No vacuum excels at all types of cleaning— your home’s layout and even décor dictate the type you might need. That will become clear as you get ready for a thorough spring cleaning. Do you have lots of carpet or just bare floors? And it will be especially apparent if you have pets that are leaving little reminders of their winter coats everywhere you look.They’re a vacuum’s toughest job and rank highest on many people’s priority lists. Dirt tends to collect and hide in the carpet, and our feet can grind it in. The better bagged uprights, with beefy motors and wide brush rolls, clean the most deeply. But you want them to be maneuverable as well. In our tests, no bagged vacuum that was superb at deep-cleaning carpets was especially easy to handle, but five of the top bagged-upright models we recommend weigh less than 20 pounds. One of the lower-cost picks in our Ratings worth a look: the $150 Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Pet UH30310. It gets superb marks for pet-hair pickup and has a manual adjustment for carpet height.

At 17 pounds, it’s also light enough to maneuver easily. If you have few carpets and lots of tile, bare wood, or vinyl flooring, you can get a bagless upright—say, the $260 Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away NV501—and enjoy easy handling in a lighter-weight vacuum. Other full-sized vacuums might do almost as well for carpets while excelling at bare floors, a relatively easy task. A heavy vacuum can be a true liability if you have stairs. The better canisters, led by the bagged Miele S 8590 Marin, $1,000, are heavier than most uprights—but you’re mostly moving just the hose and power head, not the entire machine. In addition to our vacuum cleaner Ratings, our brand-repair history lists the percentage of upright and canister vacuums that failed or had a problem that was unresolved. Sometimes you need just a light cleaning before guests show up. For that, see our recommended handheld and stick vacuums. None of them can handle carpet deep cleaning, but they do a decent job.

Which vacuum for which task On average, these are the lowest-cost way to deep-clean carpets. laptop cooling fan kmartBagged models in particular can deep-clean carpets and rugs, and all offer a wide cleaning swath.top rated vacuum cleaners 2012 consumer reports Pulling, pushing, and carrying them can be hard, especially on stairs.air duct cleaning cost st louis For maximum airflow with both full-sized types, replace the bag or empty the bin before it’s completely filled.best cleaner for teak furniture They’re superior for cleaning curtains, upholstery, and spots beneath furniture. air conditioner duct cleaning miami

Canisters are also easier on stairs because you move just the hose and powerhead.replace fan in dell laptop The top canisters are pricier than comparable uprights. When retracting the cord, routinely letting it snap can weaken the plug. Slow down the motion during the last few feet. Quickly picking up dry surface litter anytime you don’t want to or cannot bend. Most don’t pick up as well as hand vacuums, their dirt bin is usually small, and most are noisy. Frequently clean or replace filters, and clean out dirt cup to prevent bacterial growth when using both hand and stick vacs. Light, quick surface cleaning on carpets and bare floors, especially in tight spots that you can’t reach with a stick vac. Some can handle pet hair on upholstery. Like stick vacuums, they don’t have much power compared with a full-sized vacuum. With cordless hand and stick vacs, charge the battery according to the owner’s manual for maximum product life.

Top-rated: Kenmore Elite 31150, $350 CR Best Buy: Kenmore 31140, $200 Top-rated: Miele S 8590 Marin, $1,000 CR Best Buy: Panasonic MC-CG937, $330 Top-rated: Dyson DC59 Animal, $500 Top-rated: Shark Pet Perfect II SV780, $60 —Ed Perratore (@EdPerratore on Twitter) Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the February 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine. View and compare all Vacuum Cleaners ratings.The worst place to vacuum in a home is easily the stairs. A staircase can come in all different shapes and sizes, making it virtually impossible for many vacuum cleaners to remove dirt and debris. The best case scenario is to use a hose and attachment while holding the vacuum in place with many models. Thankfully there are vacuums that are perfect for the stairs thanks to some innovative minds in this industry. Are you ready to discover the best vacuum for stairs?To get started, you’ll want to compare some features and advantages from each of these top options.

The chart below helps to make this task as simple a process as possible. Having a vacuum for stairs that has been specifically designed for the space is the best option. This usually means having a handheld vacuum cleaner with you as you sit on the steps and clean each individual stair. There are corded and cordless options in the handheld option for stair vacuuming, while virtually all models are bagless.Some vacuum cleaners are designed with longer hoses that make it easier to clean the stairs using attachments. This may be an upright vacuum or a canister vacuum. With this option, it is important to make sure that vacuuming the stairs begins at the bottom of the staircase instead of the top of it. Otherwise there is the possibility of having the vacuum cleaner tip over and fall down the stairs.Then it is easier to start from the edges and corners of each stair while working toward the edge. Most of the debris collects along the edge, wall, or joint of the stairs. You may need a crevice tool to loosen some of the dust or debris if it has been awhile since the last vacuuming of the stairs.

Then work back and forth to free up the ground in dirt.Each style of vacuum for the stairs has its own advantages and disadvantages that must be considered before purchase. Here is a brief look at what each type of vacuum brings into the home.The type of stairs that you have will usually dictate what the best option out of these will be for the best stairs vacuum. Smaller stairs typically benefit from handheld or stick models. Short staircases can usually be covered by an upright or canister vacuum. Consider your stairs, then consider your vacuum cleaner, and you’ll find the best vacuum for stairs today.To find the best possible vacuum, you’re going to need information. After narrowing down your selection to a specific type of vacuum cleaner, you’ll want to determine which ones are the best of the best on the market today. Our comprehensive reviews are a great way to discover that information.Instead of reporting opinions and putting in a hard sell like so many internet reviewers try to do, we give you the straight facts.

Far too many websites are trying to make a quick buck off of people and don’t care what happens beyond the moment they get paid. We like to take a different approach.You came in search for information. We provide the information as we observed it. The outcome is a unique structure of reviews that highlights the advantages of each product, its disadvantages, and an overview of how the vacuum cleaner was created.When looking on a website like Amazon, there is a wide range of price points that are available to consumers today. Some handheld models are priced below $40 right now. Others are priced in the $300+ range. It all depends on the capabilities of the vacuum cleaner, how much extra work you may want the equipment to perform, and how long you want the vacuum cleaner to last.For homes that are looking for a tool to clean the stairs alone, a pretty solid vacuum cleaner can be found today for $100 or less. If the need is part of a whole home solution, there are several good options that can be found for $200 or less.

This affordable little vacuum cleaner has a lot more power than its first impressions might communicate. It offers a 20 foot power cord and will fit into the tight spaces that most other vacuums aren’t able to reach. The motor driven brushroll spins at high speeds for remarkably fast cleaning so any size mess gets taken care of quickly. The filters can be rinsed off and reused while the canister is easy to remove and clean as well. It’s a great vacuum at a great price.Click here to look at the price on Amazon and find a great deal. The ergonomics of this little handheld vacuum are what make it stand out. A curved carrying handle gives users more direct control over the stairs being cleaned. The rubber contour nozzle also helps to pull out extra levels of pet hair that other smaller vacuums just can’t do. It has a 2 foot hose and comes with attachments to reach those toughest of tough spots. The debris canister is a little small compared to some other vacuums, but overall, this is a pretty great option for the stairs.

This canister vacuum is small enough and light enough that it can be taken with you up the stairs. It weighs just 5 pounds, but delivers the classic Oreck experience that has made this brand so attractive to homeowners and businesses alike for decades. A 5 foot hose makes standing up to clean the stairs possible and the included want has a telescoping reach. Use it for your upholstery, for dusting, and even for your hard floors when necessary for a great cleaning experience.There are three stages of allergy containing awesomeness with this vacuum cleaner. If you sneeze in the Spring and the eyes water in the Fall, then this is the portable vacuum cleaner for you. The 3 stages of filtration not only help to lock up allergens, dirt, debris, and pet hair, but they keep the suction levels for the vacuum cleaner remarkably consistent. It provides a consistent performance, has a compact profile, and arguably provides the best value per dollar in the industry today. If you’re considering a portable vacuum cleaner, this one has to be at or near the top of the models you take under consideration today.