Best Overall
Bissell CleanView Rewind Upright Vacuum
- Effectiveness4/5
- Maneuverability4/5
- Ease of Emptying4.8/5
- Portability4.5/5
- Noise Level5/5
- It’s an excellent value with features like cord rewind and a large dustbin.
It’s an excellent value with features like cord rewind and a large dustbin.
- It tends to spit out dirt and debris when lifted.
It tends to spit out dirt and debris when lifted.
The Bissell CleanView Rewind Upright Vacuum is the best vacuum for carpets overall because it combines impressive features with a low price. Whether on high-pile carpets or hardwood floors, the vacuum was able to pick up most of the debris in one pass.
While it picked up all of the debris on flat carpeted areas in under a minute, it tended to spit out dirt if lifted or maneuvered around stairs. To avoid this, we suggest using the vacuum’s 10-foot crevice tool, which is designed to clean overlooked areas like stairs and corners.
Features we loved include cord rewind, which sucks the cord back in with the press of a button, and the large removable dustbin for less mess. It also wasn’t too noisy—we were able to have a conversation while vacuuming, and the sound couldn’t be heard on other floors.
Although this vacuum was a beast on carpets and tile floors, it had a hard time with hardwood, especially when it came to picking up hair. Hair tended to get tangled on the brush, causing us to spend a lot of time pulling it out by hand. It’s probably best for mostly carpeted homes.
How it Performed After Six Months
We replaced our old vacuum with the Bissell, using it for everything from quick touch-ups to deeper cleans. It did a much better job than our previous model at picking up debris and was able to get everything in one pass regardless of floor type. Overall, the vacuum does a very good job at a reasonable price, without a ton of bells and whistles.
Product Details: Vacuum Type: Upright | Weight: 13.5 pounds | Battery Life: N/A | Accessories Included: Crevice tool, dusting brush
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best Handheld
Black+Decker Dustbuster Furbuster Handheld Vacuum
- Effectiveness4/5
- Maneuverability4/5
- Ease of Emptying4/5
- Portability5/5
- Noise Level5/5
- The accessories attach right to the vacuum for easy access and added portability.
The accessories attach right to the vacuum for easy access and added portability.
- It may take multiple passes for larger debris.
It may take multiple passes for larger debris.
If you have a cat or dog, dealing with pet hair typically comes with the territory. The Black + Decker Furbuster Handheld Vacuum makes it easy to rid carpets and upholstery of pet hair because it is lightweight and portable, so you can go directly to the area you want to clean.
We like the power boost setting for extra-messy situations. The vacuum shined when it came to removing pet hair: it took only one pass to clear it from the floor. However, we noticed that it struggled with picking up kibble—it took multiple passes to remove larger debris from the carpet.
The vacuum’s attachments are stored right on the vacuum for ease of use, making it especially beneficial for pet owners to spot clean areas in a hurry. It includes a motorized brush to deep clean carpets and a crevice tool for hard-to-reach spots.
Overall, we found the motorized brush pretty handy, though it tended to get clogged. Be prepared to clear the hair out of it by hand. Though the small size makes it one of the best vacuums for carpet, note that the dustbin will need to be emptied frequently.
Product Details: Vacuum Type: Handheld | Weight: 2.6 pounds| Battery Life: 4 hours | Accessories Included: Crevice tool, pet upholstery tool
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RACHEL MAREK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RACHEL MAREK
Best Cordless
Levoit VortexIQ 40 Cordless Stick Vacuum
- Effectiveness5/5
- Maneuverability5/5
- Ease of Emptying4.8/5
- Portability4.3/5
- Noise Level5/5
- It’s the only one of the best vacuums for carpet that automatically adjusts suction power based on the amount of debris.
It’s the only one of the best vacuums for carpet that automatically adjusts suction power based on the amount of debris.
- The vacuum is a bit boxy and might not fit in tight corners.
The vacuum is a bit boxy and might not fit in tight corners.
This vacuum outperformed many of the corded vacuums on our list, making it the best vacuum for carpets if you’re looking for a cordless option. We were thoroughly impressed with how quickly and easily the Levoit VortexIQ removed debris and hair from high-pile carpet.
When we switched it to the highest setting, the suction was so powerful that we hardly exerted any effort to clean the carpet and hardwood floors. One pass was all that was needed to remove crumbs and other debris.
This is the only vacuum on our list that adjusts its suction based on how much debris is detected, which is a great feature. But you can also bypass the auto settings and manually adjust suction power (up to five levels) using the “+” and “-” buttons on the stick.
The vacuum features four-stage filtration with a HEPA filter that removes 99.9 percent of dust, debris, and pet dander measuring 0.3 microns. It runs up to 40 minutes at a time, but the battery life might be shorter if you run it continuously at the highest speed settings.
We found the vacuum to be boxy, so you might have trouble maneuvering it in tight corners. It’s also pricey, which isn’t surprising considering the bells and whistles. Besides accessories, the vacuum features a wall-mounted charging dock and an accessory holder for easy storage.
How it Performed After Six Months
The Levoit is such an easy, breezy vacuum to grab for quick cleans and it proved surprisingly powerful as well. We didn't replace the filter over the six month testing period and did not notice a decline in performance. Our only real complaint is that the vacuum is top-heavy and falls over sometimes when propped up.
Product Details: Vacuum Type: Cordless | Weight: 7.1 pounds | Battery Life: 40 minutes| Accessories Included: Dusting brush, crevice tool
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RACHEL MAREK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RACHEL MAREK
Best Robot
Neato D9 Intelligent Robot Vacuum
- Setup5/5
- Effectiveness4.5/5
- Noise Level4.5/5
- Maneuverability4.8/5
- Ease of Emptying5/5
- You can control the vacuum with your phone, and schedule cleaning sessions even when you’re not home.
You can control the vacuum with your phone, and schedule cleaning sessions even when you’re not home.
- It’s not good for targeted messes and accidental spills.
It’s not good for targeted messes and accidental spills.
We found the Neato D9 Robot Vacuum so easy to use that it motivated us to clean our carpets much more often than we normally would (we vacuumed every day!).
It took the robot about 50 minutes to clean a carpeted, 850-square-foot apartment, which is pretty fast. Besides making carpet cleaning effortless, it picked up tons of cat hair from two cats, and dust and debris from the floors.
The biggest benefit of a robot vacuum like this one is the ability to schedule regular cleanings, so it will happen automatically with no effort from the user. Once fully charged, the Neato D9 can run nonstop for 200 minutes, covering about 1600 feet on a single charge.
Plus, you can use your phone to map out the areas you want the vacuum to clean or to avoid. In the event that the battery runs low before it finishes a scheduled cleaning, the device will automatically return to its dock to recharge and finish the job.
While it’s definitely one of the best vacuums for carpets, it might not be the most efficient for targeted spots and sudden spills because it’s hard to target an exact area. But for general daily or weekly cleaning, it’s definitely worth getting.
How it Performed After Six Months
This vacuum is a godsend for an allergy-sufferer, with powerful suction (especially compared to other robot vacuums) and intelligent mapping. It did an amazing job at getting embedded cat litter out of the carpet fibers—better than our stick vacuum. One con is that it's not self-emptying, so it needs to be manually maintained.
Product Details: Vacuum Type: Robot | Weight: 8.07 pounds | Battery Life: 200 minutes | Accessories Included: Charging dock
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best for Pet Hair
Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Vacuum
- Setup4.3/5
- Effectiveness4.8/5
- Noise Level4.5/5
- Maneuverability5/5
- Ease of Emptying4.8/5
- It detangles pet hair as it sucks it, so it is easy to remove.
It detangles pet hair as it sucks it, so it is easy to remove.
- The vacuum is super noisy.
The vacuum is super noisy.
Love your furry companions but hate the hair they shed onto your carpets? A vacuum cleaner like the Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal can quickly solve this issue. We found this vacuum super easy to use and it made cleaning our carpets way more enjoyable.
The vacuum has three power modes and comes with an attachment that automatically detangles long hairs as it cleans them. It is cordless and has an hour of run time once fully charged. Use it as an upright vacuum or handheld vacuum.
We found that the vacuum did a superb job picking up stubborn bits of kibble and hair on the floor, so it would also be handy to have around when your dogs or cats eat. Emptying the vacuum is easy and hands-free, thanks to a point-and-shoot hygienic bin feature.
The vacuum is lightweight and simple to maneuver from room to room. However, we noticed that it wasn’t super stable and tended to fall if we propped it against a wall. Plus, it doesn’t come with a wall attachment.
The Dyson’s only other downside is that it emits a high-pitched noise, especially on higher power settings. This is not the best vacuum for carpet to use at night or when others are working or relaxing.
How it Performed After Six Months
This is hands-down one of the best stick vacuums we've used, in part because of the anti-tangle screw that prevents hair from getting caught on the brush roll. We also appreciate updates to the dustbin compartment compared to a previous Dyson model we'd used, which was easily bumped and would sometimes spill the contents on the floor.
Product Details: Vacuum Type: Cordless | Weight: 5.71 pounds | Battery Life: 60 minutes| Accessories Included: Hair screw tool, combination tool, mini soft dusting brush, crevice tool
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RACHEL MAREK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RACHEL MAREK