Different Types of vacuums: How to Choose a Vacuum Cleaner

Selecting you a vacuum cleaner is an important decision to make to achieving a clean home and healthy living space. But instead of allowing your emotions to take charge of you or getting overwhelmed by the endless options out there, you need to start by arming yourself with the relevant information required to find the right vacuum cleaner for your needs. Below are some of the things you need to know and the factors you should consider when selecting a vacuum cleaner.

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Types of Vacuum Cleaner

There are five different main types of vacuum cleaner that you can use for cleaning, each with their strengths and weaknesses (check below to read more information about this).

1. Canister Vacuum

This type of vacuum cleaner typically has the most power; canister vacuums are better than an upright vacuum for cleaning under furniture, stairs, floors and their attachments are convenient for cleaning upholstery and drapes. Apart from that, they tend to have a larger dirt capacity and has an extension wand. They can access walls, windows, and corners much more easily and, most of them produce less sound during usage.

The main disadvantage of canister vacuum cleaners is that they require bending most of the time when vacuuming the floors. They are quite heavy and are not easy to move around like an upright vacuum cleaner.

2. Upright Vacuum

Upright vacuum cleaners look like a regular tall mop, but they are very different from mop since they are equipped with a reservoir to gather dirt and a motor for easy locomotion. The main advantage of an upright vacuum cleaner is that it tends to cost less than a canister vacuum cleaner, you can use it to cut a wider cleaning swath, it will even allow you to clean the floors without bending.

Upright vacuum cleaners are generally used for deep cleaning, especially the bagged model; they are often easy to store since they can stand on their own. However, an upright vacuum is noisier and cannot be used to clean walls, furniture, ceiling, etc. perfectly.

3. Robotic Vacuums

The main aim of a robotic vacuum cleaner is to clean your flooring while you relax. This type of vacuum cleaner should be your number one consideration if vacuuming chases all the fun out of your life too often.  Robotic vacuums allow you to program and map the cleaning sessions; this would allow your robot vacuum cleaner to vacuum your floor for you while you are away.

A robot vacuum cleaner could be a very convenient device to use in some cases; you can even control some of the newest models of a robotic vacuum cleaner with an application on your smartphone. Despite how good robot vacuum cleaners can be, they are not a perfect replacement for a good upright or canister vacuum cleaner due to their smaller bins. Also, they are not suitable for performing a deep cleaning, but they can gather dirt and dust very efficiently.

4. Central Vacuums

Central vacuum cleaners are easier to use than their canister brothers. The main advantage of this type of vacuum cleaner is that you don’t need to move your vacuum cleaner around, just place it somewhere in your house, and move its long hose about to clean the corners of your home. Central vacuum cleaners tend to be proportionately quiet, and you don’t have to empty their dirt chamber frequently.

The bad side of central vacuum cleaners is that they are large and cumbersome; their long hoses can be inconvenient to hold and hog a wide space. Besides, they are costlier than other types of vacuum cleaners.

5. Stick Vacuums

So far, this is the best type of vacuum cleaners for cleaning areas with high traffic flow. Their design is similar to that of an upright vacuum cleaner; they have a powerhead, handles, and a tall body; some of the newest brands of stick vacuum cleaners are designed with a handgrip, which makes navigation easier. Most stick vacuums are powered by batteries and have higher power efficiency.

They tend to have lighter weight and can be carried around easily and saves you the stress of bending when cleaning dirty floors; this makes them convenient to use whenever you want to clean up a mess quickly. The disadvantage of these cleaners is that they do not have enough power and capacities to function as the full models and their dirt bin capacity is typically small. Most of them are fairly noisy and are mainly suitable for picking up dirt and litters on the surface.

Phew!… That’s a lot, uh? Hopefully, while reading the types of vacuum cleaners, you’ve pictured the type that will suit your needs. However, you should consider the pros and cons of different types of vacuum cleaners before you make your final decision.

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How to Choose a Vacuum Cleaner

1. Check the features

It is important to check the features of the vacuum cleaner you want to use for your laminate floor before buying any to make sure the cleaner has all the essential part useful for optimum performance. One type of vacuum cleaner might have the features that seem to be superb and attracts you, but it might not be able to meet your cleaning needs as expected, that is why you shouldn’t allow your emotions to take charge of you.

You should thoroughly check the features and specifications of a vacuum cleaner and go for a cleaner whose features meet your cleaning needs.

2. Bagged or bagless vacuum cleaner?

When it comes to choosing a vacuum cleaner for your laminate floors, you will also want to know which one to go for, whether a vacuum that has a replaceable bag or the one that offers a bagless vacuum. Yes, it is true that bagged vacuum cleaners tend to be more expensive since you have to change the bag when it’s full, and it is a completely sealed disposable bag which would contain all the dust, dirt and allergens your vacuum has gathered. Despite that, it has the advantage of you doing less emptying since one bag can handle all the dirt gathered from every daily vacuuming for about 2-3 months without having to change it.

For a bagless vacuum, you don’t need to worry about buying any bag. Some models come with a washable filter which all you have to do is empty the dirt it gathered into the dust bin, then rinse, dry and use again without having to replace the filter frequently. However, you’ll have to take good care of your dustbin. Emptying your dustbin sometimes could get messy, which is the main disadvantage of a bagless vacuum cleaner.

3. Corded or cordless?

Yes! A vacuum cleaner also comes in corded and cordless options.

Using a corded vacuum cleaner, you can clean your floor as long as you want since you don’t need to wait till your vacuum cleaner’s internal battery is charged before you can do your cleaning.  However, the disadvantage of a corded vacuum cleaner is that you are limited by the length of the cord as you won’t be able to move your vacuum cleaner more than how its power cord would allow you. Also, you have to depend on the power supply before you can operate it.

As for a cordless vacuum cleaner, you won’t be restricted by the length of a power cord when doing your cleaning since you do not depend on the power outlet. That sounds great due to their portability and the freedom it gives. However, cordless vacuum cleaners have their drawback too. If you have a large house to clean which might take up to an hour to vacuum, then you will be doing a series of cleaning while you wait for your cordless vacuum cleaner to charge since its battery runtime is limited.

4. The noise levels

If you’re the type that thinks the noise factor of a vacuum cleaner is not an aspect to consider; then you will be forced to buy hearing protection or wait for people to exit the house before you can do your cleaning due to the noise produced by your vacuum cleaner. Make sure you buy a vacuum cleaner that produces less noise to ensure the noise is not damaging to your hearing or disturbing the activities going on in the house, such as interrupting people’s sleep. Here, Canister vacuums are the best choice since they tend to be quieter as compared with other types of vacuum cleaners.

5. The price

Price is probably one of the most important factors you need to put into consideration. You can only buy what your money can afford. However, you shouldn’t get attracted to cheap vacuums offered by some dealers as you may end up buying a vacuum cleaner that might not meet your cleaning need or one you won’t be able to maintain.

Make sure you compare the price of any vacuum cleaner you come across with before you purchase any. You don’t need to buy an expensive vacuum for your laminate floor if you can get a cheaper one that can meet your needs perfectly. However, you should not hesitate to increase your budget if buying a really good vacuum cleaner is your priority.

6. Ease of use

Make sure you buy a vacuum cleaner that is intuitive and easy to operate so that everyone one in the house would be able to use it comfortably without having to check the user manual continually to learn how to operate it. One way to learn about how easy a vacuum cleaner is to use, and its durability and functionality is by reading its users reviews and customers feedback. So, use that to your advantage.

Not all vacuum cleaners are capable of cleaning edges perfectly; some vacuum cleaners cannot pick up dirt along the edges. For efficient edge cleaning, buy a vacuum cleaner that has a crevice tool or a bristled brush.

7. Try it out

Even if you are ordering your vacuum cleaner online, find your way to the store first to confirm the vacuum you are considering. In case you are buying from the store, pull, push, turn and lift the vacuum cleaner to make sure is working perfectly and all the cleaning parts, check if they are intact. Check features and controls before taking your purchased vacuum home.

8. Asthma or allergies

You should note this whenever you are doing your cleaning, the dust and messes involved in cleaning will affect you if you are the type that is allergic to dust. For this reason, you should make sure you look for a vacuum cleaner that is very safe for you.

If you are an asthma patient or allergic to dust, you should not consider buying a bagless vacuum cleaner since it involves periodic cleaning and has more filters. Also, the dust and mess of emptying the dust bin can harm you. In this case, the best vacuum cleaner to get if allergies or asthma is a concern is a bagged vacuum cleaner.

Suction power (the higher, the better)

To achieve efficient clean, go for a vacuum cleaner with a suction power of at least 200 air watts and a motor of 12-amp.

9. Other important factors to consider

The following factors are also worth putting into consideration at the point of purchasing a vacuum cleaner for laminate floors.