Vacuums are an important addition to any cleaning regimen. But, if you have carpet in your home, you will need to purchase the correct vacuum for the job. There are so many different vacuums on the market that it may seem like an impossible decision. How will you be able to find the perfect vacuum for your home and life? Never fear, our buyer’s guide and list of the best vacuums for carpet will aid your decision.
Contents
- Overview about vacuum cleaner
- Different types of vacuums
- What is carpet?
- Different types of carpet
- Things to keep in mind when purchasing a vacuum cleaner
- What to look for in a vacuum for carpet
- Top Five Best Vacuums for Carpets 2018—Comparison table
- How to clean your vacuum for carpet
- Tips and tricks for getting the most cleaning power out of your vacuum.
- Final Words
Overview about vacuum cleaner
Before discussing what to look for in a vacuum for carpet, and our picks for the top models, we need to go over some definitions. First of all, the vacuum. A vacuum is a machine that sucks up dust, dirt, and other small particles from your flooring. You can purchase a vacuum for carpet and hardwood, or even a vacuum for carpet and pet hair specifically.
The vacuum has been around since the 1860s; however, those models were all manually operated—electricity was not common in homes at this time. The first models of vacuum were the manual carpet sweeper. Then in the late 19th century powered vacuum cleaners were introduced. The historic domestic vacuum cleaners that you sometimes see pictures of were first introduced in 1906. The vacuum cleaner began to be found in every American home after World War II.
Different types of vacuums
Now a days there are many different types of vacuum cleaners. Some of the most common vacuum cleaners for carpet are upright, canister, handheld, robotic, or cyclonic.
Upright
Upright vacuum cleaners are the most common type of vacuum in the United States and England. They stand upright with the cleaning head on the bottom. Today they can either have bags or be bagless. Almost always these types of vacuums have a power cord.
Canister
Canister vacuums, on the other hand, have the motor and dust collector in a canister while the suction head is attached to a long hose. These are nice because they allow for the use of many different types of cleaning heads to be put on and they are more flexible as the hose can fit until furniture better than the upright vacuums.
Handheld
Handheld vacuums are usually cordless, they instead use a charging station. This means they have a harder time vacuuming for long periods of time. But, they are generally lighter and more agile, which allows them to be a great vacuum cleaner for carpet.
Robotic
Robotic vacuum cleaners are getting even more popular. These small circular vacuums driven themselves. They can often be programmed to run at specific times and will return themselves to their docking stations.
Cyclonic
Cyclonic vacuums do not have a specific form. Instead, they use the cyclonic separation principle that was brought to the portable vacuum cleaner by Dyson. These vacuums do not use filtration bags, but instead the air and dust are sucked into a vortex that separates the undesirable particles out.
What is carpet?
Before buying a vacuum for carpet, you should know what carpet is and how it effects cleaning. Carpet is the soft material that is put in many rooms in a home. You can get carpet in the form of a room covering or a rug. Carpet provides warmth, comfort, and style to the different rooms of your home. Plus, carpet tends to reduce the noise level in your house because it catches some of the sound waves.
Different types of carpet
There is not just one type of carpet that you must choose from. Instead, today, carpet can be made from almost any material and can have almost any height and thickness of pile. Essentially, you are choosing the pile and material when you pick out a carpet.
Historically carpets were made from wool and you will still find this material often today. However, wool is quite expensive, so other materials are now used to make carpet. These include nylon, polyester, polypropylene (olefin), and triexta. The polyester materials are much cheaper to purchase and easier to clean than their wool counterparts.
Things to keep in mind when purchasing a vacuum cleaner
In order to get the most out of your vacuum cleaner for carpet, you have to pick the one that will work best for your lifestyle. This means that there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a vacuum for carpet.
Type of carpet
The first thing that you need to know is the type of carpet that you will be vacuuming. The best way to figure this out is to know the material and pile type of your carpets. If you have a wool shag carpet, you will need to pick a different vacuum type than if you have synthetic, low pile rugs only.
How much carpet
How much carpet you will be vacuuming will also determine the vacuum you purchase. If you have wood flooring as well as carpet in your home, you will want to purchase a vacuum for carpet and hardwood. However, some homes are completely carpeted. If this is your home, you will want a vacuuming that can handle all that cleaning. Most likely in this scenario you will want a lightweight vacuum for carpet.
The location of the carpet
Where you carpet is will further help you narrow down your vacuum cleaner choices. Carpet on stairs and under a lot of furniture will need a vacuum that is maneuverable enough to reach those places. For example, a robotic vacuum for carpet would not be the right fit in a home that has a lot of carpeted stairs. However, an upright vacuum may not work as well in a house where much of your carpet goes beneath furniture.
Pets
Finally, having pets will gear you towards certain types of vacuums. Especially with larger dogs, you will likely want to purchase a vacuum cleaner for carpet and pet hair. The motor and suction head on these vacuums need to be strong enough to pick up the pet hair and any extra dirt while not ruining your carpet. Often vacuums designed for homes with pets will include a special attachment that helps with cleanup.
What to look for in a vacuum for carpet
The factors above may help you narrow down the design of the vacuum for carpet that you need. However, you will also need to know your wants and needs in the following categories when making your final design on brand and model of vacuum.
Size and Weight
When you are purchasing a vacuum for carpet, you will want to find a vacuum that is lightweight. This is especially important when buying a vacuum for high pile carpet. But, the lighter the vacuum, the easier it will clean carpet of any height because the lighter vacuums do not press down the piles. Plus, you want to buy a vacuum that you can use comfortably.
Size is another factor that you should keep in mind when buying vacuums for carpet. Not only do larger vacuums tend to be heavier, but you need to find a vacuum for carpet that will fit everywhere in your home that needs to be clean. If a vacuum is too large, it may not clean everywhere, which kind of defeats the purpose of having the vacuum in the first place.
Bag or bagless
You can choose to buy a bagged or bagless vacuum cleaner; however, bagless vacuums tend to be more common today. But, bagless containers need emptying, which can aggravate asthma or allergies. Plus, their filters need to be regularly cleaned or replaced. If either of these things are not appealing to you, you should go for a bagged vacuum cleaner. Just know that there will be less available options on those models.
Maneuverability
By far the most maneuverable vacuum cleaner types are robotic vacuum cleaners. These machines are much smaller than other types of vacuums and can easily fit under most furniture and around tight corners. However, like cordless vacuums, robotic vacuums have to be charged regularly, and can occasionally run out of power in the middle of a job.
Another type of vacuum cleaner for carpet that is quite maneuverable are the ones that will lay flat. This allows you to push the vacuums under any piece of furniture so that no part of your carpet remains dirty.
Cord length and cordless vacuums
Cordless vacuum cleaners for carpet are much easier to use, but they do not have the ability to clean for as a long a time as their corded counterparts. With a corded vacuum cleaner, you can use the machine for as long as you need, you just have to have an outlet nearby. Cordless vacuums remove the need for the outlet, but they do require charging and may run out of power in the middle of a room.
Noise Level
Some vacuums are quieter than others. If this is a consideration for you, then we recommend trying the vacuum in person before buying. This way you will know exactly how loud the vacuum is when running. The loudness of the machine will not affect its efficacy, but it could affect your enjoyment of the vacuuming process.
Extras
Today most vacuums come with accessories, but the type and number of these depend on the manufacturer and type of vacuum. When you are buying a vacuum for carpet, you will want to find a model with at least a dusting brush or other small vacuuming tool. These work especially well for cleaning high pile carpet.
Top Five Best Vacuums for Carpets 2018—Comparison table
Product | Rank | For Pets? | HEPA Filter? | Weight | Canister or Upright |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soniclean Soft Carpet Upright Vacuum Cleaner | #1 Editor’s Choice | No | Yes | 10.5 lbs. | Sonicfresh Fragrance Pods, Digitally Controlled Motor, 35 ft. Power Cord |
Bissell 9595A CleanView Bagless Vacuum | #2 | No | No | 15 lbs. | OnePass Brush Roll, Extension Wand, TurboBrush Tool, Dusting Brush, Crevice Tool |
Shark Navigator Deluxe Upright Corded Bagless Vacuum | #3 | Yes | No | 15 lbs. | Wide Pet Upholstery Tool, Dusting Brush, Crevice Tool |
Black + Decker CDASV102 Airswivel Ultra Light Weight Upright Vacuum | #4 | Yes | No | 9.1 lbs. | 3-in-1 Crevice Tool Brush, Pet Tool, Small Brush, Upholstery Tool |
Dyson V6 Animal Cordfree Vacuum | #5 | Yes | No | 5 lbs. | Combination Tool, Crevice Tool, Mini Motorized Tool to Remove Pet Hair, Dusting Brush |
Pyle PureClean Automatic Robot Vacuum Cleaner | #6 | Yes | Yes | 5.96 lbs. | Dry Mop Attachment, Remote Control, 2 Detachable Sweep Brushes, Recharge Dock |
Top Five Best Vacuums Cleaners for Carpets 2018 Detail Reviews:
#1 Soniclean Soft Carpet Upright Vacuum Cleaner
If you want one of the most efficient and affordable upright vacuum for carpet, then you should check out Soniclean’s Soft Carpet Upright Vacuum Cleaner. This vacuum has an adjustable vent system, which means that no matter the pile height on your carpet, the vacuum will work correctly. The large front wheels on the Soft Carpet Vacuum Cleaner also help it work well on carpet, as they do not sink into the thick material.
Soniclean’s vacuum for carpet is also the only one on this list that uses sonic vibrations to loosen the dirt and dust that hides deep within your carpe. The motor has a direct air Paramagnetic design, which also increases the suction capacity, and ensures that no matter what surface it is cleaning this vacuum will work extremely well.
#2 Bissell 9595A CleanView Bagless Vacuum
Bissell’s 9595A CleanView Bagless Vacuum is another upright vacuum for carpet. It is lightweight so that it will work well on carpet of any length. Plus, it has a cyclonic system for great suction on your carpet.
Some of the accessories that come with Bissell’s CleanView Bagless Vacuum are the OnePass Brush Roll, Extension Wand, TurboBrush Tool, Dusting Brush, Crevice Tool. All of these items help you get your carpet as clean as possible, while making sure that your time spent vacuuming is minimal. Plus, the CleanView is very easy to maintain. It has an easy-to-empty dirt tank and a washable foam tank filter.
A third upright vacuum for carpet on our list, Shark Navigator’s Deluxe Upright Corded Bagless Vacuum is lightweight but still has powerful suction. These features ensure that it will adequately clean your carpet in addition to keeping it in the best shape possible. Shark Navigator’s vacuum is not just great for carpet, but it has a brushroll shutoff that allows the vacuum to be used on flat flooring as well.
The Shark Navigator Deluxe is a bagless vacuum cleaner, which means that you will have to empty the container. However, that container is quite large. The vacuum also comes with an upholstery tool, dusting brush, and crevice tool for the long extension tube. Therefore, Shark Navigator gives you everything you need for super clean carpet.#4 Black + Decker CDASV102 Airswivel Ultra Light Weight Upright Vacuum
Black + Decker is a huge name in the home appliance industry, so it makes sense that they would also make a great vacuum for carpet. Their CDASV102 Airswivel Ultra Light Weight Upright Vacuum uses swivel steering to allow it to maneuver into the most hard-to-reach places.
This upright vacuum cleaner is pet friendly and includes a pet tool to help you to clean up after your pets. The Airswivel vacuum is bagless, but the dust container holds up to two liters, which means you will not be emptying it that often. For carpet, you have the upholstery tool and the lightweight nature of the vacuum, which will clean all types of carpets easily.
#5 Dyson V6 Animal Cordfree Vacuum
The Dyson V6 Animal Cordfree Vacuum is the first vacuum for carpet on our list that is not an upright. Instead it is a cordfree, handheld vacuum. Dyson has included their patented V6 motor and direct-drive cleaner head. Plus, the vacuum does not have a cord, which means it can be taken directly to a spot in your home that needs cleaning without you having to find a nearby plug. The disadvantage of the V6 Animal Cordfree Vacuum is that it will need to be recharged regularly.
This is a perfect vacuum for carpet since it is extremely lightweight—only 5 lbs.—and has adjustable suction. Finally, the Dyson V6 Animal easily converts into a handheld vacuum, which allows you to clean furniture as well as hard floors and carpets.
#6 Pyle PureClean Automatic Robot Vacuum Cleaner
No list of the top vacuums for carpets would be complete without a robotic vacuum. Today we will look at Pyle’s PureClean Automatic Robot Vacuum Cleaner. This robotic vacuum is perfect for hard floors as well as thing and medium pile carpets. It will not work as well on high pile carpets, but unless you have a shag rug, you should be able to use this vacuum.
Not only is the PureClean Automatic Robot Vacuum good for carpets, but it is highly functional as well. It has a mini profile, which means that it can fit under more furniture. It comes with a remote that allows you to program your own cleaning cycle. Plus, it has a recharging dock that it will return to automatically when it needs more juice. If you have bene thinking about trying a robot vacuum, then you should start with Pyle’s PureClean.
How to clean your vacuum for carpet
The exact procedure for cleaning your vacuum for carpet will depend on the type of vacuum cleaner you purchase. Even so, there are a few basic steps that most vacuum cleaner owners must follow.
- Always unplug your vacuum before cleaning it. You don’t want to have it turn on accidentally with your hands inside.
- Either remove and empty the bagless canister or replace the bag on your vacuum. Bagless vacuums usually provide a line as reference for when to empty out the container.
- If your vacuum has a filter you will need to clean or replace it. Check your specific model of vacuum for more information about this step.
- Clean the beater brush on the suction head. Hair and carpet fibers can occasionally get caught in the bar. These will need to be cleaned out or they could inhibit the functioning of the vacuum.
Tips and tricks for getting the most cleaning power out of your vacuum.
Everyone has their own beliefs about the best way to correctly vacuum carpet. However, in general here are some steps you can take to ensure that your carpet is as clean and good looking as possible.
- Make sure to use the crevice tool—if you choose a vacuum with this add-on. Running the crevice tool around the outside of your room will make sure that all hair and hard to reach dirt are picked up by the vacuum.
- Vacuum the room both horizontally and vertically. You will be vacuuming the carpet twice, but this pattern helps to guarantee all the dirt is sucked up and helps to lift and fluff your carpet.
- You can also choose to use a neutralizer or wash your carpet. This will help to take out any unwanted scents and to keep your carpet as clean as possible. You will want to put the neutralizer down before vacuuming and you will want to wash the carpet after you are finished vacuuming.
Final Words
Carpets can be a great addition to any home. But, to get the most out pf them you need to keep them clean. The best and most efficient way to clean your carpet is a vacuum. To pick the best vacuum for carpet you should follow our buyer’s guide and top six list. We will not steer you wrong and help you get the best clean for your carpet and your hard-earned money.
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