The old vacuum cleaner has “bitten the dust,” and you need a replacement. One quick look online is all it takes to realize that choosing a new machine might be more challenging than you thought. It’s easy to get caught up in the “latest and greatest” and end up with a machine that is either too much or not enough or just doesn’t fit your needs.
We’ve put together a few questions to help focus your search efforts before purchasing that new vacuum cleaner. Maybe you’ve already thought about some of these, so please use the following list to quickly navigate to the concerns most important to you.
- What Flooring Types Do I Have?
- Do I Need to Control Allergens?
- How Often Do I Vacuum?
- How Many Levels Are in My Home?
- What Additional Surfaces will I be cleaning?
- How Much Maintenance is Required?
What Flooring Types Do I Have?
Probably the most obvious consideration is whether you have mainly carpeting, hard floors, or a fairly even combination of both. Generally speaking, for homes with a lot of carpeting, especially in large areas, an upright vacuum cleaner is a good choice. However, if your personal preference tends toward canister-style vacuums, there are quite a few excellent choices available. You will want to be sure that it has a floor nozzle with a motorized brush roll and height adjustment options for various pile carpets.
If you love hardwood or tile flooring with a few rugs here and there or enjoy low-pile carpeting, a canister-style vacuum is a great option. These are very maneuverable for working quickly around and underneath furniture and are equipped with floor tools that easily switch to effectively clean scatter rugs. For true canister vacuum lovers, there are machines that feature high-quality motorized floor nozzles that can effectively handle deep-pile carpets.
Most people have a combination of both flooring types. At this point, style preference will be your guide. Be sure to check for convenience features such as on/off brushroll control, height adjustment, and suction control. Note whether the brush roll is air-powered or electrically powered, as this affects the effectiveness of deep-pile carpet cleaning.
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Do I Need to Control Allergens?
This is a key question to consider since we spend, on average, about 90% of our time indoors, where pollutants can be 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. This is especially important to ponder if you or someone in your family has asthma or allergies. A vacuum cleaner that provides HEPA filtration can be an important contributor to improving your indoor air quality.
HEPA filters capture tiny particulate matter so that the exhausted air is actually cleaner than what was sucked into the vacuum. There are also machines that include some level of charcoal filtration to help control odors—great for pet owners.
An additional consideration is a vacuum that not only uses HEPA filters but does so in a completely sealed system. This means that there is virtually no leakage of air through the housing or fittings of the machine, and all air (along with pollutants) is forced through the filtration system, leaving your indoor air allergen-free. See this article for more information about allergies and vacuums.
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How Often Do I Vacuum?
The frequency of your cleaning schedule can be impacted by the ease or difficulty of storing and accessing your vacuum. For those folks who shed their shoes the minute they hit the door, daily vacuuming is standard operating procedure. In that case, a vacuum that is difficult to access and use quickly can make this routine a real chore. Consider a robotic vacuum that can be scheduled to clean while you’re at work or running errands so you return to grit-free floors, really nice if you frequently bring home company.
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If your debris tends to concentrate in specific areas, a stick vacuum is a champ at quickly taking care of daily messes, whether on hard floors or carpets, as well as effectively handling more extensive weekly cleaning. There are also lightweight uprights and compact canisters with parking features that make them easy to store and use at a moment’s notice.
How Many Levels are in My Home?
There are many maneuverable, lightweight cordless vacuums that have great suction power and long run times that can handle multiple floor types. There are also lightweight vacuums in both upright and canister styles that make transporting them between floors easy.
While it sounds crazy, sometimes more than one vacuum is a very good idea. If you have a main floor that really benefits from a multi-function machine, your upper floor may need a model best for carpets or hard floors. Or, the reverse may be true. In either case, consider purchasing a smaller stick vacuum for the space best suited for it, and save yourself grueling trips up and down stairs with your larger machine.
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What Additional Surfaces will I be Cleaning?
If you like vacuuming away the accumulated dust from surfaces instead of manual dusting, you’ll want a vacuum that includes a variety of accessory tools. Most include at least a combination brush and crevice tool, while others have additional floor nozzles, an upholstery tool, and specialized accessories for specific surfaces. If you own pets or have a lot of stairs, consider a vacuum that includes a mini-motorized tool. Some offer an even wider variety of specialized tools and extension wands which you can purchase separately as you need them.
How Much Maintenance is Required?
This is a question that really depends on your definition of “a lot” and how tedious different kinds of maintenance are for you. Bagless vacuums may not have bags that need to be changed, but dust bins still need to be emptied and washed periodically, especially if your home includes allergy sufferers. Any vacuum with a HEPA filter will need that filter to be replaced when necessary, depending on individual home environments. The same is true for any other type of filter unless it is specified as a washable filter.
Brush rolls will collect pet fur, hair, threads, and other debris and will need to be cleaned to maintain top operating capabilities. Look for a model with easy access. For quality vacuums that last for years, sometimes accessory tools like dusting brushes may need to be replaced. Check to see if these are available for purchase either at retail or from the manufacturer.
At the End of the Day
After taking some or all of these questions into consideration, you should have the profile of your “best” vacuum or even vacuums. This will help when you begin to delve into consumer agency publications or online forums that rate various vacuum cleaners so you end up buying just what you need for your home and lifestyle.
If you have questions or need assistance, please feel free to call one of our product experts at 1-800-934-9194.
