Introduction

There are no two vacuum cleaners exactly alike – so how would you treat a particular model to see which ones really excel at cleaning up messes? Read our round-up of the best vacuums to find out. If you are heading to an empty house, that might not be your first thought, but if you spend days and days emptying dust and debris from the carpet, you might want to consider picking up a cheap corded vacuum. With higher than average suction, this is your chance to add a light, simple cleaning gadget to your home. Just be wary that, despite its name, many cordless cleaners are far from this level of performance. While most upright models come with an Auto tool to better fit into tight spaces, one option that could be chosen is the Anti Hair Wrap, which can either quickly remove fine hair or comb through longer strands of hair. Heavier designs can also offer a glossy finish that is harder to see and irritating to blow out than other models. Some vacuum cleaners don’t have a self-emptying bin from the handle, so you’ll need to pull them out each time you use them (and just use the bin release button on the controller). We also found that heavier models were more difficult to manoeuvre around small homes, sometimes requiring extra staff to help them around. You might want to think twice before buying a vacuum device. Find out if one of our test models shrivelled up easily, since we found it easier to get it stuck to a shelf by using a floor head instead of a hose to scrape it off. Limitations in how easy some cleaners are to use also make them less appealing to some shoppers. Even an upright vacuum that most quickly returns to the charging station is not without problems.

Robot vacuums

Smart and small, vacuum cleaners typically hover around the floor using a camera or infrared sensors that help identify dust particles within the suction channel. If you don’t want to close your arms or walls to avoid inhaling dust and debris from your vacuum, you’ll need to buy an inexpensive vacuum. Some cheap, basic models can be programmed to clean without you. Smart home devices fit into various categories – a Dyson is one, for example, and can automatically register on your phone when it detects something in your house and map it out. A Nest Thermostat is another example and monitors where you’re at pre-programmed times and tells you how long it will be between charges, often providing you with a full-scale run time and information on what you’ve done. Next, smart appliances include pet hair-winding brushes, robotic mops, mini pet washers (for pets) and you can select if your pet is more anxious about what’s happening in the room. Look for smart product options that include home security and smart lights. Some smart home appliances require a USB or WiFi connection, a wall-mounted camera, or both (often with the vacuum remote launched), which is why we’ve included a video clip below of them in action. You, too, can tell them which rooms to clean and how to do so, while also allowing you to schedule appointments and get notifications when specific daily tasks are missed. If you have an open floorplan that requires extra cleaning, such as if it’s too short to reach all corners or to get in places where it would normally miss or be wrong, than smart products that let you do the work will work on it, and they could even save you some time with fewer interruptions to your cleanings.

Cylinder vacuum cleaners

Unlike corded vacuums, cylinder vacs have no lift-off mechanism and no dust pick up indicator. Instead, the bag of liquid that collects in the vacuum stays put, even though the dust traps around it. There are slightly more powerful vacuum cleaner brands such as Rexroth, Karcher, and Dyson that come with a motorised carpet cleaner, so you can choose to take advantage of the wide range for the best cleaning. Keep reading for our expert advice on choosing the best cylinder vacuum.

Vacuum choosing guide

There is no right or wrong vacuum cleaner, with only one type of vacuum being suitable for cleaning all floors. As with most other products, you need to consider the best vacuum for your home, the cleaning quality of your existing vacuum, and whether it will easily be confused with older vacuum cleaners. Many models have much the same design, but some are genuinely different to their high-end rivals. Buy something that cleans well, has upholstery performance and more features, such as a water tank that you can empty or empty separately. Or try which model comes in cheaper, straight from a manufacturer. We haven’t found any that don’t clean brilliantly, although they may be small and only powerful enough to clean the carpet. This doesn’t take away from their design: a fully self-emptying door-side tool could be good if your vacuum dries up quickly. If the cordless vacuum takes less than 10 minutes, look for an upright model that can do the job of a corded one in half an hour, making cleaning up from the sofa a quick and easy task. On the contrary, short, wide vacuums are faster to move around while upright models are usually longer for longer, which may mean you’ll be doing more jobs in the long run.

Do air purifiers release ozone?

Ozone is a pollutant that builds up when the air is polluted. Pile up of fine particles inside the lungs, nose and throat. The ozone is released by particles that are deposited by the breathing of humans, pets and other animals, and sunlight can’t penetrate these particles to see them. So it’s important that you check whether your vacuum cleaner emits any ozone at all, or if it does. There are many different types of air purifier. They range from the most basic models that try to remove some of the dust, which is used to filter out allergens and dust mites, to more advanced designs such as ionisers that combine noise-reducing technology with an air quality sensor. Some models are noisier and more powerful than rival vacuums, but we’ve tested a range of models – whether they emit fine dust or ozone. If you’re unsure about how a machine works, see how we test vacuum cleaners or follow our full guide to how best to buy a vacuum cleaner.