It’s now spring, which means it’s nearly the season of cleaning and organization. There’s something particularly alarming about emerging from the winter doldrums to find that your home is a dusty, cluttered mess. To help you (and us) with sprucing up and restoring order, we’re talking to professionals and experts this week all about the best tricks and tools.
As I figured out firsthand this week, there’s a lot of competition out there when it comes to vacuums, but only a select few that are up to snuff. We’ve heard from robot-vacuum experts and yours truly on the best “smart” cleaning vacuums, but we thought we’d ask for a third opinion on the best vacuums overall, from the people we trust to make our homes squeaky-clean. Here, three New York City cleaning-service experts give their recommendations (many that are on the cheaper end) on the best vacuums for a range of needs, whether you’re looking for something compact to fit in your tiny apartment, want a robot that can clean up spills, or own pets.
“One vacuum cleaner I like is the Bissell Pet Hair: The 1650A, the upright one, is really good for everyone who has pets. It’s great quality and it’s fairly priced. The Bissells aren’t really known for their suction, but the overall performance is really good. It’s the way the filtration system works that makes the vacuum work so well. The pet-hair brush works on various different types of floors, and you get a lot of extra attachments with this, too.” —Antonio Sheman, owner of Klean Freaks NYC
“Eureka canisters are an option if you need a cheap and compact vacuum. It’s a simple vacuum that is also very affordable and does a good job. The shortcoming is that it will not last you ten years like a Miele would. It’s not quiet and it does not have a special floor attachment that automatically adjusts to the type of your floor. It doesn’t have a fancy filter that cleans your air. But in my opinion, it’s the best budget-friendly vacuum out there.” —Kadi Dulude, owner of Wizard of Homes NYC
“I also recommend the canister Kenmore. That vacuum cleaner also has a few models, so it depends which one you choose. What’s good about this canister type is that you can reach behind the couches, the corners, and the bags are not too expensive. All of the attachments are stored in the vacuum cleaner, so you don’t have to run to the closet to pick up another attachment.” —Anna Harasim, owner of Anna’s Cleaning Service NY
“We would recommend any Miele canister vacuum. Wizards prefer canister styles because most of the upright vacuums are no good and too bulky. Canister vacuums are much smaller, so they save space, but they’re also lighter to carry and easier to use on surfaces like couches or stairs. Miele does a great job at vacuuming and is also very quiet. It’s expensive, but it lasts a long time, doing the same great job year after year. Although I’ve never liked vacuums that require the use of dust bags, Miele’s new 3-D efficiency dust bags are great at keeping dust in the vacuum instead of filtering it back into the air, and changing out the bag is easy and mess-free. Miele also has a very efficient filtering system that tells you when it’s time to change the filter again. They promise that the air that blows out of the vacuum is cleaner than the air in the room. So you’re basically not only cleaning your home, but also purifying the air.” —Dulude
Editor’s note: We’ve written about this, too.
“My first choice for vacuum cleaners is the Shark Rocket, the newest models. These are really handy, and they’re bagless, so you don’t have to spend money on bags. They have a lot of attachments. It’s so good to use if you have pets at home, and bagless vacuums in general are better for pets. The Shark Rockets have attachments to vacuum the couches and furniture. And the price is quite good, though it depends what model you choose. Most New York apartments are small, and with the Shark Rocket, in my experience, it’s the easiest to store in the closet or under the bed.” —Harasim
“I also use this Ecovacs Deebot robot in my own home, and I don’t know how I was ever able to live without it before. It vacuums and ‘wet sweeps’ — they call it mopping, but I wouldn’t go that far — at the same time. I run it about every other day, and when I empty the (surprisingly big) dust collector, I’m always amazed how much dust and hair it picks up.” —Dulude
“I also use a robot vacuum for picking up dust, hair, and crumbs. It doesn’t suck the dust from rugs, but it’s really helpful, especially since I have two dogs: a German shepherd and a Pomeranian. I run it in my house every day. One robot vacuum that I love is the iLife because it has a container for if you’ve spilled water or juice or milk on the floor, so it also mops.” —Harasim
“We also carry these commercial vacuums that are really, really good and really, really cheap. There’s one called the Oreck Pro 5 Commercial. They’re kind of like dinosaurs. They look like old-school, retro vacuum cleaners, to tell you the truth. I have a couple of them that work really well, and they come with a whole bunch of different parts and pieces, so it would be great for someone who works with cars in a shop. They’re affordable, really powerful, and they’re commercial-grade. And you put them on your shoulder, so they’re really portable.” —Sheman
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best women’s jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
