin of the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal, as it’s easier to maintain and I have fewer parts to purchase, but having to replace the bag is just part of having a robot vacuum, and it’s certainly easier than having to vacuum the house myself.

Unfortunately, like the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal, replacement parts are not easy to purchase directly from the app. This is likely due, in part, to how new the vacuum is to the market, and thankfully, there are easy-to-find parts on Amazon, and the app notifies you when it’s time to replace them, but it’s still a bit annoying not to be able to purchase in-app.

Overall, the Yeedi M16 Infinity, even with having to empty the bags and manage the water buckets, cut my cleaning time effort by at least 80-90%.

How Does the Yeedi M16 Infinity Compare?

The Yeedi M16 Infinity cleans exceptionally well and has more than enough features and settings to give you a fantastic cleaning setup. The launch price was $999, but we’ve seen it for as low as $599, and the current listed retail price on Amazon is $799.

That’s almost the same price as another one of our favorite vacuums, the eufy Omni S1 Pro, but the Yeedi M16 looks a bit more premium and has more features and settings options.

Another favorite, the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra, typically runs closer to $1,200, but it also includes a roller mop that physically cleans itself while in use, so it does a better job of mopping.

How I Tested the Yeedi M16 Infinity

We’ve built a robust approach to how we test vacuums to ensure that every appliance we review endures the same in-depth and unbiased performance and benchmark tests. We also live with and regularly use the products for several weeks, giving us a good look at what it's like to have them in our homes.

I tested the Yeedi M16 Infinity for about three weeks in my single-family home with two adults, two young children, and a large dog.

I used the same materials for each test, including sugar, lentils, and cereal to represent fine, medium, and large particles as well as ketchup and mustard to represent a variety of liquid stains. Noise levels were measured using the DecibelX app, and I used a mixture of the scheduling and manual cleaning modes.

This process gave me a comprehensive look at how effectively it can replace the bulk of manual vacuuming and mopping chores around my house.

Next, explore our best vacuums for pet hair to better remove dust, fur and dander from your floors.

Whether you have a dedicated mop and broom storage space or a little corner that houses these and other long-handled cleaning tools, you’ve probably felt the irritation that these clatter-prone items bring when they just won’t stay put.

I have allocated a dedicated storage area for almost everything, but mops and cleaning brushes are the rogue items that get tucked next to the fridge, end up behind the door, or lean against something, but always fall over or end up underfoot.

I’ve recently picked up these no-drill wall-mounted broom holders from Amazon, and they’re perfect for organizing the kitchen or a utility room with minimal DIY skills or time.

The rust-resistant stainless steel wall mount can help square away your mops, long-armed cleaning tools, microfiber dusters, and more. It also has four handy hooks in between each pincer, which is perfect for drying cleaning rags, storing spare bags, or aprons.

This nifty little addition not only keeps your items from cluttering up space in and around your kitchen, utility room, and pantry, but also creates a simple organizing system that allows everyone in the household to keep the space tidy, moving forward.

Having spoken to hundreds of cleaning experts and professional organizers, a lack of a system that everyone can easily keep up with is the home organizing mistake that leads to never-ending clutter around the house.

Giving your cleaning tools permanent housing that is convenient to use and stays firmly on the wall will create a floor care and chore station that will serve your household for years to come.

The downside with mounted adhesive hooks is that if you use them too soon, before the adhesive has cured to the wall, gravity will more often than not win, and then that sticky surface will not typically restick a second time.

My advice, if using the adhesive option on the Voze mounts from Amazon, is that regardless of what the instructions say, install them, press firmly to remove any air bubbles, then leave them for 24-48 hours before loading.

Leaving it to properly stick to the surface will allow the firmest and longest-lasting bond. I have tried and tested this method myself, and have adhesive caddies in my shower that have stayed up for more than five years, wall hooks to expand storage in my busy coat closet that are fully loaded with heavy items and never budge, and pot lid holders inside a kitchen cabinet that have stayed put for a year.

This technique is the best way to ensure it stays on the wall and doesn’t pull off immediately upon use.

What Shoppers Say

Rated an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon by nearly 2000 shoppers, this item comes highly recommended by those who have purchased it. It’s also marked as Amazon’s Choice, which is a label that only Amazon can award, and digital shops on the marketplace cannot pay to use. It indicates the item is highly rated, rarely returned, and usually in stock.

Customer photos from verified shoppers show them in use all over the home and on various surfaces, including tiles and plaster.

A recent verified shopper, Bree, gave it the full five marks for being ‘super strong and great for organizing.’ They explain, ‘This mop and broom holder works amazingly well! The adhesive is very strong and holds all my cleaning tools securely without slipping. I love that it comes with 5 racks and 4 hooks – it gives plenty of space to organize mops, brooms, dusters, and even small items like brushes.

'Installation was quick and effortless, and it instantly made my laundry room look cleaner and more organized. The quality feels solid and durable, and everything stays in place. Highly recommend for anyone needing extra storage or wanting to tidy up their cleaning supplies!’

It can also hold more than your standard lightweight mop. Shopper A.M.Whittemore says, ‘The metal rack is very sturdy, strong enough to hold large brooms and mops. We installed it with the screws provided. Love the hooks to hold small items. I would definitely recommend this item and would buy it again.’

What to Shop

Keeping on top of your home’s housekeeping schedule requires the right tools, adequate storage, and some clever organizers to keep essentials accessible without excess clutter.

I have curated some useful items to help.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Upgrading to one of the best robot vacuums or a vacuum-mop could mean you say goodbye to mops altogether and either automate this endless chore, or combine it with vacuuming to half the time you spend sanitizing your floors.

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The Dyson V16 Piston Animal is the latest cordless vacuum from Dyson, with higher suction power than any previous model.

It introduces a new conical floorhead design, a dust compressor, and a suite of usability improvements to make it a thorough but effortless floorcare solution.

I tested the Dyson V16 Piston Animal in my own home after a dog stayed over the weekend, to see how well it handles every kind of mess on every type of surface. The result? This is one of the best cordless vacuums out there, if you can afford it.

My One-Minute Summary

The Dyson V16 Piston Animal pulled hair, dust, dirt, and all manner of debris out of my carpets, upholstery and floors, thanks to its super-strong suction and a new, robust floorhead design.

The dust illumination is just as effective as in previous models, revealing hidden particles that you can't normally see, and it adapts its suction and brush speed to the surface you're vacuuming and to how dirty it is.

Being able to compress the contents of the dust bin is useful while you're cleaning, to make the most of the space, but also when emptying, to make sure everything falls out without having to get your hands dirty.

However, it's not perfect, as occasionally debris would be flung behind the floorhead when vacuuming, meaning I would have to go over the area again. This is somewhat of a disappointment, as previous Dysons have never had this issue, but it's one that is easily manageable if you're prepared to catch a few stray crumbs.

It's also expensive, costing $979 at full price. So, if you're looking for something cheaper but with similar cleaning prowess, I'd recommend the Dyson V11 or the Dyson V15 Detect.

Dyson V16 Piston Animal: Specifications

Dyson V16 Piston Animal: Design and Features

Moving away from the grey color schemes of previous models, the V16 Piston Animal introduces a bolder, black aesthetic, paired with a striking red and blue floorhead.

There are many similarities to previous Dyson vacuums such as the Dyson V11 and the Dyson V15 Detect, but with a few notable improvements.

Like previous models, the V16 Piston Animal has a lifetime washable HEPA filter and Dyson's signature cyclone engineering, and the attachments are the same (which is great, as Dyson's vacuum attachments are among the best).

One of the most notable improvements is the suction power. Reaching 315 air watts (compared to the V15 Detect's 240 and the V11's 185), it has the strongest suction out of any cordless Dyson.

I tested the airflow myself using an anemometer, and it reached a maximum 23.4mph, 1.5mph higher than the V15 Detect, but still not quite as strong as the corded Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog, which can go up to 33mph.

The new conical floorhead is another step away from previous Dysons. Instead of having two separate floorheads – a soft one for hard floors and a bristled one for carpet – the V16 Piston Animal combines them into one, to avoid swapping them out mid-clean.

The new floorhead promises no hair wrap, too, although Dyson has always excelled in this regard, and their vacuums consistently top our best vacuums for pet hair guide.

The dustbin has a new compressor lever to make the most of the 1.37qt capacity. Unlike the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones that uses air to compress dust, the V16 Piston Animal has a grey lever that you pull with your hands to compact the dust, which also makes it easier to empty.

The Dyson V16 Piston Animal also has app compatibility. If you pair with the MyDyson app, you can view recent cleaning sessions, check battery health, and manually adjust brush speed and dust illumination.

This is useful, but by no means essential. It also requires location access and access to devices on your local network, so if you’re protective of your data, you can easily skip this step without losing any functionality.

What is the Dyson V16 Piston Animal Like to Use?

The V16 Piston Animal's cleaning performance is outstanding on every surface, and Dyson has introduced new features to make cleaning your home easier, while keeping the features from previous models that already worked well.

The Dyson V16 Piston Animal detects what's on your floors to automatically adjust the suction, brushroll speed, and whether the dust-revealing light is on.

When cleaning carpets, the suction will rise, the brushroll will speed up, and the light will turn off, as the green laser has little use on soft, bumpy surfaces.

On hard floors, the suction will lower, and the brushroll will slow down to preserve battery life, as hard floors don't require strong suction – and the light will turn on to reveal dust that your naked eye can't normally see (genuinely). But if the vacuum detects a high volume of dust, the suction will ramp up again to clean it thoroughly.

This intuitive design makes it seamless to use throughout your home, and I enjoyed not having to fiddle with any settings to make sure the vacuum was constantly cleaning at its best.

The dust-revealing laser is a feature that I've touted from Dyson time and time again, as it genuinely does make a huge difference knowing whether your floor is truly clean. No other vacuum, even the best Dyson alternatives, has achieved dust illumination this effective.

I tested the V16 Piston Animal's noise levels using the DecibelX app, and it reaches a maximum of 74.2 decibels and can go as quiet as 65.6 decibels. This is standard for cordless vacuums, sounding similar to a busy restaurant.

I like the new floorhead design, and it saves time not having to swap them out while cleaning. My current Dyson has two floorheads, but when doing quick cleans, I would often avoid swapping out the attachments to save time, meaning I was missing out on cleaning performance. So, in real terms, the V16 Piston Animal makes those quick clean-ups easier.

Another nice touch is the grip pad on the back of the battery, so when you lean the vacuum against a wall, it becomes quite hard for it to topple over.

My minor complaints are that it's hard to reach the power button with the same hand that's vacuuming, and it isn't as good at cleaning backwards as it is forward.

But really, this is an outstanding cordless vacuum cleaner that brings the ease, convenience, and strong cleaning power you would expect at this high price point.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

I tested the Dyson V16 Piston Animal using our standardized vacuum tests, which include a half cup of flour and sugar. This test assesses a vacuum's ability to pick up fine material such as dust, dander, and pollen.

On carpets, everything was picked up in two passes. Almost everything was vacuumed in the first, but the brushroll actually made some smaller sugar pieces bounce backwards, past the opening, meaning I had to go back and vacuum again. This could pose a risk of certain household allergens not being cleaned when it appears that they have been.

On hard floors, virtually all was vacuumed in one pass, with a clean line through the pile on both auto and boost. But again, a few tiny particles were flung backwards, which I had to go back and vacuum. I have never faced this issue with previous Dyson floorhead designs, such as the Dyson V11 and Dyson V12 Detect Slim.

Test 2: Pantry

I also tested the Dyson V16 Piston Animal using a cup of cereal and lentils to evaluate its ability to vacuum medium and large debris, including common household messes such as kitchen spills, dried mud, and pet kibble.

When vacuuming carpet, a noticeable amount was flung backwards. This is a stark downgrade from the Dyson V15 Detect, and somewhat of a disappointment considering the V15 Detect performed flawlessly in this regard. I adjusted the floorhead opening in both configurations, but lentils were flung backwards either way.

Strong performance on hard floors. It easily vacuumed the large debris, and almost everything was vacuumed in one pass, minus the few parts that were flung backwards.

If you're looking for a hard floor vacuum, the Shark PowerDetect Cordless and Dyson V12 Detect Slim are affordable alternatives that vacuum without sending debris backwards.

Test 3: Hair

Fortunately, the weekend before testing the Dyson V16 Piston Animal, I was looking after my friend's Labrador, and as it's currently shedding season, my house was full of short dog hair on our carpets and upholstery.

Also, three of the people in my home have medium to long hair that finds itself on every surface around the house, so I was able to test the V16 Piston Animal's anti-tangle claims, as well as its performance at pulling hair out of soft surfaces.

The V16 Piston Animal performed brilliantly. It ramped up the suction whenever it was cleaning carpet, pulling up every visible strand of hair in one or two passes every time.

I have continued using the V16 Piston Animal as my home's primary vacuum since the initial testing session, and a week later, it has never wrapped with hair. Moreover, the dustbin compressor meant that hair never gets stuck inside when emptying.

I would easily recommend it as one of the best vacuums for pet hair.

Test 4: Attachments

The Dyson V16 Piston Animal includes a dusting brush, crevice tool, and motorized hair screw tool. They're the same as in previous Dyson models – which is to say, highly effective at their respective uses.

With just two sweeps, I was able to clear almost every speck of dust from a hard-to-reach baseboard (as seen in the video above). Baseboards can be one of the most difficult cleaning tasks, so being able to clean them with minimal effort is a game-changer.

The crevice tool sucked up dust and debris from my stairs in one or two passes, and the hair screw tool performed almost effortlessly to pull up hair and dirt from my upholstery.

Dyson V16 Piston Animal: Setup and Maintenance

I appreciated that the Dyson V16 Piston Animal included zero plastic wrapping, minus a few stickers on the parts themselves. Everything was held together using cardboard molds, with paper bags to prevent scratching.

The only setup required was to charge the vacuum to full before the first use, which took 1.5 hours, and to then attach the wand and floorhead to the vacuum cleaner – the V16 Piston Animal is then ready to use to deep clean your home.

Maintenance is straightforward, too. The HEPA filter is washable, meaning you'll never have to buy another to replace it, and it can be cleaned simply by shaking dust loose and rinsing under cold water until the water runs clear. It's recommended to do this once a month.

The MyDyson app will alert you to any other maintenance issues, and the vacuum itself will tell you if there's a blockage. This happened once during testing, but as soon as I emptied the dustbin, the blockage was cleared.

The dustbin is easier to empty than most cordless vacuums, thanks to the dust compressor lever that pushes the contents out swiftly. It avoids the frustrating task of having to pull trapped hair and dirt out of the container.

How Does the Dyson V16 Piston Animal Compare?

The Dyson V16 Piston Animal will be released on June 2 in the US, costing $979 at Dyson. That makes it one of the most expensive cordless vacuums on the market, topped only by the Dyson Gen5detect and the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra.

The Dyson V15 Detect is our current best-on-test cordless vacuum, costing $849.99 at Dyson, but often discounted to as low as $549.99. Its cleaning performance is essentially on par with the V16 Piston Animal, even though the V16 has higher suction, as the V15 Detect doesn't have the issue of debris being flung backwards. If you're looking to save some money, I'd recommend the V15 Detect.

The Dyson V11 is another strong choice. It doesn't have the smart, floor detection features, but it cleans impressively well, leaving very little behind (if anything) on the first pass, every time. It costs $659.99 at Dyson, but is often discounted to as low as $449.99.

Next, see which models top our rigorously tested guides of the best robot vacuums on the market.

The Dyson PencilWash is a sleek, lightweight hard floor cleaner that promises clean floors with minimal effort, using only fresh water and a fast-spinning mop roller. It's one of Dyson's latest releases that focuses primarily on hard floor cleaning.

On test, the Dyson PencilWash certainly lived up to its name as a near-effortless appliance to use, but its cleaning performance left much to be desired. However, if you're looking for a gentle cleaner to handle daily messes on your hard floors between your weekly cleans, then this is perfect.

If you're in the market for one of the best vacuum-mop combos to streamline vacuuming and mopping for truly spotless floors, the PencilWash may not be for you – and I'd recommend other models from Dreame and Tineco that have shone from our rigorous testing sessions.

My One-Minute Summary

The Dyson PencilWash is a smooth, maneuverable wet floor cleaner that is so lightweight and nimble, it almost feels like it's an extension of your arm. It's sleeker than other vacuum-mop combos out there, and its metallic, bronzed aesthetic would make a nice addition to a kitchen or laundry room.

However, it's only really useful as a light, gentle cleaner. It can't handle thick spillages easily, nor can it pick up medium or large debris. It takes repeated passes to clean stains, and its suction is a little poor when it comes to picking up residue that's stuck between any cracks.

In reality, this means you'll still need your best vacuum cleaner, as well as a regular mop, to be able to deeply sanitize your floors.

At a similar price, I would recommend the Dreame H14 Pro or the Tineco Floor One Strech S6. Both vacuum-mops clean much more thoroughly, while being less messy to empty, and with a charging station that cleans and dries the mop roller to avoid bacteria buildup.

Dyson PencilWash: Specifications

Dyson PencilWash: Design and Features

The Dyson PencilWash is a slimmer, more stylish vacuum-mop than those popularized by brands such as Dreame, Tineco and Bissell. It has a sleek, metallic aesthetic, with a bronzed orange wand that will blend nicely into chic kitchen interiors and laundry rooms.

Other than the floorhead and the coloring, it's designed almost the same as the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones, Dyson's latest and slimmest cordless vacuum:

Both models are part of Dyson's latest push to release sleek appliances that can easily blend into the home, take up minimal storage space, and are lightweight and effortless to use.

Like most vacuum-mop combos, the PencilWash has multiple suction modes, but only two: Normal and MAX. There is no dirt detection, so it won't adjust its cleaning based on how dirty your floors are.

Instead, when you need to spot clean stubborn stains, press the MAX button, and the roller will clean using more water for five seconds. Or, you can hold it down to use for longer.

The Dyson PencilWash is designed to be used with just water, but you can use the Dyson 02 Probiotic Hard Floor Cleaning Solution (that costs $23.99) for a more thorough clean. It isn't included with the initial purchase.

The roller spins while being continually refreshed by clean water from eight hydration points, while a fine scraper removes dirty water and debris with every spin.

The Dyson PencilWash keeps all clean and dirty water within the floorhead, so it doesn't move up through the machine, eliminating the need for a filter and minimizing potential durability issues.

However, this means that the water tanks are tiny. Compared to the 20-30 fluid ounces you'd typically expect for each tank, the PencilWash has a 10.1 fl. oz. clean tank and an 11.5 fl. oz. dirty tank.

The vacuum has a maximum runtime of 30 minutes, and charges on the charging dock in around two hours.

What is the Dyson PencilWash Like to Use?

The Dyson PencilWash has the best manoeuvrability out of any vacuum-mop I've tested. The straight handle offers natural, controlled movements, swivelling around objects and into tight spaces with ease.

That, in my view, is this vacuum's greatest strength. It's a lightweight and nimble appliance that can swiftly mop hard floors, removing light debris and liquid spills.

But after testing the Dyson PencilWash throughout my home, which has a mix of tile, wood, and laminate flooring, I felt that it was only carrying out a light clean.

On normal mode, it felt as if the mop roller wasn't cleaning as thoroughly as a regular mop. There was occasionally a thin, dry gap in the cleaning path, showing that the wet roller wasn't always consistently touching the floor, and afterwards, the floor still felt a little sticky, and by no means sanitized.

This may be improved with the addition of the Dyson 02 Probiotic Hard Floor Cleaner, but even if so, the suction wasn't strong enough to pick up many visible pieces of debris on my floor. Onion peels, crumbs, and other debris were either left on the floor after repeated passes or sucked up only to fall back out of the floorhead minutes later.

I wouldn't rely on the PencilWash to be your home's only wet floor cleaner, which may be somewhat excessive considering the $350 price point. But, if you're happy to always vacuum first, and perhaps spray some of your own cleaning solution on the floor to help with the deep clean, then the PencilWash could make a sleek, easy-to-use addition to your cleaning toolkit.

Dyson PencilWash: Cleaning Tests

I tested the Dyson PencilWash using our standardized vacuum-mop tests, to assess its ability to clean up messes of different consistencies and sizes. This includes ketchup, mustard, chunky pasta sauce, a raw egg and its shell, and milk and cereal.

I first attempted to clean the ketchup and mustard stains in normal mode, but a significant amount of residue was left behind. But unfortunately, in MAX mode, the results were quite similar.

The PencilWash cleaned the majority of the mustard in about four passes, but it then took a lot longer (and cleaning from different angles) to get the mustard that was between the cracks. Plus, watery mustard residue seeped out of the floorhead, meaning I had to go over the patch a few more times to make sure that was cleared, too.

This problem persisted when cleaning ketchup, too. As the vacuum passed through the ketchup stain, mustard residue spilled out of the floorhead again. This is indicative of the dirty tank design. It isn't completely self-contained; rather, it is essentially a drip tray with no secure lid, allowing dirty liquid to easily spill out.

The stain removal performance on the ketchup and pasta sauce was similar to that of cleaning mustard. Most of it was cleared in three passes, but it took longer to vacuum between the cracks and what had spilled out of the floorhead.

Attempting to clean the egg, milk and cereal demonstrated how poorly the PencilWash handles debris. Granted, these can be challenging tests for even the most robust vacuum-mops, such as the Dreame H14 Pro, but the PencilWash was virtually unable to vacuum any eggshell pieces or cereal crumbs, leaving me to wash the entire floorhead by hand to remove the stuck-on mess.

To summarise, the PencilWash can clear sauce spillages faster than your regular mop, but for any debris, you'd be better off cleaning it by hand.

Dyson PencilWash: Setup and Maintenance

Setting up the PencilWash was a quick process. Attach the handle to the main wand, insert it into the charging base, and plug it in until fully charged (for me, this took two hours).

The charging dock doesn't clean or dry the roller. Instead, the floorhead must be removed and placed into a separate drip tray (pictured above), while the 'Pencil' wand attaches to the charging station.

This doubles the floor space needed to store the vacuum. But more importantly, it makes the floorhead more easily prone to unwanted odors, bacteria and mold growth.

Dyson recommends that you rinse the roller and the floorhead parts after each use, however there's no way to do so without getting your hands dirty:

The dirty water tank is essentially the entire bottom of the floorhead, so all of the vacuumed-up mess gets into every part. Each part is small and needs to be taken apart by hand.

Thoroughly cleaning the floorhead after every use would undoubtedly minimize the risk of smells and bacteria growth, but as it's such a messy process, this would naturally be an off-putting step for many, especially when alternative models such as the Dreame H14 Pro and the Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 can be emptied and rinsed largely without having to touch the mess yourself.

That said, every part is small and therefore easy to rinse with minimal splashing, even if you have a small sink.

How Does the Dyson PencilWash Compare?

The Dyson PencilWash costs $349.99 at Dyson. That's more affordable than the $600 to $800 you can typically expect to pay for flagship models from brands such as Dreame and Tineco, but still quite a high price when you consider the PencilWash's lackluster cleaning performance.

The Dreame H14 Pro, our best-on-test vacuum-mop, cost $699.99 when released, but now you can find it for around $350 to $450 at Dreame. It cleans more thoroughly than the PencilWash in every way – handling thick spillages and large debris as easily as small stains – and it also self-dries the mop roller to avoid bacteria growth and odors.

The Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 is another great option, with similar maneuverability to the PencilWash, including the ability to lie completely flat. It costs $349 at Tineco, and again, cleans more effectively than the PencilWash, with more robust debris pickup, and a less messy emptying mechanism.

For more vacuum shopping advice, learn how the best robot vacuums from our rigorous testing sessions can make your weekly cleans less intensive.

The Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal robot vacuum uses unique technology to show you just how dirty your floors really are. It's the dream for anybody passionate about immaculate floors.

It has many of the same capabilities as the best robot vacuums available, but the added UV light helps identify and clean even the toughest stains, and ones you might not have known were lingering on your floor.

The Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal is certainly one of the more expensive options out there, but its unique features are genuinely useful, and its cleaning power is outstanding. It’s certainly not without its flaws, however.

One-Minute Summary

The Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal is designed for those who have an extra passion for clean floors. Most robot vacuums will clean the floors well, but the PowerDetect UV Reveal will actually show you the dirt and stains you can’t see as it cleans them.

Like most high-end robot vacuum cleaners, it will both vacuum and mop your floors, but I particularly appreciate how the mop actually scrubs the floor instead of simply dragging the mop pad around, as many less expensive robots do. The mop pad on the PowerDetect UV Reveal vibrates back and forth and can even extend out to the sides for robust corner cleaning.

The docking station empties the dustbin and washes the mop automatically, and I enjoy the included odor neutralizer that keeps the dirty mop water from smelling too strong when it’s time to empty.

It navigates the house well after the initial mapping run, and I was impressed with how high the body lifts up to overcome obstacles like moving from my hardwood living room to the tile kitchen. Shark’s 'NeverStuck Technology' certainly lives up to its name.

It’s not perfect, though. It’s a bit noisier than other robot vacuums I’ve tested, and its performance on carpet is less than spectacular. It also can’t map more than one floor, so if you want a multi-level cleaner, I'd recommend the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller.

It’s also expensive. $1,299 is a high price for a robot vacuum when there are plenty of other models, such as the eufy X10 Pro Omni, that will clean your floors well for much less. Features like the UV detection and NeverStuck are good for pet owners or young families with lots of spills, but you’ll have to decide if it's worth the investment.

Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal: Specifications

Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal: Setup

The setup process is similar to that of almost every robot vacuum. You take everything out of the box, assemble it all, and connect everything through the app.

The box was well packaged, but I was a bit disappointed in the lack of extra parts. Shark includes one bottle of cleaning solution, which is good for one water tank, and an extra side brush, but every other robot vacuum I’ve tested has come with several spare parts.

Setting up the app took a bit longer than I expected. It took three tries for it to find my Wi-Fi and connect to it, and I was quite close to the router during setup. The process is thankfully quite simple, with only a few screens to go through, and that was the only issue I experienced during setup, but it wasn’t quite as seamless as I’ve seen previously when adding a robot vacuum to my smart home setup.

Mapping my house was fairly straightforward, and I was impressed with how well it detected my furniture. Once it has a map, you can split or merge rooms, but I couldn’t find a way to manually adjust the borders once they're set, something I appreciate about the Roborock Saros Z70. Oddly, it did ask me to remove the mop pad before doing the initial mapping, but it’s easy to reattach, so it wasn't an issue.

Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal: Design and Features

As the name suggests, the flagship feature of the PowerDetect UV Reveal is the UV light included in the front sensors. This is the first robot vacuum in the industry we've seen with a built-in UV light and is the stark upgrade from the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 that we tested and loved last year.

The PowerDetect UV Reveal is a little taller than some others to accommodate the UV light. There are three touch buttons on top for sending it to vacuum, mop, or return to the dock, along with the housing for the mapping sensors.

The front is where the UV light, cameras, and other sensors live that help it detect stains and navigate the house. The back is where it docks to the station to self-empty water tank and dust bin.

Underneath the vacuum lies everything you’d expect – the brushes, wheels, and mop pad – and something you might not: LED lights. The PowerDetect UV Reveal has a set of LED lights underneath that change colors depending on what it’s doing. A blue light indicates that it’s detected a stain, purple means it’s increasing suction to pick up extra dirt, and white means it's operating as normal.

You can turn both the UV light and the colored light modes off if you want, change how frequently it washes the mop pad, and set how long the mop pad should dry between uses.

While cleaning, the PowerDetect UV Reveal did an outstanding job of avoiding obstacles and cleaning the floors quickly and efficiently. It moves a bit faster than some other vacuums I’ve tested, but I didn’t notice it leaving behind dust.

The stain targeting features on the PowerDetect UV Reveal are quite impressive. When cleaning stains, it will ramp up the mopping power and circle around to target the stain area head-on. It essentially draws a box around the stain and traverses back and forth across it to make sure it’s thoroughly cleaned. The only downside is that it has to return to the dock before it comes to target the stain, but it still does a great job of it.

While vacuuming, the DecibelX app showed 66 decibels and when cleaning in the dock it showed 72 – a similar noise level to standing on a quiet street. I recommend running it during the day when everyone is out of the house.

The Shark Clean app is fairly straightforward and easy to use. You can start and end cleans across the whole house, specific rooms, or even individual stains. You can create schedules and edit the map, too.

I do wish it gave you more options for editing the map of your home, for instance, you can’t identify furniture or curtains or even adjust the room boundaries once they're set, but it still works well.

I also didn’t see anything in the app to indicate water levels or conditions of the brushes, which is a little disappointing. Even trying to purchase extra accessories through the app can be frustrating because the Shop tab takes you to the Shark homepage. I struggled to find any of the accessories, like an extra cleaning solution, anywhere on the site.

The app is also lacking some key features, such as forcing a cleaning of the vacuum or manually checking for software updates. I never experienced any issues with the app, but it's a little light on features. The Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller, however, provides more customization in comparison.

The docking station houses the two water tanks, along with the air freshener capsule, which is a welcome touch to reduce odors that emanate from the dirty tank.

As with most high-end robot vacuums, the dock handles emptying and cleaning the vacuum, so you shouldn’t have to interact with it until it's time for any robot vacuum maintenance.

Speaking of the dock, another unique feature of the PowerDetect UV Reveal is that, unlike most other self-cleaning robot vacuums, it does not use bags to collect the dust and dirt. There's just a large bin on the side of the dock where all the grime collects that you empty straight into the trash can. I appreciate it because while you might have to rinse it out every so often, it's one less extra accessory you have to buy.

Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal: Vacuuming

I ran our standardized vacuuming tests on the PowerDetect UV Reveal to try to get a good feel for its vacuuming capabilities. I ran the tests on hardwood and thick rugs. I tested the vacuuming capabilities using sugar, lentils, and cereal to represent fine, medium, and large debris.

The PowerDetect UV Reveal had no problems picking up the sugar, although there was some left over in the grooves of my tile floors, however every robot vacuum I've tested has had the same issue.

When I went back over it on a higher suction mode, it picked it up. Sadly, there is no option to choose a higher suction mode for spot cleanings; you can only do so for room or whole-home cleanings.

The lentils were picked up just as easily as the sugar. And, of course, since they are larger, they didn't get stuck in the grooves of the tile. The PowerDetect UV Reveal was able to pick up all the lentils along the edge of the wall with no problems as well.

The cereal was the hardest one to get, but it still performed better than I expected. It missed a few on the first pass, but picked up the rest on a second pass. It did also drop a small bunch of crushed up cereal in front of the dock as it was returning, but picked it up as it went for the second pass.

Vacuuming the same materials on soft flooring demonstrated similarly strong performance. I was impressed with how easily it picked up all three materials. It picked up the sugar on the first pass with no issues.

The lentils were picked up easily on the first pass, too. None were pushed around or spread out as it vacuumed, and it only took a couple of minutes to clean the whole area. For cleaning carpets daily, this is outstanding performance.

The PowerDetect UV Reveal also did an impressive job with the cereal. I was expecting it to push more of them around and leave quite a few more on the first pass than it did. It still took two passes to get all of it, but for smaller messes or just a few pieces it will do quite well.

In my two weeks of testing, I never had to manually clean the rollers due to pet hair or human hair being stuck in them and it certainly cut my need to manually vacuum by 80-90%.

Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal: Mopping

I used our standardized ketchup and mustard tests to vet the PowerDetect UV Reveal's mopping abilities across messes with different properties.

I used the spot cleaning mode for both messes, and the first thing I noticed was that there is no option to increase the intensity of the mopping during spot cleaning. When the vacuum first got to the stain, it seemed to evaluate the mess, then began cleaning very methodically.

It would roll over part of the mess, then stop and proceed to scrub the mop pad back and forth over where it sat to ensure the ketchup was cleaned up. It repeated this process across the entire area where the ketchup was.

It took about 20 minutes to clean the entire area, but it was done incredibly thoroughly. There was no ketchup or smears anywhere in the area.

The mustard was a bit tougher. Mustard is a thicker and oilier substance than ketchup, and it took two attempts to get it fully cleaned.

One thing to note is that sometimes the dock may not automatically wash the mop pad after a clean, particularly if it was a spot clean. The dock doesn't seem to be able to detect if the pad is dirty enough to require cleaning; it seems to judge it based on the time spent mopping.

In order to force the dock to wash the mop pad, I had to send it to mop an entire room and refill the clean water tank to full. As of publish time, an option to force the mop to the dock to clean it in the app was not available, although there may be software updates to allow that option in the future.

Overall, this is a thorough solution to mopping your floors daily, without having to do so yourself.

Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal: Maintenance

One of the benefits of paying for a higher-end robot vacuum is that they come with self-cleaning features that minimize your maintenance effort.

After each clean, the PowerDetect UV Reveal returns to the dock where it empties the dustbin and thoroughly cleans the mop pad. You can even customize how often the mop pad gets washed during a cleaning cycle and how long you want it to dry between cleans.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t automatically sense when the mop needs cleaning, which is why you need to set those cleaning cycles yourself, but that’s not a deal breaker for me. The default interval is 15 minutes, and I found that to be adequate during my testing.

The tanks are easy to empty and fill, and it manages water use well. When emptying the mop water and the dust bin, the integrated odor neutralizer was very welcome as it kept them from ever acquiring foul smells from all the dirt and grime.

The Shark Clean app seems to be somewhat unreliable when it comes to notifying you when parts are wearing out. Regularly checking the brushes when cleaning your robot vacuum is a good habit to get into.

Overall, as with most self-cleaning robot vacuums, the maintenance is minimal. You’ll need to empty and refill the water bins every two weeks or so, depending on how often you clean, while Shark claims the dustbin can go up to 60 days without emptying. After two weeks of testing, there’s still plenty of room left in my bin, so Shark's claims appear to be accurate.

How Does the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal Compare?

The Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal proved highly effective at vacuuming and mopping, outperforming many robots we've vetted at Homes & Gardens. Its unique UV feature is genuinely useful, even if it isn't necessarily essential. It costs $1,299 at SharkNinja at full price, but is often discounted to around $950.

Our best-on-test robot, the Dreame Aqua10 Roller, does a better job at mopping and navigating, it’s quieter, and it can handle multiple levels in your home, but it costs $1,599.99 at Dreame at full price.

At the more affordable end of the spectrum, the eufy Omni S1 Pro is one of our favorite robot vacuums, and as it's been succeeded, it's often available for as low as $699.99 at eufy. It's the best we've tested on pet hair, pulling more from carpets than a full-sized canister vacuum.

The Yeedi S20 Infinity isn’t the most durable vacuum out there, but for $999.99 on Amazon (and often discounted to as low as $799.99), it has some of the strongest cleaning capabilities for the price.

How I Tested the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal

We have a rigorous approach to how we test vacuums to ensure that every review is thorough, honest, and comprehensive.

I tested the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal in my home, which I share with my partner, two small children, and a dog, for about two weeks. I used it daily to vacuum and mop my floors, in addition to testing specifically with sugar, lentils, cereal, ketchup, and mustard.

Next, discover which vacuums top our guides of the best vacuums for pet hair and the best Miele vacuums, after our robust testing sessions.

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Like any appliance, cordless vacuums require regular maintenance to run at their optimal performance. Most users only tap out the bin and clean the filter, but actually, dust and hair build up in the floorhead shroud, limiting performance.

This is the part covering the rotating brushroll. It's one of the first parts of the vacuum to come into contact with dust and dirt, and it needs to be unobstructed for air to flow through freely. If left uncleaned, accumulated dust will drastically reduce suction power.

This simple maintenance step can take as little as five minutes, helping your cordless vacuum to perform as strongly as it did during its first use.

Cleaning the Floorhead Shroud Will Restore Your Cordless Vacuum's Suction

The 'floorhead' is the part of the vacuum cleaner responsible for picking up your household's mess. Naturally, if its cover is obstructed, the spinning roller won't be able to clean as effectively, limiting how freely dust particles can move.

I know this first-hand, as I've spent 400 hours testing, taking apart, and cleaning vacuum cleaners over the past two years. My knowledge of these appliances has become so comprehensive that I've even serviced my family's vacuums when they start to lose performance.

Luckily, this is one of the simpler vacuum maintenance steps and takes just two minutes. It can drastically improve your vacuum's performance, helping to restore it to its out-of-the-box glory. It only takes a few tools, many of which you likely have at home already.

First, remove the brushroll to gain access. Consult instruction manuals at Dyson, Shark, and Bissell to find out how for your model, but typically, there's a small opening on the side that you twist to pull out the roller.

Then, wipe down the interior with a damp, soapy cloth, such as these $9.89 microfiber cloths at Walmart. As this plastic part is not connected to any electrical components, it's safe to use moisture, but make sure to avoid getting any other vacuum parts wet.

If it hasn't been cleaned for a while, you may need to use a bristled brush or even some seam rippers to remove any trapped dirt or hair. This $4 seam ripper set at Amazon is perfect, and will help remove any tangled hair after regular weekly vacuuming sessions, too.

Before reassembly, make sure that every component is completely dry by waiting 48 hours, as moisture will irreversibly damage your vacuum cleaner.

What to Shop

To maintain your appliance's performance, I would recommend cleaning your vacuum's floorhead in its entirety, which includes rinsing the roller and clearing the inlet valve. Here is a selection of tools that will prove useful.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, see which vacuums top our guides of the best vacuums for pet hair and the best Dyson alternatives after our rigorous testing sessions.

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The brighter, warmer days of spring have officially arrived, and while our dog walks and daylight hours are now more vibrant, our pets are preparing for the heat by shedding their winter coats.

But instead of adding mounds of pet hair to your spring clean, this year, let a robot vacuum handle it on your behalf. The eufy Omni S1 Pro has outstanding performance on fur – never tangling, and picking up large amounts, even from thick carpets.

And fortunately, it's currently reduced by a rare $800, meaning you can bring one of the best robot vacuums into your home at a stunningly low price.

The eufy Omni S1 Pro Vacuums Shed Pet Hair, Without Tangling

Cleaning up pet hair is challenging in itself, even when it isn't springtime. But as warmer weather brings shedding season, this seemingly never-ending task becomes even more difficult, and unless you have one of the best vacuums for pet hair, your vacuum cleaner might not be able to keep up.

Offloading some of this manual labor onto a robot vacuum, that cleans your floors as often as multiple times a day without any effort from you, makes it much less strenuous.

The eufy Omni S1 Pro has rubber rollers which, in the 15 months that our Head of Solved Punteha van Terheyden has been using it, have never once wrapped with hair.

'My home has a mix of thick rugs, carpets, and hard floors, and the eufy Omni S1 Pro continues to surprise us by how much fur it vacuums from every surface,' Punteha told me after spending more than a year with the premium robot vacuum cleaner.

And as nature-bound dog walks are becoming more appealing, the eufy Omni S1 Pro can also keep up with muddy pawprints, with highly effective stain removal that leaves floors dry within minutes.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

More to Shop

To help with the pet hair cleanup this spring, here are a few more recommendations from our expert product team at Homes & Gardens.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn how to keep a home clean when you have pets.

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Most people vacuum in a similar fashion, 'rowing' the vacuum cleaner in straight, horizontal lines. But when it comes to carpet, this isn't the most effective technique, as the upright carpet fibers aren't being cleaned from every angle.

Instead, you can clean carpets more thoroughly by vacuuming in a 90-degree cross-hatch pattern. It's one of the major learnings I've gathered from testing the best vacuums for pet hair in a cat and dog shelter.

For definitive results, I put it to the test with my Dyson V15 Detect that counts particulate matter. While it may seem like more work, you will pull up a tremendous amount more.

Vacuum in a 90-Degree Cross-Hatch Pattern to Clean More Thoroughly

Whether looped or not, carpet fibers stand upright, and dust, dirt, and hair cling to every side of them. This means that vacuuming forwards and backwards only agitates them from two angles.

Instead, vacuuming in a cross-hatch pattern allows your vacuum's brushroll to agitate every side of each carpet fiber, dislodging what's trapped to allow the suction to pull it up.

I have spent more than 400 hours testing the world's best vacuum cleaners, and a significant portion of that has been spent deep cleaning Bristol ARC, a local cat and dog shelter, finding the most effective ways to pull up as much fur as possible from the low, medium, and thick-pile carpet.

I have learned that this is a simple but highly effective solution that can make even the best vacuums for carpet clean deeper than ever before.

The Results

To find out definitively, I vacuumed two areas of my entryway: One using horizontal lines and the other using the cross-hatch pattern. My entryway has consistent foot traffic along the whole stretch of the floor.

Each area was 4'' by 4'', and I vacuumed each one in ten passes. My Dyson V15 Detect counts individual particles as they're vacuumed, up to the millions, so I was able to accurately compare how much each vacuuming pattern picked up.

The results were clear:

• Using horizontal lines, the vacuum cleaner picked up 51 million particles.
• Using the cross-hatch pattern, the vacuum cleaner picked up 72 million particles.

So, vacuuming in horizontal lines means you're missing almost a third of the dust, debris, and hair that is trapped within your carpet fibers. To maximize your carpet cleaning, the cross-hatch pattern at a 90-degree angle is your best solution.

What to Shop

To help clean your carpets as thoroughly as possible, here are a few tried-and-tested tools that our product experts use at home.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, see which vacuums top our guides of the best Dyson alternatives after our rigorous testing sessions.

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With its self-cleaning dock, rotating mop and LiDAR navigation, the eufy Omni C28 robot vacuum has the hardware to compete with vacuums, mops and hybrids that can cost considerably more. And in everyday use it largely holds its own.

For combined cleaning it performs well on hard floors and with pet hair, and it sits comfortably among the best robot vacuums for mopping.

There are a handful of sacrifices to be made, in terms of noise and fine debris, for the slightly lower 2-in-1 price, but overall the eufy Omni C28 punches above its weight in ways that matter. Read on to find out more.

The One-Minute Summary

The eufy Omni C28 is a well-built robot vacuum that punches above its weight. It handles everyday cleaning reliably, mops hard floors well and automates enough of the maintenance side of things to feel like it's earning its keep.

The dock takes care of emptying, mop washing and drying after every clean. In testing, a full week passed without needing to do anything beyond refilling the water tank, and the filters are still going strong after weeks of daily use.

Hard floors are where the C28 is the most convincing. During tests, as well as everyday use, stains were removed first time, without streaking, and the robot made vacuuming larger debris look easy. It was particularly good at handling pet hair and dander on both hard floors and when cleaning carpets, especially on deep clean mode. Fine debris like sugar was more hit and miss but setting the robot to double up its run easily solved that.

The app is clean and easy to navigate once you're familiar with it, although it can feel a little sparse on finer controls. There's no per-room suction adjustment, for instance, which feels like a missed opportunity at this price and it's not possible to just mop – only vacuum then mop. The dock is chunky and needs a permanent home with clear space around it but it's notably more compact than some rivals including the Roomba Combo Max 705. If space is tight, the slimmer Roborock Q7 M5 is worth considering.

At $799.99 the Omni C28 represents solid value for a robot with this level of automation and mopping capability. You're paying for a machine that reduces the cleaning load rather than adding to it, and for most homes it delivers on that. If the price is still a stretch, the C28's sister robot, the eufy Omni S1 Pro is a close alternative worth looking at.

eufy Omni C28: Specifications

eufy Omni C28: Setup

Setting up the eufy Omni C28 is easy because eufy packs everything neatly in the box. The robot, Omni Station, water tanks and documentation all sit in separate layers so lifting out each component takes seconds and assembly takes minutes.

The dock itself just needs its detachable base clipped into place and the protective films removed before putting it in place. Eufy recommends leaving 0.5 meters on either side and roughly 1.5 meters in front so I placed mine along the side of my kitchen island which left enough room for the robot to dock and leave comfortably.

As soon as you place the robot on the dock it powers on automatically and begins charging. A full charge takes around 3.5 hours, although the robot began its mapping run well before reaching full battery during our setup.

Next comes the smart home setup. Download the Eufy app, connect to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network – the app is very particular about this – and follow the pairing prompts. In my case the robot appeared in the app instantly and connected on the first attempt, which is rarer than it should be when setting up robot vacuums. At no point did I experience errors or the frustrations I've had with other robot vacuums recently – namely the Roomba Max 705.

Once connected, the C28 performs a mapping run to learn the layout of your home. This first pass scans the space rather than cleaning it, using the robot’s LiDAR navigation system.

I opened all the interior doors and moved a few shoes and cables out of the hallway before starting the run and the robot worked methodically around the rooms, tracing walls first before filling in the center of each space in about 20 minutes. It created a clean floor plan that required only a few small boundary adjustments.

After the map appears in the app, you can divide rooms, draw no-go zones and customise cleaning preferences before starting the first proper clean. The room layout looked accurate from the start, and drawing a no-go zone over the dog’s water bowls took only a few seconds.

The final step involved filling the clean water tank and the eufy Omni C28 was then ready to start deep cleaning my home. This whole process took no more than 30 minutes, including the detailed mapping run.

eufy Omni C28: Design and Features

The Eufy Omni C28 looks like a typical robot vacuum – a low, round disc with a LiDAR turret on top. This turret is fixed in place, unlike the retracting turret on the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller, which can prevent the C28 from cleaning under low-profile furniture.

There are two physical buttons – one to start and stop the robot and one to make it return to the base. There's additionally a panel on the top of the robot which hides a small compartment that clips in and out and which houses the onboard filter.

Flip the robot over and you'll find two counter-rotating brushes that pull dust, dirt and trapped debris from corners toward the center suction channel. A wide main mop roller then sits top-center.

This roller spins as the robot moves which means it cleans dirt from hard floors, rather than dragging it, and retracts fully to keep the wet mop off your carpets as the robot moves between rooms.

Navigation comes from the LiDAR sensor plus both front-facing and rear-facing laser sensors, which scan the room to build a 360-degree map of your home.

The dock is large and bulky, as is standard, but it takes up less space than other robot vacuums I've tested, namely the Roomba Combo Max 705. The clean and dirty water tanks sit side-by-side on top of the dock, and then the washing and drying system for the mop is built into the base. The dock handles emptying, rinsing, drying, and refilling automatically, so you rarely need to interact with the robot itself.

Most of the robot and dock's other features live inside the eufy app. The app itself is dark-themed and cleanly laid out. The home screen keeps things simple with a large card showing the robot's current status and battery level, a one-tap start button and smaller tiles below for scheduled tasks and dust bag capacity. It doesn't feel cluttered, and the most-used controls are easy to reach without digging through menus.

From the map screen you can divide rooms, draw no-go zones, set no-mop areas for carpets, and direct the robot to clean specific rooms on demand. You can also schedule regular cleans, adjust suction power, and control how much water the mop uses. It's a well-laid-out app that isn't overwhelming – like the Dreame Aqua 10's app – and doesn't take long to get comfortable with.

That said, it does have its limitations. There's no per-room suction which feels like a missed opportunity at this price. If you want more power in the kitchen and less in the bedroom, for example, you're running them as separate cleans. There's also no option to just mop – you either set it to vacuum, or vacuum them mop. Neither issue is a dealbreaker but they are a little disappointing.

If you'd rather skip the app, or want more hands-free control, the C28 additionally works with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. To set it up, open the eufy app, tap the menu in the top left corner, and select Smart Integrations – from there, on-screen instructions walk you through linking whichever assistant you use.

What Is the eufy Omni C28 Like to Use?

Day-to-day, the C28 is a largely (and thankfully) hands-off machine. Once the map is built, the app becomes the main way to run it and it's straightforward enough that most settings are easy to find without much poking around.

You can switch between House, Room, and Zone cleaning modes, adjust suction across three levels, and set the mop's water flow to low, medium, or high. Scheduling works across any day of the week, and a Do Not Disturb window silences the robot and pauses automatic dust collection during set hours.

This is handy if the station lives near a bedroom or you'd rather not hear it cycle at 6am because it's not the quietest of robot vacuums I've tested.

At 57dB on Quiet mode, the robot is silent enough to clean carpets during a call or in the background while working. Turbo and MAX modes are noticeably louder – 69dB and 73dB respectively – which is more in line with a traditional vacuum and much more noticeable, although not distractingly so.

The loudest the eufy Omni C28 gets is when it's emptying the dustbin, pushing the decibels up to 85dB on average, but it's a short blast rather than a constant noise. Then, a loud noise comes from the dock as it cleans the mop before the station starts humming as it dries the mop. This hum isn't loud but it lasts for hours and once you notice it, it's hard to ignore it.

The map the eufy app builds is detailed and, in testing, matched the actual layout of my home well. We have a drum kit in the living room and while other robot vacuums have struggled with navigating it, the eufy Omni C28 had no problems mapping the correct shapes.

Rooms divide automatically, and while the labels it assigns aren't always intuitive, a few minutes spent tidying the floor plan before the first full clean pays off. No-go and no-mop zones draw directly onto the map and stay put between sessions. From there the robot works methodically, moving in tight rows rather than the erratic bounce-and-correct approach of older models – you can see it making progress rather than wondering where it's going.

Obstacle avoidance is decent but not foolproof. It handles chair legs and furniture bases reliably, slowing and steering around them without fuss. Smaller things on the floor, like messy cables or a shoe left in a doorway, are less consistently spotted and can cause it to stall or reroute. During one test, it managed to pick up my son's headphones – the cable was hanging over the edge of a windowsill – and dragged them around until I noticed.

The bumper manages the odd light contact without drama, and furniture rarely ends up shifted. Crossing between hard floors and rugs is smooth and despite having a tall threshold between the Karndean flooring in my kitchen and the solid wood of my hallway, the robot handled it without problem.

The carpet detection sensor does its job well, lifting the mop pad before the robot moves onto carpet rather than dragging it wet across the pile. Other models, namely the Roborock Q7, have in the past smeared stains onto my carpet after mopping.

Battery life is one of the C28's stronger points. Eufy quotes 251 minutes on Quiet suction in vacuum-only mode, and in testing this stood up, lasting over four hours – enough to cover our home in a single pass. Mopping brought that down to a little over two hours on the same setting, and MAX suction with mopping dropped it down to an hour and 10 minutes. It should also be noted that if the battery gets too low, the robot will return to the base to charge automatically before picking up where it left off.

If I was being picky, the app sends too many notifications for my liking. There are water refill reminders, low battery alerts, clean complete, all of which are useful at first – especially if it's something you need to intervene on – but can become annoying and there's no obvious way to dial back which alerts you receive. Other than turning them off completely, which is also not ideal.

eufy Omni C28: Vacuuming Tests

To test how well the Eufy Omni C28 vacuums, I ran a standardized set of tests on both hard floors and carpet, using sugar for fine debris, lentils for medium and cereal for larger pieces.

When cleaning hardwood floors and kitchen laminate, the results were mixed. Lentils and cereal were both picked up cleanly without being flung across the room. The cereal in particular was dealt with better than expected and rather than being crushed and left as dust on the floor, most pieces were lifted whole on the first pass. A few were nudged briefly before being collected, but very little was left behind.

Around the edges and baseboards, which can be one the hardest cleaning tasks to get right, the side brushes did a great job of sweeping debris inward rather than scattering it.

Similarly on carpet, lentils and cereal fared well, though not quite as cleanly as on hard floors. Coverage was consistent enough that a second pass wasn't always necessary and pet hair on deep clean mode was a genuine surprise on both hard floors and low-pile rugs . On thicker carpet, surface hair was removed well, although deeper strands occasionally needed a follow-up to remove the dander.

Across both hard floors and carpets, however, the Omni C28 struggled to pick up the sugar. In fact, it left large amounts of it behind – you could see the lines of the brushes running through it, leaving a pattern rather than a clean floor. A second pass improved things, but it never fully cleared and I had to manually sweep the floor to get rid of it.

One thing to note is that the eufy Omni C28 cannot handle is small rugs. I have a thin mat by my back door and it got caught in the rubber brush roller repeatedly to the point I had to remember to remove it before each clean.

All in all, the C28 reduced the need for manual vacuuming by around 60% over my testing period. Hard floors and rugs were handled well enough that I didn't have to vacuum everyday, although carpeted areas still benefited from a weekly run with a full-size vacuum, particularly for fine debris and dust.

eufy Omni C28: Mopping Tests

To test how the eufy Omni C28 handles stains and spills, I ran standardized tests on hard flooring using ketchup and mustard.

Both performed well – among the best mopping results I've seen from a robot vacuum at this price. Ketchup lifted cleanly on the first pass with no streaking and no residue left at the edges.

Mustard, which is thicker and oilier and is usually more likely to leave a trace, was handled just as well – gone in a single run without needing to send the robot back. In both cases the rotating mop lifted rather than smeared, which sounds like a low bar but is something a surprising number of robot mops still get wrong.

In everyday use, fresh spills like drink splashes, muddy paw prints, and general kitchen mess were also reliably cleared in one clean. The one failure was a dried coffee stain near my bin, which the C28 didn't – and couldn't – shift. No matter how many times I sent it over the stain.

The best way to get streak-free floors is to add a cleaning solution to the clean water tank before each run. Eufy's own floor cleaning solution costs $20.99 and is sold separately; the brand doesn't include it in the box as standard. You can technically use any compatible floor cleaner, though doing so could invalidate the warranty so approach with caution.

Considering Dreame gives you its standard solution and pet-friendly solution (plus spares of each) with the Dreame Aqua10 this felt a little tight.

For a home that's mostly hard floors, the mopping performance and stain removal makes a strong case for the C28. I barely needed to manually mop at all during the testing period and that's not something I can usually say about many robot vacuums, let alone ones at this price.

eufy Omni C28: Maintenance

For a robot at this price, the expectation is that it largely takes care of itself and for daily use, the C28 mostly delivers.

After each clean, the robot drives back to the dock where it automatically empties its dustbin into a built-in dust bag, washes the mop using water from clean water tank, and pumps the dirty water into a separate wastewater tank.

In practice though, this means the station stops odors and prevents mold from building up on a damp roller, and you can run the C28 daily without much hands-on intervention. The only real maintenance is emptying and refilling the tanks every few days depending on how hard the robot is working. You can check in on the status of maintenance, and keep track of any errors in the app if your robot vacuum keeps getting stuck or isn't working as it should.

The DuoSpiral brushes are designed to reduce tangling, and they do fare better than a single, but in a home like mine with long hair and pets, the rolling brush still needed attention every few days or so. It's not a difficult job, but it's a chink in the otherwise almost flawless armor of this robot's hands-free nature.

Beyond this, the app tracks all of the robot's components through its Accessory Services screen. This shows how much each part has been used – via a percentage – and how long it is until it needs replacing. Knowing how to clean a robot vacuum is important, especially if you want to extend its lifespan so this a small but useful addition. It won't reduce the physical work of replacing the parts, but it takes the guesswork out of knowing what needs attention.

How Does the eufy Omni C28 Compare?

the eufy Omni C28 is a mid-range vacuum cleaner that, on test, demonstrated the ways in which it outperforms many high-end robot vacuum cleaners.

The Omni C28 appears to be a stark upgrade from the eufy X10 Pro Omni, our favorite mid-range model thus far. Surprisingly, the Omni C28 can be found at a similar price when on sale, despite its stronger performance across the board. Find it for around $499.99 to $799.99 at eufy.

The eufy Omni S1 Pro has long been our favorite from the brand. The Omni C28 has stronger suction and more thorough mopping, but the Omni S1 Pro has stronger performance on pet hair, and no hair wrap. The eufy Omni S1 Pro is available for around $700 to $900 at eufy, depending on promotions.

How I Tested the eufy Omni C28

Testing a robot vacuum properly takes time and how we test vacuums reflects that.

I tested the eufy Omni C28 over three weeks in a home with a mix of hard floors and rugs and which contains children and a chocolate labrador. During this time, it replaced my regular vacuum.

To keep performance tests consistent, I set the robot to vacuum sugar, lentils, and cereal off both hard floors and carpet, while for mopping, I tasked it with clearing up ketchup and mustard stains. Noise levels were then measured using the DecibelX app across a range of settings.

Beyond the benchmarks, I used the scheduling and manual controls in everyday use to get a realistic sense of how much the robot reduced cleaning time versus how much it added back in the form of maintenance and intervention.

Next, learn how to choose the best vacuum for every home and budget.

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Vacuuming your home doesn't tend to spread the most pleasant scents around the house, especially if you have pets. Dust, pet hair, dander, and household mess all carry their own odors, and as air flows through your vacuum, these odors can be expelled into the rooms you're cleaning.

But this $6.46 pack of vacuum fragrance tablets at Amazon, costing just 81 cents each, can solve this enduring issue, while demanding little effort. Simply crush up a tablet, sprinkle it on your floor, vacuum it up, and the constant airflow will release the lemony scent throughout your home.

It's an easy, inexpensive way to turn your vacuum cleaner into your next best home fragrance, effortlessly replacing musty odors so that your home can finally smell like an Anthropologie store.

Your Vacuum Cleaner Can Fill Your Home With Fresh Aroma

Dog and cat fur can leave a persistent odor in your home, regardless of how often you vacuum. Even if you have one of the best vacuums for pet hair with robust HEPA filtration, odor particles can easily seep out of your vacuum's exhaust, as HEPA filters aren't able to capture them all.

That's why many of us, myself included, use alternative methods to mask the smell of household mess and hair.

The EnviroCare Vacuum Cleaner Scent Tablets at Amazon are one of the easiest, safest solutions I have found in my two years as Homes & Gardens' Home Tech Editor and professional vacuum tester, during which I have spent 400 hours testing and speaking to dozens of householders to find the most effective vacuuming methods.

Unlike essential oils and baking soda, other odor-releasing hacks that can actually damage your vacuum, crumbled up tablets are safe to vacuum up, and EnviroCare asserts that they're made from non-toxic materials, contributing to your calm, non-toxic home.

Shoppers have praised the fresh, lemon scent that it gives off, and how long-lasting the aroma is in the room. One reviewer at Amazon said, 'it works perfectly', while another Amazon reviewer said, 'These tabs get rid of any leftover mustiness. Definitely recommend.'

The EnviroCare Vacuum Scent Tablets are available at Amazon for $6.46, for a pack of eight.

More to Shop

The EnviroCare Vacuum Scent Tablets are one of many solutions to beat household odors while vacuuming. Here are six more recommendations.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn the best natural deodorizers to use around your home.

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Cordless vacuum cleaners rarely stand up by themselves, so storing them typically involves leaning against a wall or in a closet, where they topple over at the slightest nudge.

But the Liboer adjustable wall mount at Amazon fixes it, tucking into the handle of your vacuum cleaner, keeping it firm in place and off your floor.

It's compatible with many of the best cordless vacuums, including new and old Dyson and Shark vacuums.

Wall Mount Your Cordless Vacuum to Keep It From Toppling Over

Mounting your vacuum cleaner on your wall prevents it from unnecessarily (and frustratingly) toppling over every time you brush against it.

Cordless vacuums are top-heavy, so unless you're laying it flat, which takes up precious floor or storage space, it will fall over easily. I know this first-hand, as evidenced by the various scrape marks on my walls and the aesthetic damage my best vacuums have sustained over time.

The wall mount is easily installed using a drill and four screws, but if you're a renter and don't have the option to drill holes into your wall, you can also use the included adhesive strips. It's recommended to let it stand for 24 hours before attaching your vacuum.

It has an adjustable dial to accommodate the size of your vacuum model. So whether you have a bulky model such as the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra, or the slim Dyson V12 Detect Slim, the mount can secure it between 1.96 and 2.9 inches.

It also has a silicone cover, so the metal mount is not coming into direct contact with the vacuum cleaner, preventing scratch marks over time.

The Liboer Adjustable Vacuum Wall Mount is available for $9.99 at Amazon.

More to Shop

The Liboer is an affordable, renter-friendly solution for cordless vacuum storage, but there are plenty of alternative options to store your cordless vacuum to prevent it toppling or taking up floor space.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, see which vacuums we ranked after rigorously testing the best Dyson alternatives and the best vacuums for pet hair.

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Cordless floorcare is fantastic, freeing you from the restrictions of the power cord, but that convenience can be cut short when a vacuum's battery dies mid-clean.

My two-storey home has four big bedrooms, and I wouldn't be able to clean the entire space if I didn't have two batteries. That's why vacuums such as the Dyson V11 Outsize at Amazon get ahead of the problem by conveniently coming with two batteries included, so that large homes can be cleaned in one swift session.

Stock is limited on this ultra-powerful Dyson, so I'd move quickly if you're looking to double your runtime while bringing home one of the best vacuums for deep cleaning large spaces. I've also handpicked some alternative options that can extend your runtime for less.

The Dyson V11 Outsize's Two Batteries Double Your Cleaning Runtime, for Big Homes

The Dyson V11 Outsize solves a common issue for cordless vacuums: The battery dying mid-clean. It's frustrating, as is a half-cleaned home that requires you to wait for hours for the battery to fully recharge and finish the job.

With two batteries, the 120 maximum runtime for the Dyson V11 Outsize fixes this. It's so simple to swap them out at the click of a button when one runs out.

You could leave one plugged in in an upstairs closet, so by the time you've cleaned the bottom floor and the battery is running low, it will be ready for a quick swap just when you need it.

The Dyson V11 Outsize also has an extra-large floorhead – 12.5 inches, compared to the 10-inch floorhead of the standard V11. This is as wide as many corded upright vacuums, such as the Shark POWERDETECT Upright, which is specially designed for big homes. This wider cleaning path means you can cover more ground at once, so your battery life goes further, too.

Another feature you typically find in bulky upright vacuums is a large dustbin. The Dyson V11 Outsize has an impressive 0.5gal dustbin, which is 150% larger than the standard Dyson V11. This matches many upright vacuums and also helps eliminate mid-clean breaks.

The Dyson V11, one of our all-time favorite vacuum cleaners out of the 97 we've rigorously vetted, is evidenced by its double runtime, 2.5x dustbin, and extra-large floorhead.

And as it's a refurbished model (meaning a returned appliance that's been inspected, cleaned, and restored), it's $300 cheaper than brand-new, while still boasting the power you'd expect out of the box.

The Dyson V11 Outsize is available for $399.95 at Amazon.

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The Dyson V11 Outsize is specifically designed for big homes, with extra dust capacity, a wider cleaning path, and two batteries to avoid the mid-clean charge. It maintains the convenience of a cordless stick while eliminating its drawbacks when it comes to cleaning large spaces.

But for different budgets, here are a few alternative methods to tackle large-home cleaning without fuss.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, find out how the best robot vacuums and best vacuums for pet hair from our weeks-long testing sessions can transform your routine at home.

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If you find your dustbin fills up too quickly, forcing you to stop mid-clean to empty it, then your vacuum cleaner isn't equipped for the size of your house.

Large spaces need a large vacuum, such as the Shark POWERDETECT Upright, that can cover more than double the area a cordless vacuum can, without stoppages or interruptions.

And as the Shark POWERDETECT Upright is one of the best vacuums we've tested for deep-cleaning suction, with a 12-inch-wide floorhead that covers a lot of ground at once, its large dustbin is important for holding all the messes of a big, messy home.

The Shark POWERDETECT Upright Is the Ideal Cleaning Companion for Large, Messy Homes

The Shark POWERDETECT Upright has a 2.02qt dustbin, meaning it can cover more than double the floor space of most of the best cordless vacuums, which average around 0.8qt.

It also has a 12-inch-wide floorhead, so its cleaning path is significantly larger than that of smaller vacuums, making quick work of bigger areas. Cordless vacuums, and some canister vacuums, typically have floorheads that are 7-10 inches wide, so with the Shark POWERDETECT Upright, you're covering more of the floor with each motion and getting to the finish quicker, without compromising the thoroughness of the clean.

When you pair this with immensely powerful suction that, on test, removed all visible dust, dirt, and hair in one go, each pass with the Shark POWERDETECT Upright deep cleans a large area of your floor, making it the perfect floorcare solution for big homes.

Other features make it a convenient helper for large homes, too, such as sensors that adapt to your floors, meaning if you move from hard floors to carpets, it automatically changes the settings for the best and fastest clean.

Family homes with pets often need cleaning as frequently as multiple times a day, and fiddling around with the settings, as well as stopping mid-flow to empty the dust bin, can become frustrating amidst a busy environment. That's where the Shark POWERDETECT Upright makes life easier by handling those adjustments and giving you a heavily bolstered dust capacity.

The Shark POWERDETECT Upright is available for $449 at SharkNinja.

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As Homes & Gardens' home tech editor and resident vacuum tester, the Shark POWERDETECT Upright is the model I consistently recommend to consumers looking for a deep-cleaning floorcare solution for their large homes.

But it isn't the only vacuum cleaner I recommend to make life easier when cleaning big, busy spaces.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn how often you should vacuum to maintain a calm home without overworking yourself, and see how the best robot vacuums we've tested can free up hours of chore time a week by cleaning your floors for you.

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The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra is the brand's latest upgrade to their flagship vacuum, bringing stronger suction, longer battery life, more advanced 'AI' features – and the highest price of any cordless vacuum we've tested.

It's certainly a high performer, with the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra boasting near-flawless cleaning performance in every test, and the highest suction we've seen in a cordless stick.

But does this performance justify the price tag as one of the best cordless vacuums on the market? I rigorously vetted it in our test center and a local pet shelter to see exactly how good it is.

My One-Minute Summary

The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra is a robust, well-designed appliance that does an exceptional job of cleaning floors. Boasting corded-level performance on carpets and hard floors in a slim, lightweight design, it's the type of upgrade that can genuinely make cleaning your home easier.

It can pull fur from thick carpets, and its motorized handheld attachment is highly effective at cleaning upholstery. It grips firmly to all surfaces, even wood, which is rare for any vacuum, let alone a cordless stick.

Its four suction levels are useful when transitioning across different surfaces, but it's a shame that the 'AI' features don't achieve much, taking a long time to calculate the battery life, and never really adjusting the suction power, leaving you to do it manually every time.

Its cleaning station is great for allergy sufferers, minimizing how often you're exposed to allergens, but it uses vacuum bags that demand recurring costs.

Its price is not to be ignored. The Dyson V15 Detect cleans just as well but for $200 less, and the Shark PowerDetect Cordless has more advanced smart features, but doesn't clean as thoroughly.

Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra: Specifications

Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra: Design and Features

The 'Ultra' marks a significant upgrade from the previous iteration of the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet, a cordless vacuum that we found performed exceptionally well, but was overpriced. The Ultra has stronger suction power, reaching up to what Samsung claims to be 400 air watts compared to the previous AI Jet's 280 air watts.

For comparison, our current best-on-test cordless vacuum, the Dyson V15 Detect, has 240 air watts of suction, and it's so strong that it picks up all mess on the first pass, virtually every time.

In real terms, this performance can vary, so I test the best vacuums using an anemometer, which measures airflow in miles per hour, so we can see the performance at each suction mode.

The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra generates the strongest airflow out of the 42 cordless vacuums we've tested. Reaching a maximum of 27.7 miles per hour, that puts it higher than the best Dyson vacuums and the best Shark vacuums.

And on its lowest setting at 10.7mph, it is stronger than the maximum power of certain budget vacuums, like the Ultenic U16 Flex.

Having four suction modes is useful in a cordless vacuum to make sure that each surface is properly cleaned, without using up precious battery life when it isn't needed.

Many modern cordless vacuums do this automatically, and this is what the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra's 'AI' mode is.

But actually, I found the AI mode disappointing. I tried passing from hard floors to carpets to see if the suction would adapt, and I also passed over heaps of dust, but the suction never changed all that much. I always needed to change the suction mode manually, which completely defeats the purpose of the AI mode at all.

It is often an overstatement when brands insert 'AI' into product names, as it simply reflects 'smart' technology. It's a shame that Samsung's flagship vacuum is the same, particularly as more affordable vacuums, such as the Dyson V12 Detect Slim and the Shark PowerDetect Cordless, adapt suction much more effectively.

The cleaning station is a nice addition, particularly for anyone who suffers from allergies. Trapping up to 2.1 quarts of dust means that you have to empty it less frequently, up to weeks at a time.

When you place the vacuum on the dock, its contents are rapidly sucked out in three loud bursts.

What Is the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra Like to Use?

The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra is a robust, powerful vacuum that grips firmly to floors, cleans most messes in one pass, and has thoughtful features that make cleaning your home a little easier.

It has a maximum runtime of 100 minutes, too, which far surpasses most cordless vacuums.

At 7lbs, it's a standard weight for a cordless stick, which I found surprising considering the ultra-powerful motor that's packed into it. It doesn't feel 'cheap' whatsoever, it feels like a premium, well-built machine, and it even has a thin rubber pad on the battery so that you can lean the vacuum against walls without it toppling over.

I found that maneuvering left and right was a little stiffer compared to other vacuums, but it was dependant on the surface. On stickly linoleum, it was harder to tilt, but on other vinyl or wooden floors, I didn't face much resistance, and it was easy to navigate it between chair legs and around corners (as seen in the video above).

Unlike most cordless vacuums, the wand extends for greater reach:

This is useful for reducing strain on your back. Cordless vacuums tend to be shorter than corded upright vacuums, so you often have to bend down to get into difficult cleaning spots like under the sofa or behind furniture.

The extendable wand meant that I could reach a large area of the floor from one position, too, which I found to be a helpful improvement compared to others.

There's also a light on the floorhead, which is amazing at revealing hidden dust and pet hairs, even on carpet that’s of a similar color. Although it isn't as effective as the green laser we love in Dyson's vacuums, such as the Dyson V15 Detect, it doesn't reveal any dust particles that you can't usually see.

It's a minor inconvenience, but the vacuum always starts on MIN mode when you power it up, so if you take frequent breaks (such as when moving cables or furniture out of the way), you'll have to cycle through the modes again to find the right one.

The strong suction is undeniable, though, whatever surface you're cleaning. I could feel it grip firmly to the carpet, as corded vacuums often do, but I could feel it on wooden floors too, which is rare.

And as I delve into it below in greater detail, no matter the mess I was vacuuming, the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra almost always picked it up in one pass, making it one of the most effective vacuums we've tested.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

I tested the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra using half a cup of flour and sugar. This test assesses how well each vacuum can pick up fine material such as dust, dander, and pollen. I run the tests on wood, linoleum, and carpet flooring.

On hard floors, the performance was really strong. On MIN mode (shown in the video above), only a tiny bit of residue was left in cracks between the wooden panels (most cordless vacuums leave some behind).

On MID and MAX, everything was picked up in one, and the cleaning line was visible right up to the end of the floorhead, demonstrating strong edge cleaning.

On the carpet, the performance was just as impressive. The sugar pieces danced around as the floorhead approached, showing robust carpet agitation from the brushroll, then were easily sucked up without leaving a trace behind afterwards.

At one point, the screen alerted me to a blockage, but it was actually just the suction gripping the carpet fibers. Once I’d turned it off and on again, it was fine.

It's one of the best carpet vacuums I've tested for a cordless model.

Test 2: Pantry

I tested the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra using a cup of cereal and lentils to assess its ability to vacuum medium and large debris. This test poses a challenge for many vacuum cleaners as the large cereal pieces can block inlets or be flung around by the brushroll.

On hard floors, it picked up everything in about three passes. No blockages (which is rare), but a few lentils and cereal leaked out on the pull-back when on MID. On MAX, there was no leakage, but it still took around 3 passes to get everything. Strong performance, but not quite as effective as the Dyson V11 or Dyson V15 Detect, both of which cost less.

On carpets and in MAX mode, everything was picked up on the first pass. No fuss whatsoever. This performance could not be stronger or more efficient, for any vacuum type, not just cordless.

Test 3: Pet Hair

I assessed the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra's performance on pet hair in a local cat and dog shelter, Bristol ARC, that's full of fur on hard floors, low-pile carpets, high-pile carpets, thick rugs, and upholstery. It is also a great opportunity to test the vacuum cleaner in a busy, messy environment.

On low pile carpeting on MIN and MID modes, most small debris and hairs were picked, but a noticeable amount of hair remained. This is good performance, but you can find better in more affordable models like the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog.

However, when I turned on MAX mode (which had a shorter max battery life of about 20 minutes), almost every strand of hair was picked up in one or two passes, which is outstanding for a cordless vacuum and makes the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra a contender for the best vacuums for pet hair.

On the entrance mat, the trickiest surface to clean at the pet shelter, it did a good job of getting all the long and medium hairs, but stubborn short hairs remained. For reference, it's usually only the corded best Miele vacuums and the Dyson V15 Detect that can pick these up, and even they miss some.

On hard floors, the cleaning was effortless, basically picking up everything in one motion. Only a few times was a speck or thread left behind, and they were always vacuumed up the second time. It maneuvers nicely and can lie completely flat, which is always a bonus.

After a few hours of vacuuming at the pet shelter, the dustbin filled twice with fur, but there were a few bits of hair and thread that had wrapped around the brushroll (swipe to see both photos):

Test 4: Attachments

The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra comes with a motorized pet hair tool, an extension hose, and a dusting brush, and there's a neat storage holder to keep them all together, with a handle if you want to carry it around the house as you clean.

The pet tool is highly effective. It angles to the surface you’re cleaning, it spins rapidly, and it does well to remove hairs – even if it takes a few attempts. This is completely expected, but Samsung’s performance is above what I see most of the time.

It cleared every pet hair off one padded chair, which is somewhat of a miracle with these tricky surfaces. I found that if you keep it in one spot for a long time, the hairs are vacuumed, demonstrating the strong performance.

Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra: Setup and Maintenance

The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra arrived in a huge box that was surprisingly not too heavy, and everything was packaged with soft plastic and polystyrene molds to avoid scratching.

The base comes already set up. All I had to do was charge the battery, which took just over two hours (as it wasn't starting from 0%), then I assembled the vacuum by attaching the floorhead and wand to the main vacuum unit.

The cleaning station keeps maintenance to a minimum. Emptying the vacuum means that you only have to do it yourself every 1-2 months, vastly reducing your exposure to allergens like dust and pollen that can trigger allergies.

This also reduces the level of vacuum maintenance required. As it uses a powerful motor to suck the dust contents out, less residue is left behind in the internal parts that can quietly erode them.

However, it's worth noting that the cleaning station stores dust in a vacuum bag, which you have to dispose of once full. This means that using the cleaning station comes with recurring costs, as a pack of five replacement bags costs $39.99 at Samsung, which should last 6-12 months depending on usage.

To avoid the recurring costs, you don't actually have to use the cleaning station, and there's a small switch on the back to turn off auto-empty. This means it can simply be a charging dock, and you can empty the vacuum yourself into a dustbin.

How Does the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra Compare?

The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra costs $1,099.99 at Samsung, making it the most expensive cordless vacuum we have ever tested. Its incredibly robust performance somewhat justifies this price tag, but other vacuums clean as thoroughly and cost less.

The closest example is our best-on-test cordless vacuum, the Dyson V15 Detect, which costs $849.99 at Dyson at full price, but is often on offer for $550 to $750. They clean about as effectively as each other, often picking up messes in the first pass.

However, the Dyson V15 Detect's floor sensors are more precise and actually optimize suction in a fraction of a second, and it never wraps with hair. But the Samsung has a cleaning station that reduces allergen exposure and neatly stores the vacuum, and it reaches a higher maximum suction power.

The Shark PowerDetect Cordless is a more affordable alternative to both, costing $449.99 at SharkNinja at full price, but often discounted to as low as $299.99. It also adapts suction automatically, cleans well across hard floors and carpets, and can handle pet hair – but it doesn't clean nearly as deep as the Samsung or Dyson. There is the option of a cleaning station, though, with the full package costing $549.99 at SharkNinja.

Next, see which vacuums top our guides to the best robot vacuums, the best vacuums for pet hair, and the best Dyson alternatives after rigorous testing sessions.

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Having to lift and move furniture to get into awkward spots while vacuuming makes an arduous task even more challenging. It isn't kind on our backs, either, as frequent bending can result in aches and pains we could do without.

But the Shark PowerDetect Cordless bends at the wand, meaning you can reach under sofas, dinner tables, and large furniture while retaining a healthy posture.

More than simply a relief on our backs, it also shares many of the features we love in the Dyson V12 Detect Slim – a smart, ultra-powerful cordless vacuum that detects what's on your floors for optimized cleaning. The Shark costs $400 less and has the added benefit of increased mobility.

The Shark PowerDetect Cordless Bends So You Don't Have To

The Shark PowerDetect Cordless solves a common problem when vacuuming: Having to reach difficult cleaning spots, such as under the sofa or dinner table, causing back strain and knee pain, especially for anyone with limited mobility, an injury, or chronic pain.

That is why the Shark PowerDetect Cordless' bendable wand is a savior. By pressing a button on the side, the stick bends, allowing you to reach under furniture at a much more gentle angle.

But this functionality doesn't come with a sacrifice in cleaning power. In fact, it's the opposite, as it boasts many of the same features that we love in the Dyson V12 Detect Slim – a market-leading cordless vacuum that costs $729.99 at Dyson – for $400 less.

They both detect what's on your floors to continually optimize their powerful suction, preventing you from having to adjust the settings as you move through your home, while having lights that illuminate hidden dust on the floor.

The Shark PowerDetect Cordless is not just one of the best Dyson alternatives – it's a more affordable floorcare solution that can result in less strain on our bodies during chores that will never go away. Plus, the easier access to awkward dusty areas means dust won't build up unchecked, leading to household allergens affecting your comfort and well-being.

The Shark PowerDetect Cordless is discounted to $329.99 at SharkNinja for a limited time.

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The Shark PowerDetect Cordless is both a savior for backs and an affordable alternative to Dyson-level cleaning power, resulting in a highly effective vacuum cleaner that transforms an arduous task into a swift one.

But while you're considering upgrading your floor care, here are six more options that are guaranteed to make cleaning your home easier.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, see how the best robot vacuums and the best vacuums for pet hair can transform your cleaning routine. We've rigorously tested them for weeks to bring you a curated selection for all budgets and needs.

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The Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones represents an exciting leap forward in vacuum technology: At just 1.5 inches wide, it is the world's slimmest vacuum cleaner.

To achieve this small size, almost everything about the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones is different from what you typically find in a vacuum cleaner. The handle is essentially a long stick, the floorhead is two large, colorful cones, and the dustbin is a thin tube that tightly compresses its contents.

But could this innovative design be one of the best vacuums for your home? If you're searching for a second vacuum cleaner to quickly and effortlessly clean hard floors, perhaps around the kitchen or on your second floor, then it's outstanding. But don't expect it to be anything more than that, as it can't handle carpets, rugs, or big messes.

My One-Minute Summary

For a gentle, daily hard floor cleaner, the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones is outstanding. It is easily the most maneuverable (and enjoyable) vacuum I've used on hard floors, gliding around effortlessly while picking up dust in every direction, which actually transforms your arm's motions while cleaning.

Its green light does a tremendous job at revealing hidden dust, and the four conical brushes never wrap with hair and are highly effective at picking up dust and small debris.

But that's as far as its benefits go. I would treat this as your home's second vacuum, as it can't handle large debris, high volumes of mess, or any rugs or carpets. It's also quite challenging to use its one attachment, and you can't vacuum upholstery.

It's bold, stylish, and high-design aesthetic will suit proud, hardworking homes, and as it has a charging base, everything is stored neatly and without clutter. For a more powerful all-rounder that can clean more surfaces at this price, I would recommend the Dyson V11 or the Shark PowerDetect Cordless.

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones: Specifications

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones: Design and Features

The sleek Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones is a slim, stylish vacuum cleaner and is the ideal cleaning companion for anyone who takes pride in the appearance of their appliances.

The bold red and purple cones are not what you typically see in cordless vacuums, let alone a dustbin and handle that are as wide as a coin. Aesthetically, it's hard to fault such a striking, innovative design, and as it rests neatly on its charging base, it will look great alongside your kitchen cabinets or in a bathroom remodel.

The Fluffycones are new, too. It's a clever design that ensures consistent contact with hard floors, which doesn't require powerful suction. This is ideal, as the PencilVac Fluffycones' suction power is low compared to most Dyson vacuums at just 55 air watts at maximum power. For comparison, the Dyson V11, which costs around $70 more, has 185 air watts of power.

To understand this in real terms, I test each vacuum using an anemometer to find out how much airflow each model generates, as this is the speed of the air that sucks particles into the dustbin.

The PencilVac Fluffycones produces an airflow of 9.8 miles per hour, while the Dyson V11 produces an airflow of 19.6 miles per hour. Even at the V11's lowest suction mode, it's more powerful than the PencilVac Fluffycones.

That is a tremendous difference, and why the V11 (and similar cordless vacuums) are designed to vacuum carpet, while the PencilVac Fluffycones can only clean hard floors. Hard floors don't require strong suction as dust and dirt don't become trapped within the surface, as they do in carpets, so it's understandable why Dyson has chosen not to prioritise suction power with this vacuum.

Instead, these conical brushes sweep the floor at a rapid rate (with the motor spinning at 140,000rpm), to pick up dust, hair, and small debris, and collect them into the dustbin. They clean equally in both directions, and as it can swivel 360 degrees, this allows for increased maneuverability.

The cones can pick up most strands of hair, but to avoid hair from tangling, long strands are pushed to the end of the cones, allowing you to pick them up in small clumps and throw them into the bin.

The 0.02gal dustbin is also the slimmest in the world. To account for this smaller size, the dust is air compacted, allowing more to fit compared to traditional dustbins.

It also has a charging base that neatly stores the vacuum and the dual crevice and dusting brush attachment.

What Is the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones Like to Use?

The Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones is easily one of the most nimble and maneuverable vacuum cleaners I have used, if not the most.

Effortlessly gliding across floors, swivelling to clean in every direction, and with a green light that reveals hidden dust – this is an intuitive cleaner that moves with the natural movements of your arm as you clean.

It can easily find its way into tight spaces and around obstacles, and cleaning from both sides speeds things up, and actually transforms the motion of cleaning; rather than forward and back, the motion is simply to go where the mess is, from whichever direction.

The green light is similar to what I've seen (and love) in the Dyson V15 Detect, our favorite cordless vacuum on test. Except with the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones, the green light shines both ways, revealing even more dust that the naked eye can't see:

It also highlights how effective the PencilVac Fluffycones is when picking up fine dust and small debris, as almost every time, nothing is left behind – but only if there is a small amount of mess.

During my assessment, I found that this vacuum cleaner can't handle large debris like certain food pieces or pet kibble, and if there is a high volume of dust, it will struggle to pick it up or even form a blockage. This is a major downside for a vacuum that's designed to be part of your essential cleaning toolkit, as these messes are inevitable in almost every home.

Instead, this vacuum is only really suitable as a light, daily cleaner. There are a few small details that I particularly enjoy, like the fact that it easily leans on walls without toppling over, and that the attachments clip in and out easily.

There's also a tiny screen to show you what suction mode you're on and the remaining runtime, and it will alert you if there is ever a blockage:

It's helpful that the screen flips vertically depending on whether you're using the vacuum or if it's on the charging base.

Having a charging base is a neat, clutter-free way to store your vacuum, without having to lean it against a wall, lay it on the floor while charging, or mount it to your wall by drilling holes:

However, I found the charging base to be quite flimsy, and the vacuum doesn't always stay in place.

There's a slot on the back to insert a tube that holds the vacuum attachment. At first, I liked this neat storage, but I soon realized that when you go to grab the attachment, the whole tube often comes with it, as it isn't secure enough. This became frustrating the more times I used it, as I had to re-insert it almost every time.

Still, it's better than having to keep the attachments in a closet somewhere.

Surprisingly, the noise levels are standard for cordless vacuums with stronger suction and more robust floorheads, averaging around 67.4 to 75.7 decibels.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

I vetted the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones' performance using half a cup of flour and sugar on wooden floors and linoleum, as part of our standardized vacuum tests that assess how well each model can pick up fine debris, such as dust and dander.

Eco mode got almost everything on the first pass, except for between the wooden panels, and it was the same on Med (the middle level of suction power).

When I turned on Boost mode, more of that between-the-panels residue was picked up, but a lot remained. It wiggled a lot, too, when dealing with wooden panels, something I didn’t notice when testing it on other surfaces. If your home has lots of hardwood, I'd instead recommend one of the best vacuums for hard floors, such as the Dyson V12 Detect Slim.

Test 2: Pantry

I tested the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones by vacuuming a cup of lentils and cereal to assess its ability to pick up medium and large debris, like classic kitchen food spills, tracked-in dirt, and pet kibble.

This is where the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones struggled, and in all honesty, I couldn’t vacuum up the mess. Most vacuums clear it in a few passes, and the ones with narrow floorheads can finish the job by taking the floorhead off, but that didn't solve the issue here, as the slim design means that the entire passageway is narrow.

I went through five blockages where I had to manually remove debris from the inlet, and then when I tried to vacuum the rest, the same happened again. It can’t vacuum large debris whatsoever, and it even struggled with the lentils as they blocked the dustbin’s narrow opening.

For any large debris or high volumes of mess, you're going to need a second vacuum cleaner, one that's more robust with a wider inlet, such as the Shark POWERDETECT Upright.

Test 3: Pet Hair

To assess if the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones could be the best vacuums for pet hair on hard floors, I took it to a local cat and dog shelter, Bristol ARC, that has a huge, never-ending amount of fur, along with the messes you'd find in a busy establishment with high foot traffic.

In eco mode, it was able to pick up virtually every visible hair, along with the other dirt and debris on the floor.

The edge cleaning is maybe the most impressive I’ve seen in a vacuum cleaner, but it is somewhat annoying that an extra task is involved: If you vacuum anything long, like thread, hair, or some straw, then you have to pick it up and place it in the trash.

I appreciate this avoids hair wrapping, but other, more affordable vacuum cleaners have achieved that without you having to reach down and manually dispose of it.

I decided to find out whether it was able to clean low-pile carpet at all, as I observed that the green light was effective at revealing short, hidden hairs. It picked up the small pieces and likely some dust, but it couldn’t pick up long threads or long hairs.

As it only has soft rollers, it's unlikely that it could dislodge trapped dust or dirt, so I wouldn’t trust it as a regular carpet vacuum. But if you have a few thin rugs, it might be enough as long as you shake them outside from time to time to clean your rugs more deeply.

After vacuuming a meeting room that was full of dog hair and craft material, I was able to understand the appeal of the PencilVac Fluffycones.

It is much more natural to clean hard floors with this than with virtually any other cordless vacuum I’ve ever used. It glides effortlessly and maneuvers around obstacles and into tight spaces easily, and it's faster to be able to clean from all directions. It is annoying to have to pick certain things up, and it can’t handle big messes, but for a light daily cleaner, it’s useful. You have to move furniture around less than with other vacuums.

Test 4: Attachments

There is one attachment for the PencilVac Fluffycones: A dual crevice tool and dusting brush. The brush extends or retracts by pushing a button and sliding it along.

As the vacuum is less modular than others – only the floorhead comes off, not the wand – the attachment attaches quite far from the handle, meaning it can be difficult to vacuum close to your body.

This means it can be great at vacuuming tricky spots, such as baseboards, between shelves, or even curtain rails. But for much of what you'd need these attachments for, like vacuuming stairs with the crevice tool or dusting your TV with the brush, it is actually a bit of a challenge.

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones: Setup and Maintenance

Setting up the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones is straightforward: Attach the handle to the dustbin, then clip on the floorhead, and the vacuum is built. The charging base is ready to use as is, but you can also clip in the attachment holder to store everything together.

It's always recommended to charge the battery to full before the first use. For me, this took an hour and a half, but it can take up to 3.5 hours to charge it to full from 0%.

I like that the long, thin dustbin means that the dust blow-back when emptying is minimal. It pours vertically downwards rather than spraying into the air, which is effective when minimizing exposure to household allergens.

Cleaning the vacuum filter is straightforward, and it's an essential step to keep it running at peak performance. The filter unclips from the dustbin and is cleaned simply by tapping away excess dust, then rinsing under cool water. This should be done around once a month.

How Does the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones Compare?

Costing $599.99 at Dyson, the PencilVac Fluffycones is expensive. Powerful cordless vacuums tend to cost around $300 to $600, and are typically able to adequately vacuum carpets as well as hard floors.

The cordless Dyson V11 is a strong example. In terms of raw cleaning power, it performs better in every single aspect. It costs $659.99 at Dyson, but is often discounted to as low as $449.99.

Or to spend less, the Shark PowerDetect Cordless can clean all surfaces effectively, is easy to use, and even adapts its suction to your floors automatically, which the PencilVac Fluffycones doesn't. It costs $449.99 at SharkNinja, but is often discounted to around $299.99.

Both cordless vacuums boast stronger performance than the PencilVac Fluffycones, often cost less, and are able to clean carpets and furniture, too. But the benefit of the PencilVac Fluffycones is its maneuverability on hard floors, the slim size, stylish design, and a dual green laser to reveal dust.

Next, see which models we rank the highest after rigorously testing the best robot vacuums and the best Dyson alternatives.

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Even floorcare with the most robust filtration can trigger allergy symptoms. I experience this first-hand with my flashy cordless, because every time I empty it, the dust blows into the air.

But while bagless vacuums have been the popular, convenient choice for some time, I recently switched to the bagged Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog (now on sale at Walmart) – and my allergies have never been quieter.

This corded canister vacuum traps dust particles, pollen, and dander in its sealed bag – and paired with its best-in-class suction power and decades-long lifespan, this best Miele vacuum not only keeps my home effortlessly spotless, but my allergy symptoms at bay.

This Bagged Miele Is the 'Pro-Level' Return to Flawless, Allergen-Free Vacuuming

As a lifelong asthma and allergy sufferer, I am always searching for solutions that will ease my symptoms and improve my daily comfort – and my most recent upgrade has arrived right as allergy season is dawning.

The Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog is an ultra-powerful canister vacuum that, during our rigorous testing, left no trace of dust. It is the strongest performer of the 93 vacuums we've thoroughly vetted in our test center and in real homes.

But it's more than a shining example of world-class cleaning, as without a dustbin to empty, your floor's dust, hair, and other household allergens are sucked into a sealed, disposable vacuum bag that you simply throw away once full.

So, there is no more dust blow-back every time I have to empty my appliance. The symptom-inducing dust particles that I spend time vacuuming (effortlessly, as you'll see in my video below) stay locked in the bag, meaning that routine appliance maintenance and vacuum emptying no longer trigger my allergy reactions.

This is such a relief in spring as pollen counts rise and symptoms can level up seemingly overnight.

After James Dyson invented the first high-performing bagless vacuum cleaner and paved the way for all the best cordless vacuums that followed, bagged alternatives have largely been forgotten about.

But while bagless vacuums bring convenience and fewer recurring costs, the bagged design allows for greater durability and tighter allergen retention. It's a major point of comparison between bagged vs bagless vacuums.

It's precisely why Miele canister vacuums can last decades and end up costing you less per use, even against budget cordless options, especially if you pick one up at the current sale price:

As you can see in the comparative table above, the Miele has superior suction power and floor cleaning performance, alongside allergy-trapping sealed vacuum bags and the lowest cost per use.

If you were to pick the Miele up at full price, the cost per use is similar to the budget cordless, which cannot compare in performance or dust-trapping capability.

As for longevity, while the Miele vacuum is still cleaning at its best, many years down the line, you will have most likely replaced your cordless or upright vacuum in that time, once, if not more, not to mention the cost of spare filters or replacement parts after things start wearing out.

The Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog is an investment appliance that cleans more effectively than the competition and traps allergens more securely.

How It Works

As dust, pollen, and dander are pulled directly into its sealed bag, the appliance's internal parts aren't quietly being eroded away by debris. The motor is housed separately, meaning there's a reduced risk of electrical damage and wear-and-tear over time.

It also requires less maintenance. A major part of vacuum maintenance is routinely cleaning the filter – a task that most people do less frequently than they should – but with this bagged Miele vacuum, the bag is the filter, so every time it's replaced, the performance and suction power return to its peak once again.

Naturally, this means that the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog comes with recurring costs. A pack of four Miele TU HyClean bags costs $28.99 at Miele, or you can get a pack of eight for $40 at Amazon. This ongoing spend is why many get put off by bagged vacuum cleaners, but it isn't as expensive as it may initially appear.

Plus, this appliance is more robust and a lifelong investment in quality and longevity that is expected to last 20 years, bringing the cost per use (if you vacuum once a week) to just $1.12 cents. If you vacuum more than once a week, even less.

The Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog is discounted to $569.99 at Walmart.

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The Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog is a durable and powerful floor cleaning investment for your hardworking home, and a secure solution to finally banishing allergy symptoms when vacuuming.

Not only is it the most effective bagged vacuum we've tested, but the current offers available also make it more affordable than every other bagged vacuum we've tested. If you're looking for the ultimate floorcare experience, look no further.

But it isn't the only appliance that can reduce allergies and deep-clean your home. Here are a few more of our vetted recommendations to help you keep allergy season at bay this spring and beyond.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, see which vacuums top our guides of the best vacuums for pet hair and the best robot vacuums after weeks-long testing sessions.

The 'dust-revealing' laser found in Dyson's expensive vacuums brings with it transformative cleaning, revealing what you didn't know was there, then showing you how truly clean the floor is afterwards.

But as those market-leading Dysons can cost upwards of $800, it's exciting to have discovered a similar feature in the Dreame R20, which costs only $147.99.

After personally testing this model, and as a frequent user of a Dyson at home, the similarities in the Dreame R20 are why we have crowned it as one of the best Dyson alternatives on the market.

The Dreame R20 Reveals Dust That You Didn't Know Was There

I have spent more than 300 hours testing vacuum cleaners, and the Dyson V15 Detect, with its market-leading green laser, is one of the enduring best vacuum cleaners in the world. It reveals dust that you can't see, then the strong suction pulls it from your floors in seconds.

Having this heightened awareness of dust at home is how I have avoided that horrible feeling of catching dust when walking around my home barefoot, and the sneezing and asthma symptoms from rising pollen – both of which are common problems now that we're heading into spring.

If your vacuum is leaving dust behind, bringing this premium dust light into your home will reveal exactly where those hidden dust spots are. But instead of paying $850 on the Dyson, the Dreame R20 is the robust alternative without the unaffordable price tag.

And once you've experienced it, it becomes hard to imagine cleaning without it. The light makes the cleaning process easier, by showing where needs to be vacuumed and where doesn't, but honestly, it also makes it more enjoyable. Being able to see precisely how your floors are becoming cleaner creates repeated dopamine wins.

For a cordless stick, the Dreame R20 is more powerful than many competitors, even if it can't match the cleaning power of the Dysons. As the light revealed dust, I saw firsthand that, on hard floors and thin carpets, and rugs, it picked up almost every visible mess after a few passes.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if your home is heavily carpeted – if that's the case, the Shark POWERDETECT Upright is a stronger option, which also has LED lights that help to illuminate dust on the floor.

But the Dreame R20 screams premium floorcare without the premium price tag, and when combined with its strong performance, easy cleaning, and greater insight into your home's dust levels, is a financially-smart upgrade.

It doesn't fall into the traps of many other budget cordless vacuums, too. Its runtime is optimized as you clean using floor sensors, which increase or lower the suction power depending on floor type and dust volume, meaning you can clean for around 30 to 40 minutes on average before needing to charge it.

The Dreame R20 is discounted to $147.99 at Dreame.

More to Shop

The Dreame R20 stands out as one of the closest competitors to Dyson's signature, dust-revealing laser to date – but it isn't the only one that we've loved after rigorously testing. Here are six more winners from our testing sessions.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Next, see which vacuum cleaners top our guides of the best vacuums for pet hair and the best robot vacuums after rigorously testing 93 models.

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If you are averse to damp odors, you will know the discomfort of having a mop that never seems fresh and sanitized, even when fully dry. For such a vital cleaning tool, this ineffective process need not be the standard in your home.

Consign the lingering smell from your traditional mop to history with the Dyson Wash G1, which is now discounted to its lowest price ever with $370 off for a limited time. Having vetted it myself in our test center, I highly recommend it.

It not only clears debris in the high-caliber performance Dyson is renowned for, but it also sanitizes hard floors and its mop roller with every spin, so only fresh water reaches surfaces. In my Dyson Wash G1 review, I noted how it was expensive compared to some of the best vacuum-mops I've tested, but at this rare price, it's a worthy and well-timed upgrade.

The Dyson WashG1 Prevents Manual Scrubbing and Lingering Mop Smells

I test the best and latest floor care and spend many hours in our dedicated test center every month, but the effort-heavy tasks involved with traditional mopping put me off from doing it at home, as well as the odor that builds in the mop head as it dries, which is a result of bacteria. These organisms thrive in moisture and protein-rich environments.

Similarly, I don't want to have to wring out a mop every few seconds while it moves dirty water across my floor. I also don't like how disposable these mops are by nature, as I prefer to be as sustainable at home as possible.

These issues are exactly what the Dyson WashG1 vacuum-mop is designed to solve. It does the scrubbing for you, with counter-rotating rollers that spin 455 times per minute. And instead of having to repeatedly wring out a fabric head and freshen the water as you mop your floors, the WashG1 takes care of the task as it operates. In a matter of seconds, it removes the dirt and brown liquid it has lifted from your floors, then soaks the rollers with fresh water before its next rotation.

This privilege usually costs $769.99, but it's now discounted by $370 – its lowest price since its release in August 2024. I'm a strong believer in streamlining your chores and reclaiming precious time in the fast-paced nature of modern life, and investing in high-quality, high-performance floor care is one of the most valuable purchases you can make for your hardworking home without compromising the quality of your cleaning. In fact, it will improve your cleaning standard.

The way that dirty water is scraped away and fresh water is applied to the WashG1's rollers is an engineering marvel, as even without any cleaning solution, the dirt that's removed from your floor is never returned to the surface the way a traditional mop would. Dyson engineers detailed to me how it works at their HQ in Malmesbury, UK, but I'm still impressed to this day.

And during my rigorous testing of this appliance, I was impressed at how effortless it was to use. It glides across the floor as smoothly as the best cordless vacuums, requiring minimal effort to push, and with constant fresh water coming into contact with the floor, sanitation is guaranteed.

What's more, once you've finished cleaning your floors, the charging station runs a self-cleaning cycle, so that any leftover bacteria or odors on the rollers are banished, leaving it dry, odorless, and ready for the next time you need to refresh your floors.

It also delivers streak-free cleaning, compared to traditional mopping that pushes dirty water across floors almost constantly, even if you know the best way to use your mop. As the Dyson WashG1 is simultaneously vacuuming and mopping, this dirty water is actively being removed at all times.

And on top of getting rid of having to wring out your mop, this method also means you're able to vacuum up solids, which protects your floors from damage from any hard debris being caught in the mop.

A common floor cleaning mistake is having tiny, often imperceptible debris on your floor when mopping. This could be because your best vacuum isn't vacuuming enough, or because your floors are prone to trapping debris, but if these pieces remain when you get the mop out, they can easily damage your floors in the process.

The debris and dirty water are split into separate containers, too, so when it comes to emptying them, one can go in the trash while the other goes down the drain.

The Dyson WashG1 is discounted to $399.99 for a limited time.

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The Dyson WashG1 frees you from the physical and time-consuming tasks traditional mopping brings, without any additional cleaning solution costs, as it only needs fresh water to effectively sanitize.

But it isn't the only cleaner we've tested that solves this problem. Here is my curated selection of alternatives, as Homes & Gardens' resident floor care tester.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Technology is transforming floorcare to be easier and faster than ever, and as Homes & Gardens' home tech editor, I love watching this market grow and expand. The best vacuums for pet hair that I've tested in a local cat and dog shelter are shining examples and will help keep your home clean with pets.

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Leaving a mess behind is singlehandedly the most frustrating – and downright contradictory – issue that a vacuum cleaner can have. But as a vacuum tester, I know this to be all too common, even in some of the most advanced models.

That's why the Dyson V15 Detect, discounted by a rare $200, is the vacuum I continue to use in my own home, as its powerful, reliable cleaning never leaves a speck of dust behind.

It's also light, cleans quickly with minimal passes, and it has a green laser that reveals dust you can't normally see. As I detailed in my Dyson V15 Detect review and in the full year that I've used it in my home since, it's one of the all-time and enduring best vacuums.

The Discounted Dyson V15 Detect Makes Vacuuming Faster, and More Thorough

settledThe Dyson V15 Detect is expensive for a reason, which is why when I spot a sizeable discount such as the current offer, it's too good not to share. It usually retails for $849.99, a high price Dyson is disciplined about, as it's a best-seller that delivers on its promises, meaning it's not often discounted.

It hasn't been cheaper than its current discounted cost of $649.99all year, and the last time it was lower was last Black Friday. The next Black Friday is many months away, starting on 27 November 2026, and instead of waiting for the price to drop further, I'd snap up this deal before the price goes back up again.

As a vacuum tester who has spent more than 400 hours testing these appliances, even some of the best cordless vacuums have a habit of leaving a little bit of mess behind. It's so frustrating, especially when you have put the vacuum away and settle to admire your work, only to spot remnants.

But that's why the Dyson V15 Detect consistently stands out among the 35 vacuums I've reviewed, with its effortless cleaning power and special green laser that means I don't miss a single speck of dust, and it is the only vacuum I still use after testing, using it all over my home daily.

I can speak from experience when I say the V15 will do more than make it easy to clean your floors. Its elite engineering is smart, convenient, and designed in a way that will make an arduous task faster and less intensive, saving you time and energy whilst still bringing robust and thorough results.

I have no qualms about getting it out for just five minutes for a quick spill, or spending time extensively cleaning, as it is comfortable to use, and the battery lasts well, even if you keep turning it on and off.

As we move into spring, with allergens and dust increasing, just as the last of winter snow melts, bringing shoe debris into the house, having a powerful vacuum such as the V15 on hand is a game-changer for your daily cleaning.

Above all, you want a vacuum cleaner to do what it says, which is to remove the dust, dirt, hair, fur, and household mess that accumulates in your home. Doing so reduces our exposure to allergens, banishes unwanted odors, protects our floors from long-term damage, but most importantly, it makes our homes look cleaner and feel calmer.

The Dyson V15 Detect picks up mess on the first pass, virtually every time. This is true whether cleaning carpet, upholstery, hard floors, or even pet beds.

This performance is why I love using it at home. I have it leaning against a wall, and whenever I see that something needs a bit of a clean, I grab it and run it along the floors, and within a few minutes, the area is spotless.

It's effortless, and this kind of convenience is what has made it so much easier for me to clean. Without these mental and physical barriers, I'm more consistent with my cleaning, and as the green laser shows you when the floor is truly clean, I actually find it somewhat enjoyable:

Many other Dyson alternatives have attempted to recreate this dust-revealing laser, but none have done so as effectively as you can see here. It's incredible (and a tad frightening) to see just how much dust can exist on our floors without us knowing.

But while it reveals this hidden dust, it also shows how competent the vacuum cleaner is, as after a pass, the mess has pretty much always disappeared.

And to make things easier, it has floor sensors that adapt the suction level to the surface you're cleaning and the dust volumes on the floor, so that you don't have to fiddle around with any settings while vacuuming.

The Dyson V15 Detect is discounted to $649.99 at Dyson for a limited time.

More to Shop

The Dyson V15 Detect is a masterclass in effortless cleaning, and I recommend it time and time again as one of the strongest solutions for an immaculate home. It's the only one I use myself.

But the privilege of this powerful vacuum comes at a price, even when it's on offer. If the Dyson's $649.99 price point is still a little too high, these are some excellent alternatives that we've tested ourselves, that will make your home spotless with minimal effort.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, see which models we've crowned as the best robot vacuums and the best vacuums for pet hair after our rigorous testing sessions, to make cleaning faster and less demanding.

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For a brand famous for its market-leading air purification, it makes sense that Levoit's vacuum cleaner range would have the same focus: To combat allergies at home.

The Levoit AERO, aptly named, is a shining example, with a cleaning station that traps the dust and hair that your vacuum picks up, and stores them in a disposable vacuum bag, meaning you're almost never exposed to allergens at home.

But while it's one of the best vacuums for allergy sufferers, it isn't perfect for every home. I put it through its paces in our test center and in a local pet shelter to find out who it's best suited to.

The One-Minute Summary

The Levoit AERO is one of the strongest cordless vacuums out there for allergy sufferers. The cleaning station can store dust, hair, and all household mess for up to 60 days at a time, but instead of having to then empty it yourself, you simply dispose of the vacuum bag. With its five-stage filtration, which includes a HEPA filter, you have almost zero exposure to allergens.

It's great for homes with mostly hard floors, as the suction is strong enough to pick up everything from fine material to hair to large debris. It's also easy to use, lying completely flat to reach under furniture and with LED headlights to illuminate the floor.

But the suction on carpets leaves a lot to be desired, especially on pet hair. On low-pile carpet, medium-pile carpet, and thick rugs, there was always some fur left behind. I would recommend the Shark Cordless PowerDetect or the Dyson V11 if you want stronger suction on carpets that doesn't disappoint.

Levoit AERO: Specifications

Levoit AERO: Design and Features

The Levoit AERO takes the design of the Levoit LVAC-300 and LVAC-200 cordless vacuums, but adds stronger suction, a longer runtime, and a self-cleaning station.

Levoit has listed the suction power as 180 air watts, meaning it is more powerful than the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, and only five air watts away from the Dyson V11. These Dysons are two of the most powerful cordless vacuums we have ever tested, but they cost $100s more, so this could be a huge win for those looking for the best Dyson alternatives.

But I tested the airflow myself using an anemometer and found that the Dyson V11 reaches 19.6mph, while the Levoit AERO only reaches 13.8mph, so there is still a notable difference in the force of air generated by each vacuum.

Like most modern cordless vacuums, the AERO has different suction levels: MIN, MED, MAX, and TURBO. It doesn't, however, switch between these modes automatically by sensing what's on your floors, as you'll find in other premium cordless vacuums such as the Dyson V15 Detect and Shark PowerDetect Cordless.

It can vacuum for up to 70 minutes – but only in handheld mode. Levoit has helpfully listed the runtimes for every suction mode on the Levoit AERO product page (most brands don't do this), so you can see that, with the floorhead attached, you'll get 40 minutes on MIN, 30 minutes on MED, 15 minutes on MAX, and only six minutes on TURBO. This is standard across almost every cordless vacuum we've tested (which is at 40 and counting).

The cleaning station is a major upgrade compared to previous Levoit vacuums. This dock is a handy spot to store your vacuum between uses – avoiding you having to lean it against a wall or find a place in a closet – but it also empties the vacuum's contents into its larger, 0.92gal dustbin, meaning you don't have to empty it yourself for up to 60 days.

The cleaning station uses vacuum bags that you dispose of once full, which means you are never exposed to household allergens like dust and pet dander – a huge win for anyone who suffers from allergies – but it also means this vacuum comes with recurring costs. A pack of six bags costs $24.99 from Levoit or Amazon, which should last around a year. Two bags come included with the vacuum, lasting up to 120 days.

The station also means that your vacuum cleaner is kept in better shape, as the station's strong suction pulls out the dirt and dust that can quietly erode a vacuum's internal parts over time. This is more effective at keeping the vacuum clean than emptying it yourself.

The floorhead has two brush types: One bristled and one with a rubber-style material. These allow the vacuum to pick up different debris types while also preventing hair from wrapping around the brushroll.

It comes with the full set of attachments: A 2-in-1 combination tool (dusting brush and fabric tool), a 2-in-1 crevice tool (crevice tool and narrow dusting brush), an extension hose, and a mini motorized tool. A mini motorized tool is one of the best vacuum attachments, especially if you live with shedding pets.

What Is the Levoit AERO Like to Use?

I enjoyed cleaning with the Levoit AERO. It's easy to use, doesn't wrap with hair, and the cleaning station meant I didn't have to empty it or do any maintenance myself. As an asthma and allergy sufferer myself, this was important.

But while it cleans well for the price, there are certainly more powerful vacuums out there, as it struggled to clean certain messes and stubborn pet hair (more on that below).

The Levoit AERO is a convenient vacuum cleaner. It's light – it weighs just 4.4lbs without attachments, which is lighter than most – and the floorhead has LED headlights that help illuminate the dirt hiding on your floor. However, these lights reveal any dust that you can't normally see, as the best Dyson vacuums do – they just illuminate the floor.

It lies completely flat (as you can see in the video above), meaning you can get quite far under sofas and furniture without having to move things around. And while it glides smoothly across floors, I did find that on carpet, the floorhead can wobble a bit, which shows somewhat of a lack of suction to the surface.

It'd be great if the suction modes changed automatically, but floor sensors are an expensive addition, so it makes sense that the Levoit AERO is more affordable than those that have this feature.

I like that you can attach two attachments to the wand, but it's a shame that the motorized attachment doesn't fit in the slot, as that tends to be the most used. On the cleaning station, I appreciate how organized everything looks:

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

I tested the Levoit AERO using a half cup of flour and sugar to assess its ability to vacuum fine material, such as dust, dander, and microscopic household allergens.

On hard floors, after just one forward pass, pretty much everything was vacuumed except for a little bit of flour between the cracks, but this remaining residue was able to be sucked up in a couple more passes using max mode. This is average performance for a cordless vacuum, not as powerful as the Shark PowerDetect Cordless, but a step-up from the Levoit LVAC-300.

On carpeted floors, most of the same mess was cleared after a forward-and-backward pass, but it took two to four more passes to completely vacuum the stuck-on bits. This isn't uncommon for a cordless stick, but I've certainly seen stronger performance with less effort, like with the Dyson V11 (although it typically costs $100-200 more).

Test 2: Pantry

I tested the Levoit AERO using a cup of cereal and lentils to see how well it can pick up medium and large debris, which act like common household spillages, including pet kibble, litter, tracked-in mud, and food crumbs.

The cereal poses the biggest challenge as it is sometimes too large to fit into a floorhead, meaning it can be flung around if not crushed down. We do not fail vacuums on the floorhead being big enough during testing, but we knock points off if larger debris and pieces are flung across the floor. This helps us find out how to get the most out of every vacuum.

On hard floors, the Levoit Aero easily vacuumed the lentils, but couldn’t really vacuum the cereal pieces. But after taking off the floorhead, the suction was strong enough for me to vacuum them up one by one using the wand. It didn't pick them up as quickly as more powerful vacuums, like the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog, but it wasn't difficult.

On carpet, the AERO easily crushed down most of the cereal, meaning it was able to vacuum up most of the mess in one forward pass on mid and max modes. The cereal was bunched up towards the end, but it got crushed when there was less of it, owing to the increased friction on the soft surface. Solid performance for a cordless vacuum at this price.

Test 3: Pet Hair

I also tested the Levoit AERO in a local cat and dog shelter (Bristol ARC) to see if it makes the list of the best vacuums for pet hair, while assessing its ability to handle the large volume of mess that you can find in an environment with high foot traffic.

The Levoit AERO had mixed results on fur. On hard floors, it vacuumed up all the pet hair in one sweep on MED but needed two to three more passes to get the hair at the edges – which can prove frustrating over time, as otherwise you may need to swap out the attachments do so more quickly.

On low pile carpet (as seen in the video above), the performance was OK. It got a lot of hair after five passes, but a fair few remained. On average, vacuums around this price point take around two to three passes to vacuum per hair, so the Levoit AERO disappointed here.

The pet shelter I test at for real-world vacuuming results has an entrance mat that is the most challenging surface to vacuum pet hair from – and not many hairs were vacuumed at all, even after 10 passes on MAX mode. Most vacuums struggle here, but this performance was a let-down.

On a thick rug, most of the hairs were picked up, especially once I started using MAX mode, but it couldn't get them all. However, it was able to pick up every visible strand of fur from sofas and upholstery using the mini motorized tool.

I would only recommend this as a pet hair vacuum if your home has hard floors and soft furnishings – and no carpets. Otherwise, hair and pet dander will start accumulating on your floors over time.

Levoit AERO: Setup and Maintenance

Even with the cleaning station, the setup for the Levoit AERO took a few minutes. The station is comprised of only two parts, so you simply insert the main dust container onto the base. Then, connect the wand and floorhead to the vacuum, and it's assembled. Easy.

It took just under three hours to charge the vacuum to full before using it (it is always recommended to do this before the first use to preserve your battery health). From 0%, it can take up to four hours.

Maintenance is made easier by the fact that you rarely have to empty this vacuum, and when you do, all that's involved is disposing of a vacuum bag. Emptying and replacing the bag isn't fiddly whatsoever, and it means you're never exposed to dust.

You'll still need to clean the vacuum's brushroll, dustbin, and filter regularly, though (once every one to three months), to keep the vacuum at its best. But as the station uses powerful suction to remove all contents from the vacuum, these internal parts will stay cleaner for much longer compared to cordless vacuums that you have to empty yourself.

How Does the Levoit AERO Compare?

The Levoit AERO costs $499.99 at Levoit and Amazon, but is often discounted to around $399.99. This comfortably puts it in the mid-range for cordless vacuums – spend more, and you'll get stronger suction, spend les,s and you may struggle to clean your floors.

The most like-for-like vacuum we've tested is the Shark PowerDetect Cordless. It costs $549.99 at SharkNinja with the cleaning station, but during the sales, it can cost around $349.99 to $499.99. The Shark has stronger suction than the Levoit, automatically adjusts to your floors thanks to floor sensors, and can bend at the wand for easier cleaning, so in most ways, it's better. It doesn't use vacuum bags, however, so the Levoit is a stronger choice for allergy sufferers.

You can also buy the Shark PowerDetect Cordless without the cleaning station for $449.99 at SharkNinja, and it's often discounted to around $299.99 to $349.99.

If you want more powerful cleaning, particularly on carpets, I would recommend the Dyson V11. It costs $659.99 at Dyson at full price, but is regularly on offer for around $469.99 (as it is at the time of writing). It doesn't have a cleaning station, but this is easily one of the most powerful vacuum cleaners we've tested, and can banish dust and pet hair in virtually one pass, even on thick rugs.

Next, see which vacuums take the top spot after rigorously testing the best vacuums for pet hair, the best Dyson alternatives, and the best robot vacuums.

I never thought I could be quite so amazed at a robot vacuum – but with its sleek design, industry-leading features, and robust cleaning skills, the Dreame X50 Ultra left me impressed.

As an interior journalist for over five years, I have seen the rise of robot vacuums, and tested three from brands Roborock and Eureka. The Dreame X50 Ultra is the first Dreame I have tested, and has quickly my favourite robot vacuum so far.

I tested it around my house for three weeks, which has both carpet and hard flooring, as well as using it in a house with pets to put it through its paces. No matter where I put it, it was a breeze to set up, thanks to its sleek app and lightweight design. Strong contender for one of the best robot vacuums we've tested.

The One-Minute Summary

More expensive than most robot vacuums, the Dreame X50 Ultra is a premium purchase. While more budget-friendly robot vacuums also come with an app, camera, and mopping functions, this has more advanced versions, along with other features that make it worth the extra money.

It's a dream at vacuuming and mopping, excelling on cleaning everyday dirt and spills. I also tested how it vacuumed up sugar and lentils, and found it quick and efficient on small and medium sized debris. However, it did struggle with larger debris, crushing pieces without proper removal. In terms of mopping, it struggled with thicker liquids, but swept through thinner, more water-based ones with no problems.

It has the world's first robotic retractable legs, which glide over obstacles up to 2.36 inches tall. It even lowers its height to smoothly go underneath areas like sofas and TV units. Plus, I loved the fact that it comes with a Dreame cleaning solution that goes in a separate slot to the water tank, allowing for an extra sparkling finish that kept my home fresh.

It also works exceedingly well as a pet hair vacuum. It has a special setting that means it takes special care to avoid pets, and even has a setting for capturing cute pictures of your pet while it’s cleaning (yes, really!). The DuoBrush also picks up short and long hair without getting tangled – I didn’t have to cut out any hair throughout testing.

Dreame X50 Ultra: Specifications

Dreame X50 Ultra: Setup

When unboxing the Dreame X50 Ultra, I was surprised at just how much cardboard there was inside the box – an eco-friendly design and recyclable, as opposed to heavy plastic and bubble wrap.

The base station is relatively light, meaning that I was able to get it out of the box without much of a struggle. After that, all I needed to do was slot in the base station panel, pour the cleaning solution into it (dust bag already intact), and plug it into the wall.

Once I’d done this, I downloaded the Dreamehome app, which had easy setup instructions. It told me where to scan the QR code to identify the model, how to turn on the robot vacuum, and what to press to connect the Wi-Fi to it. The whole process took around 15 minutes.

The robot had enough initial charge in it to start fast mapping, which took 20 minutes for my downstairs space, which has an open-plan living and dining room, a kitchen, and a hallway.

Once the map was done, I had to adjust the map to merge together the two parts of the kitchen and to rename the hallway, as it was identified as the bathroom, but this was simple and didn't take long. After this, it was easy to set it on an initial deep house clean, which took an hour.

Dreame X50 Ultra: Design and Features

The Dreame X50 Ultra has to be one of the most beautiful robot vacuums I’ve seen. It has a sleek design that will seamlessly fit into interiors, both classic and contemporary, with its grooved and metallic paneling. It also comes in white and black colorways.

Its hero feature is the industry-first ProLeap system, which allows it to lift itself over difficult obstacles and ledges up to 2.36 inches. One of my biggest annoyances when testing other robot vacuums is having to rush over when they get themselves tangled up in my rug or when they can’t make it over thresholds. No problem here, though – and the lifting got impressed ‘Oohs!’ from people I showed it to while testing.

Meanwhile, the VersaLift Navigation allows it to reach under small gaps, lowering the robot vacuum’s height to 3.5 inches. I have two sofas and a chaise lounge in my living space, and a bar cart in my kitchen space, and it was able to reach under these perfectly with this.

As well as this, its 3D structured light and AI action allow it to identify different types of objects with impressive accuracy. From this, it creates a detailed 2D and 3D map. I was impressed to see it was able to identify furniture and fabrics to avoid, as well as safely navigate around shoes (which I have a lot of in the hallway!) and charging bases.

As a person with long hair which seems to get everywhere, the HyperStream Detangling DuoBrush was an especially welcome feature. The Bristled Rubber Brush cleans hard floors, while the TPU Rubber Brush lifts larger particles and hair. The combination of these is designed to minimize tangles – and so far, I have not had to cut any hair out of it, and the brush itself has remained completely clean.

The base station packs a lot into it, despite the fact it is compact and light for a robot vacuum station. Open up the metallic panel, and you’ll find a container similar to a washing machine drawer for the cleaning solution to be poured in, which comes with it. The dust bag also comes pre-installed. Plus, while the water capacity isn’t as big as that of larger models, it still lasted me three runs before needing to be emptied.

The AceClean DryBoard allows it to quickly dry the mop pads while keeping the base station fresh. In the past, I have tested vacuums that the board has ended up catching excess dirt, and having to clean this manually myself – but even after three weeks, my white model’s base stayed pristine, as did the mop pads (apart from after the mustard mop test – more on that below).

The Dreamhome app – which is essential for using the robot vacuum – is very easy to use, with a clean interface and easy navigation. It even has a handy forum section for finding other users, which I think will definitely be useful for troubleshooting any problems.

What Is the Dreame X50 Ultra Like to Use?

When it comes to interacting with the Dreame X50 Ultra, it’s oh-so-smooth to get it to start cleaning. The app has a play button from the outset, which you can press for a quick start. Or, you can go further into the app to customise vacuuming or mopping, change the vacuum’s power, or see the maps. I found the custom button wasn’t as intuitive for me to press, with it being tucked to the left of the screen, and I felt it could have been in the lower panel.

On the app, the robot vacuum can be set to clean different rooms and zones, which is very easy to do. Whether I’ve been in a rush and needed to just clean one area before hosting or had the time to do a full deep clean, it takes seconds to get it started. It can start cleaning by using the smart home voice prompt ‘Okay Dreame, start cleaning’ – or simply by pressing the play button on the app.

The object identification is superb, with it being able to clearly find objects and swiftly skirt around them, without pushing them around – something other robot vacuums I have tested have done. It also closely cleans around these and other large objects – I was amazed at how smoothly it cleaned next to boxes, tables, and kitchen cabinets, getting right to the edge without bumping into them or causing marks.

While I don’t recommend robot vacuums for deep cleaning the home, for everyday, regular use, the Dreame X50 Ultra is excellent. In terms of picking up pieces of debris and dust, it is quick and efficient. I run regularly, so often I end up trailing mud into the house (especially in the hallway), and I haven’t accidentally trodden on any dirt. I’m also a messy cook and, once the vacuum has cleared up after me, you wouldn’t know I had been in there (well, apart from needing to clean the kitchen countertops).

The 6,400mAh battery is powerful enough for it to do up to 220 minutes of cleaning. I found on a full charge, it was able to clean my top and bottom floor. Plus, when the battery runs low, it returns to the dock to recharge and resumes cleaning from where it stopped.

It mops the floor evenly with its two circular mop pads that move deftly, making sure every corner is properly cleaned – unlike robot vacuums with just a cylinder roller mop, which just goes in a straight line. I didn’t find any streaking or uneven washing. It also lifts up the mop pads when going across my rugs, so I didn’t have to worry about them getting damp.

I also tested it in a pet household to see how it manages pet hair, and it had no problems picking this up. Speaking of the pet-friendlyness, it allows you to confirm if you have pets so it is gentler around obstacles, and can also take pictures of your pet and make them into GIFs. Yorkshire Terrier Rosie will usually bark at anything, but she only started barking when it started mopping – and even then, she stopped after a while. It also picked up pet dander and hair easily.

One minor issue I did find is that it would often circle back to areas randomly. For example, it would clean the living room, then move into the kitchen, but then return to do more of the living room, before going back into the kitchen again. This didn’t bother me too much, but it could have been annoying if, for example, I wanted to start cooking in the kitchen once it was done there, only to have it come back.

Plus, despite Dreame describing it as quiet, when testing it on the Decibel X app, it turned out to be louder than other models we have tested, at 73 decibels. I struggled to watch TV with it on and couldn't concentrate on work with it either. However, it can run while you're in another room, and even while you're out the house.

Dreame X50 Ultra: Vacuuming Tests

For the vacuuming tests, I ran the Dreame X50 Ultra by cleaning vinyl flooring and low-pile carpet. I used sugar, lentils, and hoop-shaped cereal to see how well it would come with debris of various sizes. While I knew it was excellent at everyday cleaning, these tests were very eye-opening.

With a suction power of 20,000Pa, it should vacuum up everything in its sight – and for the sugar and lentils, it definitely did this, cleaning up everything in its path. I was surprised that it didn’t go back around and fully clean them up, which I would have expected with its AI camera surely still being able to see they were still there. The flex arm also flung the lentil and sugar to the side.

In terms of cleaning the cereal, as shown in the video it crunched it up to a smaller size to try and pick the pieces up, but only did this for a few of the pieces. It also spat out cereal around the house afterwards, meaning I had to keep up cleaning after it. These were the same size as some pet treats, so I could imagine this being an issue in a pet household.

It performed the same on both the vinyl flooring and the carpet, with it not struggling on either texture. However, it did struggle to mount my rug at times, bunching up the corner for no reason – which was a surprise considering it has special lifting technology.

These tests are meant to truly test the vacuum, and it definitely fared better on smaller, day-to-day debris. It also was able to pick up pet dander effectively. For cleaning bigger debris, I always recommend reaching for one of the best cordless vacuums.

Dreame X50 Ultra: Mopping Tests

In terms of mopping, the Dreame X50 Ultra has great cleaning credentials, thanks to the removable mop pads, the specialist cleaning solution, and having MopExtend RoboSwing technology, where the robot extends a mop out and swings the back of its body towards the floor's edge to maximize what's being cleaned.​

I tested how it cleaned up ketchup and mustard – two sauces with different textures. While it cleaned the ketchup up completely, it struggled with the thicker mustard, missing parts of the mess and again not looping back to clean it properly.

The floor wasn't sticky at all on the ketchup side, but it was still on the mustard side. That being said, there wasn't a strong odor compared to when I originally squeezed the sauces onto the floor, which was impressive considering how strong mustard smells.

The beauty of the mop pads is that they’re removable. While the mop pads are self-cleaning and self-drying in the base station, this didn’t completely remove all the mustard, so I finished the job by washing by hand in soapy water and air-drying on the laundry rack.

However, in terms of day-to-day cleaning, it excels at mopping hard surfaces. It doesn’t miss a nook or cranny and leaves the floors fresh thanks to the cleaning solution. It is also brilliant at mopping at dirt from muddy shoes and paw prints. We run these tests simply to see exactly what its limitations are – and for the X50 Ultra, it's high volumes of sticky sauce.

Dreame X50 Ultra: Maintenance

The vacuuming and mopping tests provided a great opportunity for thoroughly cleaning the vacuum. Learning how to properly clean a robot vacuum is key to its performance and longevity, which is especially important when spending on one with a higher price tag, like the Dreame X50 Ultra.

The mop pads are easy to remove if needing to be cleaned manually (I recommend doing this by hand), and the set also comes with two additional mop pads. However, the base station itself also cleans and dries the pads itself.

The vacuum also comes with a special cleaning brush, which allows me to get into the crevices easily. While the vacuum’s brushes can’t be removed, the cleaning brush made it easy to scrub them. I dipped the brush in hot soapy water to clean post-testing, and the rubber material meant the dirt came off easily.

In terms of removing the dust, the base station does an efficient job of automatically emptying the robot vacuum’s contents into the dust bag every time the robot vacuum docks. While this will need replacing in time, the set does come with two extra bags. After testing it for three weeks, it is about a quarter full – but this is likely partially due to the initial deep clean it has done.

The water tanks are slightly smaller than previous robot vacuums I have tested, but this is the price of the base station being more compact and fitting more sleekly into the home. I haven’t needed to empty out the dirty water in three weeks (although I have, as the app helpfully encourages me to do so), nor have I needed to top up the water. The tanks are also lightweight, have useful handles, and sturdy clips.

How Does the Dreame X50 Ultra Compare?

With an MSRP of $1,049,99 at Dreame, the Dreame X50 Ultra is more on the premium end of the robot vacuum market – but it really does earn its price point, thanks to its clever lifting technology, high suction power, quietness, and ease of use.

Unlike our top rated robot vacuum, the Yeedi S20 Infinity, it has lifting technology and removable mop pads. It also has better suction power (20,000 Pa compared to the Yeedi S20 Infinity’s 19,500 Pa) and has a more stylish design. However, it is not as quiet, with the Yeedi being 56 decibels average, and the Dreame X50 Ultra being 73 decibels average.

It also has a lot more features than the eufy X10 Pro Omni, which is our best budget robot vacuum cleaner. They both auto-empty, are quiet, and edge-hugging, but the app and mapping aren’t as advanced, and it doesn’t have removable pads nor come with a rubber brush roll (although this can be bought separately).

How I Tested the Dreame X50 Ultra

There is a lot that goes into how we test vacuums, which includes using the robot vacuum’s app intensively, living with the product to see how it fits into everyday cleaning, and testing it in environments that might prove a challenge.

For the Dreame X50 Ultra, I tested it for three weeks, running it most days around my downstairs area, which gets the most traffic and has vinyl and rugs, as well as upstairs, which is mostly carpeted. My household has two adults – myself and my partner – and I tested it in a household with two other adults and a Yorkshire Terrier.

In line with Homes & Gardens’ robust guidelines, I tested how it cleaned a quarter cup of sugar, lentils, and cereal, testing with each type of substance individually on both hard flooring and carpet. I also tested the mopping by running two tests – first with a quarter cup of ketchup and second with the same amount of mustard.

Next, learn how to choose the best vacuum for every home – no matter your size, your surfaces, and your budget.

One of the main reasons Dyson vacuums cost so much is that they pack 'corded' cleaning power into cordless machines. You no longer have to lug around a massive vacuum cleaner that also takes up all of your closet space – but usually, you're paying a premium for that luxury.

That's why I'm thrilled to see the Dyson V8 discounted by a huge $210 at QVC. It's one of the slimmest, lightest cordless Dysons on the market – but that doesn't mean it's weak.

It's the opposite. We've tested the Dyson V8 and continue to tout it as one of the best vacuums if you're short on space or are fed up dragging around your old, hefty vacuum cleaner. Plus – this 'Extra' edition includes every possible attachment which, if bought separately, would cost more than $670.

The Dyson V8 Will Free Up Precious Storage Space, While Still Banishing Dust and Hair

I may be Homes & Gardens' resident vacuum nerd, but I can't exaggerate just how much Dyson's cordless vacuums have revolutionized how easy it is to clean your home.

Cordless vacuums bring a lot of convenience – no moving from outlet to outlet, no large, cumbersome design – but this usually comes with a sacrifice in suction power as they're restricted by the limitations of a rechargeable battery.

But that's where Dyson vacuums go a step beyond, and why they are consistently the best cordless sticks out of the 93 vacuums we've put through their paces.

Cordless Dysons boast a similar cleaning performance to what you find in many corded upright vacuums, but in a slim, lightweight, cordless stick design, which is a genuine game-changer when cleaning your home swiftly and without too much exertion, but one that naturally costs a high premium to enjoy.

But the Dyson V8 is a few years old now, meaning it's $100s more affordable than the newer releases. And while it may not have the fancy dust-revealing tech that we love in the Dyson V15 Detect and the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, it still boasts strong performance on carpets and hard floors, so you don't have to worry about an ineffective clean.

Its strong performance on carpet (a rarity for cordless vacuums) is largely owed to the Motorbar floorhead, which is without a doubt one of the most effective floor cleaning attachments I've ever used (and after spending 400 hours testing 35 vacuums, I've used a lot).

It spins rapidly with bristled brushes that agitate carpet, dislodging the dust and dirt that's trapped within the carpet fibers.

It also has anti-tangle vanes – which, after using this attachment for the past two years in my home, have never wrapped with hair, making it one of the best vacuums for pet hair if you're on a budget and short on space.

So, you can free up your closet space that's currently being taken up by an old, heavy vacuum – and you won't have to worry about not being able to clean your home as thoroughly. It's lightweight, so you can clean with one hand, and you can grab it and clean a mess without having to hunt for your nearest power outlet. A real space saver and a time saver.

The Dyson V8 Extra is discounted to $329.98 at QVC.

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The Dyson V8 is at a steal price right now, but it isn't the only cordless vacuum that will free up space while still deep cleaning your home. Here are a few more of our favorites after our rigorous testing sessions.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Next, see which vacuums top our guides to the best vacuums for pet hair and the best Dyson alternatives after our rigorous testing sessions.

It could be the snowy sludge of the past few weeks or the trodden-in mud of the summer months, but it really doesn't take long for our shoes to make our entryway floors filthy.

But there's a simple (yet handsome) fix: This stylish boot tray at Amazon, which catches dirt and moisture in a waterproof container, and takes just seconds to clean. Sure, it's not a brand new invention, but it's a chic take on the usual plastic offerings.

Your floors will stay spotless, your entryway will look less cluttered, your socks will stay dry, and your vacuum might even last longer, without you having to vacuum up wet debris endlessly.

This simple boot tray is all that's needed to contain all of the outdoor mud and sludge that we track inside daily. Rather than stepping it into our entryways, spreading germs around, and dirtying our precious floors, all of that debris and moisture stays within a self-contained, waterproof tray – and it takes only seconds to clean.

It takes less time and effort to keep your entryway clean this way, compared to vacuuming and mopping more than you need to.

Galvanized steel is a more durable and waterproof material than plastic, and while we aren't understating the value of a doormat, that alone won't protect your floor from moisture, as it continues to seep through and remain on the floor until cleaned.

If your entryway is already cluttered, you may not have thought about bringing another addition into the mix. But professional cleaners and interior designers repeatedly tell us that a clutter-free entryway includes elements like a launch pad for daily essentials, so it makes sense that keeping dirty shoes in their dedicated spot is one of the essential things that people with clean entryways always do.

Having places for storage – rather than shoes dotted around with mud falling off them – is essential for a calmer, more considered look. And if the aesthetic isn't quite what you had in mind for your home, this piece comes in more finishes.

Not only will this mean you can enjoy the benefit of a cleaner, less cluttered entryway, but you will also be protecting your floors. Accumulated dirt and moisture damage floors over time, especially delicate surfaces such as hardwood, so exposing these surfaces to it again and again will only deteriorate the quality, finish, and lifespan of your precious flooring.

I test the best vacuums for a living, and a big part of that involves speaking to appliance engineers and homeowners about the common faults that vacuum cleaners face.

Incorrectly vacuuming up moisture (like the moisture in wet dirt) is a major cause of vacuum breakages, and by confining it to one tray, you're not only protecting your floors – you're preserving your vacuum's lifespan, avoiding more costly repairs down the line.

This boot tray is available at Amazon in a range of different finishes.

What Else to Shop?

Often overlooked, the entryway is one of the hardest-working spaces in the home – your first line of defence against muddy boots, rain-soaked shoes, and everyday debris.

A few thoughtful additions – alongside the clever tray above – can transform it into a beautifully considered, highly practical zone. I’ve rounded up my favourites below: Smart solutions that protect your floors and ensure your space feels polished and welcoming from the moment you step inside.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn how to clean a floor without streaks.

Saying goodbye to your big, heavy vacuum cleaner might come with the fear of losing that sheer cleaning power that a corded brings over a cordless that relies on a battery.

But that doesn't have to be the case. If you're sick of your heavy vacuum, the Dyson V11, discounted by $190 right now, is one of the rare cordless sticks that match the suction power of weightier corded appliances, meaning you can clean your home using one hand, while taking up hardly any storage space in between cleans.

It's one of the best vacuums we've tested, with exceptionally strong performance across every household mess I threw at it – including real pet hair from a cat and dog shelter.

The Dyson V11 Boasts Big Cleaning Power in a Lightweight Cordless Design

The Dyson V11 is a seriously powerful vacuum, easily one of the best cordless vacuums out of the 93 vacuums we've tested at Homes & Gardens, in pretty much every way. It's light (the body, wand, and cleaner head weigh just 6.73lbs together), convenient to use, and doesn't struggle to pick up mess, with the kind of suction you usually only find in bigger, corded, upright vacuums.

In comparison, one of the best Miele vacuums (corded) can weigh up to 16lbs, depending on the model.

Typically, the trade-off when choosing cordless convenience is that you're losing out on suction power. This is fine when it comes to smaller homes and apartments, especially as many modern buildings in the US have predominantly hard floors, which are easier to clean.

But it means that many cordless sticks aren't great for homes with rugs or carpets, particularly budget-friendly options like the Dreame R20 or Levoit LVAC-300, as soft flooring needs stronger airflow to pull up all the debris and hair that becomes trapped within carpet fibers (even low-pile carpet can be hard to clean with a weak vacuum cleaner).

That's why the Dyson V11 stands out. You don't have to sacrifice cleaning performance whatsoever, and can still enjoy all the benefits of cordless convenience, like freeing up storage space, being able to clean more quickly, and saying goodbye to the power cord.

I tested the Dyson V11 in our test center and a cat and dog shelter, and it didn't matter whether I was vacuuming dust, fine powder, pet hair, large debris, crumbs, or the dirt from a busy environment – it cleaned everything in seconds, on pretty much the first pass every time:

It easily gets between floor panels, vacuums right up to the edge, and its bristled brushroll is able to dig dirt out from deep within the carpet fibers.

It also has a boosted suction mode, so when you're vacuuming a thick rug or a sofa where your pets like to spend most of their time, you can use the extra airflow to make sure that everything is properly vacuumed up.

If you're looking for the best vacuum for pet hair, you will be happy to hear that, not only does the Dyson V11 excel at pulling fur from carpets, but it also never wraps or tangles with hair.

It's one of my favorite aspects of these top-of-the-line Dyson vacuums – even non-pet owners will appreciate not having their own hair wrap around the brushroll, and that the allergenic particles are captured within the whole-machine HEPA filtration.

This strong performance across the board is why the Dyson V11 typically costs so much. $659.99 is a lot of money for a vacuum cleaner – that many people naturally aren't happy with parting with – so I always shout about it when I see it discounted by this much.

The Dyson V11 is now discounted to $469.99 for a limited time at Dyson.

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If you're fed up with using a big, heavy vacuum that's taking up all your closet space, here are six of my favorite cordless vacuums that don't sacrifice on performance.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Next, see how our top-tested picks of the best robot vacuums can help slash hours of chore time from your week.

When a stain happens on upholstery or your carpets, it doesn't take long for certain substances to take hold for good, hence the need for suitable appliances that will clear that stain easily and fully.

The Shark CarpetXpert, now $70 less at QVC for Presidents' Day, sucks stains right out of fabric. This edition comes with the Shark StainStriker, a spot cleaning powerhouse that can take care of upholstery, while the CarpetXpert can deep clean carpet.

Together, this package forms one of the best vacuum cleaners we've tested at Homes & Gardens for dealing with both new and old stains.

The Shark CarpetXpert and StainStriker Can Banish Stains From Carpets and Upholstery

There's a special place in your essential cleaning toolkit for a carpet cleaner and spot cleaner. They do the work that our human hands would need a lot more time and physical energy to complete, dabbing and scrubbing over and over until stains disappear.

Instead of patiently hoping that your hard work will get rid of stains, the Shark CarpetXpert and StainStriker can simply pull them right out of the fabric. This can take seconds (genuinely) while being much safer, as you avoid the risk of scrubbing stains deeper into the fabric, a classic rule of stain removal that is all too easy to forget in the moment.

So if you have carpets and soft furnishings in your home and you often find yourself patiently scrubbing away stains to varying effect, the Shark CarpetXpert, currently on offer at QVC for Presidents' Day, is for you. It saves time, cleans more thoroughly, and is safe to use on your precious fabrics.

We saw this first-hand when testing the Shark CarpetXpert. Mystery stains on an outdoor lounge chair, that were more than six months old, were cleared after two quick rounds of spraying and scrubbing.

And it's the spraying that helps the CarpetXpert and StainStriker work as such effective stain removers, and such strong carpet and upholstery cleaners in general. This dedicated Shark cleaning solution is designed to deep clean these soft furnishings to break down stains, remove odors, and wash out bacteria, while protecting the fabric from damage and being safe for pets to sniff and walk on.

The Shark CarpetXpert does what traditional upright vacuums can't. Vacuum cleaners are essential appliances for removing dust, hair, and debris from our carpets, but they don't actually wash them. The stains, bacteria, and odors that are rife within the carpet fibers are still left to grow, affecting our physical well-being, the comfort of our homes, and even damaging the floors down the line.

After one pass over a seemingly clean 8x10' rug, the dirty tank was full of murky brown liquid, and afterwards, the rug had some of its original color restored, while smelling and looking much fresher.

And if you're a pet owner who has long wished for your best vacuum for pet hair to be able to get rid of accidents, the Shark CarpetXpert is your savior. It has a special pet tool with a self-contained dirty tank to avoid nasty messes from getting into the main tank.

It was able to clear a gross mess left behind by a cat, and luckily, the dedicated pet tool has silicone nubs that are much easier to clean than the bristles on the other attachments. After a minute or two of scrubbing, the majority of the mess and stain was gone, and the floor tool was able to clear the rest of it – along with cleaning other old stains and spots of discoloration after being outside all summer.

The Shark CarpetXpert with StainStriker is discounted to $299.98 at QVC for President's Day.

What to Shop