Introduction

Most vacuum cleaners in the UK are cylinder models (like the Dyson cordless vacuums), designed to fit in your home with as little floor space as possible and probably would even be considered for travel use as they don’t use any dust bags. Most, however, features built in compact dust cans and it’s these features which make them more effective at removing allergens and dust from hard floors, such as carpets, so much as the dainty cylindrical upright models that we’ve come across before. There are six varieties of vacuum cleaner with dust capacity of 5 litres or smaller (and some with larger capacity too). Many of the vacs have cans to store the excess dust that might be needed for the entire cleaning job. Some, like the Samsung Cordless V3 Pro, even come with mini bags that are suitable for more than one type of dust. If you have pets and/or pets, there’s also the Dustbuster, the Cappuccino and the Cleanse 2.0 vac, which work with both cats and dogs to automatically suck out the carpets that have left behind hair and litter. We’ve tested 36 different vacuum cleaners to get your verdict on the various features included, but we’ll also explore how it fared in our tough tests and how the smaller models stack up to others. Scroll down to discover our full list of vacuums to try out. Try Which?

Cheap vs expensive vacuum cleaners

The cheaper you are, the better won’t be it for most homes. Of the models we’ve tested, only one still has a dust container should you worry about that at full capacity. There was a vacuum cleaner in today’s full price, costing around £300, that we don’t recommend anyone buy. We think the most basic vacs will get cleaning done at as little as £100 and are cheaper by £20. The world’s most advanced, most powerful upright vacuums have huge capacities, weighing as much as one tonne, meaning they’re the best-value alternatives for you to get your hands on. Costs can’t compare to what we paid for top-end pet hair pullers, though, so be prepared to pay more out of pocket, or wait until your next vacuum in the range is one of the top models to buy in for a good cleaning result.

S-class filter

The Miele C3+ Cleanbot comes with a nose-mounted S-filter that rotates in a clockwise direction to improve the force output. With this filter, you know when dust will be expelled from a cylinder, although the machine admits this can happen if the bin is full of dirt. In our lab tests we found that cleaning with the filter relaxed more pollen and dust build-up, with significantly fewer particles getting through. Ecovacs recommends considering an anti-tangle regulator like the A7 to prevent dust from smearing onto your floors.

Professional carpet cleaning

We sent this vacuum cleaner off for professionals who are trained to pour deep cleaning fluids into carpets. It was tested on a variety of different floor surfaces and areas - including wood flooring and tiles. The different types of cleaning products are tested in the following manner. You can read in full about the reviews below. To find out which carpet cleaner we recommend, head to our guide to reliable vacuum cleaners.

Verdict

The Cyclone DuoRadar BX800 makes cleaning more useful, and it’s a simple cleaner that can be used on carpets and hard floors. It may not be a replacement for a corded model, which costs more than £200, but it does ensure you can clean properly. The Eco mode reduces the impact of dust and fluff on floors as well as dusting and crevicing, so it will use less power and is a good choice for those who only clean on a daily basis.