Vacuum Cleaners Buyers Guide

Things to consider when purchasing a vacuum cleaner are:

·         It should work well on bare floors and carpet.

·         It should come with various attachments for different cleaning jobs.

·         It should be lightweight enough to transport from room to room easily.

·         It should have features that you need.

Types of Vacuum Cleaners

Vacuum Cleaners come in all sizes, shapes and types. A wide selection of uprights, canisters, hand-help, bagless, robotic, bags in, electric brooms and sweepers, central vac, wet/dry vacs,  are available to choose from.

Upright vacuum cleaners – Contained in a single unit are the motor, bag, hose, and beater. They move around furniture with ease due to wheels in the undercarriage. Many are self-propelled making coverage of a large room effortless. Adjustments for different heights of carpet and bare floors are an added feature. The downside is they tend to be heavy for transporting up stairs and they do not navigate closets well. However, they are easier and more compact to store in a closet and hey often provide more suction power at a lower price than the canister vacuum.

Canisters – The motor is encased in a canister with a bag and long hose. These are great for bare floors, stairs, curtains and any vertical surface. They provide excellent suction power and are more portable than upright vacuums. Many now include beater attachments as well in the “on board” tools feature that is built into the shell of the canister. One disadvantage is that they don’t store as easily as an upright vacuum does.

Bagless Vacuum Cleaners – Many types of vacuums have a bagless feature meaning that a vacuum bag is not needed. Instead a small plastic cup collects dirt and debris and is easily emptied and can be cleaned easily with soap and water for reuse over and over again. Many bagless vacuums also have a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter built in, which removes more airborne allergens from the air passing through the vacuum and prevents these allergens from being released back into the air in the room. It is a very good choice for allergy sufferers and others with chronic lung problems.

Electric Brooms – Also called “stick” vacuums, electric brooms are lightweight and easily transportable from room to room and easy to carry up stairs. This is due to their design, which is smaller and thinner than conventional upright vacuum cleaners. They performance on bare floors furniture, curtains id very good. They are also good for hard-to-reach spots and tight places. No bag is required because they have the bagless feature and they use less power than most other types of vacuum cleaners.

Handheld Cleaners – Basically cordless, handheld vacuum cleaners, they are small, portable and lightweight. A dirt cup is used instead of a bag making them bagless. Many also come with a variety of attachments for getting into tight places. They are ideal for small clean-up jobs.

Robotic vacuum cleaners – The newest trend in vacuum cleaners, you could call them “cleaners” of the future. They literally run through the house on their own power saving time, effort and work. They also include features such as self navigation and self timing, which means that they can navigate around a room, twisting and turning when they hit an obstacle and they have a timer that shuts off after a certain time. The best feature is “dirt sensors” that tell the vacuum where the dirtiest part is so that it will spend more time on those areas. Additionally, they have adjusting heads for various heights of carpet and for bare floors and are bagless.

Central Vacuums – Central vacuums are installed inside a home through pipes in a wall that connect to a powerful motor that is located in a garage or basement. This saves time and trouble because there are no vacuums to transport from room to room. Each room in the house has an outlet where the hose is connected to and a switch to turn on the power. It is very convenient but will cost a great deal more than a conventional vacuum cleaner.

Wet & Dry Vacuums – The best of both worlds, wet/dry vacuum cleaners not only suck up the dirt from surfaces, they also suck up any liquids. Although they really do not clean carpet well, they may come in handy for unblocking sinks and for picking up large spills.

Features to Look For  

Different types of vacuums sport different types of features such as the following list. These are things that should be considered when shopping for a good vacuum cleaner.

·         Completely Sealed HEPA System

·         Fan suction motor (a two fan motor is best)

·         On board tool caddy

·         Rotating Power Nozzle (canisters)

·         On board hose storage (uprights)

·         On-off rotating brush (uprights)

·         Easy to use controls and on-off switch

·         Dirt Alert Sensor (not available on all types of vacuums)

·         Long flexible hose

·         Some hoses tend to twist and kink

·         Adjustable telescopic wand (canisters)

·         Carpet height adjustment

·         Easy maneuverability

·         Swivel 360 degrees for hose and wheels (canister)

·         Attachments

·         Long retractable cord (canister), .25-feet is a good minimum length

·         Dust bag change indicator (those that require bags)

·         Lightweight

·         Suction control switch

·         Fan position

·         Blower

·         Quiet

·         Bag savers and bagless vacuum cleaners

·         Hygienic dust bags

·         Warranty

Power

The electrical power of vacuum cleaners is measured in WATTS. The higher the wattage, the more power the vacuum will have. Higher wattage cleaners have more suction power and will clean carpets better than one with lower wattage.

Filtration

Filtration is not used as an indication of how well the vacuum will remove the dirt, rather it relates to how well it cleans airborne particles and how well it prevents them from being returned to the air in a room. Standard filtration can be found in less expensive models while the more powerful HEPA filtration system can be found in more expensive models.

Pricing 

Here are some examples of what you can expect to pay for some types of vacuum cleaners. This list is not all-inclusive. As always, shop around for the best prices.

Upright Vacuum Cleaners – £137.80 to £288.38

Canisters – £103.28

Robotic – £132.70

Electric (stick) Brooms – £22.50 to £45.00

Wet/Dry Vacuums - £28.85 to £56.54