Upright Vacuums
There is no sound quite like the roar of an upright vacuum.  It boldly announces to the world that you intend to have clean carpets, no matter how many times you get caught in the cord or fight with the self-propulsion.
Upright vacuums are probably the most popular type of vacuum cleaner on the market. They are less expensive as a group than canister vacuums, although individual models can cost a few hundred dollars. Uprights have canisters beat on carpet, although it's a draw on hard floors.
In addition to bagging vs. bagless, you might also want to consider a lightweight system, especially if your ability to lift or push is limited.
Bag or Bagless?- Bagging Vacuums
- Pros
- Cleanup is easy; just remove the bag and put a new one in.
- Good for people with allergies who might be sensitive to vacuum dust.
- Cons
- You have to keep buying bags; all the money and extra waste start to add up.
- Unless you have a "bag full" light, it can be hard to tell when the bag is full (except that the vacuum won't work as well).
- Bagless Vacuums
- Pros
- Easy to see when it's full -- usually have a clear canister.
- Less waste, and no need to keep buying bags.
- Cons
- Can be messy to empty. Look for one that empties from the bottom to make it a little easier.
- Dust released during emptying could be bad for people with serious allergies.
Important Features
Look for the following in any vacuum: - The Filter
- HEPA is the way to go if you have bad allergies.
- Unless your allergies are severe, you'll probably be ok with most vacuums; filter technology has improved significantly in the past few years.
- Hard Floor Attachments
- If you plan to use your upright on hard floors, make sure it has a revolving brushroll with an on/off switch.
- Long Cords and Hoses
- The longer the better for both of these.
- Longer cords mean fewer times that you'll have to change outlets to reach another part of the room.
- Longer hoses will make it easier to clean hard-to-reach places, like the tops of cabinets and under furniture.
- ConsumerSearch recommends cords at least thirty feet long and hoses at least seven feet long.
Other Features- Tools and Attachments
- If you have many different surfaces to clean, such as furniture, high places, and drapes, you might want a vacuum with a number of special attachments.
- Standards include crevice and upholstery tools as well as a telescoping tube.
- Location of Hose
- Good Housekeeping suggests looking for a vacuum with the hose attached as low on the body as possible. This will help prevent the vacuum tipping over when you use an attachment.
- Full Bag Indicator
- Takes the guesswork out of changing the bag, if you opt for a bagging model.
- Self Propulsion
- Self-propelled models make pushing and pulling less difficult.
- On the other hand, self-propelled vacuums also tend to be heavier.
- Clean/Dirty Indicator
- This indicates whether the vacuum is still sucking up any dirt, not whether the carpet itself is still dirty or not.
- It sounds good, but it's not really as useful as it claims to be. Don't get suckered into getting a vacuum just because of this feature.
- Manual Pile Height Adjustment
- Sometimes you'll want to set this yourself for best results while cleaning.
Vacuums of the Future
The future is here, in the form of robotic vacuums. But the Roomba and its competitors will have some competition soon -- a hover-vac. (That's right, hover, not Hoover.)
Roomba
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Roomba is a series of robot vacuums from iRobot that cleans your floors while you do whatever else you want to do. The models on the market mainly differ by features and included extras.
Pros - Its slim design can get under furniture without any trouble.
- Lets you do something else while your carpets get vacuumed.
- Many reviewers on Amazon are happy with their Roombas. 180 reviewers gave the basic Roomba Red an average of four stars.
- It's a robot. Don't you want a robot?
Cons - Generally good for light cleaning, but won't deep clean your carpets. In addition, it has some trouble with walls and corners.
- You'll want to keep your trusty upright or canister vac around somewhere.
- Smallish capacity means more frequent emptyings.
- Needs to recharge after three medium-sized rooms, and takes 45 minutes to do one room.
Electrolux also makes a robot vacuum, the Trilobite. Unfortunately, according to Good Housekeeping the Trilobite was too bulky to fit under their sofa and did only a mediocre cleaning job. |
Airider
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The Airider is a hovering vacuum. It is more like a canister vacuum than an upright, but it's included here as well as an alternative.
If you've ever said to yourself, "Darn, this canister vacuum is heavy. I wish it wasn't such a drag to move it!" or perhaps "If only more of my household appliances combined futuristic hover technology with cleaning power," this might be the vacuum for you.
Very little has been written about the Airider yet. Stay tuned for reviews! |
The Airider costs about $300.
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