A vacuum cleaner has become almost essential in this day and age. You definitely do not want to spend hours laboring with a broom and a dustpan to clean up your house when you could just turn on the vacuum cleaner and give it a quick sweep.
But just like investing in anything, how to choose a vacuum cleaner that’s right for you and your house? This question is even more difficult to answer when the market is filled with many different types of vacuum cleaners like upright vacuums, canister vacuums, handheld vacuums, and even robotic vacuum cleaners. We don’t blame you for feeling overwhelmed when you first started your research.
This guide is here to make your life a little bit easier by telling you just how to choose a vacuum cleaner.
Table of Contents
Different Types of Vacuum Cleaners
You probably already know that a vacuum cleaner does not just come in one single package. Since there are so many types of vacuum cleaners out there on the market, it would be immensely useful if you determine what type you should get. It all depends on the characteristics of your house, really.
If you have a lot of carpets to brush through or area rugs, upright models with bags are the best. Do not choose upright vacuum cleaners if you have a lot of stairs since they tend to be extremely heavy (As much as 20 pounds for some models).
So, what if your house has a lot of stairs? Canister vacuums are probably the solution for you since you can maneuver much more easily with them than with any other models. They are also excellent for cleaning solid floor surfaces like tiled or hardwood floors. The only downside to getting canister vacuums is that they’re pretty bulky and you’ll probably run into some trouble finding a good place to store it when you’re not vacuuming.
More compact models of vacuums like handheld or stick vacuums are made to handle lightweight tasks such as scooping up spilled cereal from breakfast. For this reason, if you haven’t had a vacuum cleaner before, we suggest you to either go for upright vacuums or canister vacuums first.
Lastly, if you are extremely busy and don’t have a lot of time for deep cleaning your house every single day then robotic vacuum cleaners are the way to go. The only downsides are that they’re much more expensive than common vacuums and you still have to remember to clean up their dust bin from time to time.
Another type that we’re not going to mention in this guide is central vacuum systems. Although they’re certainly the best and most powerful type of vacuum out there these systems are extremely expensive and require you to remodel your entire house to fit suction tubes behind the walls.
What to Look for While You’re Choosing A Vacuum Cleaner
There are many things you should look out for while you’re buying a new vacuum cleaner. Each model offers a different design, shape, and even different color options. These are mostly aesthetic, though, so they take a backseat to the actual cleaning power of these vacuum cleaners. The second thing you should keep in mind is that while modern vacuum cleaners tend to be chock-a-block with awesome features, chances are, you probably don’t even need them. Remember your cleaning needs before you pick up a certain model from the shop, even the best vacuum cleaner in the world wouldn’t be the right fit for you if it wasn’t designed to clean the style of your house.
For example, if you’re a pet owner who has to constantly deal with clumps of pet hair then try out canister or upright models. They tend to be better at picking up pet hair than other types.
Check the Features
Like we said, modern vacuum cleaners tend to be filled to the brim with awesome features. An example is an attached motorized brush. Of course, they can clean carpets better than vacuum cleaners that rely on suction alone. Usually, the motorized brush can be switched on and off at will with only the press of a button to protect your floors from being damaged.
Cleaning tools like these, depending on your use can be extremely helpful in certain cases. Another notable feature that you’ll probably encounter while going out shopping for a vacuum cleaner is suction control. This feature can control the suction power of the cleaner to protect draperies and fabrics from being damaged.
Once again, consider the characteristics of your home and buy a vacuum cleaner that best fits it.
Bagged or Bagless?
This is another big decision when it comes to buying a new vacuum cleaner: Bagged or bagless vacuum cleaners? While bagless vacuums can be far more cost-effective than bagged vacuums because you don’t need to replace the bag every once in a while, you will still need to replace the filters (typically HEPA filtration) inside of the vacuum periodically. Bagless vacuums can even be dangerous if you or anyone in your house suffer from allergies because the inside of a bagless vacuum cleaner can be quite a mess. All of the dust and the dirt in there can give you a nasty allergic reaction. All the more reason to know how to pick a good vacuum since it literally can make the difference between a healthy and ill-stricken home.
Beware of Noise
Vacuum cleaners are notorious for being loud, but if they’re so loud that you need hearing protection or start to be affected by it then something’s definitely wrong. Secondly, beware of the noise level when you’re vacuuming inside an enclosed space since the noise can echo and really damage your hearing.
If you’re worried about noise then canister vacuums tend to be a little bit quieter than their counterparts.
Be on the Active Look Out for Deals
Deals on vacuum cleaners happen all the time, especially during holiday seasons such as right now. During Christmas or Black Friday, you can easily find a deal that slashes as much as 30% off of the original price. But often you don’t even need to wait until next year’s Black Friday to find a good deal for your new vacuum cleaner. Just keep an eye out for discount programs and you’ll be able to scoop up some pretty good deals every once in a while. Sign up for email lists from your retailers and even the manufacturers themselves to get the latest news on discount programs and even vouchers.
Conclusion
Vacuuming is admittedly pretty important an activity in the house if you want to keep it spotless and not becoming a landfill in a week or two. But as you can see, there are actually a lot of things that go into choosing a good vacuum cleaner. We hope now that you’re armed with the knowledge of how to choose a good vacuum cleaner that’s a good fit for yourself and your home you will be able to make an informed decision and pick up the vacuum cleaner of your dreams.