To simulate small particle size, we use a mix of play sand and landscaping sand. To see how vacuums deal with pet hair, we use a mixture of clippings sourced to us through our local pet groomer. To get started, we hauled in 15 of the latest models from leading vacuum brands with high user ratings and reviews, and ran them through a series of tests designed to measure overall proficiency. We also tested cordless vacuums in a range of prices to see how much of a difference you can expect when you opt for a pricier model over a budget pick.
If your vacuum doesn’t have an anti-tangle brush head, you’ll likely have to clean it frequently in order to keep it functioning properly, Mehmetoglu says. Eureka’s upright bagless vacuum makes cleaning your floors and carpets effortless. Best of all, you won’t have to stop too often to empty out the canister — the extra-large canister can hold over four liters of dirt. All you need is to give it a rinse with warm water and let it air dry. They fit right on the vacuum, so you don’t have to worry about misplacing one when you need it most.
We talked to experts about how to shop for vacuums when getting rid of pet hair is your main concern. They shared tips for narrowing down your options, which we used to recommend a handful of corded vacuums, cordless vacuums, handheld vacuums and robot vacuums across budgets. Neumann also recommends purchasing a vacuum with an automated brush roll. Automated brush rolls spin while you’re vacuuming to pick up pet hair quickly on fabrics, while no-spin brushes only rotate as you manually push your vacuum along the floor. The benefit of automated brush rolls is their ability to pick up pet hair quickly on fabrics, but they can be too harsh for hardwood or tile floors, he says.
For faster cleanups, a cordless vacuum is easy to handle and may be all you need. You may notice we don’t mention amps or motor specs in our best vacuum cleaners guide. That’s because more motor power doesn’t mean a vacuum can deep clean better. The amperage of a vacuum cleaner motor only measures electrical current, not how well it performs.
If the vacuum is mainly for carpets, the upright models are the best. The Dirt Devil, Shark and Eureka uprights can all provide a deep clean for the shaggiest of carpets. bissell handheld vacuum For a flexible vacuum that can handle bare floors or carpeting and can move around and store easily, the Miele C1, Bissell Zing or Dyson Animal are all excellent options.
As the company’s flagship cordless vacuum, it’s as expensive as you might expect, retailing at $ but, like its predecessor the V11, the V15 ripped through our suite of vacuum cleaner tests with ruthless competence. Our top cordless vacuum picks are listed below — and keep checking back, because we’ll update this list periodically whenever new models make their way through our lab. ZDNet’s roundup of best vacuum cleaners brings you a range of models and prices to keep your home’s flooring and upholstery clean and dust-free.
It comes with three attachments, and two are specifically for tackling more pet hair messes. We included various vacuum types like cordless, corded, robot and handheld that work on all floor types to give shoppers an idea of the different styles that might be right for their home. Dyson’s V11 is the smartest, most powerful cordless vacuum to date.
In the end, does a high-ticket vacuum clean that much better than a low or mid-priced vacuum? The width of the test bed is proportional to the vacuum’s nozzle width, which we measure ourselves. We also use nozzle width, plus the flooring type, to calculate the soil density for each test, per International Electrotechnical Commission guidelines.
Not surprisingly, the V15 Detect was a powerful performer in our tests, particularly in our sand tests, where it removed the largest overall total of sand from our hardwood, low-pile carpet, and mid-pile carpet test floors. It was our No. 1 finisher on low-pile carpet, with a sand score of 93% and another perfect 100% with the black rice. It’s a strong performer on plushier, mid-pile carpet, too, which is our most difficult test. bissell handheld vacuum The Pure One S11 finished in third here, gathering up 78% of the sand and, once again, 100% of the black rice. In our exclusive CR surveys, more than 40 percent of battery-powered stick vacs owned by our members developed problems with the battery within the first five years of ownership. Corded stick vacuums do not have this issue, which is why we give separate reliability ratings for cordless and corded stick vacuum brands.