“Along with changing sheets, vacuuming is my least favourite household task”, says Aggie MacKenzie, standing on a piece of carpet which has been befouled with sawdust and pet hair. “Lugging it up the stairs, changing the sockets, tripping over the flex: it’s annoying. I don’t even bother vacuuming stairs, I use a dustpan and brush.” It is comforting to hear this confession from the UK’s most recognisable cleaning authority, who for six years fronted the exuberant Channel 4 show How Clean Is Your House?, with Kim Woodburn. MacKenzie, a journalist, is rigorous in her investigation of the five, top-of-the-range vacuums arranged around her. Suction power is important but MacKenzie has other considerations. “It’s no good hauling a huge thing around,” she says, prizing instead the sleek, the nimble and the user-friendly. A vacuum should also look “at least a bit appealing, because it’s not an appealing job. You’ve got to be able to open the cupboard without hating the sight of it.”

She concludes: “You need to feel at one with your vacuum.” This is very hard to push, and that’s maybe because you are actually turning the brushes manually as you go. In that respect it’s like the old Bissell carpet sweepers, although even those were less stiff to use. best dryer vent cleaning kitAnd we certainly don’t want to go back to those days. laptop fan noise cleanIt also looks like a prototype, like it’s not sure what it is, so it’s hard to have confidence in it.samsung vacuum cleaner price india It’s hugely expensive considering it’s got such a small dust compartment, and I think the user will get fed up.furnace duct cleaning michigan

Suction 62g Noise level 82db I’ve never had a cordless vacuum cleaner before, but I think they’re the future. This isn’t a bad little number. It’s flimsier than the others but it’s simpler, and it’s the only one that doesn’t leave any kind of mark on the carpet. evaporator coil cleaning without removingThe battery only has a finite life, 25 minutes or something, which would spur you to be more efficient. dryer vent cleaning extensionYou’d just whip it round and get it done rather than lingering over it. The canister is nice and big, it’s light – why would you want a corded vacuum if you could choose not to? It’s a huge step forward. Suction 36g Noise level 82db This is the only non-bagless, and I suppose that makes it more expensive long-term, but if you’re somebody with very bad allergies it’s probably better to have a bag.

Emptying a bagless vacuum is a messy business, and what if you don’t want to see all the stuff you’ve vacuumed up?. This is a pleasure to use; it’s so effortless it almost leads you around the room. It may not have such strong suction as the Dyson, but I like it. I use a bagged cleaner at home and there’s something quite satisfying about throwing the bag away, when it’s all full and taut. Suction 59g Noise level 78dIt’s a blinking elephant! You wouldn’t need to go to the gym with this thing. What amuses me about Dyson is, whenever they bring out a new one, which is quite often, they say: “This one is the best Dyson ever.” It makes you think: “I bought the previous Dyson – now I’ve got an inferior model, have I?” This one’s big and scary and unnecessarily over-designed. The ball might seem like a clever idea, but it scores deep lines in the carpet. It really is an ugly bugger: very loud, very heavy. You wouldn’t thank anyone for it. Suction 102g Noise level 80db

These are supposed to be the most popular vacuum in Spain, and you can see the benefits: if you’ve got a dishwasher and washing machine, why do your own vacuuming? You set it to wake up and it’ll trundle out of its docking station, clean the floor and go back to charge. It’s only worthwhile in certain homes – no clutter, lots of floor. It can’t handle stairs, and even though it’s quiet, it goes on for hours, so it’s best when you’re out of the house. You also have to empty the canister fairly often, but for big, unencumbered floors, it would be perfect. Suction 41g Noise level 65db The suction trial was conducted on a 3m² carpet embedded with 200g of fine MDF sawdust. The results represent the weight of the vacuums’ contents after 30 seconds of hoovering. The Roomba, which moves slower than a human-operated vacuum, was given three minutes of roaming. Noise levels were measured in decibels from a 50cm distance. Carpet supplied by Islington Flooring Company, pet hair by Love Your Pets, sawdust by London Cabinet Makers.

What are the best vacuum cleaners for your home? Consumer Reports is your resource for researching best vacuum cleaners. We provide unbiased buying advice and independent, expert reviews you can trust. We’ve lab-tested more than 100 models, including canisters, uprights, small vacuums, and robotic vacuums. Before you go out to shop for a vacuum cleaner, read our reviews to narrow down the optimal vacuum cleaners for your needs. See more on best vacuum cleaners. Our expert lab technicians evaluated and scored various models for their performance on each of the following measures: Carpet: How much embedded talc and sand the machine lifted from a medium-pile carpet. Bare floors: How well a the model picked up sand without dispersing it on bare floors. Tool airflow: Strength of airflow through the hose. Noise: Measured in decibels. Emissions: Quantity of wood-flour particles that a vacuum released when, 1) only the motor was turned on, and 2) while vacuuming.