Which upright vacuum

To put the vacuums to the test, we use large and fine debris Cheerios and plain flour across two floor types: short-pile carpet and hard flooring. We scatter a set amount of this dirt on the floor, pass the vacuum over it once forwards, slowly and then weigh how much debris was picked up on each pass.

We also measure battery life for cordless models, suction in kilopascals where possible and also assess if the vacuum cleaner is easy to manoeuvre, straightforward to empty, and how convenient it is to access the washable filters.

The Small Ball Allergy is designed to be manoeuvred around corners and squeeze into tight spaces, while the adjustable brush head works across different floors types without having to get your hands dirty swapping brushes or heads. It also has the added bonus of being certified asthma and allergy friendly by Allergy Standards Limited, so it's a perfect choice for homeowners with dust allergies.

Buy now from Argos. With AW air Watts of suction power at the helm the Dyson has no issues tackling challenging debris across all types of flooring. It also comes with a clever carbon-fibre floor tool that attaches to a metal extension wand, making it easier to clean under furniture with low ground clearance and get to places that otherwise you might otherwise struggle to reach.

It aced every challenge, attaining perfect scores in almost every one of our pick-up tests. We loved the headlights on the brush head and how easy it is to empty the canister. This vacuum scored top marks for its pick up on carpet and hard floors, scoring well as an upright and a handheld and removing pet hair in a single sweep.

Despite preceding the V11 Absolute , it felt lighter and easier to manoeuvre. It lasts just over eight minutes on maximum power but it runs for much longer on lower settings. The little machines use sensors to avoid bumping off furniture and map where they've been around the room, ensuring no area is left neglected. Robot vacuums have come a long way in recent years and are more high-tech than ever with greater pick-up power and larger dust canisters.

A great performer for heavily carpeted homes, this robot picked up all large crumbs and particles, and most dust. On test, the D4 did a great job of cleaning large particles, crumbs and pet hair.

It cleans an entire room carefully and thoroughly, manoeuvring around tough spots with ease. The Eufy model cleans quickly and efficiently, picking up pet hair and small and large crumbs with ease.

A handheld vacuum cleaner is ideal for cleaning quick spills as well as tight and awkward spaces such as car interiors and staircases. As a general rule, look for at least 20 minutes of battery life this will give you ample time to get around a car and a dust capacity of at least 0.

It may feel light at first, but it can feel heavy and tiresome after a short while. The weight should be around The included tools can also vary.

Some, such as a crevice tool and a pet tool, may be essential for your cleaning. This Dyson ticks all our boxes, boasting two power modes, a comprehensive selection of tools including a mini motorised tool for getting out ground-in dirt, a washable filter and a dust canister that empties easily without creating any mess. It feels sturdy and impresses on all floor types. A small but mighty handheld vacuum, this comes with two batteries, doubling the running time available.

They also recharge in a speedy two and a half hours. Emptying the small dust canister is simple and the lightweight vacuum manoeuvres easily around tight spaces. It scored top marks picking up dirt from hard floors. Its removable battery makes charging unobtrusive but this vacuum is on the heavy side, and the dust container is tricky to remove and refit.

Some of the best vacuum cleaners are able to sense the floor type and adjust their power accordingly. This saves on energy usage and means the vacuum will automatically use the optimum power. Some will last less than 10 minutes on full power, meaning you need to rush to finish in time or wait for it to recharge. Look for at least 30 minutes of advertised battery life in a stick vacuum, and 20 minutes in a handheld. Vacuum capacities are measured in litres, whether bagged or bagless.

For cordless models, which are slightly smaller, a minimum of half a litre is best. Lastly for handhelds, 0. Headlights Some stick vacuums also feature headlights on the floor head, so you have a better visual under furniture and in dark spaces.

Smart technology Connect your vacuum to your phone to monitor its usage, battery life and even surprising statistics like how many calories you burn in use. The Dyson V11 is particularly impressive because it counts down your remaining battery time in minutes and seconds.

Long hair tends to wrap around the brush in the floor head and needs to be cut free. However, some models now feature a small slit along the bar that you can run a pair of scissors through. Be wary of the weight of your vacuum; pushing anything over 3kg can feel heavy after prolonged use.

If you struggle with this, go for a cordless design where the weight is centred around the floor head rather than the handle, which makes it easier on the arms. Variable suction This is useful if you need more power for deep pile carpets. This makes it harder running it over long-pile carpet. A rotating brush is also brilliant for collecting hairs and residue from carpets. Some vacuums contain bags that collect all of the dust and debris.

Once full, they need to be replaced, and many vacuums have an indicator to tell you when the bag is full. Filter by. Filter by Price. No 6 Yes 1. Pet Friendly. Yes 2. Sensitive Choice Approved.

Yes 1. Bissell 3 Hoover 2 Sauber 1 Vorwerk Kobold 1. Home Size. Floor Type. Compare Products. The one for hardwood floors disables the brush and easily sucked up the Cheerios and desiccated blueberries that are constantly on our kitchen floor. We used this setting most of the time, actually, rolling from the wood floors directly onto the short-fiber, densely woven rug under the couch.

Our daughter even pitched in. She loved pushing the Evolve around the living room. Considering she has us cover her ears for the two minutes before a subway train arrives, that should give you an idea of how quiet the vac is in hybrid mode. It sounds a little like the whir of a remote-control car.

The carpet setting, however, felt like starting up a jet engine, both in terms of suction power and volume. It was almost too strong for our living-room rug, actually picking it up off the ground, which made pushing the vacuum a chore. It did do much better on the softer, longer-fiber rug in our bedroom, however. You get two batteries and a charger with it, and Hoover says that after three to four hours of charging, each battery should last for 35 minutes.

The one-liter canister holds twice as much as our V6. For us, the Evolve is the perfect closet stash. If the WindTunnel is any one thing, it is powerful. I have three rugs one thin, one medium-pile, one high-pile in my apartment, plus hardwood and tile floors, and this vacuum picked up nearly all the debris from all of the surfaces on the first pass.

It has seven settings — one for hard floors and six for carpets of various heights — which ensured all of my rugs got a thorough cleaning. The rugs are only two months old, but after vacuuming just two of them, the dirt canister was very full, proving just how well the WindTunnel had gotten all the dust, dirt, and hair strands my roommate and I shed more than her dog does out of them. I was thoroughly impressed, if not a little disgusted, at how much dirt the vacuum picked up the first time I used it.

The dirt canister pops right out and empties through a flap at the bottom, which you control by a button. The filter needs to be cleaned at least every two months, but all that entails is running it under cold water.

The base is too big to fit under most of my furniture or in the corners, so I had to move all my furniture a few inches this way, then that way to get a good clean, and I had to swap in the crevice tool to reach all the corners. At least my floors were exceptionally clean. Considering that the cheapest Elevate is intended only for vacuuming carpets — and that every upgraded model builds upon this basic function — I went into my testing with a hunch that carpeting is where the vacuum might shine.

I started in my tiled bathroom using the hard-floor mode and the vacuum performed fine. It sucked up larger bits of cat litter and dust balls the first time, but I did have to go over spots covered in finer particles once or twice more. This could be because tile is an uneven surface — when I moved into my hardwood kitchen, it seemed to suck up smaller particles the first time around.

The rugs, however, were a different story. One reason for this, I should note, is almost certainly because most of my rugs do not have grippy mats beneath them, which is something I cannot fault the Elevate Command for.

When I used it on the one rug I do have a mat beneath, which is higher-pile like many carpets, this gobbling was less of a problem and the vacuum managed to suck up even the smallest bits of cat litter.

Ease of use, though, is where the Elevate Command really shines. Its simple design makes the vacuum very easy to use because it really is just an upright vacuum — there are no hoses to get crevices in furniture or different heads to attach for spot-cleaning treatments.

This lightness makes it less exhausting to move around from the get-go, making the whole experience seem, well, less like a chore. Even when vacuuming in daylight, some nooks and crannies are always dark — and the lights actually did help me notice some dust and debris I might otherwise have not.

One flaw is that the vacuum seems to lack a noticeable way to corral its foot cord that protrudes from the top handle. There are little clips along its body that can hold the cord closer to the vacuum, but no dedicated system of hooks or anything to wind the cord around like most vacuums have. Right out of the box, I was impressed with how easily the Shark Navigator Lift-Away was to put together. Within two minutes, I had it up and running.

Once I got going Hoovering the floors, I found that the swivel-steering mechanism is a huge perk: It glides smoothly and makes it super-easy to pivot around corners. This also makes cleaning stairs and other nooks and crannies a breeze. I did, however, wish the cord were a bit longer. I ended up having to keep plugging it into different outlets to reach different parts of the rooms. The Shark has two modes: One setting is for hardwood and the other, more powerful setting is for carpet.

I found that it was very versatile and did a good job suctioning up dust and hair on both surfaces, but was particularly impressed by how well it deep-cleaned carpets. The vacuum is also quite easy to clean.