How to Choose The Best Handheld Vacuum
A handheld vacuum is excellent for taking care of smaller cleaning jobs around the house.
If you’re planning on using it for longer periods of time, or for heavy-duty cleaning jobs; a smaller model is not going to be the best way of moving forward. For such cases, you want to look for a good canister or upright.
How Are You Planning on Using it?
Before you decide to go and buy yourself a brand new vacuum, you need to have a clear image in your mind of what exactly you need it for, and how you’ll be using it.
Are you planning on using it to clean your hardwood floor? If that’s the case, you’ll want to check out our review on the best vacuum for hardwood floors first.
Knowing What You Want
Knowing what you’re looking for, and how it will serve you is the first step in finding the best handheld vacuum.
The dust cup on smaller handheld cleaners need to be emptied a lot more often than on larger handhelds. This makes them ideal for quick, and easy clean-up jobs.
A smaller handheld vacuum also lacks some of the features that larger models have, like attachment hoses, which are great for cleaning bigger surface areas.
Keep in mind that the battery for cordless/portable handheld machines only last about 6 minutes or so on average before requiring a recharge, regardless of its size. Portable cleaners in general, are designed for small touch-ups such as spilled food, and cobwebs. For homes that get heavily soiled, consider using a backpack style vacuum cleaner instead.
Choosing The Right Style
Cordless vs. Corded
Cordless style cleaners are very maneuverable and great for cleaning things like car seats, and the rugs underneath.
Corded models on the other hand are a lot more powerful and don’t require recharging. This makes it a lot more ideal for cleaning around the house.
Smaller vs. Bigger
Smaller handheld vacuum cleaners are much easier to carry around, and as mentioned above, they are perfect for quick and small clean-ups.
Larger handhelds give you the freedom of more features to choose from like hose attachments, which make it perfect for cleaning hard-to-reach places such as the curtains, upholstery, and stairs.
Price
Figure out your price range before you get too caught up in trying to pick the best cleaner. You should also be aware that just because one model is more expensive than another, it doesn’t always mean it’s better.
To get the most value for your money, we recommend checking out customer reviews first. Amazon contains one of the largest selections of handheld cleaners anywhere, with thousands of unbiased reviews from past customers (satisfied and non-satisfied customers).
Spend a bit of time reading through what others are saying before you make any decisions. It’s the best way to avoid unexpected surprises down the road, and to know that you’re getting the best possible deal from a reputable online retailer.
Buying at Your Local Store vs. Buying Online
If you choose to buy from your local store, it’s usually not as overwhelming because you only have a few different options in front of you. This also means you have fewer choices, making it a lot tougher to land that perfect handheld vacuum you’ve been looking for.
Buying online allows you to make a more informed decision because you’re able to sift through a larger selection, and read what past customers had to say about it. You get a chance to explore different customer reviews and ratings, which gives you a bit of an advantage when it comes to avoiding possible future problems with particular handheld models. Not to mention, you’ll probably also be getting a better price by shopping online.
Our Recommendation
Here are the top rated handheld vacuums that we recommend:
