How to Choose the Best Vacuum for Your Home – I Test Floorcare for a Living, and This Is the Ultimate Guide to Finding the Perfect Match

Finding the best vacuum for your home means choosing the most suitable and high-performing appliance in your budget, which requires the least effort to maintain, and can be stored in the space you have available.

Whether you have hard floors, carpets, or a mix, my testing team and I have rigorously reviewed 99 (and counting) of the world's best vacuum cleaners, including upright, cordless, canister, pet hair vacuums, and even the best robot vacuums to see which are truly worth the spend, and which are not, across all floor types. We use them in a standardized test center, a fur-filled cat and dog shelter, and in our own homes.

If you already know which type you're after, I've created a quick list of the top six that stood out after our rigorous testing. You can also jump down the page first to find out how to choose the vacuum cleaner best suited to your household's needs.

The Best Vacuum Cleaners, At a Glance

The Best Cordless Vacuums

Cordless vacuums are a popular choice, offering lightweight, easy cleaning while taking up minimal storage space. They're not typically as powerful as uprights or canisters, but unless you live in a big, messy home, they get the job done.

They also have shorter lifespans compared to corded vacuums, averaging around 3-5 years compared to the 8-10+ years for upright and canister vacuums. See our corded vs cordless vacuums section for a deeper dive.

The Best Upright Vacuums

Upright vacuums are the ideal choice if you have a large home, carpets, kids, and/or furry indoor friends. Unrestricted by the power and runtime limitations of a battery, they provide some of the highest suction and strongest cleaning performance of any vacuum type, and they're self-contained, unlike canister vacuums, which require more storage space.

But they're heavy, loud, and demand a fair amount of storage space that small apartments may not have. See our upright vs canister vacuums section for more guidance.

The Best Canister Vacuums

Canister vacuums are among the most durable, high-performing, and versatile models, with a fully flexible hose that allows for easy cleaning without becoming too cumbersome. They work great on all floor types, and you can find bagged models that help reduce allergy symptoms.

They tend to be expensive, however, and require the most floor space when storing your vacuum type. See our upright vs canister vacuums section for more guidance.

The Best Vacuums for Carpet

The best vacuum for carpet needs strong suction and a bristled brushroll that can agitate carpet fibers. Dirt, dust, and hair become trapped in carpet fibers, particularly in thick-pile carpets and those with looped fibers, so the combination of suction and agitation is essential.

Generally, upright vacuums are best for carpets. They have more powerful motors, more robust floorheads, and larger dustbins to account for the high volume of mess that carpets can hold.

See our floor types section to learn more.

The Best Vacuums for Hardwood Floors and Tile

The best vacuum for hard floors will have a soft roller to prevent scratching delicate surfaces and to capture all the fine dust particles. As hard floors are easier to clean than carpets, suction isn't as important, and you can get away with spending a little less. See our floor types section to learn more.

The Best Vacuums for Pet Owners and Allergies

I'll keep this light as we have a dedicated guide to the best vacuums for pet hair, with more detailed results from our tests on real fur. But at a glance, these are my top picks after testing at an animal shelter and in homes with cats and dogs:

• The Shark POWERDETECT Upright and the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog [Walmart] are the best corded vacuums on animal hair. They sucked up all visible strands of hair from low-pile carpets and pulled up hair that we couldn't see from deep-pile carpets. The Shark POWERDETECT Upright is the best for preventing hair wrap, while the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog is the best for heavy shedding.
• The Dyson V15 Detect is the best cordless vacuum for those with indoor animals, with suction that matches the power of a corded upright. I tested it at a local cat and dog shelter, and it is exceptional at pulling fur from carpets without ever getting tangled. The Dyson V11 is a cheaper option if the V15 Detect's price puts you off.
• If you're on a budget, the Ultenic U16 Flex [at Amazon] and the Bissell SurfaceSense Allergen Pet Lift-Off are great cordless and upright picks, respectively. They're not as effective as the Miele, Dyson or Shark – you'll likely be 'scrubbing' back and forth on your floors more often – but they get the job done with enough patience.

The Best Robot Vacuums

We have a dedicated guide on the best robot vacuums, with videos and reviews showing off their real-world results, but at a glance, here are our top three:

How to Choose the Best Vacuum Cleaner

I have spent the past two years reviewing and writing almost exclusively about vacuum cleaners, with 400 hours spent testing floorcare appliances.

Here's my definitive guide to choosing the best vacuum for your home, and how to get the most from your vacuum cleaner by learning what essential vacuum maintenance looks like.

1. Start with your Floor Type

The types of floors you have across your home should dictate what vacuum you go for.

Carpets and rugs: If your home has lots of carpets or rugs, you'll need a vacuum with strong suction and a motorized floorhead with sharp bristles.

Hard floors: You'll be better off choosing a vacuum with a soft brushroll, as it provides consistent, continuous contact with the floor to capture the micro-sized particles while protecting delicate surfaces from scratches. Cordless vacuums typically have lower suction and are a great choice.

2. Consider your Home's Size, Storage and your Mobility

Finding the right size appliance depends on the size of your home and how much space you have to store your vacuum cleaner.

For big homes, particularly those with children and pets, an upright or canister vacuum is almost always the right move. They tend to offer higher suction power, wider floorheads, and more agitating brushrolls to help remove embedded debris, and you don't have to worry about running out of battery halfway through a session.

If you want to cut down on your chore time, it's worth considering one of the best robot vacuums that make deeper manual cleans less frequent and intensive.

For smaller homes or if you have limited mobility, cordless stick vacuums can be the perfect choice. They're lightweight (typically around 6-8 lbs), they're easy to take up and down stairs, and they take up less space in storage.

3. Factor in Pets and Allergies

For a closer look, our best vacuums for pet hair guide is our go-to for proven results on real fur. But while you're hunting for your next vacuum, it's worth noting that pet owners should choose vacuums with true HEPA filtration and anti-tangle floorheads, and these features are also useful for anyone with allergies (or long hair). Be wary of marketing labels such as 'HEPA-like'.

4. Appraise Noise and Energy

Noise: Sadly, a whisper-quiet vacuum cleaner isn't possible yet, but some are certainly quieter than others. While upright models boast the highest suction, they also tend to be louder than their cordless counterparts, and should potentially be avoided if you are noise-sensitive or have neighbors who might complain.

Handheld and cordless vacuums are the quietest (around 60-75 decibels of noise in our tests using the DecibelX app) while upright models can be as loud as 80+ decibels. Prolonged exposure to that volume, which is similar to a garbage disposal running, can potentially result in hearing damage down the line, so it's important to consider your health alongside your cleaning needs.

Energy: The bigger and louder the vacuum is, the more energy it's consuming. Brands will usually list the wattage of their vacuums, and you'll find that upright and canister models use around 1,000-1,500W, while cordless models use around 200-600W.

But if you're thinking about slashing your energy bills by buying a cordless stick, it's worth noting that battery health fades over time. You'll likely need to buy a replacement battery within 3-5 years (or a new vacuum), which also contributes more to electronic waste than an upright or canister vacuum would.

Vacuum Types, Explained

The vacuum type you choose needs to suit the needs of our household. Consider: flooring (volume of carpet, hard floors, and rugs), your home's size (cordless battery limitations may not suit large homes), storage space, allergies (bagged or self-cleaning and HEPA filters will reduce triggers), suction power, and whether you have any animals indoors that shed.

Here are the pros and cons of popular features:

Corded vs Cordless Vacuums

• Cordless vacuums are smaller, lighter, easier to use, and more convenient when it comes to varied cleaning tasks and storage.
• Corded vacuums have higher suction, are more durable, and are best suited to big, busy and messy homes.

A cordless vacuum is perfect for someone without children, pets, or a sizeable home. It's lightweight, agile, and easy to use, whether you're vacuuming the floor or cleaning the curtains. However, to reach this level of cordless cleaning power, you're looking at spending $500+, whereas a good-quality corded vacuum tends to cost $100-$200 less than that.

Corded vacuums (upright and canister vacuums) aren't restricted by battery life and therefore are more suitable for larger homes. They also have larger dustbins and wider floorheads so you can clean more efficiently. And as they're powered directly by the mains, their motors can generate higher airflows, creating stronger suction. They're also much more durable than cordless models, lasting up to 10 years or longer (cordless models last around 3-5 years on average).

But their size and weight shouldn't be ignored. They can be cumbersome to carry up the stairs, particularly for those with limited mobility or grip strength, and they require more storage space.

Upright vs Canister Vacuums

Upright and canister vacuums are usually the two most powerful types of vacuum cleaners.

• Upright vacuums excel in their convenient design, storage, and strong power on carpets.
• Canister vacuums offer greater flexibility and all-round cleaning performance (but not always).

Upright vacuums may not typically be as powerful as canister vacuums, but the benefits lie in how self-contained the appliances are. Rather than lugging around a canister and a separate hose and wand, an upright vacuum cleaner keeps everything together, including the various cleaning tools and attachments.

They typically have wider, more advanced floor heads, making it faster and easier to vacuum your floors, alongside useful cleaning tools. The Shark POWERDETECT TruePet Upgrade is an excellent example of this, with anti-tangle heads and a full suite of attachments to handle every task.

Canister vacuums often have more powerful motors due to their design, but uprights compensate with more advanced cleaning heads that make them just as (if not more) effective at lifting dirt from carpets.

An advantage of canister vacuums is wand flexibility, as you don't really have to worry about toppling the vacuum when extending the hose, as you might with an upright.

This flexibility can make a huge difference when it comes to deep cleaning your home and focusing on details. They can lie flat more easily, too, allowing you to clean under furniture that uprights might struggle to reach.

If you opt for a Miele canister vacuum, you can expect yours to last for 10+ years, as the best Miele vacuums are famous for their long lifespans. That does mean they're more expensive, however, as evident from the high price of the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog ($999 at Amazon)

Bagged vs Bagless Vacuums

Bagged vacuums may seem like a thing of the past since Dyson pioneered and popularized the bagless vacuum cleaner, but there's still merit in both options:

• Bagged vacuums reduce your exposure to dust (and allergens), and preserve the vacuum lifespan as the bag acts as the filter.
• Bagless vacuums have fewer recurring costs, are more planet-conscious, and are emptied using a dustbin.

A bagged vacuum can be beneficial if you're prone to allergies because it seals the contents so that you aren't exposed to any dust or allergy-inducing dander when disposing of it. But of course, this means you'll have to continue buying vacuum bags for as long as you own the appliance. You can buy the matched ones for your model, or more affordable generic bags that work, in our experience, just as well.

A vacuum bag's tight seal also effectively adds another layer of filtration. Many bagged models like the best Miele vacuums have the same pre-motor and post-motor filters as a bagless vacuum does, with the vacuum bag acting as an additional filter. Some even have activated charcoal to better deal with gases and odors.

It's also a more hands-off option. Vacuum bags are typically a lot more spacious than dustbins, so you won't find yourself having to go through the task of disposing of them as often as you'll be emptying a dustbin.

Bagless vacuums have two main advantages over bagged models: one is their lesser environmental impact and the other is their lack of recurring costs. Most vacuum bags end up in landfills, which isn't cleaning sustainably at all. There are a few eco-conscious bags available, like the Miele HyClean Pure, which is made of 80% recycled materials, but it's still a greater contribution to our planet's waste than no bag at all.

It is worth noting, however, that an environmentally-friendly vacuum cleaner lasts a long time. Vacuums start to deteriorate when the dust and dirt start to wear down the internal parts, but a bagged vacuum sucks dust straight into the bag, unlike a bagless vacuum, where dust regularly comes into contact with the filter. Replacement filters also contribute to landfill, even if they're not disposed of as frequently, so if you're choosing bagless, try to find a model with washable filters (not disposable ones), like the Dyson V12 Detect Slim.

Cleaning a vacuum filter can take up to 48 hours, too, as they need to be completely dry before re-inserting.

And while it's true that you'll empty a bagless vacuum more often, the process is incredibly quick and effortless, unlike swapping a vacuum bag, which can be tricky sometimes.

Most of the vacuums in this guide are bagless. Our best-on-test corded bagged vacuum is the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog, and our best-on-test cordless bagged vacuum is the Henry Quick.

Wet vs Dry Vacuuming

To really deep clean your house, it's worth considering vacuums that wash and sanitize your floors. These are vacuum-mop combos for hard floors and carpet cleaners for carpets and area rugs.

Vacuum-mop combos, like the name suggests, vacuum and mop simultaneously. They use rollers similar to a normal vacuum that sucks up debris, while also scrubbing your floors using fresh water (and often a cleaning solution). I've tested four vacuum-mop combos and they're a game-changer for quick floor care, cutting your chore time in half by combining two tasks. The Dreame H14 Pro is the best we've tested, and the Bissell CrossWave OmniForce Edge is the best if you're on a budget.

Vacuum-mop combos only work on hard floors, so if your home is carpeted, you're looking for a carpet cleaner instead. While vacuums suck up hair and debris, carpet cleaners do the task of actually washing your floors using a specialized cleaning solution, and then sucking the dirty water back up. The Bissell Revolution HydroSteam is the best we've tested by far, providing results that aren't far off an industrial-level clean. But remember: A carpet cleaner won't replace your vacuum cleaner, you still need both.

The Best Vacuum Brands and Stores

Some vacuum brands certainly produce higher-quality vacuums than others, but knowing which brand to opt for also depends on your budget and cleaning needs. We've tested vacuums from 25 different brands, and these are our favorites:

Where to Buy Vacuum Cleaners?

Buying direct from the manufacturer ensures the tightest warranty credentials, best customer service, and (often, but not always) the best prices. Visit Dyson, Shark, Miele, Bissell, Black+Decker, Ultenic, Dreame, and Tineco to see their full product ranges.

As a seasoned deals writer, these are the retailers where I find the lowest prices for vacuum cleaners: Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, QVC, Lowe's, and Home Depot.

A tip I recommend to everyone is to shop refurbished. You can find refurbished vacuums at Dyson, Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy at a fraction of their original prices.

Instead of seeing it as second-hand, think of it as getting the same product that's been thoroughly tested to match the original model's performance, while reducing electronic waste and saving $100s.

When to Shop for Vacuum Cleaners?

The best time to shop for a new vacuum is from September to January, notably in the run up to, during and just after Black Friday, Prime Day, Labor Day weekend, and the after Christmas sales.

This is when you'll see brands' flagship vacuums at their lowest prices all year, as new releases don't tend to be discounted as often as older ones. But also, brands release new products around this time, so manufacturers and retailers will clear old stock at an especially discounted rate.

Head over to our dedicated page on how to find the best vacuum deals if you want to shop like a pro.

FAQs

Do I Need a Vacuum with a HEPA Filter?

HEPA filters aren't essential but the best vacuums tend to have them as they're the most effective type of filter you can get. HEPA filters trap tiny particles like pollen, dust, and even some bacteria, whereas lower-quality filters don't.

For allergy sufferers and pet owners, a HEPA filter is a must. They capture at least 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns, which includes most airborne allergens like pollen and pet dander.

Owning a vacuum with a HEPA filter also means the air that's released back into your home is cleaner, as non-HEPA vacuums won't trap as many particles. If vacuuming makes your allergies worse, this could be the reason why.

How Long Should my Vacuum Last?

Cordless vacuums typically last around 3-5 years, depending on how well they're maintained, how often they are cleaned, and the quality of the build.

Upright vacuums typically last up to eight years, while canister vacuums (particularly Miele's bagged models) can last for more than a decade.

Can Cordless Vacuums Replace Upright Vacuums?

They're certainly catching up. Upright vacuums still tend to be the more powerful options thanks to larger motors and no limitations from a rechargeable battery, but certain cordless sticks (the Dyson V15 Detect and Dyson Gen5detect) are as effective at cleaning as upright models, but they cost a lot more.

Is Suction Power More Important Than Features?

It depends on the features. Suction power and the brushroll efficacy are the two most important factors when it comes to cleaning. I've tested vacuums (like the Dreame R20) with incredibly high suction, but as the roller wasn't as good at picking up debris, it didn't perform as well as vacuums with lower suction.

HEPA filtration is important, particularly for odors and allergies, but other features like odor-neutralization or smart dust sensors aren't as essential.

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If you love my choice of best vacuum but need a more budget-friendly choice, we have tested the best Dyson alternatives for more affordable cleaning power.