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.

There are plenty of kitchen organizers that promise to free up counter space, but very few are as thoughtfully designed as Joseph Joseph's latest dish rack. If you've ever wished your drying rack could shrink after the washing-up is done, this clever design does exactly that.

The Joseph Joseph Extend Steel Expandable Dish Rack from Amazon – now 40% off in the Prime Day sale – has become one of my favorite kitchen finds because it solves a problem so many of us have: not enough space when we're washing dishes, but too much wasted space when we're not. The result is an easy way to declutter countertops and keep kitchen countertops organized without sacrificing functionality.

Instead of committing to one fixed size, this expandable rack slides open whenever you have a larger load of dishes, then neatly contracts back down to reclaim precious countertop space. It's the kind of design that makes you wonder why every dish rack isn't made this way.

It Adapts to Your Kitchen, Not the Other Way Around

What makes this rack stand out is its flexibility. The expandable body increases drying capacity in seconds, making it just as useful after hosting dinner as it is for everyday washing up.

Alongside the generous plate rack, there's a removable cutlery holder and a raised rail designed for wine glasses and delicate stemware. An integrated spout channels excess water directly into the sink, helping keep countertops dry, while non-slip feet ensure everything stays securely in place.

Unlike bulky plastic alternatives, the stainless steel finish gives it a much more premium appearance. It feels like something you'd happily leave on display rather than hide away between uses.

A Small Upgrade That Makes Daily Chores Easier

I'm always drawn to kitchen products that quietly improve everyday routines without demanding extra effort, and this is exactly that sort of purchase. It doesn't rely on gimmicks or smart technology – it simply solves a common frustration with clever engineering.

For smaller kitchens, apartments, or anyone trying to maximize every inch of countertop space, it's an especially smart investment. You get the capacity of a large dish rack when you need it, without sacrificing valuable workspace the rest of the time.

Joseph Joseph has built a reputation for rethinking everyday household essentials, and this expandable drying rack is another example of why the brand has become a favorite among professional organizers and design enthusiasts alike. It's practical, beautifully made, and one of those kitchen upgrades you'll appreciate every single day.

Shop Dish Racks

The Joseph Joseph Extend Steel Expandable Dish Rack is a smart little kitchen upgrade that genuinely makes everyday washing up easier. It expands when you need extra space, then folds down neatly to keep your counters clear – simple, thoughtful design that quietly solves a daily annoyance. It’s the kind of product that makes you wonder why you didn’t have it sooner, especially if you’re into space-saving kitchen setups like the growing over-the-sink dish rack trend gaining popularity in the US.

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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.

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.

An overflowing under-sink cabinet, brooms spilling out of cupboards, and enough cleaning cloths to last a lifetime: If this sounds familiar, you may need a compact and versatile cleaning system to help reclaim your storage space.

As I'm currently in the process of a house move, I'm streamlining my cleaning tool clutter once and for all, which is why I am glad to have spotted the $24 IKEA PEPPRIG Cleaning Set.

With a cleverly compact design, it's perfect for storing in even the smallest of apartments, and comes complete with all the essential cleaning tools everyone needs to refresh your whole home at an impressively affordable price.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

A cleaning tool that's clever, compact, and convenient to store − just like the IKEA PEPPRIG Cleaning Set − ticks all my boxes for a decluttered utility room or undersink storage area.

When deep-cleaning your house, having a 'one-stop shop' with you as you move around will save you so much time and energy, especially when paired with our expert cleaning tips.

The IKEA kit's telescopic handle is adjustable from 30 to 50 inches (handy if you're small like me) and makes cleaning up high, down low, and under awkward spaces like beds, fridges, and cabinets far more accessible than traditional tools. The smart lock mechanism also makes it effortlessly easy to change the cleaning head mid-task.

As the cloths are microfiber, they work well for dusting, polishing, and shining surfaces, even without detergent, and have the added benefit of being machine washable, too. Just remember to skip the laundry softener, as this will coat the microfiber hairs and reduce its ability to absorb liquid.

And, when it comes to small, storage-less home solutions, the included hangers mean you can attach the tool to your wall, keeping it out of the way yet easily accessible at all times.

The price of the IKEA set is one of its biggest draws, as I've been a long-time devotee to the Joseph Joseph CleanTech kit (and do very much feel it's worth the $80 price tag), but if you're on the hunt for something a little more affordable, the IKEA PEPPRIG Cleaning Set is a perfect alternative. It's also an excellent set for a second home, dorms, or a guest house.

What Shoppers Say

'A great set!' reads a recent five-star review on the IKEA site from verified buyer Kim. 'This is an all-inclusive cleaning set which is designed to make your life easier and cleaning more efficient. The multiple attachments meet a variety of different needs in your home.

'A welcome addition to your own housekeeping routine or makes a great housewarming gift for friends or family.'

I couldn't agree more − pair it with some beautifully scented cleaning products, like the Method Pink Grapefruit All-Purpose Cleaner, available at Walmart, and you'll have a thoughtful gift that any new homeowner likely doesn't already have, and would be delighted to receive.

Another, from Maria, calls it a 'must-have,' and adds, 'I love this, it literally has everything you need to clean. We just bought a new house, and the master bathroom has tile up to the ceiling, nine feet high. This helped me reach everything without needing a stepping stool,' while a third, from Shelise, echoes, 'I can get so many cleaning jobs done with just this one set.'

It's worth noting that some reviews say the adhesive storage hooks do not stay on, but many reference a short window for curing. Punteha van Terheyden, Head of Solved, advises, 'Place the adhesive on a dry, clean surface, press hard to remove air bubbles, and then leave it for 24 hours. Do not load it a minute sooner. I've never had an adhesive drill-free mount fall off with this installation method.'

So, if, like me, you're looking to cut your housekeeping clutter for good, upgrade your set-up with the IKEA PEPPRIG Cleaning Set for a versatile and affordable fix.

More to Shop

Ready to give your housekeeping routine a serious upgrade? Our selection of expert-approved tools and products will smooth the way.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

If you're not quite ready to fully upgrade your setup just yet, even taking the time to organize under your sink can make a world of difference to cleaning efficiency.

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When it comes to even heat distribution and flavorful sears, few pans rival cast iron. But with that performance comes upkeep, and it is hardly the most convenient cookware for everyday use.

For years, the fear of rust on my best cast iron cookware kept me away from this much-loved kitchen staple. Now, however, I’ve found the Lodge Rust Eraser, available from Amazon, which has made me far more confident about diving into cast iron cooking.

Designed to remove rust and help restore older pans to new again, this $9 tool is one of the simplest yet most effective additions to any home chef’s maintenance kit. Here’s how it works and why I wouldn’t use cast iron without it.

Understanding how to clean and care for every type of cookware can be overwhelming, leading many of us (myself included) to stick to one simple type that we can toss in a dishwasher and forget about. Cast iron is decidedly not that, requiring gentle washing, thorough drying, and regular seasoning to prevent rust and pitting.

The idea of rust scared me so much that I avoided the material altogether until I stumbled upon the Lodge Rust Eraser. This sturdy rubber block was designed to sand away rust and smooth out the surface of your pans, grill grates, and more. By stripping the pan down to bare metal, you can reseason it and use it as if it were brand new.

The shape of it allows precision removal, too, so you are not stripping away the general and protective built-up patina unnecessarily.

Given that it can be all too easy to miss a damp spot when cleaning cast iron or to make a mistake with seasoning as a beginner, the rust remover offers extra peace of mind that your investment won't be going to waste.

What Shoppers Say

With over 2,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, it is the saving grace for many a cast-iron chef.

One verified shopper, Jinxie, shared, 'Minimal effort and rust is gone! For real. I was even able to save the multiple, inherited cast iron pans which had been languishing in bins, collecting dust, until this bad boy came into my life. I’m an even bigger fan now of actually using my insanely huge amount of cast iron now that I don’t need to worry about someone not drying them well enough.'

Another added, 'Quick and easy, like erasing pencil with a rubber eraser, or using a pumice stone on a swimming pool. My hobby is metalworking, and I have spent many hours de-rusting iron and steel over the years, using everything from phosphoric acid to power tools, and for a small job (like a pot or grill), this is just the ticket! So easy to use, just rub it on the metal!'

What Else to Shop

From cleaning a burnt pan to restoring a well-loved patina, I’ve rounded up six essential cast iron tools to help keep your cookware performing at its best for decades to come.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

To prevent prematurely damaging your cast iron seasoning, brush up on the heat ring mistake that can ruin your cookware.

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Taking your washing to and from the machine is one of the easiest parts of laundry day, but that certainly doesn't mean it's not without its difficulties.

From dropped socks to sopping wet piles, the IKEA TORKIS Flexible Laundry Basket is the cure for all laundry-related woes – and it's only $9.99.

Large, durable, easy-to-carry, and mold-proof, it's makes doing laundry that little bit easier.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

The IKEA TORKIS is universally appealing. If you have a dryer, you can use it to carry items to it from your washing machine, or to hold items securely while you wait for a load to finish.

If you prefer to enjoy the benefits of air-drying laundry, you can carry items in and out of your backyard and around your house with comfortable ease as it's lightweight and has ergonomic handles.

And, in any case, you can use it as a laundry basket, or simply to transport items to and from your laundry room, and the plastic materials mean there's no worry of mold and mildew developing.

For that reason, it's the ideal laundry accessory, whatever your set-up. What's more, it costs just shy of $10, and there are four pretty, poppy colors to choose from.

What Shoppers Say

It's no surprise, then, that verified shopper Cathy crowns the IKEA TORKIS the 'best laundry basket.'

'Highly recommend this great quality laundry basket,' she says. 'I have purchased four of them. Perfect.'

She's not the only reviewer to buy multiple, either. 'Obsessed,' says Jillian,' who has purchased eight in total. 'Started with one for each kid as a laundry basket. Quickly realized that I needed one in my trunk and several more for laundry and toting items to and from home. I am I LOVE with these!'

Additionally, the versatility of this basket doesn't just stop at doing laundry.

As Catherine details in her five-star review, she uses one for dog toys, and another is needed for holding everything needed for painting outdoor pot plants. 'We have special outdoor paints, paint brushes, terracotta pots, and garden gnomes all set for when the kids in the family come to visit,' she explains. 'We just grab the tub, put all the supplies on the patio table, and we all paint away. I absolutely love these tubs!!'

Others note that it's perfect for bottom-watering houseplants, and can even double up as a high-sided cat litter box.

With four colors to choose from, I'm tempted to order one in every shade, just like fellow reviewer Arron, who adds, 'I have this basket in every color.'

What to Shop

If you're currently looking to upgrade your laundry set-up, shop from my selection of essentials and recommendations below.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

These organizing tricks to make laundry easier help prevent overwhelm.

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Air-drying may be the best way to keep laundry smelling fresh, but smaller items can be tricky to keep in place, whether on a line or rack, even with pegs.

That's where IKEA's PRESSA Hanging Dryer comes in handy. With 16 pegs for socks, underwear, infant clothes, and other small items, it can be hung up anywhere and conveniently folds for storage in small spaces when not in use.

Here's why it's the perfect aid for doing laundry.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

When smaller items such as socks fall from your washing line, ending up crumpled, musty, and smelling damp, it's a nuisance, making you retrace your steps or redo a batch in the washer.

But it can be avoided altogether with the IKEA PRESSA Hanging Dryer, with room for 16 small items, or eight pairs, which can be used both inside and outdoors, hung up just about anywhere, and folded away for convenient storage when not in use.

To me, this is the kind of laundry accessory you never knew you needed, until you use it for yourself.

Satisfied shopper Sarah agrees: 'I love this little octopus! This incredible little find is essential in my life from spring through fall − and hangs out on my porch and holds bras, underwear, and socks that I don't want on the clothesline in the backyard.

'I've had mine for [over] 15 years, and I'm finally replacing it only because two of the clips have failed...I'm not getting rid of my old one though − it's coming inside and going on trips with me.'

Another review, from Nancy, echoes Sarah's. 'Love my octopus,' she says. 'This octopus dryer is now home to keep company with my red octopus dryer that I've had for about 10 years or so,' she enthuses. 'Perfect for drying wool socks and bras − stuff that fares badly in the electric dryer,' with all the added benefits of air-drying laundry.

Additionally, as Nancy highlights, not only is the IKEA PRESSA perfect for air-drying in warmer weather − it also has an unexpected benefit in the cooler seasons. 'Also helps to humidify the home in winter − a bonus!'

What to Shop

If you're looking to give your laundry routine some love, shop our selection of essentials below to successfully swerve any bad laundry habits ruining your laundry and washing machine.

Knowing how to organize a laundry room is key to a stress-free laundry day. Our expert-led guide details everything you need to know.

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If you’ve ever forgotten a key ingredient in the fridge and fetched it mid-prepping your chicken or other meat for the grill, you’ve likely also cross-contaminated your appliance’s door handles in the process.

Professional cleaners warn that your fridge handles are one of the most easily forgotten areas for kitchen cleaning, but one of the most important to prevent avoidable illness, especially in the hotter summer months.

Here, experts explain why sanitizing this area is vital, and how to do so adequately without the need for harsh chemicals, so you can maintain the non-toxic home you have created.

Rosa Picosa, a Fabuloso® cleaning expert, explains, ‘We tend to use the fridge multiple times a day, and throughout the swirl of the day we can pick up germs unintentionally and then, we go to touch our face, food, and utensils without realizing our hands may not be as clean as we may think, which can potentially lead to spreading bacteria.'

This cross-contamination can be a key carrier for spreading germs in the kitchen, especially if you touch raw chicken or unclean produce and then proceed to open the fridge and other appliances. In one study on cross-contamination, it was reported that 'good hygiene practices in the kitchen are crucial to reducing the risk of foodborne diseases.'

To help prevent that spread from happening, Rosa adds, 'When cleaning the kitchen, I like to finish the area by wiping down the spots people touch all the time, like fridge doors, cabinet handles, and the faucet. These little details don’t take long, but they help the kitchen feel clean and keep germs from spreading too far out of our control.’

Why Fridge Handles Are Often Forgotten When Cleaning

Despite fridge handles being a high-traffic zone, they’re often forgotten, with professional cleaners identifying this area as a grimy spot they always notice in clients' homes.

Rosa adds, ‘I find people often stick to cleaning high-traffic, visible areas such as countertops, stovetops, and sinks. I always recommend spending no more than 10-15 minutes each day tackling one zone – I love to set a timer – wiping down counters and stovetops, spot-cleaning cabinet fronts, refreshing the sink area, or cleaning kitchen appliances such as the fridge.

‘The key is cleaning consistently to avoid the build-up of grime and sticky fingerprints before they turn into bigger cleaning jobs. These mini refreshes help the kitchen stay cleaner longer and make weekly deep cleans much easier.’

Keeping a regular and achievable cleaning schedule will also help, but washing your hands well when handling raw produce and before touching handles is the best preventative measure you can take.

How to Keep on Top of Fridge Hygiene in Busy Hosting Periods

Little and often works best, so that your kitchen’s hygiene remains an ongoing project. You don’t have to do it all at once; chip away at the tasks, zone by zone, regularly to ensure everything is tackled without your cleaning chores feeling overwhelming.

Rosa adds, ‘The main takeaway is that cleaning frequency is really about consistency, not perfection. My top tip for maintaining a frequent cleaning routine is to start small and be consistent.

‘Focus on managing daily cleaning tasks by doing a little bit each day, then conduct deeper cleans with what best fits your schedule – whether weekly, biweekly, or even monthly. For me, consistency helps ground me and determine what is essential.’

For easy upkeep of your fridge:

• Clean the handles when you wipe your countertops, so it becomes a habit-stacking task that's easy to keep the momentum going. Of course, if you have cross-contaminated the handles during meal prep, sanitize those immediately. Clorox wipes, available at Amazon, will eliminate all bacteria.
• Wipe down your fridge shelves as groceries run out and space clears, or just before loading your new haul of food.
• Clean the shelves inside your fridge's door once every week or two, especially if you store drinks and open jars here.
• Don't forget to tackle your fruit and vegetable drawers, as that forgotten-about tomato or lettuce will release liquid and become a hot spot for mold and bacteria, even in the chilled environment of your fridge. Using hot soapy water and a clean microfiber cloth, and drying the drawer fully will work just fine. You can also remove these and wash them by hand in the sink with a spot of dish soap, such as Dawn, from Walmart.
• Sanitize your water dispenser weekly to avoid 'pink mold', which is actually a common household bacterium that thrives in damp spaces.

The Realities of Sanitizing Without Harsh Chemicals

While harsher commercial cleaners work more quickly and efficiently, studies have confirmed the efficacy of natural cleaning products when used correctly and at the right concentrations.

A study in BMC Microbiology in 2020 found that vinegar at a minimum concentration of 10%, with 1.5% citric acid, kills many household germs, including strains of E. coli. Both vinegar and citric acid are available to buy at Walmart.

The exception to this natural cleaning rule, and where more astringent solutions may be needed, is if a member of your household is ill with a viral or bacterial infection that could spread.

In this case, make sure to use an adequate disinfectant such as Clorox wipes, available at Amazon, which eliminates 99.9% of germs.

What to Shop

Cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting bring different levels of germ-busting, and it is possible to use gentler cleaners and natural ingredients with adequate effect if you leave them on for long enough.

Here are a few sanitizing essentials to help you achieve this without resorting to harsher chemicals while still cleaning well.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Expert

Fridge door handles are not the only place you might be forgetting to clean. There are vital spaces in the bedroom easily forgotten, which also require regular sanitation.

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One of the most heralded laundry practices is drying linens and garments in the great outdoors. Effective at combatting musty odors, sun-bleaching lingering stains, and leaving laundry dry and fresh for free, it's a simple way to get multiple loads dry in minimal time.

And, with the IKEA JÄLL Drying Rack, it's easier than ever. The clever design, typical of the retailer, folds completely flat for storage when not in use, and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor drying − all for just $11.99.

It's a budget-friendly addition to your routine that will mean you can enjoy the benefits of air-drying laundry throughout spring and summer without the space-zapping clutter of a large rack that's hard to hide.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

One of the easiest ways to make laundry smell better is drying it outdoors, particularly on a warm, breezy day. The crisp, fresh results simply cannot be replicated by artificial dryer sheets and softeners, and the sunlight also has the added benefits of killing any lingering bacteria and brightening whites.

It's not just banishing odors that drying laundry outdoors is good for, either. It's also an effective way to save money on your laundry, reducing energy costs and entirely eliminating how much it costs to run a tumble dryer, all while effectively getting mildew smells out of clothes and towels.

If you're in the market for a new rack, the IKEA JÄLL Drying Rack is a perfect contender − compact, lightweight, and easy to store and carry, it can be conveniently used both indoors and outside, and is gentler on both your clothes and the environment. No wonder shoppers love it.

What Shoppers Say

'Fits perfectly in our laundry room!' beams one recent review on the IKEA site. 'This is exactly what my laundry room has needed! I've used it both indoors and out. Holds a lot more than you might think for the size and folds away to store easily when you're done,' highlighting that it's suitable for even the smallest of laundry rooms. 'Thanks for a great and useful product!'

Another, from Angela, dubs it 'perfection,' and adds that it's excellent for air drying outside and inside, holds a lot of items, and is great 'where space is premium,' to maximize space in a small laundry room and help avoid any small laundry room mistakes.

A third, from Karen, echoes that it's brilliant for spaces where adding one of the best clothes dryers isn't an option.

'This is so convenient to use and to put away,' they write. 'I use it indoors when the weather is bad outside. When the weather is nice, I use it outside. Lightweight and so easy to fold up and store. Plus, the price is fantastic.'

As Karen highlights, as it can be used both inside and outdoors, it's ideal for drying clothes in a small space, meaning you'll get plenty of use out of it throughout fall and winter, too.

What to Shop

Below, you can shop from a curated selection of laundry room accessories, all of which sit among the things organized people have in their laundry rooms and serve to elevate your everyday laundry routine.

Explore our smart ways to do less laundry to lighten the load.

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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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If stepping onto your rug often feels like a ride on a magic carpet, then it’s time to easily and quickly secure it to the floor without damage or fuss.

I have a mix of carpeted and hard floors and love adding a cozy rug to easily change up the look of my rooms and add texture to the space. However, that annoying slippage underfoot is not just a nuisance; it’s a hazard, as I have a condition that means my joints dislocate at the tiniest slip.

That’s why I always use the Gorilla Strip Rug Gripper, available at Amazon for fast delivery. Simply lay it under your rug and trim to size. It’s non-sticky, but beautifully grippy. It also makes it easier to clean with your best vacuum's high suction, and not have your floor coverings sliding around mid-clean.

I have been using these since I moved into my first home in 2012. They last for years and have survived three house moves and countless rug swaps in my home, which I share with my husband, young daughter, and pets.

Having the rugs underfoot is a big bonus for us to avoid falls and injuries, and because we have to vacuum our home daily to keep it clean with pets, we need floor coverings to stay firmly put.

Even with the most powerful vacuum, my trusted Miele C3, which we have reviewed and love, the grippers do not budge.

To install, simply clean the floor and make sure it is free of dust and debris. Arrange it in the position you need and lay your rug on top. I trim any extra that is sticking out in view with a pair of sharp everyday scissors, available at Walmart.

I use the offcuts under the slippery doormat I have in the kitchen. And the best thing is, when you no longer need it, or change your living room layout, simply peel it off the floor – there is no adhesive to leave a mark behind – and reposition it elsewhere for more years of use.

What Shoppers Say

More than 50,000 Amazon shoppers have purchased and reviewed this affordable item on site, garnering an average rating of 4.4 stars out of 5.

Marquette D Evans recently added her thoughts, giving the 'great product' the full star rating. She explains, ‘I have never been disappointed by anything from Gorilla, and these pads are no exception. Easily trimmed to fit with scissors.

'Provides a nice light padding without raising the level of the rugs so that doors don't drag. Keeps rugs in place very well. Bought them for three runners, and they work so well that I got a small one for the rug at our entry door. Finally, the price is very reasonable. Great purchase.’

Another five-star write-up comes from Angela Robinson, who says, ‘This works well under a small wool rug that had been sliding all over my bedroom. It keeps the rug in place. I end up straightening the rug about once a week as the rug shifts a bit off the gripper (though the gripper stays in one place on the floor). So far, no marks on the floor or rug, but we've only had it about a month.’

I have found that sort of shifting happens minimally when the gripper is in place on top of a carpet, and not at all on top of hard floors.

Other shoppers are using it around the home, including keeping chef mats in place in the kitchen, memory foam bath mats that have lost their grip after washing, and to aid elderly pets that were slipping on rugs that moved underpaw.

Many note how useful it is to be able to trim it with scissors to fit exactly. The Gorilla Grip Strong Pad Grippers from Amazon are available in rectangular and round versions with multiple sizing options to keep manual trimming to a minimum.

What to Shop

Keeping your floors clean during the busy spring and summer seasons is no mean feat. Here is a selection of the best products and tools to keep yours fresh with minimal daily effort.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

To refresh rugs without harsh chemicals, we tried a baking soda and essential oil mix and were impressed with the results.

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As I've found out, if you suffer from seasonal allergies, an air purifier is an absolute essential for the spring and summer months.

But, HVAC experts advise, the placement of your purifier is far more important than you may think, and the height at which you place it can make a drastic difference in its performance.

Here's everything you need to know about the best place to put an air purifier throughout the sunnier seasons.

Ian Palmer-Smith, appliance repair expert at Domestic & General, shares, 'As a general rule of thumb, you should place the air purifier five or six feet above the floor to ensure the correct airflow all around the purifier for optimum performance. Putting it on the floor would restrict the airflow and reduce performance.'

In my bedroom, where I use my best air purifier most often − the IKEA UPPÅTVIND Air Purifier − I place it on a chair at night, away from the walls. Now, I know that placing it on an even higher shelf will allow it to work even better.

Jordan Benjamin, owner and president of Done Rite Services, agrees. 'Dust, allergens, and other contaminants tend to circulate most around head level, so placing your air purifier around five to six feet above the floor allows it to pull air from an active air region and do its job in the most efficient way possible,' he advises. 'If you place an air purifier on the floor, you’re forcing the unit to deal with restricted air flow due to furniture, carpets, et cetera.'

As for where you should place an air purifier in a bedroom, in a kitchen, or anywhere else, Ian adds that there isn't a 'one size fits all' answer.

'But,' he emphasizes, 'they should be in an area with no obstructions and no sufficient flow of air, as well as always at least six inches away from any furniture or walls.'

And, Jordan adds, while many people use their air purifier around areas that tend to produce strong odors, like in or near a kitchen, bathroom, or cat litter box, it's important to remember that air purifiers are designed to do more than simply reduce odor.

'Their main purpose is to clean the air and improve indoor air quality, so don’t limit their placement to smelly areas,' he says. 'Whatever room you spend a lot of time in is a great candidate for an air purifier.'

What to Shop

Below, you can shop from a selection of our tried, tested, and recommended air purifiers for use all around the home.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Expert

If you're wondering how to choose the right air purifier for your home, our expert guide includes everything you need to know.

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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.

With soaring temperatures and sticky nights, it's no surprise that your bedding needs washing more regularly during spring and summer.

In fact, say laundry experts, at least once a week is the frequency you should be aiming for, to keep your bed fresh and hygienic.

Here, they explain everything you need to know about washing, drying, and caring for your bed linen throughout the warmer months.

The Exact Frequency You Should Be Washing Your Bedding In Spring and Summer

We're all familiar with the struggle of trying to keep a bed cool in summer. Whether you lean on your best fans, switch to lighter bedding, or swear by the cross-draft trick, those hot nights mean you need to be washing your bedding more regularly to avoid any bedding mistakes. So, what's the expert-recommended frequency?

Rechelle Balanzat, Founder and CEO of Juliette, advises, 'In spring and summer, I recommend washing your sheets once every five to seven days, and even more frequently, every three to four days, if you sleep hot, sweat at night, or keep windows open,' she says. 'Warmer weather changes everything. Your sheets are exposed to more moisture, body oils, and environmental particles, so they simply don’t stay fresh as long.'

And, as she highlights, while your body produces more sweat and oil when you sleep in the warmer months, creating the perfect environment for bacteria and dust mites to thrive, once you add in things like pollen, open windows, and even sunscreen residue, your sheets accumulate buildup much faster than they do in cooler seasons.

'In fall and winter, you’re typically cooler, drier, and more covered, so you can stretch washes a bit longer,' she adds.

Using the right products when doing laundry makes a world of difference, too. Rechelle recommends:

• Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent, available at Walmart: 'I always recommend a gentle, fragrance-free detergent like this,' she says. 'It effectively removes sweat, oils, and buildup without leaving behind residue or irritating sensitive skin, especially important when your sheets are in constant contact with your body.'
• Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda, available at Amazon: 'Baking soda is one of the simplest ways to keep sheets fresh,' she adds. 'It helps neutralize odors and break down buildup, which is key during warmer months when fabrics hold onto sweat more easily.'
• Wool Dryer Balls, available at Walmart: 'Instead of traditional fabric softeners, I prefer wool dryer balls. They naturally soften sheets, reduce drying time, and keep fabrics breathable without coating them in chemicals that can trap heat.' Using them is also a convenient laundry hack to save time.
• Oxygen Bleach Alternative, available at Amazon: 'For white or light-colored sheets, this is a great way to maintain brightness without damaging fibers,' adds Rechelle. 'It lifts stains and keeps sheets looking crisp, which is especially noticeable in summer when everything should feel light and clean.'

Finally, Rechelle shares a pro-tip to keep in mind. 'If your sheets don’t feel fresh when you get into bed, they’re not clean enough,' she advises. 'Spring and summer are when your laundry routine should work a little harder because your body does too,' which, in turn, will help you to sleep better all throughout the warmer months.

What to Shop

If you're going to be doing laundry more regularly, having the right products to keep your bedding looking, smelling, and feeling its best is imperative. Below, you can shop a selection of products that get recommended to me by laundry experts time and time again.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Expert

You can also use these clever tricks to keep your sheets fresh between washes.

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If, like me, seasonal allergies are keeping you awake, you're not alone. Trying to balance the cost of running your AC for pollen-free cooling at night, or opening a window for fresh air but accepting the sneezing and itchy eyes that come with it, is a persistent nuisance in later spring for many, with over a quarter of adults in the US suffering.

If this feels all too familiar to you, the bestselling UPPÅTVIND Air Purifier from IKEA is compact, affordable, and tastefully designed.

Its filter is optimized to filter away more than 99.5% of small airborne particles, such as dust and pollen, so it will help you sleep better without running up your energy bills as the temperature and pollen counts continue to rise.

IKEA's Compact Purifier Helps Me Sleep in Pollen-Heavy Spring

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

If you suffer from allergies, keeping a bed cool in summer won't be your only concern. Additionally, dust and pollen can hamper any efforts to get a good night's rest, no matter which sleep position or sleep hacks you try.

According to the Allergy & Asthma Network, over a quarter of adults based in the US suffer from seasonal allergies. This is something I'm met with every spring and summer, and why I was so intrigued and excited to try the UPPÅTVIND Air Purifier from IKEA.

Typically, the best air purifiers carry a premium price tag, but at just $49.99, this IKEA one is budget-friendly. And it doesn't have that bulky, plastic look that's so typical, either – instead, it's small, sleek, and even features an ergonomic carrying handle for convenient portability.

On the lowest setting, it's more than quiet enough to sleep with it on, and the medium and highest settings will work in just the same way as white noise or sleep frequencies if you find, like me, that that kind of low-level sound helps you get to sleep.

It's also extremely easy to set up – I'd say it took me about 30 seconds to take off the front grill cover, insert the included filter, pop the cover back on, and plug it in.

Since I started using it, I've had no issues with it unexpectedly stopping or starting, and I have found it a simple and effective way to combat common allergens.

To that end, I've noticed a significant reduction in how often I wake up with itchy eyes, an irritated nose, and throat, and haven't found myself struggling to sleep and wheezing late into the evening.

I don't commonly allow my four dogs into my bedroom, but if you often share yours with a furry friend or two, using the UPPÅTVIND Air Purifier is an easy way to reduce pet dander in the bedroom, too.

One thing to note: There's no timer setting, which is, I'd wager, a direct reflection of that lower price point. But that didn't stop one verified five-star reviewer, Anthony, from cleverly using it with a smart plug, available at Amazon.

'The UPPÅTVIND is a great addition for a bedroom or small-medium open floor room at a great price,' they say in their review on the IKEA site. 'It's multi-placement and minimalist design helps it fade away, while it remains minimally noisy when on low.

'The best part about it, and why I bought more again, is that it retains its mode (1-3) even after power loss, so you can use a smart plug to automate on/off at a set mode level. Great for automatically turning it on in the morning to freshen the air, and when I'm away from home.'

It's undoubtedly a useful addition when setting up a smart home, particularly if it works to banish one of the most common things in your bedroom that could be ruining your sleep – allergens.

More to Shop

If, like me, you find yourself battling allergens every spring and summer, shop from a selection of more air purifiers below, all of which are among the best hay fever remedies for the home.

This low-energy bedroom hack stops allergies at night if you have pets: Simply pop a blanket over your bed during the day to prevent their dander getting onto your best bedding.

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Come spring, attention quickly turns from the inside of your home to the great outdoors. After colder months spent hibernating, the season for al fresco hosting and relaxing is here, but while you may have been furiously spring cleaning indoors, it's likely that your patio, windows, and walls outside aren't looking quite so sparkling.

Fortunately, with the Windex Outdoor Window and Glass Cleaner, available at Amazon, ticking off the task of cleaning your windows is quicker, easier, and more efficient than ever before.

It's also free of phosphorus and ammonia, so you won't need to worry about harming your plant life or patio, either.

This Windex Formula Works Without Wiping

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Remembering to clean the outside, rather than just the inside, is one of the crucial things people with clean windows always do. It's an outdoor cleaning task that all too often gets overlooked, but makes a real difference to the way your home looks and feels – particularly important when hosting friends and family over the spring and summer months, and as those long summer days come in.

With the Windex Outdoor Window and Glass Cleaner, available at Amazon, getting the job done is easier than ever before, and now's the ideal time to do so, as you shouldn't clean windows in hot weather.

Cleverly, the specially-designed spray bottle conveniently attaches directly to your garden hose (available at Walmart if you don't have one already) for spraying and rinsing your windows, leaving them streak-free and clear of any stubborn dirt and grime. As there's no wiping required, you can even tackle upper-storey windows with no ladder required.

And, once your windows are gleaming, you can also use it to clean your outdoor furniture, lamps, umbrellas, and more, too.

What Shopper Say

It's no surprise, therefore, that the Windex Outdoor Window and Glass Cleaner boasts almost 9,500 five-star reviews on Amazon.

'Crystal Clear Exterior Window Cleaning Magic,' reads one recent review, from GML. 'Amazing product...We have a whole lengthy wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, and every spring and fall, I have been hand-washing the windows with an extendable squeegee and window cleaner. This is because I do not want to pay for professional window cleaning, which is very costly.

'My results took all day, and the windows weren’t as clear as I wanted. This spring, I had enough other projects to do that again. I did not want to spend a whole day on window cleaning, so I hooked up the Windex cleaner to our hose, turned the water pressure on about halfway, took off the little yellow cap, and started to clean and rinse.

'In a matter of an hour, I had all of the windows cleaned...the results were great, crystal clear views outside, and a lot less wear and tear on this DIY’er. A great value and time saver for beautiful windows.'

More to Shop

Get your whole patio ready for spring with this selection of cleaning essentials, from banishing mold and mildew to scrubbing stains on your decking, paving, and in your pool.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

For another quick cleaning solution, you can also use a pressure washer to clean patio furniture.

A resentment for laundry day is an almost universal feeling. It's a never-ending, time-consuming, and tiresome chore that we simply cannot skip.

But with all the modern features on washers, how essential is separating garments by lights, colors, and darks? According to laundry experts on this National Laundry Day, (April 15), this is an outdated rule you should stop doing right now.

Saying goodbye to this archaic practice won't magically do your laundry for you. But it will make the process far quicker and easier.

Why Experts Say It's Time to Stop Separating Your Laundry by Color

If you hate sorting clothes for laundry, you'll be delighted to know that, according to Stacee Parker, a leading laundry pro for Poplin, doing so is actually an outdated laundry rule you can break.

'It's the never-ending dread that laundry instills in most people that causes the stress, so the key is to stay on top of it and manage it – before it becomes a daunting task,' she says.

The easiest way to do this? 'Stop stressing about sorting,' she advises. 'Most modern detergents and cool-water cycles can handle mixed loads just fine. Ditch the darks and lights and keep it simple!'

A recent study Poplin conducted of 600 Americans over 25 years old found that 54 per cent of Americans consider laundry to be one of their top stressors or annoyances.

More than 40 per cent of people indicated that doing laundry or the thought of doing laundry makes them anxious or unhappy, with 21 per cent of respondents saying that if they could never do one chore again, it would be laundry, with only toilet scrubbing receiving marginally more votes.

It's so maligned as a household chore that over half of those surveyed said they would happily pay $10 per week to never do laundry again.

Head of Solved, Punteha van Terheyden, has been mixing her laundry for years. She says, 'The only time I wash anything separately is very pigmented red, blue, or purple clothes, or jeans, for the first few washes after purchasing. After that, they go straight in with whichever low-heat load I'm running. I've never had an accidental pink or gray sock.'

So this National Laundry Day, forget about sorting for a laundry hack to save you both time and stress. It's a surefire way to make laundry easier, and it won't cost you a penny to adopt. It will also save you money on energy bills as you can combine washing and drying sessions instead of needing up to three separate loads.

What to Shop

Whether you're ready to take the plunge on mixing your laundry loads or are a staunch sorter, the right products and accessories guarantee a perfect result. Below, you can shop my edit of the essentials that have been recommended to me by laundry experts time and time again.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Expert

So now you know – forgetting about sorting is an easy way to do less laundry.

Seasoning your cast-iron pan is the key to ensuring it's longevity, but if you select an oil for the job that has a low smoke point, you risk burnt food, flaking coatings, and uneven heating.

No matter how much you spend on the best cast iron cookware, if you don't use a high smoke-point oil, you'll find your food and pan ruined.

That is why professional chefs urge caution when selecting an oil for the task. Here's what you need to avoid, why it's detrimental to your cookware, and how to choose the right oil for an immaculate sear.

The Oils You Should Avoid for Seasoning Cast Iron

Seasoning cast iron is not a complicated process: Clean, apply oil, remove excess, and bake. Superior results come not from the technique (although this is still important for maintaining an iron cast pan), but the products you use.

In essence, you need to avoid oils with a low smoke point and opt for an oil with a high smoke point, or you risk your pan flaking and food burning.

According to Dylan Clay, founder and recipe developer at Barbecue FAQ, this means avoiding products such as butter, olive oil, and extra virgin olive oil and instead opting for oils such as grapeseed, vegetable, or refined avocado oil.

'I prefer grapeseed [available at Walmart], as it's affordable and neutral,' he adds, meaning it will not impart any flavor into your food. 'I use this for everything from prepping pans for pizza, to tortillas, to searing steak.'

'Smoke point' refers to the temperature at which the oil starts to smoke when heated. Every oil has a different smoke point, and heating it beyond that point will result in a burnt flavor, with some studies suggesting that overheating oil can produce carcinogens, risking your health and negatively impacting your efforts to create a non-toxic home by using non-toxic cookware.

Choosing an oil with a high smoke point for seasoning means you can safely bake the oil onto the surface of the cast iron, forming a protective low-stick barrier across the metal, without it burning.

A high smoke point oil is 400°F (200°C) or higher. Refined avocado oil, available at Amazon, for example, has a smoke point around 520°F (271°C), while extra virgin olive oil smokes at around 305°F (175°C), meaning it will burn onto the pan and serve no purpose in cooking.

It is a simple replacement that has no impact on your existing routine when cleaning and caring for cookware, but it does have an instantaneous effect on your cooking experience and your health.

What to Shop

Selecting the correct oil for seasoning is only one part of the care puzzle when cooking with a natural material like cast iron. To help you maintain your cookware for decades to come, I’ve selected six oils and tools to add to your arsenal.

Meet the Expert

With summer approaching, you're unlikely to want to be standing over a searing hot pan for hours. Luckily, there are some cool cast iron cookware uses you can try this summer for hosting guests that don't involve cooking, helping you make the most of your cookware.

There are few pans better for golden sears than cast iron. With excellent heat retention and rugged durability, these pans are hardwearing and perform time and time again.

However, those new to using the best cast iron cookware might mistake this endurance for immunity to common cookware mistakes, such as overheating. The result can be a “heat ring” – a hot spot that makes cooking uneven, causes sticking, and can gradually damage your hardworking pan.

Luckily, there is a simple fix experts recommend that reduces sticking, improves searing, and prevents the need to aggressively scrub your pan after every use. Here’s how.

How to Avoid a Cast Iron 'Heat Ring' for Even Searing

You can usually spot a heat ring on a cast-iron pan; it appears as a 'ring' or circle of discoloration, usually in the centre of a pan, where the burner or stove ring sits beneath the pan.

This discoloration is a result of the essential seasoning having been burned away, exposing the bare metal for food to stick and burn onto.

Laura Ascher, founder and recipe developer at Cast Iron Skillet Cooking, adds that 'In more extreme cases, or when the seasoning is getting thin, you’ll get flaking, which is where the seasoning actually lifts off the skillet. However, that is not quite as common.'

This is a direct result of overheating your skillet, Laura explains. No matter how well you maintain a cast-iron pan, using too high a heat when cooking will degrade the surface.

'Usually, this happens while preheating, but I have seen cases of people drying their skillets on the stovetop and forgetting about them, which leads to overheating,' Laura says. 'Regardless, the center of the skillet gets significantly hotter than the rest. Cast iron holds heat well, but it doesn’t distribute it instantly.'

The result is seasoning in the center breaks down first, leading to uneven cooking.

To avoid this, patience is key. Rather than putting your pan straight onto a ripping hot stove, preheat the skillet or pan slowly on a medium heat, allowing the heat to travel evenly through the metal. Not only will you protect your seasoning layer, but you will ensure more even sears, too.

'The second thing I would suggest is to add a little oil to your skillet during the preheat,' Laura adds. 'This helps keep the surface smooth and, in my opinion, protects the seasoning. I know a lot of people say you shouldn’t preheat skillets with oil. However, in my experience, as long as the oil you are using has a high smoke point, you will be fine.'

Refined avocado oil, available at Walmart, is one of the best options for this.

How to Fix an Existing Heat Ring

If you already have a heat ring on your pan, do not fret. There is a simple fix.

Laura recommends, 'If you find yourself with the burn rings or flaking, it’s actually a pretty easy fix. Before cleaning cast iron, make sure your skillet is cool, then scrub with coarse salt or a chainmail scrubber [available at Walmart] until all the loose seasoning is removed.

'Next, season your cast iron again. Lightly coat the skillet in seasoning oil, wipe off any excess, and place it upside down in the oven at 400°F for one hour. Make sure you place a cookie sheet on the oven rack below it to catch any oil drips.

'You might notice the surface of the skillet is a little uneven because of the pieces that have flaked off,' she adds, 'but over time, as you cook with it, it will even out.'

What to Shop

When taken care of correctly, a cast-iron pan can last for decades. However, understanding how to clean and care for your cookware goes beyond simply avoiding soap and heating gently.

I have rounded up six essential cast iron tools and accessories to help you make the most of this ‘do-everything’ cookware for years – and generations – to come.

Meet the Expert

Cast iron may be a cooked breakfast staple, but there are some cool cast iron cookware uses you can try this summer for hosting guests that don't involve cooking, helping you make the most of your cookware.

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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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Banishing dust and allergens that have built up in your home is a never-ending cycle, especially with pollen counts rising sharply. But there's one secret dust trap that most householders forget to clean: Fabric headboards.

These headboards can act as magnets for airborne particles. Much like carpets, sofas, and pet beds, the soft, fibrous surface of your headboard collects dust, dander, and pollen daily, and if left uncleaned, will expose you to allergens while you sleep.

Fortunately, the fix is simple. Use the correct attachment for your vacuum cleaner, and the accumulated dust and pollen will be cleared with ease in seconds this spring.

How to Clean This Common Household 'Dust Trap' This Month

Scott Levene, air quality expert and VP of Levco, recommends the right tools for cleaning the dust trap that is your fabric headboard: 'Smaller handheld vacuums with soft brush attachments work the best.'

This $11.59 set of universal soft brush attachments at Amazon is perfect for the task, with an adjustable nozzle to fit different vacuum models.

'However, it’s ideal to use a crevice tool for cleaning tufted buttons, seams, and decorative crevices where dust and debris accumulate the most,' he adds.

The process of vacuuming a fabric headboard is easy, as Rhonda Wilson, quality lead cleaner at FreshSpace Cleaning, recommends. She says, 'Always move from top to bottom, in slow and overlapping strokes.'

This is important when cleaning upholstery, as vacuuming from top to bottom captures dust that floats down below from higher areas.

Alternatively, a lint roller, such as this $12.99 pack of six rollers at Amazon, will capture micro-sized particles on your headboard, but they won't be able to reach into crevices or around buttons.

Why It's Important to Clean Your Headboard In Spring

'Fabric collects dust and allergens and is harder to clean than a wooden headboard because it is like magnets for dead skin cells, pet dander, and body oils,' says Scott. 'Without routine cleaning, they can harbor allergens.'

Rhonda also explains how certain fabrics and designs can worsen the allergen buildup: 'If you have a tufted headboard, the piping along the edges acts like a ridge collecting dust.'

'As for the fabric, anything heavier in texture, like chenille or tweed style, poses a problem, as thicker yarns and a more pronounced weave trap dust. And if you run your hand over velvet, the upright fibers are where the dust will cling,' she continues.

This accumulation, which can grow exponentially in spring when your windows are more likely to be open for extended periods before the haze of summer humidity hits, makes your headboard prime for catching the allergens that will end up setting you off overnight.

Removing this as part of your weekly cleaning routine will help you sleep better and avoid seasonal allergy flares. Adding a good air purifier to your sleep space, such as the Shark NeverChange Max we reviewed and rated highly, will also capture rogue floating particles, maximizing your comfort further during the spring season of pollen spikes.

What to Shop

To be able to deep clean your headboard of any dust, pollen, and household allergens, you'll need a few tools in your cleaning toolkit: A soft brush attachment and crevice tool for your vacuum cleaner, a lint roller for quick cleans, and a microfiber cloth for removing any visible marks. Here is a selection recommended by our product experts.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn the surprising things making your allergies worse, and how a steam cleaner could be your next solution to allergies.

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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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I used to dread laundry day, and rightfully so – I live in a third-floor New York City walk-up without a washing machine, so in order to clean my clothes, I have to haul everything out of my building, around the corner, and down the block to the nearest laundromat. It's not a terrible trek, but when dirty laundry piles up, the journey is quite tiresome, and it hasn't worn well on my college-era Santa Claus-like laundry sack.

I knew there had to be a less strenuous way to do laundry and a bag that could help me get the job done in style and with ease. Sure enough, there is. Enter IKEA's PURRPINGLA Laundry Bag – the streamlined, Scandi-chic laundry tote that sufficiently stores laundry in the home and makes wash days anyting but a chore.

With this sleek, soft tan laundry bag over your arm, you can transform the tedious task of doing laundry into a surprisingly stylish moment (at least that's what I'm doing as I strut down the NYC sidewalks to my laundromat).

But looks aside, this is one of the most cleverly designed hampers I've come across. Of course, its two shoulder straps make it incredibly convenient to pick up and carry around, but its practical design doesn't stop there.

Inside, it features two compartments – perfect for sorting laundry from the get-go. Plus, there's a zipper across the top, put in place to keep all of your clothes safely sealed as you journey to and from the washing machine or to hide them from sight. But the best part? The bag itself conveniently slides on a metal frame (sold together with the bag) to stand upright in your room. All that, and it's only $25.

Because the dimensions of this laundry bag are slim, it doesn't take up more space than it needs to. It can fit beside the sink in your small bathroom, along the dresser in your small bedroom, or, if you're lucky enough to have a proper laundry room, it can stand in there, too. Personally, I plan on positioning this laundry bag and its metal frame in the closet of my small apartment. Even though its cloth fabric is attractive by design and I'd be more than happy to leave it out on display, I'm glad it's compact enough to store in a closet, keeping dirty laundry out of sight.

I'm not the only one who thinks IKEA's PURRPINGLA laundry bag is a genius laundry storage idea. This bag boasts over 40 5-star reviews on IKEA's website. Many remark on its exceptional design, expressing how convenient it is for small spaces. Others comment on its size, explaining that while it looks small, it holds a surprisingly large amount of clothes. Some even make note of its stylish design – 'now my laundry is no longer an eyesore in the corner,' one reviewer writes. 'I love the elegant look and that you can zip a lid over the bag. It's also really easy to take the laundry down to the laundry room because there are good handles on the bag,' they continue.

IKEA's PURRPINGLA laundry bag has ticked all the boxes. Its two handles make transportation easy, its pockets make sorting a breeze, its zipper hides messes, and its metal frame gives it a stylish place to stand. Not to mention its $25 price tag – which is all the more reason to love it.

Shop More Laundry Bags and Baskets

Leave it to IKEA to design a product as clever as the PURRPINGLA laundry bag – a storage solution that simplifies the laundry routine and gives piled-up laundry a proper, stylish home. If piled-up clothes aren't a problem in your household, but piled-up shoes are, don't fret – IKEA has something for you, too. The brand's STÄLL shoe cabinet gives heaps of shoes a place to live that's streamlined and surprisingly chic.

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As a keen advocate of green cleaning, vinegar is a staple in my home, especially for tackling tough jobs like descaling.

For years, many of us have relied on this pantry essential to remove limescale from household appliances. However, experts are increasingly warning that it may be doing more harm than good. While vinegar does dissolve mineral buildup, it can also gradually degrade the plastics and rubber components inside your machine.

That’s a risk hardly worth taking with your best non-toxic coffee maker. Here’s what the experts recommend using instead.

Why You Should Avoid Vinegar in Your High-End Coffee Maker

When cleaning a coffee maker, no matter its price point, avoiding toxins should be at the top of everyone's priority list. Harsh chemical cleaners can leave behind residue that alters the taste of your coffee and could sabotage your health.

Cleaning with vinegar has positioned itself as the ideal solution, being food safe and helping to create a non-toxic home by cutting out the risk of dangerous chemicals. While it is a more gentle option than some traditional cleaning solutions, Lucinda Smalley, hard water expert at Hard Water Home, explains that it is still acetic acid, meaning it can be corrosive to certain materials, impacting the integrity of rubber in particular.

Over time, and with repeated use, this will render the coffee maker inefficient, leading to expensive replacements. If you have just invested in one of the high-end, best coffee makers, this is a costly mistake you will want to avoid.

Interestingly, 'From a hard water perspective, it is also not the most effective option,' Lucinda adds. 'I usually recommend citric acid. It’s naturally derived, food-safe, and much better at dissolving buildup without leaving behind any smell. It also rinses cleanly, which makes a big difference for anything you’re drinking from.'

Dennis Godynuk, lead appliance expert at Comfort Appliance Repair in Tennessee, agrees, adding, 'Many commercial cleaners and even descalers have citric acid as their main descaling agent, so it's guaranteed to be safe and efficient.' The Active Coffee Machine Cleaner and Descaler, from Walmart, is a great example of this and is highly rated by shoppers.

It is a simple swap that takes seconds but can save hundreds of dollars in the future.

What to Shop

The same rules apply whether you’re cleaning a French press or refreshing a single-serve coffee machine.

Once the maintenance is taken care of, adding a few well-chosen accessories is the next step in perfecting your coffee setup. Here are some of my favorites for creating a stylish and functional coffee station at home:

Meet the Experts

Vinegar isn't the only solution you should be cautious of. There are several other chemicals you should avoid in your coffee maker to protect your appliance and your health, too.

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While cooking with stainless steel is now second nature, there was a time when nearly everything ended up seared to the pan. The result was stubborn discoloration that left my cookware looking worse for wear, and actually made cooking more difficult.

No amount of scrubbing seemed to help, so you can imagine my delight when I spent an evening with Le Creuset’s development chef, and she revealed her secret for restoring even the best non-toxic cookware that is in the worst condition.

The secret? A single lemon. It may not sound like much, but trust me, it can save you hours of scrubbing at the sink. Here’s how.

Le Creuset's Chef Taught Me How to Restore Stainless Steel Pans With Half a Lemon

I was given the opportunity to spend an evening learning how to use the Le Creuset Signature Stainless Steel Cookware Set under the watchful eye of their top development chef, and I had one question on my mind: 'What should I do when I inevitably ruin one?'

While her guidance and a lesson on using the Leidenfrost effect to prevent food from sticking when cooking in stainless steel have made that outcome far less likely, she assured me that even my old pans can be rescued.

All it takes is half a fresh lemon (available at Walmart). Simply cut the lemon in half and rub the cut side directly over the dry surface of the pan. It works on the same principle as cleaning with citric acid, helping break down stubborn deposits without the need for harsh chemicals or abrasive scrubbers.

The method works on anything, from pans to cleaning a stainless steel sink, but it is by and large expert chefs' go-to method for those vital food-first surfaces.

Joanne Gallaher, co-founder and recipe developer at Inspired Taste, shared, 'Cut lemons are magic on stainless steel, especially if you sprinkle a little salt or baking soda [also from Walmart] on the pan along with it. Rub it with the cut side of the lemon, squeezing as you go.'

The method works as the citric acid breaks down residue without being too harsh, more effective than soap, but not as dangerous as an astringent chemical product.

'I’ll rinse my pans with warm water after giving my pot or pan a good scrub, then give it a quick dry,' Joanne adds. 'The shine should come back right away.'

The Cause of Discoloration on Stainless Steel Pans

Stainless steel can discolor for all sorts of reasons. Luckily, as Joanne explains, the color left behind is indicative of the cause, making it easier to treat and prevent:

• Rainbow sheen: A rainbow sheen (that resembles an oil slick) is caused by overheating the pan. 'It’s just a thin layer of oxidized metal that reacts to high heat, and it’s completely harmless.'
• Yellow or brown patches: These typically come from some oil that’s gotten a little too hot and stuck to the surface, and it may feel a bit sticky. Citric acid works wonders for shifting these when soap doesn't.
• White, chalky buildup: This comes from minerals in water, and it usually appears after letting a pan air dry. If any linger, cleaning with lemon juice should be more than enough to restore the shine.

What to Shop

How you clean and care for your cookware can have a profound impact on its performance over time.

To help keep your heirloom pieces looking and performing their best, I’ve rounded up six of my favorite tools to ensure your investment cookware items can be cared for and passed down through generations.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Expert

Whatever you do, be sure to avoid these common stainless steel cleaning mistakes when caring for your pans; otherwise, you may end up doing more harm than good.

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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 written about non-toxic cleaning practices for over three years, I firmly believe that whenever possible, you should stick to 100% natural products.

This is especially important when cleaning a coffee maker. With boiling water rushing through its pipes, any lingering chemicals can easily end up in your morning cup.

To protect both your health and your best non-toxic coffee maker, I consulted toxicologists to identify the harmful chemicals to avoid during maintenance, and the safer alternatives to reach for the next time that descaling light starts blinking.

Why You Should Use Caution When Maintaining Your Coffee Maker

No matter if you are cleaning a drip coffee maker, the best espresso machine, or sanitizing a French press, you should always avoid harsh household chemicals from your everyday cleaning cabinet.

It is also worth noting that just because a product is marketed as compatible with your appliance's make and model doesn't always mean it is good for your health, or the quality of your brew when making coffee at home.

As with understanding non-toxic cookware labels, it is important to review the ingredient list for your descaling products to avoid potentially harmful mixtures that could also damage your appliance.

Michael Cramer, founder and product developer at Lardera Coffee, explains, 'Strong acids such as sulfamic, hydrochloric, and phosphoric are often found in commercial or industrial descalers because they effectively dissolve mineral buildup, but they can also be corrosive to internal metal and rubber parts if used frequently or at high concentrations. These acids also require thorough rinsing, as residue will adversely affect the taste of the coffee.'

The Cleaning Chemicals to Avoid in Your Coffee Maker

According to Onome Warfield, co-founder at General Warfeild's Coffee, there are three potentially harmful chemicals that you need to look out for:

• Sulfamic acid: Often found in coffee and espresso machine cleaners, sulfamic acid is also common in toilet bowl cleaners, hard water removers, tub and tile cleaners, sink sprays, and other bathroom products. Clearly, we wouldn’t want to ingest these, so sulfamic acid should never be used for descaling or cleaning anything food-related. According to official material safety data sheets, can irritate the gastrointestinal tract and corrode rubber seals or other internal components. This is a firm no for any appliance that produces your food or drinks.
• Hydrochloric acid: This highly corrosive chemical is far too dangerous for use in home brewing machines. Even tiny residues that aren’t fully flushed can pose serious health risks, according to the EPA. Its extreme acidity makes it completely unsuitable for any food-related use. Another clear no.
• Any harsh synthetic detergents/soaps (surfactants): Detergents and synthetic soaps are not designed for coffee equipment. Residue can be difficult to remove and can affect both your health and the flavor of your coffee, because soap-flavored coffee frankly sounds unpleasant. Like the other chemicals listed, this is a full-stop hard no.

The Cleaning Products to Use Instead

When looking for non-toxic cleaning products for your coffee maker, Onome stresses that you select specific and designated food-safe descalers with biodegradable formulations meant for coffee equipment.

'These are perhaps the best due to their low toxicity, effectiveness, ease of use, and their ability to gently descale coffee equipment, etc. Additionally, they usually don't leave stubborn residue, odor, or bad or "off" tastes. Simply follow the product's instructions and use as directed,' she advises.

• Citric acid-based descalers: When shopping for non-toxic products formulated specifically for descaling, citric acid cleansers are my first choice. They are generally gentle, food-safe, and widely recommended when used exactly as directed. The Active Coffee Machine Cleaner and Descaler Solution from Walmart is a good option for this, as it is made up of water and citric acid.
• Lactic acid-based descalers: These are another good choice when used exactly as directed. They are generally low in toxicity, very effective, and won't damage coffee machines and equipment when used appropriately. We suggest New England Stories Descaling Solution, from Amazon, which is formulated with 100% plant-based lactic acid.

It is worth discussing cleaning with vinegar here, as it is non-toxic and generally encouraged for use in descaling applications. That being said, Onome advises against it.

'Believe it or not, and contrary to some guides, we do not recommend using vinegar. While it's not dangerous like the other chemicals mentioned, it can damage rubber seals and other essential parts over time, plus it can be difficult to fully rinse without leaving the classic vinegar odor, affecting the taste of coffee if there's any residue left at all.'

For this reason, distilled white vinegar, available at Walmart, can be used sparingly, and when you are stuck without other safe alternatives, it is best to skip where you can.

FAQs

Why does my coffee maker taste bad after cleaning?

Your coffee machine might have a strange flavor after descaling because the product is still stuck in the inner pipework. No matter what you use to clean your appliance, it is always best practice to flush the machine out before you brew your next coffee.

Onome recommends running two to three full cycles with plain filtered water to remove buildup and residue. Where you can, it is also preferable that you disassemble any parts you can to allow the machine to air dry, limiting the risk of mold and bacteria.

Meet the Experts

With your cleaning routine perfected, next, pick up some of our coffee bar essentials to take your home brew to the next level.

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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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March is a quiet turning point in the home. Winter hasn’t quite loosened its grip, but the light is changing – longer days, brighter mornings, and suddenly all those little things you didn’t notice in January become far more obvious.

It’s also the perfect moment to get ahead of spring cleaning. Not the full, exhausting overhaul, but the clever, in-between jobs that are easiest to tackle right now, before open windows, warmer weather, and busy weekends take over.

What to Clean in March Before Spring Starts

Think of March as the reset before the real refresh. A few well-timed cleaning tasks now will make your home feel lighter, fresher, and far easier to maintain once spring fully arrives.

Turn your attention to these often-overlooked corners of your home before the season slips away, and refresh each space effortlessly using our favorite cleaning tips and trusted tools.

1. Radiators, Vents, and Heating Registers

If your heating is still coming on during those chilly March mornings, now is the perfect moment to clean behind radiators, clean vents, and heating registers properly. Over winter, they quietly gather an impressive amount of dust – much of it tucked into narrow fins, behind panels, or along baseboards where it’s easy to forget. Left unchecked, that dust can circulate every time the heat kicks in, making your home feel less fresh than it should.

Start by turning the heating off and letting everything cool. Lay an old towel on the floor to catch loose dust, then use a vacuum with a crevice attachment to remove debris from vents, grilles, and around valves. For the dust trapped in the narrow fins, a slim radiator brush is invaluable – it reaches the spots a cloth can’t and lifts away buildup that has settled over months. Finish by wiping the exterior with a slightly damp microfiber cloth to remove any lingering grime and restore a clean, polished look.

I like to use the Scrub Daddy Damp Duster to wipe down the surfaces, and for getting into the tight spots of my radiator, I rely on this exact Multi-Purpose Hard Bristle Crevice Cleaning Brush from Amazon – it’s perfect for lifting dust that hides where a cloth can’t reach.

2. Window Tracks and Frames

As the March sunlight starts spilling into your home, it highlights the little things winter has quietly left behind – with grimy window tracks being the main culprit. Months of closed windows mean dust, dirt, and condensation residue have settled into every crevice. Suddenly, those overlooked corners feel impossible to ignore.

Before you throw your windows open for the first spring breeze, take a few minutes to clean the window tracks and frames. I like to start by vacuuming out loose dust with a narrow crevice attachment – this makes the next step far easier. Then, a little warm water mixed with vinegar works wonders for loosening stubborn grime.

For those tiny channels and corners, a small brush like the OXO Good Grips Multi-Purpose Cleaning Brush from Walmart is perfect. It reaches where a cloth can’t. Speaking of cloths, a soft microfiber – such as the E-Cloth General Purpose Microfiber Cleaning Cloth from Amazon – makes wiping down the frames effortless, leaving them polished and streak-free.

3. Your Mattress

Your mattress quietly works overtime through the winter months. Between heavier bedding, longer nights indoors, and the occasional stray pet hair, it can accumulate dust, allergens, and even lingering odors faster than you might expect. March is the perfect time to give it a proper refresh.

To clean a mattress, start by stripping the bed completely. Vacuum the surface thoroughly using a handheld vacuum or a hose attachment – something like the Shark Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is perfect for lifting dust from seams and crevices. If your mattress is designed to rotate or flip, go ahead and do that now to even out wear.

Next, sprinkle a light layer of baking soda (ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda from Amazon is my go-to) across the surface. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes to absorb any odors, then vacuum it up. For an extra touch of freshness, you can add a few drops of essential oil – lavender or eucalyptus work beautifully – mixed into the baking soda before sprinkling. It takes less than half an hour, but the effect is immediate.

4. Behind and Under Furniture

Winter has a way of encouraging us to settle in, which often means furniture goes unmoved for months. And while it’s undeniably cozy to hibernate, dust doesn’t take a season off – it quietly gathers in corners, under sofas, and behind beds and side tables, tucked away where it’s easy to forget.

Now is the perfect moment to tackle these hidden spots. Gently pull out furniture pieces – side tables, nightstands, and, if possible, your sofa – and start by vacuuming underneath with a narrow attachment. It’s ideal for reaching tight spaces and lifting out built-up dust, pet hair, and debris that has accumulated over the winter months.

Once the bulk of the debris is gone, follow up with a soft, reusable duster such as the Swiffer 360° Dusters Heavy Duty Starter Kit to sweep along baseboards and around furniture legs. The flexible head helps trap dust that a regular cloth might miss, especially in grooves and moulding.

For a finishing touch, a set of quality microfiber dusting cloths – like the Norwex Microfiber Dusting Mitt, also on Amazon – makes it simple to polish surfaces and remove any lingering particles without scratching finishes.

5. Lampshades and Light Fixtures

As March light grows stronger each day, even a little dust on your lighting can feel glaringly obvious. Fabric lampshades, in particular, tend to collect dust, but giving them a quick refresh is simple.

'I like to use a gentle, handheld microfiber duster like the top-rated OXO Good Grips Microfiber Extendable Duster,' says Punteha van Terheyden, Head of Solved at Homes & Gardens. 'It easily reaches the top and edges of shades without disturbing delicate fabrics. Glass or metal fixtures just need a soft cloth dampened with warm water to bring back their shine.

The effect of cleaning a lampshade is immediate: brighter, cleaner light that makes the whole room feel lighter and more inviting, all without changing a single bulb. It’s a small, satisfying task that quietly transforms a space as spring approaches.

6. The Entryway

After months of muddy boots, wet coats, and tracked-in debris, your entryway has probably been quietly collecting clutter and dust. March is the perfect time to clean an entryway and give it a proper reset before spring arrives.

Start by shaking out or washing doormats, then wipe down walls, doors, and baseboards to remove the winter grime. Take a moment to declutter anything that’s piled up near the door – mail, shoes, or bags – and consider a small catch-all tray or basket to keep it tidy going forward.

The difference is immediate. A tidy, refreshed entryway makes the whole home feel calmer the moment you step inside. To keep it that way, consider adding a stylish Boot Drip Tray from Amazon to catch mud and water, or a small basket to corral keys, scarves, and gloves. Little touches like these make the space feel intentional, welcoming, and ready for the brighter months ahead.

7. Your Shower Curtain or Liner

Winter’s humidity can leave bathrooms feeling less fresh, and it often shows most clearly on shower curtains. March is the perfect time to clean shower curtains and liners. Fabric curtains usually do beautifully in the washing machine, while plastic liners – affordable and easy to replace – can be swapped out if they’re showing signs of wear. A quick refresh instantly makes the bathroom feel brighter, fresher, and ready for spring.

For a touch of style and practicality, a liner like the InterDesign Eco-Friendly Shower Curtain Liner works well, combining durability with a fresh, clean look.

8. Houseplant Leaves

Your houseplants are ready for a little spring reset. Over the darker winter months, dust quietly settles on leaves, blocking the light they need to thrive.

Gently cleaning houseplant leaves with a soft, damp cloth not only removes buildup but also helps your plants soak up the brighter spring sunlight, encouraging healthy new growth.

For a fuss-free clean, I love using a dedicated plant cleaning brush like this Indoor Plant Leaf Brush from Amazon, which reaches into crevices and removes dust without damaging delicate leaves. Alternatively, a soft microfiber cloth, such as the Full Circle Plant Microfiber Cloth, works beautifully for more sensitive foliage.

9. Your Cleaning Tools

This is the task almost everyone overlooks, yet it makes a surprisingly big difference. Take a moment to wash your microfiber cloths, swap out worn sponges, rinse mop heads, and empty vacuum filters or canisters. Starting the season with fresh, ready-to-use tools makes every other cleaning task quicker, easier, and far more effective. After all, it’s hard to give your home a proper spring refresh if the very tools you’re relying on are tired, dusty, or clogged.

Spring cleaning has a reputation for being one massive, exhausting project. In reality, it becomes far more manageable when you start gradually. March is the ideal time to do exactly that.

These small but meaningful tasks quietly prepare your home for the season ahead, so when spring finally arrives, the hardest work is already behind you. And that means you can spend less time chasing dust – and more time enjoying the longer days.

The Opening Note

This week on The Very British Edit, I’m leaning into one of my favorite rituals of the year: a proper spring clean. Not a frantic, everything-out-into-the-garden sort of overhaul, but a steady, thorough reset that brings the house back into order after winter.

By March, I can always feel the build-up. Winter has a way of spreading itself through every room. Extra throws within arm’s reach. Heavier coats crammed into the hall cupboard. Boots lined up by the door. Drawers that technically shut, but only just. It’s cozy while it lasts – and completely necessary – but it does leave things feeling a little crowded.

That’s when I bring out my spring cleaning checklist.

I like a bit of structure. It stops the whole thing from becoming overwhelming and turns it into something purposeful – even satisfying. I work room by room. Cupboards are emptied properly and wiped down before anything goes back. Not reshuffled – reconsidered. Closets get a proper edit. What did I actually wear? What can be stored away now? What’s simply taking up space out of habit? There’s something very grounding about that process.

Then I tackle the winter layers. Wool throws are brushed and folded neatly away. Knitwear is aired and stored with cedar (to deter moths). Coats are cleaned before being covered. Boots are polished before they’re boxed up. It may seem methodical, but it makes all the difference. When things are packed away with care rather than haste, the house feels instantly calmer – and when fall rolls around again, everything is ready.

For me, spring cleaning has never been about perfection or impossible standards. It’s about restoring order and re-establishing a sense of calm. Winter inevitably alters the rhythm of a home.

And the impact is bigger than you’d think. When cupboards open easily and surfaces are clear, mornings run more smoothly. You’re not rummaging or rearranging before you’ve had your coffee. The house begins to support daily life rather than complicate it.

I don’t aim for a show home. I aim for readiness. As the light shifts and the days grow longer, I want the interiors to reflect that change – lighter, clearer, with a bit of breathing space in every room.

By the time spring properly arrives, the house feels prepared. Winter has been folded away, storage ideas make sense again, and each room has had its moment of attention. And that feeling – of stepping into a home that’s organized, intentional, and quietly ready for the season ahead – is what makes the whole ritual worthwhile.

The Edit: Good Storage Saviors

In the Spotlight: Joseph Joseph

Few home brands have stuck with me the way Joseph Joseph has. I’ve been a fan for years, and that loyalty hasn’t wavered. They’ve quietly become my spring clean go-to when it comes to kitchen organization – clever tools and smart storage solutions that make everything feel instantly more manageable.

Founded in the UK in 2003 by twin brothers Antony and Richard Joseph, the brand started with a simple, refreshingly clever idea: everyday kitchen tools designed to solve common problems. Over the years, they’ve expanded thoughtfully, from cutting boards and utensils to stackable storage, prep tools, and waste and recycling solutions. Each piece feels considered, purposeful, and built to last.

What I’ve always loved about Joseph Joseph is how intuitive it all feels. Color-coded boards, space-saving designs, multi-functional gadgets – everything has a purpose, and it just works. It’s smart design without fuss, making everyday kitchen tasks smoother without calling attention to itself.

Even as the brand has grown internationally, including establishing a strong presence in the US, the quality and attention to detail remain intact. From materials that feel durable to finishes that are thoughtful and clever touches you barely notice at first, every product makes daily life just a little easier.

There’s something quietly satisfying about kitchenware that simply works. You notice it in small ways: a gadget that fits perfectly in a drawer, a kitchen storage solution that keeps counters clear, prepping and chopping that just flows. That’s Joseph Joseph – design that doesn’t shout, it simply improves your day.

It’s never about style over function. It’s about efficiency, ease, and feeling a little more organized every time you cook or clean. Once you’ve used their tools, it’s hard to go back. That’s why they’ve become my go-to for spring cleaning, clever, considered, and essential – making life at home feel lighter, calmer, and effortlessly put together.

In the Queue

Next week on The Very British Edit, I’m all about bringing the outdoors in. Gardening, both inside and out, is one of my favorite hobbies, and there’s nothing I love more than carrying that sense of life and energy into the rooms where I spend most of my time.

It’s not about cramming a space full of plants. It’s about layering greenery, flowers, and natural textures in a way that feels effortless and intentional. A trailing vine on a shelf, a potted fern in a corner, or a simple vase of seasonal blooms on a table can completely change the mood of a room. Even small touches – herbs by the windowsill or a few stems in a jug – bring freshness, color, and a quiet sense of calm.

Biophilic design, to me, isn’t just decoration. It’s how a space feels when it responds to nature. It’s the way sunlight catches a leaf, the soft texture of a woven basket, the gentle height of a plant that draws your eye upward. Thoughtful placement makes all the difference: mixing heights, textures, and shades so the greenery feels natural, not staged.

What I love most is the atmosphere it creates. Rooms suddenly feel lighter, airier, and more welcoming. Corners become little pockets of life, surfaces feel energized, and even the simplest arrangements – a single branch in a vase, a cluster of pots on a windowsill – give a home a sense of style and balance.

Bringing the outdoors in doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. A few well-chosen plants, seasonal flowers, and natural textures are enough to make the home feel calmer, more alive, and quietly aligned with the season. It’s subtle, effortless, and endlessly satisfying.

The Very British Edit is a shoppable guide to beautiful living with a distinctly British twist. From heritage patterns to timeless decor inspirations, each edition blends personal insight, design expertise, and a love of craftsmanship. It is stylish, trustworthy, and endlessly inspiring.

Rigorously using an anti-splatter lid on any food being heated in the microwave was an essential protocol in my family home growing up, and it’s a domestic standard I’ve carried forward into my own home for the last 15 years.

It not only helps your food heat evenly without dehydrating, but it stops splatter and food mess from turning into stubborn residue inside your microwave that then becomes labor-intensive to resolve. I’m certain that’s why the $2 microwave lid from IKEA is a constant bestseller.

It’s dishwasher safe and composed of polypropylene, which is robust, recyclable, and a considered way to keep microwave cleaning to a minimum.

Re-Heat Food Evenly and Prevent Splatter in Your Microwave

I have two microwave lids that are in continuous utility, and when one is in the dishwasher, the other is in the microwave. In fact, I leave a clean one in the microwave ready to use for the next person in my household to reheat meals or steam vegetables, so there is no excuse to skip this mess-saving addition for easy-clean up after meal times.

The affordable IKEA bestseller features steam vents to allow pressure to escape without the moisture in your food entirely evaporating and leaving you with a diminished texture or unpalatable food.

It is also non-toxic as it’s able to withstand high temperatures. The issue with plastic leaching chemicals or microplastics into food usually occurs when they are not built for high heat, and begin to offload microplastics or toxins during high-heat tasks.

Polypropylene, used in the IKEA lid, is BPA-Free, which is otherwise a significant concern and often found in older polycarbonate plastics. This bestseller is also phthalate-free and chemically resilient to fats, acids, and most organic solvents, making it a very safe choice for reheating food daily without concern.

I utilize this tool in multiple ways:

• To steam vegetables quickly: Add a couple of tablespoons of water to your microwave-safe bowl, place your veg inside, and top with the lid.
• To quickly prepare ‘baked’ potatoes: While you won’t achieve the crunchy outer skin of a traditional oven, you can microwave a potato in 8-10 minutes. Simply wash and dry your potato, perforate the skin with a fork, and microwave with the IKEA lid on. Polypropylene maintains its structural integrity, so it will not warp during longer sessions the way a thin plastic lid might. To finish, a five-minute stint in a non-toxic air fryer will provide that delicious, crispy exterior.
• To reheat food without splatter: If you’ve ever heated a soup, stew, or sauce, you’ll know the mess it can make as it splatters across the interior of your appliance. Utilizing a lid limits splatter to the lid itself, which is easily sanitized.
• To preserve moisture in food: I grew up in a Persian household where we ate rice daily. We cooked large batches and reheated them in the microwave; using a lid meant the moisture didn’t escape and leave the grains dry or brittle.

There is often worry that reheating rice can cause food poisoning, but I have not once in my 40 years experienced this, and rice remains a daily staple in my diet. The integrity concern usually stems from improper storage or failing to reheat the food fully.

To do so properly, I either defrost my portion in the fridge overnight or use the defrost setting on my microwave before heating it fully with the lid on and a splash of water. Reheating it long enough (usually three minutes from chilled or five to six minutes from frozen with a halfway stir) is a validated safe method.

When to Recycle Your Microwaveable Lid

While polypropylene is very robust, it is not indestructible. If you notice the surface has become pitted, that is usually a sign of surface degradation caused by the high temperatures fats and sugars reach during reheating.

As with kitchen appliances, daily-use tools for cooking also need timely replacement. If you notice pitting, scrapes, degradation, or peeling surfaces, the item should be recycled.

Look for a number 5 on the plastic, which confirms your microwave lid is polypropylene and easily processed at recycling centers.

What to Shop

If you value considered solutions that make steaming or reheating food a seamless process, here are a few recommendations from us, alongside some BPA-free culinary instrumentation that is always essential to have for safe storage, use and streamlined kitchen cleaning.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

You can also clean your microwave with lemons, and add lemon halves in your dishwasher to turbocharge appliance sanitation with nature's power.

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As an asthma and allergy sufferer, I couldn't live without my air purifier, but that hasn't stopped me from resenting how much space my bulky appliance takes up at home.

But IKEA has launched a subtle, minimalist solution that hides in plain sight: The IKEA STARKVIND air purifying table. Designed to blend into your space with dual functionality, it would work equally as well as a living room side table as it would a bedside table.

And with its natural oak finish, you wouldn't guess that this minimalist side table is purifying your air in the background. It's easily one of the best air purifiers to save precious floor space.

The IKEA STARKVIND is the perfect blend of style and function. By bringing the air purifier into a side table, which would look just as good in a living room as it would next to your bedside, you're not compromising on the huge benefits of air purification, but the space that's taken up can still be used to add to your interior and adorn your space.

I say this as a sufferer of asthma and allergies, as I feel these benefits every day at home. Air purifiers improve our indoor air quality by removing particles from household allergens like pollen and dander, as well as odors and pollution.

The IKEA STARKVIND can purify spaces up to 215 square feet, with a particle filter that is optimized to filter approximately 99.5% of smaller airborne particles such as dust and pollen.

And if paired with the $35 IKEA STARKVIND gas filter, the table will also be able to remove odors and harmful gases found in household substances, such as formaldehyde and the VOCs that can come from cleaning sprays, as well as outdoor smog and tobacco smoke.

Improving air quality at home benefits your health and well-being, and it isn't just about 'breathing cleaner', but removing damaging pollutants from your indoor air. This can result in healthier lungs, clearer skin, fewer viruses being spread, and reduced impact from the outdoor air pollution that can creep indoors when we start opening up windows at length in balmy spring weather.

And as it looks so stylish as a bedside table, the IKEA STARKVIND is the kind of smart tech that can improve your sleep. I use my air purifier every night, and I rarely wake up congested or with asthma flare-ups, but unfortunately, I've had to dedicate a significant portion of my bedroom to a bulky appliance that really stands out from the rest of my interior.

So, to have finally found one that can blend into my space so seamlessly is a major win.

To blend into your space naturally, you can hide the cable in one of the table legs, and the control is a subtle dial at the side of the table. Unless it's turned up to full, most people probably wouldn't even notice it's an appliance.

The STARKVIND Air Purifying Table is available at IKEA US and IKEA UK.

More to Shop

The IKEA STARKVIND is a rare marrying of style and function, one that actually comes with great benefit to the comfort and well-being we can feel at home, without cluttering the space with tech that stands out.

Here are a few more options to consider that can help improve your air quality at home.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Air purifiers are essential, but they're not the only step to take when improving your air quality and getting a better night's sleep.

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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.

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.

February has a way of making even the simplest household tasks feel heavier, and for me, laundry is easily the most dreaded of them all. Across much of the US, winter isn’t letting go – icy mornings in the Midwest, damp chills in the Northeast, and endless gray skies in the Pacific Northwest. Even down South, where it’s milder, the short, cold days somehow make folding and sorting clothes feel twice as slow.

That’s why the 30-minute laundry rule has become my sanity saver this time of year. It’s the only laundry tip I actually follow in February, and it keeps the pile from taking over without making me want to run for the hills.

If you’ve ever wondered how to do laundry without losing your mind – or your whole weekend – this approach is hands-down the easiest way to survive the winter slog.

What Is the 30-Minute Laundry Rule?

At its simplest, here’s the trick: switch to a shorter, cooler wash cycle for everyday clothes instead of automatically reaching for long, hot settings.

For years, we’ve been told that longer washes equal cleaner clothes – but that’s a common laundry myth. Modern detergents are formulated to work well at lower temperatures, and ENERGY STAR guidance notes that heating water accounts for most of a washer’s energy use – sometimes up to about 90% of the total for a laundry cycle. That means your biggest energy drain isn’t the machine tumbling – it’s the hot water heater.

Most weekly loads – think T-shirts, sleepwear, and lightly worn layers – don’t need an hour or more to come out fresh and clean. The U.S. Department of Energy confirms that cool or warm water is sufficient for most washes, and switching from hot to these settings can cut a load’s energy use in half.

The result? Lower energy bills, longer-lasting fabrics, and colors that stay vibrant. It’s a small change that makes a surprisingly big difference.

Why February Is the Perfect Time to Try the Rule

Winter has a way of changing how laundry behaves – often in subtle but important ways. Cold air slows evaporation, while high humidity can make drying unpredictable.

'Drying indoors adds another challenge: damp clothes release moisture into your home, leaving windowsills misty and poorly ventilated rooms feeling clammy,' says Punetha van Terheyden, Head of Solved at Homes & Gardens. 'This best-selling small dehumidifier from Amazon can help, keeping the air dry and preventing condensation while your laundry dries.'

If you know drying will take longer anyway, there’s little point in running long, hot wash cycles for items that aren’t heavily soiled. Shorter cycles save energy at a time when heating costs are already high, and they’re gentler on fibers – especially useful for winter knits and layering basics that get worn repeatedly.

In short, February is the month when efficiency really matters – and a little planning can go a long way toward keeping your laundry routine smooth and your clothes looking their best.

When to Stick With a Longer Cycle

The 30-minute rule isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about being intentional.

Gym clothes after a hard workout, kitchen towels, bedding, or anything visibly soiled still benefit from a longer, warmer wash. Heavier items need more agitation and time to properly rinse.

But most weekly loads don’t fall into that category. The habit of selecting 'normal' or 'heavy duty' every time is often just that – a habit.

For tougher, stubborn stains, I recommend pre-treating with OxiClean Max Force Laundry Stain Remover Spray, then washing with Tide Laundry Detergent Liquid – both available on Amazon and trusted for getting even set-in marks out.

The Real Winter Laundry Challenge: Drying

If there’s a bottleneck in February, it isn’t washing – it’s drying clothes in winter.

In warmer parts of the country, you may still manage a sunny afternoon of line-drying. Elsewhere, indoor racks and tumble dryers become essential. When drying indoors, spacing clothes properly and allowing airflow (even cracking a window briefly) can prevent excess condensation and mustiness.

Being strategic at the wash stage helps balance things out. A shorter cycle means less energy used upfront, which feels especially relevant during peak winter utility season.

The Joseph Joseph AirFrame 3-Tier Clothes Airer is my go-to for indoor drying – sleek, sturdy, and perfect for everyday use. For a more budget-friendly option, the Amazon Basics Foldable Portable Laundry Drying Rack is a top-rated alternative, with over 50,000 glowing reviews from happy users.

Why It Works

The 30‑minute laundry rule isn’t a fad – it’s smart housekeeping supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and ENERGY STAR. Heating water accounts for most of a washer’s energy use, so switching to shorter, cooler cycles can cut energy consumption by up to 50% while still effectively cleaning everyday clothes.

Modern detergents are designed to work in cooler water, and high-efficiency washers further protect fabrics from wear, fading, and shrinking.

The payoff is cleaner clothes, lower utility bills, and a more comfortable home during winter – a simple adjustment that makes daily chores feel lighter and more efficient.

Shop Laundry Care Solutions

The 30-minute rule isn’t about doing less – it’s about doing laundry smarter. By matching your wash cycle to what your clothes actually need (and what the season demands), you’ll conserve energy, extend the life of your wardrobe, and make winter chores feel far more manageable. And in February, that kind of quiet efficiency is a welcome win.

I've been testing vacuum cleaners for more than two years now, and there are no brands I have more experience with than Shark and Dyson. These two somewhat similar brands produce some of the most well-known vacuums in the world.

And of their famous collections, the Stratos Cordless is one of Shark's best-selling cordless vacuums of all time. It's remained popular and well-reviewed as newer releases have succeeded it, so I was excited to finally get my hands on it.

I tested the Shark Stratos Cordless in our test center and a local pet shelter to find out if it truly is one of the best vacuums.

My One-Minute Summary

The Shark Stratos Cordless excels in many ways. Its suction is strong on both hard floors and carpets, it's a breeze to use, and it comes with smart features to make cleaning easier, notably sensors that automatically adjust the suction to match the floor type and dirt volume you're dealing with.

In many ways, this is one of the best Dyson alternatives out there – although it's more expensive than others we've tested and has a few features you won't find in any Dyson (such as the anti-odor cartridge or dual brushrolls).

It isn't perfect, though, and while its performance on pet hair is strong, a few stubborn hairs remained. It's also heavier than most cordless vacuums, and I found it a little tiring to use in handheld mode for longer than 20 minutes.

If you want better, I'd go for the Dyson V11 or Dyson V15 Detect, as they have stronger suction and more specialized floorheads. But to save money, the Levoit LVAC-300 [Amazon] performs similarly in many ways, but it isn't quite as powerful as the Stratos.

Shark Stratos Cordless: Specifications

Shark Stratos Cordless: Design and Features

The Shark Stratos Cordless is in the same genre of cordless vacuums as many of the best Dyson vacuums, notably the Dyson V15 Detect, which detects what's on your floors to automatically adjust the suction levels. Here, Shark calls it 'Clean Sense IQ'.

So, instead of having to change the settings as you pass from hard floor to carpet, the vacuum does it for you. It's a neat feature that, now I've gotten used to through testing so many cordless vacuums, I would miss otherwise.

And as cordless sticks rely on battery power, this feature helps preserve the runtime by avoiding unnecessarily high suction on easier surfaces, like when cleaning laminate flooring. You only get the boost when you need it.

There are LED headlights on the floorhead that help illuminate the floor and reveal dust and thin hairs that can easily go unnoticed.

The floorhead has two rollers: A soft one and a bristled one, making it a more seamless experience passing from soft to hard flooring.

This is a key difference when comparing Shark vs Dyson cordless vacuums, as Dysons have floorheads that you swap out. This gives Dysons more specialized cleaning, while Sharks are more convenient.

My model included all of the attachments available for this vacuum, including: A crevice tool, an anti-allergen brush, a duster, a motorized hair tool, and even a spare battery, meaning my runtime is doubled to up to 120 minutes in one session (I would recommend investing in a spare Shark battery if you have a big house).

The Stratos also has odor-neutralizing tech – a small cartridge that slots into the floorhead, releasing a fresher scent than the odor-ridden air that can sometimes exhaust out of a vacuum cleaner.

What Is the Shark Stratos Cordless Like to Use?

I'm a fan of the Stratos design. There are no floorheads to swap out, it changes its suction level by itself, and the light helps you see more clearly how dirty your floors are. That's a suite of useful additions that can help make cleaning feel easier.

The Clean Sense IQ indicator on the floorhead is a nice touch. It's similar to what I've seen when testing the best vacuum-mop combos, where the light shows how much dirt is left to clean. It means, whether you're slow vacuuming (which I highly recommend) or keeping the vacuum still to get deep into the carpet, you know when no dust is left, and you can move to the next patch.

It also automatically stops the brushroll from spinning when you stand the vacuum up or stop moving it for a few seconds. A nice battery saver.

The floorhead wheels are made of a rubber-y plastic, so the Stratos is safe to use when cleaning hardwood floors or other delicate surfaces. I found that it grips nicely to different surfaces, which I was a bit surprised by, as there's no grip adjustment for cleaning carpet.

However, while the LED headlights help to illuminate the floor, they only somewhat reveal dust that you can't normally see:

The feature pales in comparison to the Dyson V12 Detect Slim and Dyson V15 Detect, which use a green laser that actually reveals particles that the naked eye can't see. Still, the Stratos' lights are more useful than none.

At 8.91lbs, it's also heavier than most cordless vacuums I've used. I found it hard to reach above my head while holding it with one hand, which is a shame as this is one of the benefits of a cordless stick vacuum. It's powered using an on/off button, though, so at least it doesn't become cumbersome having to hold down a trigger the entire time.

And personally, I'm not a fan of the anti-odor cartridge. It smells artificial, like a cheap car air freshener. I found that the Shark Stratos was effective enough at trapping odors using its three-stage filtration, and I preferred cleaning without the cartridge, adding an unnatural scent to the room. But maybe that's just me.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

I tested the Shark Stratos Cordless with a half cup of flour and sugar. It's one of our standardized tests to assess a vacuum's ability to pick up dust, dander, and other fine particles that are common around the house, from the pantry to common household allergens.

On hard floors, the Stratos cleared pretty much everything in one pass. The suction immediately raised and sounded much stronger than before, and it even got between the cracks in one pass. Impressive – not far off the Dyson V11's performance that costs $200 more.

Running the test again on eco mode, it cleaned most of it in two passes, and only a few bits of sugar remained that I needed to go over once to clean.

On carpet, it cleaned virtually everything in one. There was the tiniest bit of residue leftover, but this was vacuumed up instantly afterwards, and I didn't need to go slowly to pick it up. Outstanding performance for a cordless.

Test 2: Pantry

I tested the Shark Stratos Cordless using a cup of cereal and lentils. It's another standardized test to assess how well a vacuum cleaner can handle medium and large debris. The cereal poses a particular challenge, as the large pieces can easily get stuck in airways, or flung around the floor.

If a vacuum struggles with this test, it isn't necessarily a bad vacuum; we just learn how to use it more effectively when cleaning different-sized messes at home.

On hard floors, it easily vacuumed a line through the mess. The floorhead – clearly robust – crushed down the cereal pieces, and I didn’t have the frustrating task of cleaning up any flung crumbs. Only one cereal piece fell out afterwards, which is tighter performance than most. A few lentils were flung but it took a few seconds to go back and suck them up.

Again, it easily vacuumed a line through the mess, and the grip to the carpet was satisfying. It didn’t do everything in one, however, but going over the bits that were missed or pushed around took under a minute. Similar performance to the newer Shark Cordless PowerDetect.

Test 3: Pet Hair

I also tested the Shark Stratos Cordless in a local cat and dog shelter, Bristol ARC, that is consistently full of animal hair, to find out whether the Stratos could shape up to be one of the best vacuums for pet hair. It's also an excellent way to see how a vacuum can handle a busy, messy environment with a variety of floor types and furniture.

On an entrance mat – the most difficult surface to clean – the Stratos couldn’t get every hair after repeated passes, even on boost mode. It picked up pretty much all of the long hairs, but the short, stubborn ones couldn’t be vacuumed. It also didn’t have the best edge cleaning, as some straw was unable to be picked up on the left side.

I tried multiple times, and quite a lot was left behind. For a cordless stick, this isn't uncommon, as it's typically only the super-premium vacuums, such as the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog or the Dyson V15 Detect, that tackle this well.

Good performance on low-pile carpet. Most of the time, almost all visible hairs were gone after a couple of passes, but there would occasionally be a few tiny stubborn hairs left over. There's a firm grip when cleaning carpet – nothing that makes it hard to push around, but strong enough that you can feel consistent contact with the floor.

The performance on hard floors was strong, with every speck of dust and strand of hair picked up in one.

After a few hours' worth of vacuuming at the pet shelter, the dustbin was full of fur. Impressive, even if a few spots couldn't be completely cleaned.

Test 4: Attachments

I tested every available attachment for the Shark Stratos Cordless, on a mix of surfaces including padded upholstery, sofas, furniture, and window sills.

While every attachment proved effective when cleaning different surfaces, they were let down by the Stratos' heavier weight, and my wrist ached after cleaning just one room with four chairs and a sofa.

The motorized pet hair tool is great at pulling fur from padded fabric, and I like that it pivots at an angle to make sure you're maintaining consistent contact with the surface. It takes a bit of scrubbing back and forth, but it gets all the hair eventually. It's a great lightweight cleaner for pet owners in this regard, but similar to the Levoit LVAC-300, which costs $200 less.

I'm a big fan of the anti-allergen dust brush. I wiped it across a table as you would with a cloth, and it picked up every crumb that was on it. The other dusting brush was great at cleaning a windowsill, too, but that's standard across most vacuums. The anti-allergen dusting brush is a unique win for the Stratos.

Shark Stratos Cordless: Setup and Maintenance

The Shark Stratos, like any cordless vacuum, assembles with a few clicks. Attach the floorhead, wand, battery, and vacuum, and it's ready.

However, it's recommended to charge the battery to full before first use, as this preserves the battery's health. For me, this took almost three and a half hours, so be prepared to wait a little while until you can use it out of the box.

I was pleased to see a complete lack of pointless plastic packaging, and everything was packaged compactly using cardboard or paper molds.

In terms of maintenance, this is a bagless vacuum, so you'll need to empty it after every clean. Cleaning the filter regularly (ideally once a month), cleaning the brushrolls when dirty, and removing any internal clogs are all that's required to keep it at its best.

How Does the Shark Stratos Cordless Compare?

Although it was released years ago, the Shark Stratos Cordless remains one of Shark's most expensive cordless vacuums, priced at $499.99 at SharkNinja at full price. Surprisingly, it isn't discounted as often as the newer releases – likely because of its popularity.

It shares many features with the Dyson V15 Detect and the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, notably the floor and dirt sensors, and automatic suction. The Shark Stratos Cordless may be a little more convenient (there are no floorheads to swap out between surfaces), but the Dysons outperform the Shark when it comes to cleaning, in every way. However, they're more expensive, costing up to $350 more at Dyson, but it depends on promotions, as at the time of writing, the V12 Detect Slim is cheaper.

Or, the Levoit LVAC-300 and the Dreame R20 are more affordable alternatives, costing under $200 if you buy them at the right time. The Shark Stratos Cordless certainly performs better, especially on carpet, but they're cheaper options if your home has mostly hard floors.

Next, learn which of the best robot vacuums is best suited to your home, after spending hundreds of hours testing them in our own houses.

I have grown to love Miele vacuums during my time as Homes & Gardens' resident vacuum tester. These premium, robust appliances boast some of the strongest suction and durability on the market, and there are so many models that pretty much every floorcare need can be dealt with.

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL is a canister vacuum that is only designed for hard floor cleaning. There are no spinning brushrolls to clean carpets; use soft, padded floorheads that pick up debris using their large surface area and powerful suction.

I tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL in our dedicated test center and a local cat and dog shelter to find out if it could be the next best Miele vacuum for hard floors.

My One-Minute Summary

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL is great for vacuuming hard floors, particularly delicate surfaces such as hardwood and tile. There are no spinning brushrolls that can leave marks; instead using padded floorheads and super-strong suction to pick up large amounts of debris at once.

But there are some drawbacks, notably that it's expensive for what it is. There are cheaper vacuums out there that can vacuum hard floors just as well, like the Dreame R20, which is also able to tackle rugs and carpets (unlike the Miele).

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL: Specifications

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL: Design and Features

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL is designed specifically as a vacuum for hard floors, so neither of the two floorheads (pictured above) has a motorized brushroll. A brushroll can be important for carpet vacuums as the spinning bristles agitate carpet fibers and dislodge debris and hair, but bare floors don't trap dirt, so flat floorheads can do the trick if the suction is strong enough.

And the Parquet XL's suction power is strong. Reaching a maximum of 41.1mph, it generates more airflow than almost all of the 92 best vacuums we've tested at Homes & Gardens. For comparison, the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog, one of our all-time best-on-test vacuums, reaches 31.1mph (but has other features that make it such an effective cleaner).

The Parquet Twister XL floorhead has a design I hadn't yet seen in a vacuum. It's 16 inches wide, with small, soft pads around the edge to guide dust and debris inside. The other standard floorhead is included in most Miele vacuums, and has two grip settings to help it glide across different surfaces.

There are four suction modes, but as the Guard M1 Parquet XL doesn't have a brushroll to help pick up dirt, the best performance will always be on the maximum setting. The others can be useful when using the attachments – say, if you're vacuuming curtains or a mattress and the strongest suction would create too much resistance.

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL uses vacuum bags. So, no emptying the dustbin – instead, you simply dispose of the vacuum bag once it's full. It helps avoid exposure to allergens, but it also results in recurring costs and more of an impact on landfill, even though Miele's bags are made of 80% recycled material. A four-pack of Guard M1 vacuum bags cost $28.99 at Miele USA and £13.99 at Miele UK.

What Is the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Like to Use?

The Parquet Twister XL is so good. It easily maneuvers and swivels as a mop pad does, making it easier to cover more ground at once. It glides smoothly, too.

This also means it is safe on delicate surfaces, like when cleaning hardwood or tile, which appears to be the main USP here. It's designed for 'large hard floors' and gentle cleaning, and after having tested it out, Miele nailed it.

I wanted to see whether these floorheads could still be used on rugs and carpets, so that homes with some soft flooring could still make use of this high-powered vacuum. I delve more deeply into the results below, but although it's hard to push the floorhead across soft flooring – it is as if you're scrubbing with a brush – it was still surprisingly effective.

I like that Miele make button a foot button, as it avoids you having to reach down to the canister every time you need to turn it off or change a setting. It also isn't a given – the Dyson Big Ball Turbinehead has flimsier buttons that could break if kicked too hard (or over time).

The noise levels range from 59.6 to 73.6 decibels, which is a tad quieter than other vacuums but still relatively standard (likely owed to the lack of a spinning brushroll).

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL: Vacuum Tests

I tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL on hard floors using our standardized vacuum tests on a half cup of flour and sugar (to test for dust and fine debris) and a cup of cereal and lentils (pantry test for medium-large debris).

Great performance on the flour and sugar test. Nothing was left behind after one pass with the regular floorhead. Then, using the Parquet Twister XL, the brushes pushed a little around, but there are gaps between them, so it just involved going over the patch again to make sure everything was picked up.

I ended up running the pantry test twice, because in my first attempt, the floorhead pushed the cereal forward rather than sucking it up. I expected this as the floorhead's opening is narrow and there's no roller to crush down the food pieces, so I removed the floorhead. Then, the suction was powerful enough to vacuum everything up – pieces were being collected from 1-2 inches away.

My testing unit didn't come with the attachments, but I've used all three – the upholstery nozzle, crevice tool, and dusting brush – in four other Miele vacuums, and found them to work really well. As Miele vacuums have such strong suction (the Guard M1 Parquet XL included), these small cleaning tasks are made quick.

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL: Pet Hair Tests

I tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL at a local cat and dog shelter, Bristol ARC. This is how we gather proven results on real fur to hunt down the best vacuums for pet hair, while also seeing how the vacuum can handle a busy, messy environment with high foot (and paw) traffic.

Super satisfying performance. Everything was picked up instantly, and when using the Parquet Twister XL it felt as if I was simply moving a cushioned pad across the floor.

I also tried using the Guard M1 Parquet XL on carpet, just to see if it does anything, and with my expectations managed as it is designed as a hard floor vacuum.

Movement was limited, I was mostly only able to slowly pull it backwards, but with enough force I pushed it back and forth and achieved a pretty decent clean by doing so. Every patch I vacuumed had no hair or debris left behind, but I wouldn't quite recommend it as one of the best carpet vacuums, as mess was caught in the floorhead pads:

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL: Setup and Maintenance

While paying for Miele HyClean Air CO vacuum bags is an extra step compared to bagless vacuum cleaners, it means that there's very little to do in terms of setting up and maintaining the vacuum.

There's no dustbin to empty, and as the bag is self-contained, some of the internal parts aren't being worn as much as they would be in a bagless vacuum. All that'll be required is to keep the floorheads clean, or remove canister blockages with a quarter if you ever need to.

The only setup involved is to attach the hose, handle, and floorhead together; then it's ready to use.

How Does the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Compare?

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL costs $599 at Miele USA and £349 at Miele UK. For a hard floor vacuum, that's pretty expensive – which is my biggest criticism of this model. It vacuums hard floors well, undoubtedly, but you can find other vacuums for a lot less that achieve a similar clean.

The Bissell Hard Floor Expert, costing $239.99 at Bissell, is the closest competitor we've tested. Like the Miele, it's a canister vacuum that's easy to use, has a large dust capacity, and vacuums hard floors well, but it's bagless and doesn't come with those recurring costs.

Alternatively, budget cordless sticks are great options for hard floors. They're lightweight and more convenient, while taking up less space, and without having your cleaning sessions restricted by a power cord.

The Dreame R20, often on offer for around $147.99 at Dreame, is a strong choice, with more powerful suction than other vacuums at that price point. Plus, it has a soft roller that helps to more effectively capture super-fine particles such as dust and allergens.

How I Tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL

I tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL using our usual vacuum testing methodology, consisting of standardized tests across flour and sugar, cereal and lentils, and pet hair.

But as this is a hard floor vacuum, I only ran the tests on hard floors (wood and linoleum), but I tested the suitability for carpet at the pet shelter.

I also assess the usability of all the features, and compare the price to similar models we've tested.

For more floorcare inspiration, see our tested guides of the best Dyson alternatives and the best robot vacuums.

Clutter doesn’t just make a home look messy – it can take a toll on your physical and mental health. From stress and anxiety to disrupted sleep and reduced focus, living in a disorganized space can create more strain than most people realize.

Luckily, there are some easy fixes you can implement that will have an almost immediate effect on your mood, at the very least.

Here, wellbeing and psychology experts reveal the ways clutter might be harming your health, and the health decluttering methods you can use to tackle the problem.

Why Clutter Can Impact Your Body and Mind

There are several psychological reasons clutter builds at home, and the more clutter there is, the more clutter tends to build. This clutter avalanche can turn into a vicious cycle that eventually harms your physical and mental health.

Several studies, including one 2010 social psychology study shows that those who perceived their home as cluttered experienced elevated cortisol (the stress hormone) throughout the day. This was particularly true for women.

It is just one of the many reasons your home could be increasing your stress levels. From decision fatigue to physical strain, the increased mental load should not be ignored.

Elika Dadsetan-Foley, a social worker, educator, and mental health practitioner, explains that these signs you need to delcutter can manifest differently for people, be it physically, mentally, or both.

Elika explains, 'Clutter often acts as a form of visual and cognitive overload. I’ve worked with clients who describe feeling constantly “on edge” or unable to relax at home, not because of acute crises, but because their nervous systems never fully downshift.

'A cluttered space continually signals unfinished tasks, which can increase anxiety, reduce focus, and contribute to sleep disruption. For people already experiencing depression or burnout, clutter can become demotivating and reinforce feelings of failure or paralysis.

'For clients with chronic illness, neurodivergence, or fatigue-related conditions, clutter can increase physical strain,' she continues. 'Navigating crowded or disorganized spaces requires more energy, increases sensory overstimulation, and can exacerbate pain or exhaustion. I’ve seen how this can quietly compound health challenges over time.'

Using adaptive pacing while cleaning or decluttering with health challenges, and reducing nervous system triggers when streamlining, can help you start moving the dial carefully.

The Quick and Easy Fixes

It is all well and good to dream of the beauty of a tidy home, but when you're noticing the physical impacts of mess on your system, the dream can feel far off. To declutter when feeling overwhelmed, you need to start small.

Elika recommends the following to organize your home with health and well-being:

• Reduce visual noise: Do not aim for perfection. I often encourage clients to focus on one visible surface, such as a bedside table or kitchen counter, rather than tackling an entire room. Using these low-lift tasks to help you relax when your home is a mess, and clearing a single visual anchor can immediately lower stress and improve sleep or focus.
• Create low-demand zones: Designating one area of the home that is intentionally clutter-light and task-free (even a chair, corner, or nightstand) gives the nervous system a place to rest. This is especially helpful for people managing chronic illness or emotional fatigue.
• Match organization to capacity: One of the most common issues I see is clients trying to maintain organizing systems that don’t match their energy levels or cognitive load. Open bins, fewer steps, and visible storage often work better than complex systems, especially during periods of stress or illness.

The real goal when trying to get on top of clutter creep and restore some sense of control is to stay motivated. That is where the smaller tasks come in clutch, says Ashley Win, organizer and founder of Outstanding Organizers.

'When a home feels overwhelming, people often shut down and avoid tasks altogether, leading to a cycle where more housework is left undone. The most effective way to break that cycle is to lower the bar. Instead of trying to “get organized,” I encourage clients to reset one surface or one category at a time. Small wins rebuild momentum.'

After a few small wins, you might just find yourself more motivated, helping you spring into something such as the Domino decluttering method, Sunday Butterfly method, or Desire Path method.

Our Decluttering Library is packed with different methods we've tested for streamlining, and organized based on your time, energy, problem area, motivation, or lack thereof.

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Don't forget to unwind properly after a tough tidying session with the STOP method, else you might end up with decluttering resentment.

It's music to our ears: You don't have to clean every inch of your kitchen every week for it to be hygienic. But which spots can you skip safely?

According to professional cleaners, there are five main areas you need not waste your time on, helping to save you energy and products when cleaning the kitchen. Plus, how often they really need a spruce up.

If you are using robust food storage, such as non-toxic glass food containers from Wayfair, then there is likely little need for you to clean a fridge or its shelving weekly.

Gerardo says, 'Spot cleaning spills is key, but a full clean can usually be done biweekly or monthly, especially if food is stored properly.'

When it comes to deep cleaning, avoid the common fridge cleaning mistakes of forgetting the door (both inside and out) and the seals. Debris in the seals can prevent proper closure, resulting in premature spoilage, mold, and increased energy bills.

You Can Skip These Spots in Your Kitchen Weekly Without Worry

1. Cabinet Fronts

It is never a bad idea to occasionally clean kitchen cabinets and their fronts to remove dust and grease, but it doesn't need to be done weekly, especially those that are not used as often.

Gerardo Mellado, cleaning expert and brand director at Clean Cult, explains, 'Unless visibly greasy, these can often be wiped down every other week rather than weekly,' he shares.

When cleaning these high-touch spots in a food prep area, consider switching to non-toxic cleaning products such as the Clean Cult all-natural spray from Amazon to prevent cross-contamination. They are formulated with biodegradable ingredients, free from harsh chemicals, and come in refillable aluminum bottles to help you stop creating unnecessary trash at home, too.

2. Fridge Shelves

3. Underside of Kitchen Appliances

Polya Petrova, cleaning expert at Fantastic Services, says, 'Another area is the underside of rarely used appliances, such as the toaster or bread maker. These areas mostly collect dust but not grease or food residue, so cleaning them every other month or during deep cleaning should usually be enough.'

To make them easier to move and clean around, you can add sticky cord organziers from Amazon to hide cords on counters, too.

The same rule applies for behind counter appliances, adds James King, cleaning expert and operations manager at DeluxeMaid.

'If you don’t move them, the splatter is minimal,' he points out. 'You can clean them monthly by simply moving the appliance and wiping with a damp microfiber. Air dry or wipe with a dry paper towel before placing it back.'

Pair cleaning beneath and behind these smaller appliances with cleaning behind big appliances without moving them, dedicating one day to bigger tasks so that the rest of your cleaning routine is calmer.

4. Around the Stove

While you absolutely need to clean your stove top after every use, and the counters and walls beside it, the backsplash a little further away, and the range hood exterior can be left for a few weeks with no ill effect.

Gerardo explains, 'These tend to build residue more slowly and can often be rotated into a deeper clean every couple of weeks. This is where an all-purpose cleaner earns its keep.'

The Attitude All-Purpose Cleaner Spray, from Amazon, is another good choice if you are looking to cut harsh chemicals from your routine and create a non-toxic home.

5. Tops of Cabinets

Polya says one of the easiest spots to skip is the tops of kitchen cabinets. Unless you make use of the space above kitchen cabinets for regular storage, you only need to clean them every other month or so, if that.

'These surfaces rarely come into contact with food, and dust buildup here is usually cosmetic instead of a hygiene issue,' Polya assures. To save climbing on counters, you can use an extending Swiffer electrostatic duster, from Target, to make light work of this task when the time comes.

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To help you find the right cleaning balance in your home, Gerardo concludes, 'The general rule cleaners follow is to prioritize food prep surfaces, sinks, and stovetops weekly, while rotating lower contact areas into a lighter cadence to save time and energy.'

If your clothes seem to wear out, fade, or lose their shape far too quickly, your laundry routine may be to blame.

One common but 'fatal' laundry mistake quietly shortens the lifespan of fabrics, accelerating wear, weakening seams, and stretching fabrics, experts reveal.

The good news is that it’s entirely preventable with a few simple adjustments to your laundry routine. Here's how to do laundry correctly to prevent premature damage, and why it makes such a difference.

This Is the Real Reason Your Clothes Don't Last

The most common laundry mistake ruining your clothing is washing items too often, so if you have been on the lookout for ways to do less laundry, this might be music to your ears.

This bad laundry habit ruins your items by increasing stress on the garment, warns Alicia Sokolowski, green cleaning expert and co-CEO at AspenClean, as it breaks down fibers and makes colors fade.

'Every agitation cycle and detergent exposure can weaken fibers, causing pilling, thinning, or fraying over time,' she explains.

The solution sounds simple – just don't do laundry every day. However, you still need to stay on top of stain management, and you don't want to be walking around smelling stale. So, how do you find the right cleaning balance?

How to Wash Clothes to Make Them Last Longer

While washing less is one of the best laundry tips for prolonging the lifespan of your clothes, the trick is to balance this with spot cleaning and using the right washing machine settings when you do launder garments. This works for washing your household linens, too.

'It should go without saying that you should only wash clothes when they're actually dirty,' Alicia explains. 'For lightly worn items like jeans or sweaters, try airing them out for a day instead of tossing them in the machine.'

When items have small marks, consider how you can use spot treatments such as Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover Pens, from Target, to remove spills, or garment steamers, available at Wayfair, to refresh creases and mild odors.

When you do wash your clothes, how you wash them matters. Using garment bags from Target, for instance, Alicia says, is a must for delicate items to reduce friction.

Alternatively, Jacqueline Sava, founder and director of possibilities at Soak Wash Inc. suggests hand-washing laundry. 'Hand-washing is the best way to preserve your finest clothing and materials. At Soak, we recommend hand-washing lingerie, swimwear, lace, and delicate knits. The less agitation, the better for the garment,' she explains.

Sorting clothes for laundy will make picking the right settings easier. Jacqueline continues, 'The best way to keep your best clothes lasting longer is to separate them right when you take them off. Having a second laundry basket for hand-washing, delicates, or lightly soiled clothes ensures that delicate materials don't end up in the machine.'

The Joseph Joseph Tota Trio laundry hamper, from Wayfair, is ideal for this, with three removeable bags to make pre-sorting and taking items to your washing machine quick and intuitive.

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While washing too often is an issue, there are still some things you aren't washing enough that you should add to your next cycle to keep your home hygienic.

With large parts of the US battling an extreme winter storm, many are rightfully staying indoors to avoid the dangerous conditions outside. But while it might seem like a good time to get chores done, using your washing machine could pose a huge risk to your home.

In fact, when temperatures drop below freezing, doing your laundry during a winter storm could cause major water damage and potential flooding due to frozen pipes, pros warn.

So, one of the key steps to take as extreme cold weather hits is to stop before using your washer and assess whether you can sort out your pipes. Otherwise, handwashing your clothes is your safest bet.

Should You Do Laundry During a Winter Storm?

Being stuck indoors can seem like the best time to tick off your chore list, but plumbers and appliance specialists are urging homeowners to first be aware of the risks.

'When the temperature drops below freezing, supply or drain lines can freeze mid-cycle, leading to flooding,' cautions Brooke Stafford, appliance repair expert and senior service manager at Domestic & General, and advises everyone to avoid doing laundry during winter storms.

'If pipes freeze, water expands, which can crack or even burst the pipes, leading to major water damage,' she adds.

Water damage during an icy storm will only exacerbate those home weak spots that extreme weather can already put at risk, potentially causing costly leaks and repairs, and not to mention the exhausting task of cleaning up flooding in your home mid-storm.

This appliance caution applies not just to doing laundry during extreme winter storms, but whenever the temperature is steadily below freezing.

'If your washer is in a garage, an unheated basement, or against an exterior wall, you start to risk ice forming in the pipes and hoses,' explains Ryan Osterkamp, owner of Quality Home Services. 'If that happens, your water intake valve can break and cause a flood.'

Yoni Benimetzky, co-owner of Sunshine Services, adds that, 'If you’ve already noticed signs like slow drains, low water pressure, or fixtures freezing elsewhere in the house,' then you should take extra care as the potential risk for water damage is greater.

Power outages are another major concern. 'More issues could arise if the power were to go out or the pressure were to change with a washer full of water, such as an increased risk of leaks or pump malfunctions,' Brooke explains.

'If you lose power, absolutely don’t try to run your laundry, as the aerator and pump won’t be working,' urges Caleb Caviness, general manager at AryCo.

'Do not run your laundry if the power is out, you hear gurgling sounds from the pipes, you see standing water or ice over the septic lids or drainfield, or if drains are running slower than usual. These are all potential signs of a system running worse than usual, and if that’s the case, putting any extra strain on the system should be avoided,' he adds.

What To Do Instead During a Winter Storm

If you have some time to prepare, knowing how to insulate pipes can prevent them from freezing in the first place. Heat tape, such as the Cupphus Heat Tape at Amazon, can prevent freezing and help to thaw frozen pipes.

If it's too late, and to avoid the risk of water damage, flooding, or overloading your drainage system, handwashing clothes is your safest move. While it isn't as effective as a washer, it's much less complicated or time-consuming than you might expect.

All you need is a bathtub, warm water, laundry detergent, and some spot-treating solution, if needed, like the Tide Stain Remover at Amazon. Your clothes can be gently washed and ready to dry in as little as 20 minutes.

But if your clothes need a more thorough clean and a delicate handwash won't cut it, there are steps you can take so that using your washing machine poses less of a risk.

Remember: If your pipes are already visibly frozen, do not use your washer.

'If homeowners have to wash laundry, they should do it in small loads with cold water,' Brooke recommends. 'This uses less water, which decreases the risk of pipes freezing.'

Ryan agrees, adding, 'If it's bad winter weather outside and you need to do laundry, stay home while running your washer so you can respond quickly in case something does happen. Make sure you know where your water shutoff valve is before you start your washer, just in case.'

'If draining is slow or completely stops, or if the washer is making unfamiliar sounds, stop the machine immediately, and in some cases, call a professional to check the system,' Brooke urges.

It is possible to thaw frozen pipes, but it's a dangerous and potentially costly procedure, so only do so with extreme caution. The trick is to gently warm the pipes by using a warm towel or by increasing your home's heating by two degrees every hour. Do not point a heat source at the frozen pipes. Rushing the process may cause thermal shock and lead to pipe damage.

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Next, learn how to dry out your home after extreme snow, and why you should always fill up a bathtub during a storm.

Swapping to compostable cleaning essentials means keeping your home fresh doesn’t have to come at the cost of your health or the planet.

Many conventional cleaning products contain plastics, harsh chemicals, and toxins that linger in your home long after use, whilst compostable alternatives will get the job done well without adding waste or harmful residues.

From natural sponges to smart sprays, these eco-conscious, non-toxic cleaning products let you clean effectively while reducing plastics and toxins inside your home.

The Compostable Cleaning Essentials to Swap In Now

1. Concentrated Cleaning Spray Tablets

If you like the idea of refillable sprays, but don't want the hassle of making your own DIY cleaning solutions, concentrated cleaning tablets are the solution begins Sofia Martinez, Cleaning Expert and CEO at Sparkly Maid Austin, especially those that come in fully compostable wrappers, such as the Blueland Multi-surface Cleaning Tablets from Amazon, which also comes with a glass reusable bottle.

'One tablet creates enough all-purpose cleaning solution to create many bottles worth of cleaning solution, reducing plastic usage by significant amounts,' Sofia explains. 'The paper wrapping of these cleaning solutions will be completely broken down in an industrial compost facility in 90-180 days.

'Additionally, the active ingredient formulations for these tablet-form cleaning solutions tend to exclude harsh chemical cleaners and instead utilize plant-based cleaners.'

They aren't limited to cleaning sprays, either. You can also find Blueland tablet hand soap kits at Amazon. Similarly, you can opt for the AspenClean dishwasher pods, also from Amazon, which are plastic-free and come in compostable packaging.

2. Compostable Scrubbing Pads

Sometimes you still ned a tough touch to tackle tasks such as cleaning kitchen grease. Rather than resort to traditional plastic or metal scrubbing tools, however, Sofia suggests picking up compostable or biodegradable coconut scrubbing sponges instead, such as the AIRNEX Natural Kitchen Sponges, from Amazon.

When shopping for eco-conscious cleaning tools, be aware of the language used. Biodegradable and compostable are not to be used interchangeably.

A compostable product will degrade in your standard garden compost to create usable soil. Biodegradable, on the other hand, will break down eventually, but usually only when left in warm enough conditions for a long enough period, with no set timeframe.

Both are far better than standard plastic, however, so don't skip biodegradable just because it doesn't sound as 'helpful' as compostable.

These sponges, for instance, promise to be both compostable and biodegradable, and you need to separate the compostable top sponge from the biodegradable coconut fiber scrubber before you dispose of them correctly.

3. Sponge Cloths

Every home should have sponge cloths. These cellulose-cotton tools are a more eco-conscious alternative to disposable cloths and sponges, and have less plastic waste than traditional microfiber, which Sofia points out releases microplastics when washed.

Sponge cloths, available from Target, like other 100% cellulose products, are 100% compostable according to studies, breaking down in your garden compost, especially when hot composting.

They are also ideal for a large range of tasks, from dusting to cleaning kitchen counters to washing dishes by hand. Better still, they are easier to reuse than microfiber cloths, as they can be sanitized in the top rack of your dishwasher, rather than you having to wait until you do laundry. They're ultra absorbent, too, making them the best alternative to traditional paper towels.

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Switching to compostable cleaning supplies is just one of the many steps you can take towards creating a non-toxic home. Next, consider switching your other cleaning products to EWG-verified solutions or swapping plastic food storage for glass, as well as learning about how to avoid greenwashing.

I recently saw a viral video on TikTok of someone vacuuming a rug as slowly as possible, after they heard that the cleaning trend reveals how much secret dust you can pull up by doing so.

As Homes & Gardens' resident professional vacuum tester, I had to try it out for myself, and the results echoed what I've already seen in years of testing: Vacuuming with fast strokes is nowhere near as effective as taking your time.

Before trying this trend, I hadn't vacuumed this slowly, and luckily, I have one of the best vacuums to try it out with: The Dyson V15 Detect.

This clever Dyson counts how many particles you've picked up during your cleaning sessions, up to the millions, so I was able to see whether this technique is as effective as it seems. Spoiler alert: It's astounding.

What Is the Trending 'Slow Vacuuming' Method?

TikTok user @itsmorganstarr revealed how simple the 'Slow Vacuuming' method is: Just vacuum your rug or carpet as slowly as possible. Doing so allows the bristles to repeatedly agitate the same carpet fibers, dislodging the dust, dirt, and household debris that is buried deep within.

Leaving dust and other household allergens on floors with fast strokes often leads to sneezing, dryness, and poorer health for anybody who suffers from allergies (I know this first-hand), so learning how to banish them from carpets is key.

And if successful, this could demonstrate that even weaker vacuums can still be your best carpet vacuum, and maybe you don't have to fork out $500+ on those with the most powerful suction, after all.

So, I set my Dyson V15 Detect to work on my favorite IKEA rug, and cleaned it slower than I've ever done in my life, to find out how effective slow vacuuming is.

Slow Vacuuming: The Results

As you can see, the beauty of using this smart Dyson vacuum is that I could see precisely how much debris was being picked up as I cleaned.

I was truly amazed at the numbers, given that it had only been a week since the rug was last vacuumed. I wasn't expecting that particle number to climb so rapidly, especially while the vacuum was barely moving. Usually, the cordless vacuum needs to travel across a long stretch of floor for the number to rise that sharply.

By the end of it, I'd reached more than 300 million sucked-up particles, and the dustbin had been filled with so much more dust than I could have possibly thought was there.

To put this into perspective, after the usual weekly deep clean of my entire bedroom – the biggest room in the house – I typically reach around 100-200 million particles. So, to have picked up more than that from one 6.6' x 4.1' rug, is astounding.

Sure, it takes a little longer, but the results speak for themselves. My Dyson also revealed that if I just keep the vacuum still, it can take as long as 10 seconds for it to stop collecting new dust, showing just how deeply embedded it can be when it comes to soft flooring.

I've just found my favorite new way to deep clean my rug that requires hardly any extra effort, just a few more seconds of my time.

What the Success of Slow Vacuuming Reveals

It should come as no surprise that dust, dirt, and other household mess can settle deep into carpets and soft flooring, but vacuuming slowly has revealed just how deep it goes, and what you need to do to get it out.

If you've ever found that your allergy symptoms persist after vacuuming, and you've wondered whether it's the fault of your vacuum, you may find some reassurance in the fact that, actually, all you need to do is vacuum more slowly.

What's more, letting dust build up can actually damage and deteriorate the quality of soft flooring. So if your cleaning sessions are leaving lots behind, that doesn't bode too well for the lifespan of your precious rugs and carpets, and you can potentially save money down the line by cleaning more attentively.

And personally, I'm thrilled to discover how much of a difference this technique achieves. I vacuum for a living, and I'm always on the lookout for ways to make affordable vacuums more effective. My rugs and carpets will be cleaner than ever, and my allergies and asthma triggers will be quashed even more.

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All prices were correct at the time of publication.