Whether you’re getting ready to spring clean, or you need to clear your home of pollen and other allergens that are making your eyes itchy and your nose run, it may be time for a new vacuum.
Consumer Reports put different styles through some pretty tough tests so you can get one that works for your lifestyle and your budget.
Vacuum tests
The vacuum labs at Consumer Reports have been busy, taking canisters, uprights, and stick vacs -- pushing them through all the dirt and debris you deal with.
“So, all of these tests would mimic what people would have in their house,” said Sue Booth with Consumer Reports.
Testers drop rice, cereal, sand, and other debris on bare floors to see how many passes it takes for a vacuum to pick it up.
If pet hair is a problem for you, Consumer Reports checks that, too.
“A really good vacuum would pick up pet hair instantly and the hair wouldn’t get caught in the brush roll, it would make it up to the bin or the bag,” Booth explained.
Then there’s the tough test that measures how much embedded sand a vacuum can lift from the carpet.
“So, it’s almost as if you’re tracking in sand from the outside, and you’re stepping on your carpet and you’re embedding it in the carpet. We want to see how well those vacuums are going to pick it up,” Booth said.
Vacuum recommendations
Consumer Reports’ tests reveal you can get a great vacuum for under $300.
If your home has wall-to-wall carpeting, an upright like the Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly 31150 for $299 on Amazon is a good choice.
If you need to switch between bare floors and rugs, consider a canister-style vacuum for its maneuverability. The Kenmore Pop-N-Go BC4026 is $299 at Walmart. Consumer Reports says it performs just as well as a vacuum that costs more than $1,000 on bare floors, carpet, and pet hair.
For quick cleanings, stick vacuums are an option.
“Stick vacs are becoming more powerful and you could use a stick vac as your sole vacuum but that’s really if you have a small area or maybe bare floors,” Booth said.
Consumer Reports says you can skip battery-powered stick vacs and save hundreds of dollars with a corded stick vac -- like the recommended Shark Vertex Ultralight HZ2002.
If you’re ready for a more hands-off approach, you might be interested in a robotic vacuum. Consumer Reports’ tests have found that robovacs continue to improve when it comes to performance and navigation. See the top robovacs of 2024 here.
But for deeper cleaning, Consumer Reports says you’ll still want a regular vacuum.