Skip to main content The Healthiest Vacuum Cleaners for Your Home The right vacuum can do wonders for your allergies, asthma or COPD. The wrong one can wreak havoc. We tested HEPA-filtration models to come up with the best for your every need.With the spring comes tough times for anyone who suffers from allergies. Vacuuming is one of the best ways to clear the air in your home, right up there with banning smoking indoors, minimizing use of candles and wood fires, and using exhaust fans in kitchen, bath, and laundry areas. But if your vacuum is spewing out much of the dust and debris it collects, you could be doing more harm than good by stirring up the dust that has settled on surfaces. Here are several vacuums from Consumer Reports' vacuum Ratings, both bagged and bagless, that minimize emissions while cleaning up—and at reasonable prices: Eureka Boss Smart Vac 4870 Moderately priced at $160, this bagged upright is a smart pick if you have carpets and pets, though other models had better airflow for attachments.

In addition to top-notch carpet and bare-floor cleaning, pluses include manual carpet pile-height adjustment, which is more precise than automatic systems at matching the brush to the surface, and a brush on/off switch to safeguard bare floors and prevent scattered dust and debris. One feature you don’t get: suction control to help protect drapes when using tools. Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Rewind Bagless UH70120dryer vent cleaning standards Impressive cleaning and superb pet-hair pickup helped put this $130 bagless upright on our winner's list. laptop fan cleaning brushThe Hoover delivered lots of suction for tools and includes manual carpet pile-height adjustment and a retractable cord. commercial duct cleaning methods

Another plus: This relatively light machine weighs just 18 pounds. Two things this value-priced model doesn't include are suction control and a brush on/off switch. Consider this $230 bagged canister if you want capable cleaning and airflow for tools at a moderate price—and don't have a dog or cat. Strengths include impressive carpet and bare-floor cleaning, along with strong suction for tools. best method for cleaning engineered wood floorsAnd even though this machine is heavy at 23 pounds, we found handling to be relatively easy. You get manual carpet pile-height adjustment, suction control, a brush on/off switch, and the retractable cord found on many canisters. But pet-hair pickup was only so-so. Impressive cleaning, lots of airflow for tools, and fairly quiet running helped make this bagless canister a top pick. The $350 Kenmore, priced in the ballpark of most bagless canisters, is also a great choice for picking up after cats or dogs.

Key features include manual carpet pile-height adjustment, suction control, a brush on/off switch, and a retractable cord. But handling this vacuum's 23 pounds takes some muscle. Shark Pet Perfect II SV780 We don’t test hand and stick vacuums as comprehensively as full-size vacuums, since they’re primarily for spills and other quick tasks. But impressive surface cleaning on carpets, with even better performance with bare floors and edges, are chief strengths of this 18-volt hand vacuum from Shark. The $60 battery-powered model is also adept at picking up pet hair. In fact, it’s the only recommended hand vacuum that keeps its emissions low. Helpful features include a replaceable battery, a fairly spacious dust bin, and an electric rotating brush that adapts for vertical surfaces. The vacuum can also stand on its wall-mountable charging base for easy placement on a counter. Need a new vacuum? Our vacuum cleaner Ratings of upright, canister, hand, and stick vacuums currently has more than 140 models, and we’re prepping results of new robotic vacs as well.

(Alongside our performance Ratings are survey-based brand-reliability Ratings.) Be sure to see our buying guide for vacuums before you narrow down your choices. —Ed Perratore (@EdPerratore on Twitter)Hoover Vacuum Cleaner T-Series WindTunnel Pet Rewind Bagless Corded Upright Vacuum UH70210 "Owners of long haired pets, your search is over." - By (TX) I got this vacuum a few weeks ago, I had an old Bissel that went out on me after about 5 years or so. I recently got an Alaskan Klee Kai. He is the cutest dog ever, but dear lord the hair is ridiculous. The Bissel would take 10 minutes to clean this 6 foot rug caked in his hair. I decided to get something that specializes in pet hair, I just couldn't deal with it all over the place anymore. I took it out of the box the first time and thought how nice it looked and went right to the rug. Less than a minute and it was spotless (hairless). I ran it over the rest of my carpet and was pretty grossed out by all of the dust, dirt and hair that it picked up that my Bissel had been leaving behind all these years.

I took off the canister with a press of a button, held it over the trash can and with a push of a lever everything fell out, I didn't get anything on my hands.. Buying a new vacuum cleaner might seem like a matter of scrolling through the Argos website and purchasing the first one you see, but doing your research is important. Vacuums these days comes in all shapes and sizes, all of them packed with a variety of features so you can figure out which will best suit your needs. But scouring the internet trying to wrap your head around industry jargon for 'sucks up dust' written a thousand different ways can be tiring and time consuming, that's why we've done the hard work for you. Below is everything you need to know about shopping for a new vacuum and eight top-of-the-line cleaners that are guaranteed to get the job done. Upright vacuums are often the most popular choice as they're easy to use and control, store away, and are pretty effective when it comes to cleaning carpeted areas in the home thanks to the brush bar that removes dirt in hard to reach places.

Cylinder vacuums tend to look like the more traditional version of a vacuum cleaner and are typically cheaper than their upright counterparts. They're also lighter and take up less space. Cylinder vacuums are particularly useful for cleaning stairs, upholstery, and small spaces. Outside of upright and cylinder vacuums, you also have to pay some consideration as to whether you want a vacuum with a dust-bag inside, or a bagless one. Both have their pros and cons so think carefully about which would be best for you. These models have a dust-bag inside the main compartment of the vacuum to store the dust, dirt, hair, and everything else you might pick up as you clean. These can either be emptied and put back in place or disposed entirely and replaced with another bag. Hygienic - all the dust and dirt is stored inside an airtight bag (particularly helpful for those who suffer from asthma or have allergies) Easy disposal - you won't have to worry about the dust spilling everywhere and ruining your freshly vacuumed carpet when you open the bag to dispose of the contents

Costly - if you have the type of vacuum that requires you to insert a new dust-bag when the previous one is full, over time this could prove fairly expensive Poor performance - as the bag fills up you will notice a decrease in suction performance - this could be rectified by changing the bag before it fills up entirely, but this, again, could prove costly Vacuum cleaners without a bag tend to operate either by having a filter within the dust canister to trap any dirt, dust and hair, or by using "cyclonic action" to separate the dust from the air and trap it inside the canister. Cheap - you won't have to spend any money on purchasing replacement dust-bags, so bagless vacuum cleaners will always be cheaper in this respect Visibility - bagless vacuum cleaners tend to have a clear canister exterior so you can see exactly what you're picking up which could be particularly handy for making sure you don't accidentally suck up valuable small objects Easy to maintain - thanks to the visibility you'll be able to easily see when the canister is full and in need of emptying

Costly - if you somehow break or damage the filter it can be expensive to fix or get replaced Messy - when cleaning out the canister there is nothing to protect you from the dust which could be detrimental to those suffering from asthma or with other allergies, and, if dropped, could result you in spilling the contents and creating more mess for yourself Dyson V6 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, £189.99 This cordless vacuum from Dyson is worth the relatively steep price tag. Boasting double the suction power of any other cordless vacuum currently on the market, it also comes with a detachable dustbuster (with its own mini motorised tool) and a hygienic and easy emptying system - activated by simply pushing one button. Lightweight, easy to manoeuvre, and with a running time of up to twenty minutes. Numatic Henry Eco HVR200 Vacuum Cleaner, £99.87 Henry's face is found in homes all across the country, and for good reason too. Not only is this Henry model eco-friendly, helping you save on energy costs, it also comes packed with helpful features such as the TriFlex Filtration System (improving  filtration, cleanliness and capacity), a high efficiency motor, and a rewindable cable.

It's also light and compact, making it easy to store without taking up too much space. Shark Light Lift-Away, £229 Though it looks like a traditional vacuum cleaner best used for cleaning wide open spaces, this model from Shark can convert into a hand-held pod at the touch of a button to help you clean difficult to reach areas such as stairs, furniture, or tight corners. The LED lights make it easy for you to spot hidden dust underneath furniture while the ergnomically designed handle ensures complete control of the machine. The Gtech AirRam promises to revolutionise the vacuuming process. The unique design takes everything you hate about vacuuming - long cables that trip you up, weight, the dust cloud that threatens to choke you when you try to empty it - and makes it disappear. It has a four-hour charge and a 40-minute run time and matches the performance of mains upright vacuum cleaners. Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal, £499.99 The lack of filter or bags to replace make this Dyson model the ultimate vacuum for hassle-free cleaning.

The 'Cinetic Big Ball' captures microscopic dust and allows the machine to move about effortlessly, so it's easier to clean around furniture or tricky corners. A particularly wise buy for those suffering from allergies or asthma, the machine is engineered to be completely sealed, so no dirty air can escape. Miele Compact C2 Cat And Dog PowerLine C2CCD Bagged Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner with Pet Hair Removal, £209.95 This vacuum for Miele is the perfect model for pet owners. The high intensity motor combined with the turbo brush make it easy for you to get rid of stubborn clumps of pet hair, while the ActiveClean filter works to capture odours to keep your home smelling fresh. It also comes with an extra long handle, giving you the ability to hit hard-to-reach areas in your home. Morphy Richards Supervac 2-in-1 Cordless Upright Vacuum Cleaner, £79.99 Ideal for everyday cleaning around the home, use this model from Morphy Richards as either an upright or handheld vacuum.