How to buy a vacuum cleaner is a question that always will give you a headache. A vacuum cleaner is one of the most important appliances that should be in any home. When you vacuum in your home you don’t just clean the dust, debris and other things from the floors and other surfaces, but also you minimize the allergens that are a huge problem for anyone who suffers from their symptoms and also the people with asthma.

The moment when you need to empty the dust bin or you need to throw the dust bag, just take a look inside and you are not going to believe to all the dirt and debris your vacuum cleaner has been collected from the carpets and other places in your home. That is going to remind you how much is important to own a vacuum cleaner to maintain the cleanliness in your home.

But, the main problem is the moment when you need to decide which vacuum cleaner will be best suited to your cleaning needs. Today, there are many brands on the market that offer vacuum cleaners with different features and specifications, so you have a lot of options when you need to choose a vacuum cleaner.

Every home and family needs a different type of vacuum cleaner. To own the best vacuum cleaner will make life in your home to be much healthier, happier and easier. In order to choose the best vacuum cleaner for your home, you can read our buying guide below, which will give you all the needed information and the right idea, how to choose the best vacuum cleaner for your cleaning needs in your home.

5 Types of Vacuum Cleaners

When you do a search for a vacuum cleaner you will realize that they are divided into 5 main categories. But, anyway, let’s see what those 5 main categories of vacuum cleaners are and what are their main advantages and disadvantages.

Upright Vacuum Cleaners

Upright vacuum cleaners are widely one of the most known and popular types to all of us. That is because they are large, have powerful suction and great options which makes them ideal for cleaning large areas covered with carpets. But, the newest models today have settings that will help you to do a great cleaning as well on the hard floors. They are coming with a few helpful attachments for more detailed cleaning.

Besides their great deep cleaning abilities, they are also large and bulky. Anyway, they can be found in different shapes, sizes, and features to satisfy the wide range of customers. Some of the upright vacuum cleaners are a little bit heavy to be pushed when you do vacuum cleaning. It’s difficult to use them on too thick carpets. These types of vacuum cleaners can be difficult to be used by people with physical disabilities and limitations.

It doesn’t matter if their shape is light-weight and sleek or large and massive, they are not the best alternative to use them for cleaning hard to reach spots on walls and ceilings or some of the places under the furniture.

Two Types of Upright Vacuum Cleaners

Furthermore, the upright vacuum cleaners can be divided into two different categories regarding the way where they collect and keep all the dirt and debris when they are used during the cleaning process and those two categories are vacuum cleaners that are using a dust bag or so-called Bagged and vacuum cleaners without dust bag o which are called Bagless.

• Bagged Vacuum Cleaner: As you can see from their name, the bagged vacuum cleaners are the ones that are using a dust bag for collecting all the dirty things. When the dust bag gets full you need to discard it into the garbage bin which is an easy and safe process, and then you need to replace it with the new dust bag. This means that always you need to spend plus extra money for a new dust bag and is one of the disadvantages of this type of upright vacuum cleaners.

• Bagless Vacuum Cleaners: This type of vacuum cleaners is the one that instead of a dust bag are using a dust bin or dust container (canister). The cleaning process of the dust canister is also an easy process, but there is a slight probability a small percent of the dust and dirt to be freeing into the air and. This will be a big disadvantage for people hypersensitive on allergens and dust and those who have asthma.

The Positive Sides

• The upright vacuum cleaners are a great solution for deep cleaning of carpets.
• They are easy and simple to be used especially for large areas.
• There is a wide range of available models for any type of cleaning.

The Negative Sides

• They are not convenient to clean hard to reach places, mostly they are large, massive and heavy which was the cases a decade ago, but from recently can be found slim and lightweight models for simple and easy and more convenient for use
• In most cases, these types of vacuum cleaners produce a high level of noise
• You cannot use them on too thick carpets
• They are not recommended for people who have physical disabilities and limitations

Canister Vacuum Cleaners

The canister vacuum cleaners can provide a higher level of suction power for deep cleaning the carpets than the upright vacuum cleaners, and also they offer better versatility in cleaning.

They have mostly two main components a canister body with the suction motor and a long hose attached to a wand with a motor-head. Also, on the market are available bagged canister vacuum and bagless vacuum cleaners. The canister vacuum cleaners are great for cleaning carpets and also they dominate when it comes about the cleaning the hard floors, for example, a hardwood and tile floors.

They are also easy to use when you need to clean hard to reach places, stairs, upholstery, curtains, under the furniture, behind the appliances in the kitchen and other places in your home. Regarding the model of canister vacuum cleaners, they have a wide range of cleaning attachments and accessories for cleaning. Mostly the canister vacuum cleaners are more expensive than the upright vacuum cleaners.

The Positive Sides

• The canister vacuum cleaners are multi-purpose appliances which mean besides carpets they can be used as well for cleaning hardwood, tile floors, and other surfaces.
• They are perfect in case if you need to clean spots and surfaces that are hard to reach, on the wall, under the furniture, stairs and more in your home.
• Usually, they are coming with many attachments and accessories.
• They are producing a lower level of noise than the upright vacuum cleaners.

The Negative Sides

• Their price is higher than upright vacuum cleaners.
• They are bulkier in shape and when you do not use them sometimes it will be a problem for you to store them in the storage area.
• They are less convenient for use than the other types of vacuum cleaners.

Robotic Vacuum Cleaners

The robotic vacuum cleaners are devices which don’t need any manual assistance from your side when they are cleaning. They will do the entire cleaning job independently from you. They are cordless, easy to use and programmable, you just need to set them and let them do their cleaning homework for you. Most of them have the ability to empty the dust bin themselves, but for some of them, it will require monitoring and assistance from your side to empty the dust bin when it gets full. They are not capable to do the deep cleaning as the upright and canister vacuum cleaners.

But, from the positive side, they are good workers may be not perfect but they will maintain at some point the level of cleanliness of the carpets and the hard floor. This will cut down the frequency of cleaning and it will make your job easier when the time comes to do a thorough deep cleaning in your home with your upright or canister vacuum cleaner.

The Positive Sides

• They will minimize your cleaning job
• They will save you a valuable time
• They are quieter than other types of vacuum cleaners
• They are useful for people who have mobility issues.

The Negative Sides

• They cannot provide good cleaning like the other types of vacuum cleaners
• They are not a good choice for homes with a lot of furniture and other objects.
• Most of them are expensive

Stick Vacuum Cleaners

Stick vacuum cleaners are similar to upright vacuums but they are slim and lightweight and easy to use. They are ones of the cheapest models of vacuums on the market. They can be perfectly used for quick cleanups and their size and shape allow you to store stem anywhere in your home. Mostly they lack cleaning power and are not capable of deep cleaning like the upright and canister vacuums.

Anyway, the stick vacuum cleaners are good if you need to clean small messes and debris on the floor, also like the robotic vacuums they will be a great addition in your home besides your upright or canister vacuum cleaner.

The Positive Sides

• They can be stored anywhere in your home
• They have quite affordable options for cleaning
• They are lightweight and easily usable
• You are able quickly and easily to clean up small messes anywhere in your home

The Negative Sides

• Lack of a deep cleaning ability
• Lack of a truly suction power

Handheld Vacuum Cleaners

The handheld vacuum cleaners are more convenient appliances. They are small in size, lightweight, extremely easy to use and cordless. They are perfect if you need to clean stairs, surfaces of the furniture, curtains, interior of a car, RV or a truck.

Also, they will be also a great additional cleaning device for pet owners because they are really good at removing the pet hair from the upholstery. But, they are not intended for cleaning large areas in your homes like hard floors and carpets; this type of job is always for upright and canister vacuum cleaners.

The Positive Sides

• They are affordable, portable, lightweight and easy for use
• Perfect for cleaning upholstery, surfaces of the furniture, stairs, curtains, hard to reach spots, car, truck, and RV
• Great in cleaning the pet hair

The Negative Sides

• They are not capable of cleaning large areas
• You cannot use them for deep cleaning

These Are the Main Factors to Pay Attention When You Want to Buy a Vacuum Cleaner

As you can see vacuum cleaners can be found in different size and shapes with different cleaning abilities and cleaning attachments. So, to choose the best vacuum cleaner for the needs of your family and yourself is not only to choose the type of model, but also there are many more factors to take into consideration before you finally decide on the vacuum cleaner that will best suit the most challenging cleaning needs in your home.

Here are the main factors that you need to take into consideration before you buy a vacuum cleaner.

The Price of the Vacuum Cleaner

The price is one of the main deciding factors when it comes to buying not only a vacuum cleaner but also for everything else in your life. The price factor sometimes makes people do a compromise between their needs and budget. Many of the people cannot afford to buy a vacuum cleaner that really will meet the need of their families. The prices of a vacuum cleaner can vary in a range from 20 dollars for a low budget vacuum cleaner like handheld or stick type of a vacuum and to prices of 900 dollars and over for high-end premium vacuum cleaners with a lot of advanced technological solutions for cleaning.

In most cases, people are deciding to buy a vacuum cleaner at a reasonable price, which it doesn’t meet their main cleaning needs. But, in the end, what is the purpose of buying a vacuum cleaner that doesn’t meet your needs in your home.

What if someone in your family is suffering from allergies and your vacuum cleaner cannot eliminate the allergens from the air and cannot provide a deep cleaning on the carpet. What if you are a pet owner and the vacuum cleaner cannot effectively remove the pet hair from the floor and upholstery. These are only two examples for buying a vacuum cleaner that doesn’t serve the main cleaning needs.

With buying a cheap vacuum cleaner that doesn’t serve the needs in your home is unnecessary wasting money. You don’t buy a vacuum cleaner every month or year; it is an investment for the long term. When you spend money for the best vacuum cleaner you don’t invest only to maintain the cleanliness in your home but also it is an investment for your health.

For What Type of Use Do You Need a Vacuum Cleaner

In every home, there is a family with different cleaning needs. There are homes, where the floors are covered with carpets, in some homes are there are carpets and hardwood floors or there are not at all carpets only hardwood and tile floors. So, all these homes have different cleaning needs.

Maybe in your home, you have a lot of stairs, furniture, and many objects around where there are many spots hard to reach to be cleaned. Do you have kids that make a lot of mess on the floor or maybe you have pets and there is everywhere a pet hair in your home? Do you have back pain, do you suffer from asthma or you are hypersensitive on dust and allergens? These are some of the many questions that you need to think about when you need to buy a vacuum cleaner.

Also, you need to take into consideration how big is your family and your home, how many times you will need to use the vacuum cleaner on a daily and weekly bases. Maybe you need a vacuum cleaner with a specific color that will match the interior in your home.

Learn the Best Way How to Use The Vacuum Cleaner

The Aesthetics

For most of the people, the aesthetics will not play the main role in buying a vacuum cleaner. But there are some people who have stylish homes where the interior and all the appliances are in one dominant color. So, buying a vacuum cleaner with the right color and style will be a deciding factor for some of them. If you are one of these people, to choose a stylish vacuum cleaner with a particular color it will be an easy job for you. Today on market there are many brands that offer many types of models with different designs and colors.

Anyway, our advice is, first you need to figure out what are your main cleaning needs and what attachments you will need for cleaning, and then you can easily find a vacuum cleaner with your favorite color and design.

Bagged or Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

So here you have only two options: bagged and bagless vacuum cleaners.

With the bagged vacuum cleaners always you will need to replace the dust bags when they got filled and discard them outside in the garbage bin. You will need often to buy new dust bags which will increase the expenses in your home. But, they can hold more dust and debris, are more hygienic and they are ideal for people with allergies and asthma.

With bagless vacuum cleaners, you don’t need to spend extra money on dust bags. They have dust canister for collecting all the dust and debris. In most cases the dust canister is transparent and you can easily see when it will get full. When the dust canister is full you just need to empty in your garbage bin and then to reuse it again. When you empty the dust canister always there is a possibility a small cloud of dust with allergens to escape outside into the air, which not pleasant at all for allergic people.

The Noise Level of the Vacuum Cleaner

When somebody will mention a vacuum cleaner always we think of an appliance that makes a lot of noise. Usually, they produce a lot of noise when we use them. If you are sensitive to noise, there are vacuum cleaners that have a technological solution to reduce the level of noise. Also, you can read online reviews to find out more about the level of noise and the experiences of other customers to get real info about a specific model of a vacuum cleaner.

Additional Attachments

The manufacturers of the vacuum cleaners make additional accessories and attachments in order to help you in different cleaning situations. Most of the additional accessories are like replacement dust bags, filters, powerheads, different types of brushes and more. When you choose the right vacuum cleaner with the right attachments will make the cleaning process easier and also the life with your family will be happier.

The Hard to Reach Spots in Your Home

If your home has a lot of curtains, furniture, lights fixtures on the ceiling and other objects on the walls, it will be a hard job for you, to clean them with an upright vacuum cleaner. In this case, you will do a better job with a stick or canister vacuum cleaner. But, if you prefer to own an upright vacuum cleaner it’s better to look for a model with specific attachments for cleaning those hard to reach spots in your homes.

HEPA Certified Vacuum Cleaner

Does somebody in your family suffer from allergy or asthma? If the answer is yes, then you need to choose a vacuum cleaner that is HEPA certified. These types of vacuum cleaners have a HEPA filtration system with specifically designed filters that can filtrate 99.97% of all types of allergens and dust from the air that can be a potential risk to your health.

Just imagine all of that dust, debris, pet hair, chemicals, smoke, and mold that can be found in to your carpets, on the furniture and other places in your home, can be cause for symptoms of different types of allergies. By buying a HEPA vacuum cleaner besides minimizing all of those allergens, also you will improve the quality of the air in your home.

The Weight and Size

We all know that vacuum cleaners can be in different size and shapes which means they can also be with a different weight. Many people don’t like heavy appliances, especially when it comes to vacuum cleaners. For example, if you have a lot of stairs and you need to clean them for sure many people including me, don’t want to carry a heavy vacuum cleaner up the stairs.

It is obvious that weight relates to the size. Most of the upright and canister vacuum cleaners are heavy appliances. If you have a large and heavy vacuum cleaner and your home has a limited storage space, it can be another problem for you beside the weight and the size of your vacuum cleaner. If the weight is one of your concerns, always check the specifications of the vacuum cleaner you want to buy to see its main weight.

The Power

Different types of vacuum cleaners can offer different suction power. The cleaning results will be not the same if you use an upright, stick or robotic vacuum cleaner. Depends on your cleaning needs for your home, also you need to pay attention to the power that the vacuum cleaner can offer. But you need to know that different brands use different measure units to present the power of the vacuum cleaner to the customers like airflow, watts, amps, horsepower, and other measurement units.

This is the main reason why many people got confused to understand and compare the real power of vacuum cleaners from different brands. If you are one of them, don’t waste to much time to understand the measurements of the power for a particular vacuum cleaner. Pay more attention to customers’ reviews and their experiences to get better info and understanding about the power of the vacuum cleaner.

The Cord

Also, vacuum cleaners can be divided into another two categories: cordless and corded. For some people, it is really important whether the vacuum cleaner has a cord or not. For those who want a corded vacuum cleaner, there are two important things they need to pay attention to.

The first thing is you need to look for a vacuum cleaner with automatic cord rewind system. Because, when you are cleaning, many times is happening the cord to be in the way of the cleaning path that makes the cleaning in your home harder and annoying. That is why you need to look for a vacuum cleaner that has a retractable cord.

Another important thing that you need to pay attention to is the length of the cord. Many times is happening the cord of the vacuum cleaner to be not long enough and you will need frequently to unplug and plug the cord to different outlets in that area. This can be really annoying and a time-consuming for most of us.

When it comes about cordless vacuum cleaners they are not having these problems. They are more convenient and easy to use. But, the cordless vacuum cleaners are facing two big common problems. Mostly they are losing their suction power when the power of their battery is getting low and the maximum cleaning time with one charge of the battery can vary from 15 to a maximum of 60 minutes, but some more expensive models last to 70 minutes.

The Common Attachments of a Vacuum Cleaner

These are the most common attachments that are coming together with a vacuum cleaner.

The Extension Hose

The extension hose can be either attached to the vacuum cleaner itself or it can be as a separated attachment that serves as an extension tool for easy cleaning hard to reach places in your home.

The Crevice Tool

The crevice tool is the most versatile attachment is coming with a vacuum cleaner and it can be attached on the vacuum’s hose. In front, the crevice tool has a small nozzle that allows you to clean places that are hard to be cleaned like under furniture, behind appliances, corners on the wall, in between cushions of the couch and other similar places.

Upholstery Tool

This attachment is a small flat head that has small bristles or nubs and mostly is used for cleaning dust from the drapes, curtains, window treatments, lights fixtures and especially for cleaning the pet hair from the rugs and upholstery.

The Dust Brush

The dust brush has long soft bristles and mainly is used to remove and force the dust into the hose of the vacuum cleaner. This is a great tool when you need to clean places like blinds, window sills, lampshades, shelf books and other surfaces hard to clean.

Besides these attachments also some of the premium vacuum cleaners will offer extra tools like Power or Turbo Brush, Telescopic Wand, Pet Groomer and Hard Floor Tool.

Learn How to Clean the Vacuum Brush Roller

Most Popular Brands of Vacuum Cleaners

These are the most known manufacturers for vacuum cleaners in the world.

Miele, Dyson, SharkNinja, Eureka, Dirt Devil, Hoover, Kenmore, Roomba, Neato, Bissell, SEBO, Honeywell, Ecovacs, Electrolux, Wertheim and Black+Decker

Our Final Thoughts

This is the principal data that you should realize how to buy a vacuum cleaner that will serve your cleaning needs in your home. Subsequent to perusing this post, take some time and answer the most vital inquiries that will enable you to decide the kind of vacuum cleaner for the particular needs of your family. Here are probably the most essential inquiries that truly you have to consider:

How enormous is your home? Do you live in an RV? What number of individuals are in your family? Do you have children? What sorts of floors do you have in your home? Do you have stairs? Do you have pets? Do you or another person in your family have back pain? Do you have a hypersensitivity or asthma? How often would you say you are planning to utilize the vacuum cleaner week after week? What amount would you be able to bear the cost of for a vacuum cleaner?