Vacuum Cleaners Buying Guide
This buying guide will run you through everything you need to know before selecting a vacuum cleaner for your home.
What are the main types of vacuums?
A cordfree or stick vacuum offers lightweight convenience and is ideal for small-to-medium homes that are maintained with the occasional spot clean. These vacuums work best on hard floors, and are adept at taking care of pet hair. It is important to note canister size and what sort of battery gives the vacuum its power.
- Complete manoeuvrability with no cord to limit your reach!!!
- Works well in corners and also on upholstery
- Can almost always be converted to a handheld vacuum for the ultimate control over intricate jobs
in summary,
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- Will vacuum cobwebs and any other dust that builds vertically
Between work, our social lives, and personal leisure time, we must find the hours to keep our homes tidy. Robotic vacuums are proving a popular solution for the time-poor, removing the grunt work associated with vacuuming. Some models will manoeuvre around your furniture and will know to put the brakes on at the top of your stairs. If this convenience isn’t enough, you can even control some of these vacuums using an app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Sit back and let the vacuum manoeuvre itself around your floors
- Some models allow for pre-programing so the vacuum can clean while you’re at work
- Robotic vacuums are compact, so storage is made easy
- Fantastic for households with a lot of hard flooring
An upright vacuum negates the need to stoop as you clean your home. You can see exactly where you’re going because the vacuum is pushed rather than dragged. Their larger profiles generally allow for more powerful motors and generous dust capacities, ideal for the spacious, carpet-heavy home.
- No need to bend over; great if you have back problems
- Large home specialists with powerful motors and large capacities
- Built to dislodge and vacuum deep-rooted debris from carpet
What Should You Think About Before Purchasing?
Now you’re familiar with the three main types of vacuum cleaner, it’s time to think about the makeup and character of your home.
- Does anyone in your home suffer from allergies or feel sensitive to dust?
- Do you have pets that shed hair around your home?
- Would you prefer a bagged or bagless vacuum?
- Is your home dominated by carpet or hard floors? Or is there an even distribution of both?
- Is one vacuum enough for your needs? Or do you need an additional cleaning device for more convenience?
Allergy Sufferers
HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Arresting. A vacuum with a HEPA filter is recommended for people with allergies, because it traps even the tiniest pollutants. These filters have been proven to retain more than 99.95% of dust particles, and can even capture dust mite faeces as small as 0.3 micrometres. The air that is processed through this filter and expelled by your vacuum is more hygienic than ambient room air. HEPA filters are either of a washable, replaceable, or lifetime variety. We encourage you to refer to your vacuum’s manual for instructions on maintaining the filter.
Pet Owners
- These vacuums use powerful turbo heads which simultaneously brush and suck pet hair that has been pressed deep into carpet.
- A pet vacuum containing a HEPA filter is especially beneficial to allergy sufferers.
- These vacuums often come with mini turbo heads for picking up pet hair from your sofa, or for getting inside the car after your pooch rides in the back seat.
Bagged vs. Bagless
Bagged vacuums hygienically capture dirt and dust in a disposable bag which is replaced periodically. Here are some things to consider about bagged vacuums:
- The bag is a filter in itself, with some brands boasting up to nine layers of filtration in the bag alone.
- Bagged cleaners compact the dust and dirt, allowing you to clean for longer without having to stop.
- The bags are simple to change and maintain. One in, one out.
Bagless vacuums may save you the hassle of buying and changing vacuum bags, but this does not mean there’s no maintenance involved. Here are some things to consider about bagless vacuums:
- All dirt and dust is contained within a canister which can be emptied straight into your bin. Some vacuums enable quick ejection with the touch of a button.
- Most models will have filters that need to be checked and cleaned regularly to ensure strong, consistent suction.
- You avoid the ongoing cost of having to buy vacuum bags.
Barrel Vacuum Floor Tools
This tool is the ultimate all-rounder, engineered with bristles that provide suction on carpet as well as hard floors. If you’re vacuuming your entire home and adjacent rooms have different floor types, the combination tool is your best friend. Simply control the type of floor treatment using foot switches on top of the tool. This floor tool comes with just about every vacuum, so it doesn’t have to be purchased separately.
The name is self-explanatory. This is your go-to tool for hard floor vacuuming, especially surfaces that are prone to scratching from sturdy bristles, such as polished concrete, timber, or lino. Hard floor tools usually have fine bristles that reach inside deep gaps, and some brands offer flexible variations of the tool.
The most effective carpet cleaning is achieved through a combination of brushing and vacuuming. Vacuuming alone is not always enough to uproot deeply embedded strands of pet hair. Turbo heads agitate your carpet to remove tougher clusters of dirt and dust. Not only beneficial to pet owners, a turbo head is also useful for vacuuming high-pile carpets.
Older carpets that have seen a lot of foot traffic might require a more intensive clean. That’s where a power head, equipped with an electronically driven brush bar, is especially handy. A power head will not only remove deeply embedded dirt from your carpet; it will also help lift the pile of your carpet.
|
Tool |
Carpet |
Tile |
Timber and other hard flooring |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Combination |
YES |
YES |
NO |
|
Hard floor |
NO |
YES |
YES |
|
Turbo |
YES |
NO |
NO |
|
Power |
YES |
NO |
NO |
Supplementary Cleaners
The below cleaners are recommended as supplementary cleaning devices with an upright, barrel, or cordfree vacuum cleaner.
Handheld vacuums
From cleaning up after home haircuts to dealing with the aftermath of a craft session, a handheld vacuum is ideal for concentrated clusters of mess around the house. Effortlessly cover up accidents, clean your dog’s favourite couch cushion, or vacuum inside your car. Like their name suggests, handheld vacuums can be controlled with one hand, allowing you to hone in on debris-heavy areas that might be out of reach for your main vacuum cleaner. They are a handy addition to any large family household.
Carpet washers
Carpet washers or shampooers are becoming increasingly popular in busy households, as they can do one thing that vacuum cleaners cannot: remove stains from carpet. These appliances inject concentrated detergent deep into your carpet, and then scrub it thoroughly before using suction to get rid of embedded dirt and grime. Some models come with additional tools for treating upholstery, spot cleaning, and managing hard floors. It is recommended you do a full clean of your home with a carpet washer about twice a year. Owning a carpet washer, as opposed to hiring a professional cleaner, will save you time as well as money.
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