The one true gift from science to humankind is vacuum cleaners. Don’t laugh; it’s true. Can you even imagine cleaning your rugs or carpets all by yourself? If you still cannot imagine the horror, try living in our apartment without the vacuum cleaner for a week. You will definitely understand what I am talking about. Well, if you are looking for the right vacuum cleaner for your home, then you have reached the right place. Here, in this piece, let’s talk about how to choose the top-rated upright vacuum cleaners.
Types of Vacuum Cleaners
As we are talking about vacuum cleaners for home use, the most prominent ones are the upright and canister vacuum cleaners.
In western countries like the US and UK, people prefer upright vacuum cleaners more than the canister variant. In other parts of Europe and the rest of the world, they choose canister vacuum cleaners for their homes.
Upright vacuum cleaners come with a revolving brush to wipe out dust and debris from floors and carpets. Also, they have a motor that creates vacuum pressure which sucks the dirt inside. On the other hand, canister vacuum cleaners come with two motors: one for the cleaning brush and one for the motor.
These two types of vacuum cleaners are suitable for different jobs.
Upright vacuum cleaners
Upright cleaners are the best fit for cleaning synthetic materials such as nylon, polyester, or olefin. On-body attachment and specific features have made upright vacuum cleaners a versatile one in their cleaning department.
Canister vacuum cleaners
On the other hand, canister vacuum cleaners are more versatile than upright vacuum cleaners. These are also more rugged and suitable for heavy-duty, unlike upright vacuum cleaners. Canisters are best for carpets, heavy rugs, blankets, floor, walls, and office spaces.
Also, these are slightly smaller in size, so you can easily move them compared to upright ones. You can choose whichever you prefer.
Things to Remember While Choosing Vacuum Cleaner for Home
You can measure the quality of a vacuum cleaner by many things. Be it the quality of build; you should check these things before buying one for your home.
- Carpet and Traffic Soil
This is the most crucial thing to consider while buying a vacuum cleaner for your home. Carpet soil comes in your carpet mostly through the shoes or pets. If your house is full of people and kids, the carpets are more likely to get dirty.
Carpet soils are mostly dry soil or debris, and they come with sharp edges. While walking or roaming around the house, these soil particles hide beneath the fibers of the carpets. As most of it is dry, it doesn’t make your carpets dirty. But these particles absorb light and make your carpets look ugly.
Actually, carpets get ugly long before they are worn out. That’s why you need a powerful vacuum cleaner that can wipe out the dirt particles from your rugs, carpets, and doormats.
If you have synthetic fiber carpet (nylon or polyester material) in your home, upright vacuum cleaners are the best choice for you. Choose a vacuum cleaner with heavy and strong bristles that can wipe out the dust from your carpet properly.
Some vacuum cleaners come with two brushes, one for vertical wiping and another for horizontal wiping. So, if you have thick carpet or fuzzy carpet, it would be best if you buy a vacuum cleaner with two brushes.
And if our carpet is made up of cotton or natural materials, such as thick carpets and rugs with fuzz, then you should use a canister vacuum cleaner for better cleaning. If you want a better cleaning and wiping experience, then go for a vacuum cleaner with two brushes and two batteries.
If you live in an area that doesn’t have much traffic and no construction going on nearby, then you can go for a low-budget and less powerful vacuum cleaner.
However, the rule of thumb is to buy the most powerful machine that your rugs and carpets can withstand.
- Carpet Fibre
The vacuum cleaner you are buying shouldn’t destroy your priceless rugs or carpets. So, while buying a vacuum cleaner, it is very important to keep the type of fiber your carpet uses in mind.
Nowadays, most carpets and rugs are made of synthetic materials, such as olefin, polyester, and nylon. Among these, nylon is the most used material in rugs and carpets. Synthetic fibers are very durable, and they don’t come with the problem of fiber spillage.
So, you can use even the most powerful vacuum cleaner on these carpets without any worry. If your rug or drape is made of high-fiber dense cotton, wool, coir, or synthetic materials like viscose and faux leather, you will need a vacuum cleaner with relatively softer suction capability.
Always look for the manufacturer’s recommendation before buying a vacuum cleaner for your home.
- Performance
Now that you must have decided whether you would like to buy an upright vacuum cleaner or a canister vacuum cleaner, the next thing to consider is its performance.
Honestly, going through a vacuum cleaner’s specifications is a tough job. It requires evaluation of its controls, suction range, power consumption, and most importantly, water lift airflow.
Don’t go by the wattage or Amperage ratings, as they only indicate how much electricity they will consume during operation. The one thing you need to check is the power consumption rating. The higher the rating, the less electricity it will consume.
Give the vacuum cleaner a trial run and check whether it can reach the narrow corners or not.
Now comes the most important part. You should check for the airflow rating and the sealed suction (water lift). If you are buying a canister vacuum cleaner, I would recommend you to buy the one with at least 100 CFM or more. It can also be measured through a water lift. In that case, 90 inches is the benchmark.
The other thing to think about is whether the vacuum cleaner has a bypass motor or not. For example, a high-performing upright vacuum cleaner will offer you 60 CFM or more.
- Filtration
This is the most neglected yet one of the most crucial parts of a vacuum cleaner. It is very important to know whether your vacuum cleaner can retain the dirt or dust inside the machine or not.
If it doesn’t, simply, the machine is good for nothing. When you clean a rug, it sucks the dirt from it and releases it on the air, so technically, it is doing nothing.
So, while going to buy a vacuum cleaner for home, you must check whether your vacuum cleaner has the filtration program in it or not. High-power filtration machines release zero dirt or dust on the air, whereas moderate ones filter the toxic elements and release a very low amount of dust in the air.
If you have elderly people or children in your home, or somebody who suffers from respiratory disease, you should go for one with higher filtration capabilities. To do your job easily, always go for the vacuum cleaner with a higher HEPA rating.
- Durability
If you buy a vacuum cleaner machine with all the good features and it stops working after a month, what’s the point of it? So, besides the incredible features and power, you need to check the quality of the machine.
A vacuum cleaner in good condition should remain productive for about 3-4 years. Always check for the quality of the construction of the machine. If it is made of solid steel or high-grade fiber, then you don’t have to worry much.
Ask your seller about the warranty of the machine. Some manufacturers offer different kinds of warranties; in that case, go for an extended motor warranty.
- Ease of use
If your vacuum cleaner is equipped with all the excellent features but isn’t user-friendly, then what’s the use of such a machine.
A good quality vacuum cleaner should contain great features and also should be easy to use. All the features should be easily accessed. Also, you need to keep the cleaning procedure in mind. It should be easily detachable so that you can clean it without any hustle.
- Noise
Your vacuum cleaner shouldn’t wake up the neighbors; it’s the job of an alarm clock. While buying a vacuum cleaner machine for your home, check if it can keep its voice down so that your family can sleep at peace. Go for one with a sound emission level of 60-70 dB.
Conclusion
I know, choosing a vacuum cleaner for your home is like finding the right dress from a sale. It is hard. However, I hope this detailed buyer’s guide will help you choose the right one for your home.
So, what are you waiting for? Bring the right one in and show off the ‘Monica’ in you!
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