If you’ve finally decided to throw out your old vacuum cleaner and buy a shiny new one, then you should first read this guide. As you’ll soon discover, there’s a lot more to a vacuum cleaner than you may think.
This article is going to cover the essential features of all the vacuum cleaners types you can find on the market today. You also will learn the factors to consider before buying a reliable vacuum for you. So, read on…
Upright versus Canister
Both of these have their place, but for me, the upright vacuum cleaner is the one to go with. Due to their smaller size, upright vac can be stored easily and without taking up much space. If you have room with mostly carpet, you should go with an upright vacuum cleaner. You won’t waste time putting it together and there’s nothing to drag around the house.
I would only consider buying a canister cleaner if it was going to be used in an apartment with mainly hardwood floors. You know how frustrating it is when the canister gets stuck behind a leg of a chair or a table, right? With an upright vac, it’s plug-and-go. The website WiredShopper has reviewed that in an excellent way you can read.
Bagless Vacuum or a Traditional One
The truth is they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Bagged vacuum cleaners are sometime cheaper than their bagless counterparts, but you have to consider the price of the bags and filters in the long run, since you’re going to have to buy them. They often come with filters in addition to bags, and these filters can be costly.
Bagless vacuum cleaners work great in the beginning but their filters are harder to clean as time goes by. In the long run, however, these can prove to be a great money saver because but you need to empty or clean the dust bin of bagless machine so it’s little troublesome.
Residential or Commercial
A great majority of people reading this article won’t need the power of the commercial vacuum cleaner. Having said that, the commercial units are far more durable and can withstand a lot more abuse than your average vacuuming unit. This is mainly because they are built from quality, tough materials. Usually, their components are built out of quality metal alloys or sturdy plastic materials.
On the other hand, these units are much more expensive and a lot heavier than the average home vacuum cleaners. The commercial units are built to last a number of years with heavy use, and I mean heavy; 30-40 hours a week for four to five years. Choosing the best best vacuum cleaner based on your needs is always the right thing to do. Don’t buy something heavy if it’s not needed, since heavy duty ones will be much more expensive.
Automatic versus Manual
The advance of technology made it possible to create vacuums that operate on their own. There are those which must be activated and turned off by a human, and there are those that are full on automatic. There are several issues with these types of units and I’m going to address them all.
Due to their small dirt containers, they need to be cleaned often, sometimes even daily, if your floors see a lot of traffic. There is also the question of suction power. These are small units and they are just not powerful as Dyson is, for example.
Battery life, at this point in time, is not that good. Some future models will surely have a more sophisticated battery system in place, but today’s products simply don’t cut it. These vacuums are superficial, as well. They only vacuum the dirt on the surface and are unable to pick up larger particles. And lastly, the cost of these units is over the top at this moment.
I’m sure that in years to come, the technology is going to make it possible for us to leave all of our vacuuming to our little robotic friends but it won’t be any time soon.
Also read: Considerations to make when buying a vacuum cleaner.
Suction Power
Suction is the most important function of a vacuum cleaner. Forget about all the gizmos and gadgets for a second; the measure of a good vacuum cleaner is the power of its suction. You can check the suction power of a vacuum cleaner by checking the specs of its motor. The more powerful the motor the more suction your vacuum will have. Okay, that’s a little bit oversimplified.
You should also check whether your pipeline has leaks. If it does, the suction power will diminish. Bear in mind that a vacuum with a lot of suction power is not that great a choice if you have a lot of carpets in your home. Powerful vacuums are capable of picking up your carpet and make it difficult for you to slide the vacuum over it.
Types of Filters
It would be wise of you to get a HEPA filter equipped vacuum cleaner. These are very useful since they trap all of the particles that would otherwise get spit out into the air by your unit. There are permanent HEPA filters and HEPA filters that need to be replaced periodically. The one in Dyson has to be washed only.
The Clogging Factor
Clogging is something that happens with all vacuum cleaners. It is the ability to remove the clog easily that counts. Most of the products on the market these days are designed in such a way that makes it easy for you to take apart the problematic part and unclog it.
Bells and Whistles
I’m not talking about the usual package here and the standard equipment your product comes with. What I’m talking about are some of the attachments that will come in handy and are usually not included with your standard vac.
One of those accessories is a power brush. They can be powered electrically or via suction. Electrical option is better (although a bit costlier). However, if the former is the one you opted for, then its power will greatly depend on the suction capabilities of your vacuum; the stronger the suction, the more power to your power brush and vice versa.
Power brushes are great for pet hair and it’ll pick it up easily. Another great attachment is the hard floors tool. Usually, there’s one that is used for just hard floors and another that can be used on carpets cleaning, as well.
The Decibel Factor
Unfortunately, there’s no way you can expect your vacuum to be silent. There are, however, loud and less loud products on the market. Quality of the motor plays a huge role here, and so does the amount of moving parts. So, if you want a quiet vacuum cleaner, shoot for the one with a quality motor and a few moving parts. It is as simple as this. Sturdy construction and quality plastics go a long way here, too.
Warranty for the Piece of Mind
Based on my experience, low quality product starts to disintegrate in about a year or so. If the product is still intact by the time it is a year and a half old, it stands a good chance of lasting for a couple of years more. So, you should shoot for a warranty of two years or more. Usually the quality vacuum models like Miele and Dyson tend to offer longer warranty.
Cost –The Final Obstacle
Most of you are concerned with the price-tag, and rightfully so! Here, on my site, I’ve reviewed the best vacuum in the market has to offer. I made sure that the products I’ve reviewed here are top of the notch and affordable.
My findings about these particular vacuum cleaners are not just my own but of countless other happy customers. So whether you’re on budget or you just want the best vacuum cleaner the market has to offer, check out online reviews; you maybe surprised by the information that you get.
