The 7 best vacuum cleaners for carpet – after 1,000+ hours of testing, I know these powerful appliances will extract all dust, dirt, and hair from your floors

The very best vacuum cleaners for carpet have two vital features: strong suction and a powerful brushroll. As dirt can get so easily trapped deep within carpet fibers, your vacuum needs to be able to agitate the debris and extract it in one fell swoop.

This is why it's best to rely on corded vacuums like uprights and canisters. With their larger motors and unlimited access to mains power, they can generate enormous airflow and pull all manner of dirt from carpets and rugs.

As Homes & Gardens' home tech editor, myself and a team of product testers review the best vacuum cleaners. We've spent 1,000+ hours testing 71 of the world's best, and from our extensive assessments, these are the seven best vacuums for carpet.

The best vacuum cleaners for carpet

The quick list

Here are the best vacuums for carpets at a glance. Scroll further for the full guide, or click the navigation links to jump to each product.

At the bottom of the page, you'll find more advice on how to choose a vacuum for carpet, how we test them, a glossary for vacuum terms, and FAQs on how to properly vacuum your carpet.

Explore our run-through of each of the top picks, with details on why they perform so well on carpet. For more info, you'll be able to click through to each vacuum's individual review.

The best vacuum cleaner for carpet

Image 1 of 4

Effectiveness:
From all the testing we've done here at Homes & Gardens, the Shark POWERDETECT has performed the best on carpets. Naturally, one of the best upright vacuums is the optimal choice here, and this latest upright from Shark boasts the brand's best tech yet – and the cleaning power to match it.

The POWERDETECT proved itself when our tester, James Holland, had an area of carpet that needed a deep clean, thanks to his cat's heavy shedding. 'With one pass, the Shark POWERDETECT had basically picked up every visible piece of hair (as well as litter near the litter box) from the carpet, filling the dust bin with an amount of hair equal to a second cat.'

'The carpet itself was left spotless and smelling ever-so-slightly fresh thanks to the odor neutralizer cartridge,' he added. One of the key signs of a well-performing vacuum is how much it picks up in a single pass, so for the POWERDETECT to clear this much hair, when pet hair is so hard to vacuum, is impressive.

The POWERDETECT also worked wonders on all other floor types with its unrelenting suction power. James noted: 'It’s able to suck everything up in its path efficiently and proficiently, no matter the debris. And, it’s equally capable regardless of the surface I used it on.'

Usability:
The 'DETECT' in its name reflects the vacuum's ability to detect dust volume, floor edges and floor type, so that it can automatically adjust the power as needed. It's one of our favorite features pioneered by the best Dyson vacuums. This is great news for any homes with varied floor types, as the upright vacuum can pass from rug to tile to carpet while maintaining the optimal suction power.

It also two brushrolls, one soft and one bristled, so that every floor type is given the proper treatment. And when it comes to easy cleaning, this vacuum has a 'Lift-Away' feature, meaning there's a detachable pod you can lift out of the main vacuum unit for more mobility when cleaning. It makes it one of the best lightweight vacuums in this mode, for easy cleaning of stairs, cars and tricky areas.

Maintenance:
As the Shark POWERDETECT is modular, meaning it can come apart at various points, cleaning the vacuum isn't difficult. The soft brushroll, filter, dustbin and attachments are all removable for straightforward cleaning, but the bristled brushroll is locked in, which will be a bit harder to get to.

Read more at our full Shark POWERDETECT review. James tested the Shark POWERDETECT in his home with low, medium and high-pile carpets, rugs, and hardwood flooring. He also lives with a shedding cat.

The second best upright vacuum for carpet

Image 1 of 5

Effectiveness:
'Right away, it was clear to me that the Dyson Ball Animal 3 was designed with carpeting in mind,' Camryn Rabideau wrote after testing. 'It does an unbelievable job pulling dirt and dog hair out of the fibers. I used it on the low-pile rug in my dining room, and even though I thought the surface was pretty clean, the powerful suction of the vacuum pulled out a disturbing amount of hair that was hiding under the surface.'

The floorhead's brushroll has dense nylon bristles that drive deep into the carpet fibers to agitate dust and dirt, with hair removal veins to avoid any hair-wrap. This is essential when cleaning carpets, particularly high-pile as dirt can get trapped deep within the carpet fibers.

This suction power is powerful, too, as Camryn found that if you have it on the maximum setting, the vacuum will essentially suction itself to the floor, making it impossible to move.

Usability:
The Ball Animal 3 is the most advanced upright vacuum from Dyson, utilizing a spherical design to improve maneuverability. It's a strong, heavy unit that can occasionally be cumbersome to move, but it's just what you need to make sure your carpets are given a proper clean.

Whilst it is heavy, Camryn enjoyed how easy it is to swivel using the ball base. It doesn't have floor detection or Powered Lift-Away like the Shark POWERDETECT, but for the sheer cleaning power alone, this is an excellent choice for high-pile carpet and pet hair.

Maintenance:
As the Dyson's suction is so strong, Camryn found she was emptying the dustbin after cleaning 1-2 rooms, avoiding overfilling the vacuum. Otherwise, there's minimal maintenance aside from cleaning the Dyson vacuum filter every month or two.

Read more in our full Dyson Ball Animal 3 review. Camryn tested the Dyson Ball Animal 3 in her home with low-pile and high-pile carpets, thick rugs, and three pets, as well as a mix of hardwood and laminate flooring.

The best carpet cleaner

Image 1 of 5

Effectiveness:
I'll get straight to the point here – this is one of the best carpet cleaners you could ever buy. It's one of the only consumer carpet cleaners that utilizes steam, that breaks down tough stains for a comprehensive, and commercial-grade floor wash.

To put that into perspective, I tested the Bissell Revolution HydroSteam in a local pet shelter that had two-year-old dog stains on the carpet. In less than an hour, I'd deep cleaned the carpet and almost completely removed these tough, dried and smelly stains. The staff at the pet shelter still thank me for this when I see them (swipe to see the before picture):

Image 1 of 2

After

Before

This level of cleaning is what you'd expect from a professional. I also cleaned new and old stains of cola, red wine and pasta sauce, and the Bissell had no issues extracting it all from the carpet in seconds. It's better than simply steam cleaning your carpet, as the Bissell also pulls the dirty moisture from the carpet, leaving a fresh scent and immaculate floors.

Usability:
Like every Bissell product we've tested at Homes & Gardens, the Revolution HydroSteam is intuitively easy to use. It uses cleaning solution (that you can buy from Bissell for a range of cleaning tasks), and all you have to do is fill up the container, release the solution onto the floor, then suck it up.

Maintenance:
Again, as it's Bissell, the clean and dirty water tanks slot in and out easily. They're a little awkwardly-shaped, but still easy enough to fill up, empty and clean if you have a large enough basin. The cover above the brushroll pops off using two buttons, allowing you to pull any hair or dirt that's trapped and clean the rollers.

Read more in my full Bissell Revolution HydroSteam review. I tested the Bissell Revolution HydroSteam in a local pet shelter on low, medium, and high-pile carpets, thick rugs, and entrance mats. I also tested it in my own home on medium-pile carpet.

The best cordless vacuum for carpet

Image 1 of 5

Effectiveness:
The V15 Detect is not only one of Dyson's top-of-the-line models, but it's also one of the best vacuums we've ever tested. The suction power is next level, making vacuuming seem like the easiest, most effortless task there is, clearing all debris from every floor type in a single pass. This and the Dyson Gen5detect are the best cordless vacuums we've tested

It comes with two main floorheads, the FluffyOptic and the Motorbar, with the Motorbar being specially designed for carpets. It has sharp, angled bristles that can dig deep into both low-pile and high-pile fibers, spinning at high speeds to pull up all types of dust, debris and hair.

I've tested the Dyson V15 Detect on low-pile carpet and thick rugs, and whether it's dust, dirt, pet hair, flour, cereal, or any kind of debris, it has no issues vacuuming everything.

The Dyson V15 Detect also happens to be our best vacuum for pet hair. It performs exceptionally well on hair and fur, especially using the Motorbar floorhead as it avoids hair wrapping around the brushroll. I tested the V15 Detect in a local pet shelter and it puled fur and other busy messes from thick rugs with total ease.

Usability:
The V15 Detect automatically detects the floor type you're on and how much dirt there is. This allows it to quickly adjust the suction power when more is needed, so you don't have to do anything yourself when passing onto different flooring types, making it one of the best multi-surface vacuums in the world.

And when you are vacuuming hard floors lke in the bathroom or kitchen, the Fluffy Optic floorhead has a green laser that reveals invisible dust. The vacuum also counts each individual particle up to the tens of millions, which effectively shows you when an area is completely clean. It's great when vacuuming your mattress.

Maintenance:
Looking after the V15 Detect is similar to most cordless vacuums, but a great feature in this cordless model is the washable filter. You don't have to replace it regularly, instead you can rinse it every month or two to keep your vacuum running at its best.

And like other cordless vacuums, it can be completely taken apart so that each individual component can be cleaned or rinsed.

It is a little pricey however, retailing at around $750 at full price (or is frequently on offer for around $550-650). For something more affordable, consider the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, costing around $100 less at full price owed to its smaller size. I use this vacuum in my own home and it works almost as well as the V15 Detect, I just have to empty it more often and occasionally go over an area twice.

Read more in my full Dyson V15 Detect review. I tested it in our dedicated test center on low-pile carpet and hard floors, in a local pet shelter and low, medium and high-pile carpets, thick rugs, entrance mats and upholstery. I also use it in my own home almost daily.

The best canister vacuum for carpet

Image 1 of 3

Effectiveness:
Canister vacuums are tried-and-tested performers on carpet. They're not quite as good on carpets as upright vacuums, but they tend to offer more versatility when it comes to different kinds of cleaning. This is especially true for the best Miele vacuums, the market leader when it comes to canister vacuums.

Miele's canister vacs have a reputation for being some of the best in the world. On test, Alex David found this to mostly be true, especially when using the TurboTeQ floorhead when testing flour and sugar on carpet: 'Swapping out the regular floorhead for the TurboteQ head was a game changer. It was exceptional, rivaling Dyson and Shark for cleaning.'

The only place where it struggled was when tackling large debris. 'Unlike other vacuums with plush brush heads, this vacuum just couldn't conquer cereal,' Alex noted, adding that to really vacuum them up, you had to lift the floorhead and place it onto the pieces.

Usability:
The Miele Complete C3 Cat and Dog is a premium canister vacuum (costing more than $1,000!), boasting high suction power and a healthy variety of attachments. The attachments vary in the US and UK but both versions come with a dedicated carpet floorhead (in the US, you get the Electro Plus; in the UK, you get the TurboTeQ).

You control the Miele vacuum using floor buttons that are super easy to tap with your feet. There's also a dial to select between the six suction modes ranging from hard floors to thick carpets.

Maintenance:
As this is a bagged canister vacuum, you never have to come into contact with the dust and hair when emptying. This makes it one of the best HEPA vacuums for allergies, massively limiting the allergies after vacuuming.

This does make it more expensive however, a 9-pack of Miele dust bags at Amazon will set you back $22. It's already wildly expensive, and considering how much space it takes up, I'd only recommend considering the Miele Complete C3 Cat and Dog if you're in need of a canister's versatility, or you prefer bagged vacuums to keep everything dust- and allergy-free.

Read more in our full Miele Complete C3 Cat and Dog Canister Vacuum review. Alex tested the Miele Complete C3 in our dedicated test center on low-pile carpets, medium-pile carpets and hard floors.

The best budget vacuum for carpet

Image 1 of 5

Effectiveness:
Considering this upright vacuum costs less than $300 ($279.99 at Shark at the time of writing), the Rotator Pet Lift-Away offers some impressive performance. It doesn't have some of the fancy features you'll find in other vacuums in this guide, like floor detection or particle sensors, and it might not be the best Shark vacuum ever, but on cleaning performance alone this should be considered as an affordable alternative.

It has a dedicated carpet mode to make sure your floors are cleaned properly. Tester Camryn Rabideau shared: 'On its carpet mode, the vacuum has powerful suction, and its stiff brushroll pulled lots of dog hair, dirt, and dust out of the rugs in my living and dining rooms.'

'After two passes with the Rotator, my carpeting looked clean, and there was no visible hair remaining (the dustbin was also filled to the brim!)' she added.

Usability:
Even with this powerful suction, she found it easy to push around the medium-pile carpet, and the odor-neutralizer left a fresh scent for a few hours afterward.

It also handles pet hair 'like a pro,' using two brushrolls that perform well on all types of flooring, which is ideal for when you're moving between rooms. It has a HEPA vacuum filter to trap fine particles and allergens, as well as three cleaning attachments for different tasks.

At 14 pounds it's lighter than most upright vacuums but still a hefty weight compared to a cordless stick. That being said, it does have Shark's Lift-Away feature where you can remove the pod for more agile cleaning, but it isn't 'powered,' like it is with more expensive Shark vacuums. Camryn's only other criticism was the vacuum's controls not being conveniently located, as you have to bend over to reach the toggle switch.

Read more in our full Shark Rotator Pet Lift-Away review. Camryn tested the Shark Rotator in her home with low-pile and high-pile carpets, thick rugs, and three pets, as well as a mix of hardwood and laminate flooring.

The best robot vacuum for carpet

Image 1 of 5

Effectiveness:
Robot vacuums are famously poor on carpets. They're gentle cleaners, used more for regular, light maintenance on the days when you're not deep cleaning the floors yourself. But the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, surprisingly, boasts some pretty strong performance on carpet, sucking dust, large debris and hair out of the carpet's fibers.

'For its performance on carpet, I'd say it's 98% of the way there,' Alex David shared after testing. 'Not only was it good on carpet, but it was good on an area rug, too. We have a rug that sheds a lot and this does an excellent job of getting rid of all the fluff.'

He did note that, while the performance was mostly excellent, it would usually leave something behind, whether a piece of lint or some cereal. This is to be expected from a robot vacuum, but can contribute to the feeling of your floors being not quite clean.

If you're looking for the best-of-the-best, the eufy S1 Pro Omni is the best robot vacuum we've tested at Homes & Gardens. The only issue is its $1,500 price point, so I can only recommend it if you have the money to spare. Otherwise, the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ is the perfect balance of value and performance.

It does, however, have incredible hair pickup while avoiding tangling around the brushroll. 'The Combo j9+ has two bumpy, silicone rollers that never gum up with hair. It always pulls hair out of the carpet and does a much, much better job than even some of the best vacuums for pet hair.' This is seriously impressive for a robot, and could be the answer to any home with shedding pet that can't keep on top of the fur.

Usability and maintenance:
As this is a robot vacuum, there's little input from yourself aside from keeping your floor clears (a major, unexpected benefit of owning a robot vacuum). It's also one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair, and one of the only models that will avoid hair wrapping around the rollers.

Cleaning the robot vacuum is also simple. You can go for longer than a month without emptying it or refilling the water tank. Plus, all the accessories store in the base's door in quite a satisfying way.

It's worth noting that this robot vacuum also has a mop function, so if your floor is mostly carpet then you might not get full use out of it, considering it costs somewhere between $600-900. If this puts you off, I'd recommend the iRobot Roomba j7+ which we've also tested and loved.

Read more in our full iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ review. Alex David tested the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ in his home on low-pile and medium-pile carpets, and thick rugs.

Meet the team

Dan Fauzi

I'm the home tech editor for Homes & Gardens, focusing almost exclusively on the vast world of vacuum cleaners. I have spent more than 200 hours testing 23 vacuum cleaners for Homes & Gardens, in my home, our test center, and a local pet shelter. I tested the Dyson V15 Detect and the Bissell Revolution HydroSteam in this guide.

Alex David

Alex David is our former head of eCommerce and has tested vacuums ever since he started reviewing products at Good Housekeeping. He has clocked up hundreds of hours testing 30 vacuum cleaners for your home, including the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ in this guide.

Camryn Rabideau

Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer who has tested more than 50 vacuums over the past five years in her homestead in Rhode Island, including the Dyson Ball Animal 3 and the Shark Rotator.

James Holland

James Holland has been testing products for over three years and has now reviewed more than 20, including the Shark POWERDETECT, the best vacuum for carpet.

How to choose a vacuum for carpet

Carpet is tricky to vacuum because of the fibers as they trap dirt, dust and hair within them. So, you need a vacuum with powerful suction and firm brushrolls, that's able to pull these particles up from the fibrous floor. From 1,000+ hours testing vacuums across all different carpet thicknesses, and from recommendations from professional cleaners and property experts, we have proven experience on why strong suction and agitation (caused by bristled brushrolls) is essential.

This is why upright vacuums like the Shark POWERDETECT are the obvious choice, their focused and rigorous cleaning power can pull dirt from the bottom of the carpet.

Look for suction power of at least 200 air watts. Most cordless vacuums and the best handheld vacuums won't have suction power this strong, so you're ideally looking for the best corded vacuums (except for the top-tier Dysons). And, you need a brushroll with sharp, powerful bristles, but if you also have any delicate hard floors like hardwood or tile, then you'll also need to be able to turn off the brushroll's spinning.

It can also become more complicated when it comes to high-pile carpets. As learned when testing the Dyson Ball Animal 3, the vacuum can occasionally suction itself to the floor, or get the carpet fibers stuck within the brushroll. Look for floorheads with manual height adjustment and ones where you can adjust the power. This can look like a simple slider on the floorhead that allows air in, preventing suction that's too tight.

Maneuverability is important, too, as you'll need to be able to glide smoothly across the carpet to effectively clean. This can look like smooth wheels and a lightweight (anything under 18 lbs is ideal), but without testing it for yourself, it's hard to know for sure. That's why it's good to read reviews like ours!

Then, consider features that'll make your life easier. A floorhead with a large cleaning width (anything higher than 11 inches) will save time when cleaning, as each pass will cover more ground.

The same goes for a large dustbin and long cord length, so you can cover more of the house before having to empty it or remove the plug. Look for cords that are 25 feet or longer, and a dustbin that's 0.26 gallons or larger.

Some features aren't as important when dealing with carpets, like LED lights or soft brushrolls. LED lights tend to illuminate very little on a carpet and are only really used for hard floors. But vacuums with multiple floorheads like the Dyson V15 Detect can be a great choice if you have a mix of carpet and hard floors, as you can use the dedicated tool as you change rooms.

You can find more advice in our guide on how to choose the right vacuum cleaner for your home.

How we test vacuums for carpet

At Homes & Gardens we like to get hands-on experience with all the products we feature. You can learn more how we test products in our dedicated guide, and there's a more specific rundown of our vacuum test process in how we test vacuums.

All of our vacuums are tried and tested in our test center and in our own homes. When in the test center, we assess each vacuum on carpet, linoleum, and wood flooring.

We test their suction power with flour and sugar, which is a common kitchen spill, but also a good substitute for naturally occurring particles in our homes, such as dust and dead skin.

We also use cereal on different flooring types to see how well each upright vacuum picks up larger debris such as crumbs and small stones, and most of all, on old hair extensions, which helps demonstrates during testing how well a vacuum can pick up hair, and whether or not hair gets stuck in its rollers. This gives us a good indication of the level of care and upkeep it'll need moving forward.

When determining whether a vacuum is good for carpet, we look for strong brushrolls with sharp bristles to agitate trapped dirt, as well as powerful suction to be able to remove these particles. Not every vacuum is able to handle carpet, especially long-pile carpet, so we use visible tests like flour to know exactly what the vacuum has picked up and left behind.

We test the vacuum cleaners for a number of weeks so that we know our tests aren't a one-off fluke. In some instances, we are also fortunate enough to keep the vacuum cleaners after writing up the review so we can continue to learn about them over months or even years and share our findings with you as the vacuums pick up wear and tear as they age.

Best vacuums for carpet – Glossary

You can delve into our full vacuum jargon buster guide, but in the mean time, here's a rundown of relevant terminology to understand when considering the best vacuum cleaners for carpets:

• Floorhead: The main vacuum cleaner attachment for floor cleaning (i.e. not the crevice tool, dusting brush etc). Some vacuums have separate floorheads for hard floors and carpets.
• Brush roll: Rotating cylinders within the floorhead (and occasionally in smaller, motorized attachments). They can be soft, fluffy rollers for hard floors or bristled to dig deep into carpets. Many vacuums from brands like Shark and Dyson will have two brush rolls in their main floorhead.
• Wand/hose: Long tube connecting the vacuum cleaner to the floorhead or any attachments (see here for what all the vacuum cleaner attachments do, like the crevice tool or dusting brush).
• Filter: Responsible for trapping the debris and particles as air passes through. Vacuums can have pre-motor filters and post-motor filters, to trap debris of different sizes at different points along the airflow.
• HEPA filter: Filter type that's able to capture at least 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. It's a necessity in a pet hair vacuum as it's able to trap allergenic particles like pet dander (and household allergens like dust and pollen).
• Motor: The core component of a vacuum cleaner (it's also referred to as a suction motor). This is what converts the electrical power into mechanical power to create suction and airflow.
• Bagged/bagless: Some vacuums, typically older ones, use vacuum bags that you dispose of once full. Most vacuums are now bagless and have a dustbin that you conveniently empty when needed, without the need to buy additional bags. Bagged vacuums still have their advantages however, like dust-free emptying, complete odor and particle capture, and less filter maintenance.
• Detection: Some vacuums are able to 'detect' the type of flooring, how dusty/dirty the floor is, whether you're vacuuming edges, or which direction you're vacuuming. They can then automatically adjust suction power, as vacuuming carpet, edges and dust-heavy floors requires extra power, while vacuuming a fairly clean wooden floor doesn't require as much – saving energy or battery life.
• Power/air watts: A vacuum cleaner's power is best measured via air watts, reflecting the airflow and suction power in real terms. It's calculated by multiplying the airflow (in cubic metres per second) by the suction pressure (in pascals), accounting for variables like blockages or different-sized openings (from different vacuum attachments, for example).
• Low-pile carpet: Carpet with shorter fibers, constructed from small, tight loops that create a denser surface.
• High-pile carpet: AKA deep-pile, carpets with long loops creating a bushier and softer appearance. High-pile carpet is much more difficult to vacuum.

FAQs

Below you'll find answers to common questions surrounding the best vacuums for carpets, with insight from all the testing and research we've done here at H&G.

What type of vacuum is best for carpets?

Upright vacuums are the ideal choice for carpets. Being connected to an outlet means they're not restricted by battery power and they often have strong brushrolls with sharp bristles to dig deep into the carpet fibers. The best upright vacuums can also lift up their brushrolls when moving onto different floor types.

Some cordless sticks can clean carpets well, but they tend to cost a lot like the Dyson V15 Detect.

What is the most powerful suction vacuum cleaner?

It's hard to say for certain as vacuum brands will either list vacuum power in watts or air watts. Watts is how much power the vacuum uses, while air watts is an accurate measurement of their suction power.

In our tests, the two vacuums with the highest-performing suction are the Shark POWERDETECT and the Dyson Ball Animal 3 – both in this guide.

Do I need a different vacuum for low pile and high pile carpet?

As long as your vacuum's brushroll has adjustable height settings (like many upright vacuums do), it should be able to tackle different-pile carpets. High pile just means that there's more fibrous material for dust to cling on to, so even without this feature, a vacuum with a boost or turbo suction mode and sharp bristles will be able to clean effectively.

Not found what you're looking for? Consider one of the best Dyson alternatives instead.