Power Play: A Buyer's Guide to Vacuum Cleaners

In the market for a new vacuum cleaner but don't know what to look for? Use our guide to help clean up your options

Pia SinhaNovember 24, 2017

Houzz Australia Contributor. Former Chief Copy Editor of GoodHomes, India Magazine. I write professionally about design and decor. Personally too, I am a big fan of design that marries functionality with elegance. At home, I use a combination of striking patterns, colourful prints and natural materials for some chutzpah and cheer!

With all the different types of vacuum cleaners on the market, how do you know which will work best for you? To make your life simpler, we’ve put together this buyer’s guide to help you identify the best type of vacuum cleaner for the job.

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Watermark & Company

There’s a vacuum cleaner for every kind of lifestyle. Let’s explore the most popular styles and their key features.

Closet Organizing Systems

Upright vacuums
Upright vacuums are characterised by powerful motors and larger capacities, with an assortment of attachments that make cleaning easier. A foot lever, for instance, makes it easier to move an upright vacuum cleaner around. Upright vacuums are ideal for cleaning carpets but tend to be heavier than most other vacuum cleaners. They also come with accessories for cleaning corners, crevices, hard flooring and upholstery – a great choice if you have enough space to store it.

Leicht Küchen AG

Barrel vacuums
Barrel or canister vacuums are generally more versatile than upright vacuums and are lighter too. They come with a motor and bag (or dust chamber) as a separate unit, mounted over wheels. Barrel vacuums are ideal for cleaning hard-to-reach spots and behind furniture. They’re also handy for ridding curtains and car interiors of dust and accumulated debris.

Recent innovations
Dyson launched a no-tip feature for its barrel vacuums in 2016, which was touted as a technological marvel. In terms of noise reduction, according to Canstar Blue’s reviews and ratings for 2017, the SilentPerformer Series by Electrolux is one of the quietest vacuum cleaners on the market.

Browse more interesting storage options

User

Features to consider when shopping for upright and barrel vacuum cleaners

In the case of barrel vacuums, look for telescopic handles or wands that can adjust to suit your height. Ergonomic vacuuming makes back pain unlikely.
An adjustable head height is a definite plus, making it a lot easier to clean carpets of different pile heights, and to swap between carpet and hard flooring.
When deciding between a power and turbo head, the former is more effective in that it uses a built-in motor with a rotating brush to remove dirt from carpets. However, remember that these attachments will make your vacuum cleaner bulkier and heavier to move around.
For those sensitive to allergies and mites, consider investing in a vacuum with a certified HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. These filters will trap up to 99.97 per cent of dust and allergens.
In bagged vacuums, consider models with bag-full indicators.
Also remember to look for vacuums with variable suction power to help you with different types of cleaning jobs.

The Carpet Girl LLC

Bagged vs bagless
In bagged vacuums, the bag will do the job of trapping dirt and debris. You’ll need to replace the bag at regular intervals, but as the bag has shutters that prevent dust and dirt from spilling out while emptying, this job can be less messy than emptying some bagless vacuums. To dispose of the bag, just drop it in the rubbish. This is particularly convenient for someone with allergies, as it protects them from inhaling dust.

A vacuum bag is usually much larger than the dust chamber of a bagless vacuum cleaner, but it does mean you need to be a little more organised and put vacuum bags on the shopping list when your supplies are running low.

Harwood Design Builders Ltd.

If you’re tired of buying bags for your vacuum cleaner or would like to minimise waste, bagless vacuums are a great option. They use inbuilt filters to trap dirt in a cup/chamber, which you simply empty straight into the rubbish bin. With bagless vacuum cleaners you also have the advantage of being able to easily retrieve any item that may have accidentally been sucked in – that diamond ring you’ve been looking for, for example. Having a clear view of the cup/chamber also gives you a better idea of when you’ll have to empty it, whereas a full bag can take you by surprise.

Nicholson Builders

Recent innovations
This year Miele moved into the bagless vacuum cleaner market with its Miele Blizzard CX1 Comfort PowerLine. New technology sees coarser dust particles get sucked into the dust container, making emptying more efficient, while finer dust particles are captured by a separate container that only requires emptying, when prompted, once or twice a year. This reduces the plume of dust that is so common when emptying most bagless vacuum cleaners.

Renovation Capital

Stick and handheld vacuums
These vacuum cleaners make hard-to-reach places a breeze to vacuum. They’re lightweight, and therefore easy to hold and operate. Use them as a supplement to an existing vacuum cleaner at home. They’ll also take up much less storage room compared with a traditional upright or barrel vacuum.

User

Remember that stick vacuums will not perform deep carpet cleans as well as a standard vacuum cleaner. Today stick/ handheld vacuums can be found in multiple designs, and the cordless varieties are available with technology such as lithium ion batteries that last considerably longer. Use stick/handheld vacuum cleaners to remove pet hair in hidden corners and to clean upholstery, cupboards, blinds and vents.

Take a Vacuuming Masterclass for a Spotless Home

Harvey Norman Ireland

Features to consider when shopping for stick and handheld vacuums

Always test the vacuum cleaner’s manoeuvrability when buying. Also remember to check how well it moves over both carpet and hard surfaces.
Filters should be easy to remove and replace.
People with asthma or allergies should consider vacuums with HEPA filters.
Look for models with higher voltage batteries; they tend to perform better.
Don’t forget to check the warranty details of the battery. Many manufacturers will provide warranty on the battery for a few months even though the vacuum itself is covered for a year or more.

ECOVACS

Robovacs
How wonderful is the idea of sitting down, relaxing and letting your vacuum cleaner do all the work? But are robovacs doing enough to make you want to replace your existing cleaners with them? Let’s explore…

iRobot

Robotic vacuums are sleek in design, helping them slip easily under furniture and spots that are difficult to reach. They’re also loaded with sophisticated technology such as navigation software, stair-detection technology and cameras for dirt detection. Barring a few models, there is practically no requirement for any interaction with the bot.

On the downside, the suction may not be as powerful as that of a standard vacuum and the robovac can leave behind dirt, especially when it comes to cleaning carpets. They’re reasonably efficient on hard flooring, although a more thorough cleaning will still be required every now and then.

Recent innovations
This year iRobot launched the Roomba 980 in Australia, its first app-controlled vacuuming robot with wi-fi connectivity. It now offers a suite of Roombas worth looking into.

ECOVACS

What you need to know

Robotic vacuums come with charging docks, so remember to place the dock in an accessible spot. The bot will return to the dock when it’s about to run out of charge.
Robovacs are bagless and utilise an easy-to-remove dustbin that you simply have to eject and empty. Some are available with HEPA filters to keep allergens in check.
The best robovac will run for about two hours. Obviously, the longer it runs, the more cleaning you get per charge, and the faster it recharges the sooner it can get back to work.
A robovac with a remote control allows you to change its schedule without having to run around after it.
Remember to check the warranty before purchase.