Have you ever noticed how people use seasonal cues for good behavior? Christmas is the season of giving. Valentines’ Day reminds you to appreciate that special someone in your life. Father’s Day tells you to shower some affection on that man who helped shaped who you are.
And spring? What does the advent of spring mean for us? Why, spring cleaning, of course!
For many of us, that means dragging the vacuum cleaner out from winter-long hibernation. A good vacuum is key to a clean home, after all.
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Choosing the Best Vacuum Cleaner for Your Home
Now, before you run out to equip yourself with the latest dust-buster out there, take some time to consider your options. There are many good vacuum cleaners in the market right now. Each comes with its own set of bells and whistles. Choosing the right one can be a headache.
Lucky for you, we’ve already done much of the reconnaissance shopping. Below is our guide for some of the best vacuum cleaners in the market today.
The Best All-Around Vacuum Cleaner
Our Number One draft pick for this season’s dust-busting chores is the Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352. Like all upright vacuums, the well-rounded NV352 is ideal for large, carpeted areas of the house. The detachable pod allows you to clean above-floor areas like stairs and furniture.
The suction power on the NV352 is the most impressive of all vacuums on this list. It uses advanced technology which allows it to separate dirt and air. This action prevents the filter from clogging, keeping the suction strong and steady.
The Shark NV352 is also easy to maneuver. This upright vacuum cleaner has swivel steering, which makes negotiating corners a breeze. The same system allows you to reach places that other upright vacuum cleaners cannot. The fact that it weighs a mere 14 lbs. adds to these advantages.
This vacuum cleaner comes with some excellent extra features, too. The Dust Away attachment allows you to vacuum hard floors with ease. An eight-inch crevice tool reaches into otherwise impossible corners. Brushroll shutoff meanwhile allows you to instantly switch from deep carpet cleaning to gentle bare floor cleaning.
Are you a pet owner? The Shark NV352 comes with a pet hair brush that helps you get rid of pet hair in all areas around your home. Even better, it includes Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology. This technology captures allergens from the air, which eases breathing for people who suffer from asthma or allergies.
The only downside we see in the Shark NV352 is that offers no storage for its brushes. Because it’s upright and the cord is shorter than we’d like, you may run into difficulties cleaning under furniture. But, in general, those are manageable challenges.
That said, the impressive Shark Navigator Upright Vacuum Cleaner has an even more impressive warranty of five years! That’s not only a testament to its build quality, it’s also the longest warranty we’ve seen for a vacuum cleaner.
The Best High-End Vacuum Cleaner
If you’re willing to pay big bucks for equipment that’ll last decades, buy a Miele Complete C3 Calima canister vacuum cleaner. Every industry expert will tell you that Miele makes some of the best, most durable canister vacuum cleaners in the world.
Miele vacuums are quiet compared to others in their class and category. They are also sound-insulated and German-engineered to last. Miele’s patented HEPA Air Clean Filter pushes out cleaner air than it takes in, filtering 99.9 percent of particles. This keeps the dust and dirt in the bag and out of the air you breathe.
Because it’s a canister vacuum cleaner with separate motor and receptacle, the Complete C3 Calima shines when used on furniture. It’s also perfect for multi-surface cleaning.
This vacuum cleaner includes two floor tools: one for carpets and hard floors; the other for hardwood floors. The 6-setting rotary dial adjusts the suction power according to your needs. It even has a quiet setting.
You can rewind the retractable cord by stepping on a switch at the back of the canister. And the carrying handle makes it easy to carry up and down the stairs.
Storage is not a problem. Unlike the Shark NV 352, the Complete C3 Calima offers stowage for dusting brushes, upholstery tools, and crevice nozzles. The crush proof hose adds durability. The telescoping wands are made of stainless steel, too, for long-term usage.
The only downside to this machine is the price. The Complete C3 Calima commands a price tag of around $650! So, while it will clean your house, this machine just might also clean out your bank account!
The Best Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
Stick or sweeper vacuums are the middle ground between upright and hand-held vacuum cleaners. Lightweight and battery powered, they combine hand-held convenience with the upright construction of a traditional vacuum cleaner.
The Dyson V7 Motorhead Stick Vacuum wins our vote for best in this category. This cordless vacuum cleaner is a powerful 2-in-1 stick vacuum that can also be configured as a handheld.
The dust-buster has four modular, snap-on parts. The Motorhead itself is a detachable version of a typical head from an upright vacuum. There is also a brush, a finisher for corners or crevices, and a two-foot extension tube.
The V7 is all about compact versatility. To turn it into an upright, you attach the extension tube to the Motorhead. To vacuum your car, you need to attach the narrow finisher to the handheld unit. To get those cobwebs on the ceiling corners, you snap the brush onto the extension tube.
The V7 comes with a nice wall mount, too. This not only stores and charges the vacuum, but also manages the modular tools. The base plugs into a standard electric outlet and charges the motor in less than an hour.
With a full charge, the V7 runs for about thirty minutes on its standard power settings. The vacuum cleaner snaps on and off the wall mount with an easy single motion.
So how well does it clean? The V7 sucks! But that’s not a bad thing at all in a vacuum cleaner. Toggled to “max suction,” the intake becomes powerful enough so that the V7 is difficult to move over a carpet. So, no, it does not fall short on power.
In fact, we think the V7 would be excellent for cleaning spills on hardwood floors during dinner parties. Because its cordless, you won’t have to worry about the cord getting caught or guests tripping. Its size and tangle-free handiness also makes it ideal for smaller homes that have cramped floor plans.
However, there’s a downside to being handy, lightweight, and compact. Because the V7 is small, you’ll take longer to clean larger spaces. The wall mount occupies space, too. That can make finding a good mounting spot near an electric outlet difficult.
Other than those little flaws, we like that the V7 can do so much and do it all so well.
The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner
If you are a young professional living alone, chances are you don’t have time to vacuum during the week. This makes keeping your apartment clean next to impossible. Is there a pet in the house? Well, that only adds to the problem.
Unless, of course, you have a robot vacuum cleaner. Robot dust-busters won’t clean rugs as deeply as conventional vacuum cleaners. But they can keep your floors tidy with little effort and oversight on your part.
The iRobot Roomba 614 is an excellent choice for those who want an entry-level robot vacuum cleaner. It’s perfect for general maintenance house-cleaning, keeping your apartment clean between more thorough weekend dustings.
The patented Dirt Detect technology will find most messes before they’re an issue. The lithium-ion batteries keep it going for a long time, too.
The Roomba 614 is particularly advantageous for pet owners. You’d be surprised by how much of your pet’s shedding this robot will pick up.
AeroVac technology might sound like a marketing gimmick but it isn’t. The technology pulls hair and dirt off the brushes then deposits them into the dust cup.
The process fills the bin evenly while keeping the rollers free of carpet fuzz and pet hair. The fact that the Roomba 614 is shaped to fit under most pieces of furniture only adds to AeroVac’s efficiency.
That said, the bottom of the unit does start to develop a certain amount of static charge after a while. Often, this charge builds up until pet hair begins adhering to the bezel.
Other reviewers have noted that this doesn’t seem to happen in homes with only one type of floor covering. This might mean that the charge is generated while rubbing across carpets then returning to hard flooring.
Still, the Roomba 614 is better at cleaning rugs than most other affordable robot vacuums. It’s also much more durable and repairable than similar models from other brands.
The semi-random navigation system is common among low-cost robots. That shouldn’t matter much in areas that are smaller than 1,000 square feet, though.
There you go, folks. That’s our top picks for the best vacuum cleaners for this year’s spring cleaning. There are others out there, but we feel these vacuums deliver the best bang for your buck for each category.
If you’ve got any spring-cleaning hacks or tips, we’d love to hear about them. Leave a comment in the section below.
