Standard vacuum cleaners

When it comes to keeping your home spotless, a standard vacuum cleaner is a must-have. These large models are designed to clean every room thoroughly. Our test results will help you pick the right one for your home by assessing:

• Carpet cleaning
• Pet hair removal
• Ease of use

Choosing the right vacuum cleaner can make a big difference in maintaining a clean and healthy home. Check out the top questions and features to look for from our vacuum cleaner buying guide.

• Head types: Vacuum cleaners come with a wide variety of tools and attachments. What are they all for, and how should you use them effectively?

• Suction power: For thicker carpets that occasionally need more suction power, but where you want to conserve energy and reduce noise in areas that don't require as much suction, consider models with adjustable power settings.

• Bag or bin?: When choosing a vacuum cleaner, you’ll need to decide between bagged and bagless models. What are the downsides of each?

Our People's Choice awards are granted to brands that consistently rate above average for customer satisfaction and meet out other performance criteria. Become a member and see which brands have earned a People’s Choice award.

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Boost your vacuum cleaner’s performance with these tips for using different heads and accessories effectively, as well as cleaning out the head if it has hair stuck in it.

Vacuum cleaner heads and tools – what are they all for?

There is a plethora of tools and heads that come with vacuum cleaners. What are they all for and how should you best use them?

The easiest way to remove hair from your vacuum cleaner brush

How to easily remove hair (and string or thread) that’s wrapped around your vacuum cleaner brush head.

No matter if you're tackling carpets, wooden floors, or pet fur, we explain which type of vacuum is right for your home.

Which type of vacuum is best for cleaning your home?

We look at the pros, cons, and cleaning test results for battery-operated stick vacuums, standard corded vacuums, and robot vacuum cleaners to help you decide which type to buy.

We asked thousands of Consumer members about their experience with products they've used to find out which brands are most reliable and satisfying to own. The results are available to members and Digital Pass holders.

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Many things can ruin a shopping experience – a pushy salesperson, the product you wanted not being in stock or having to pay more than you intended. We asked consumers to tell us who they think are the best and worst retailers. Become a member to see the best stores to purchase small appliances from.

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We test the vacuum's ability to remove dirt from carpets, see how close it gets to collect dirt from corners and edges and how well it picks up pet hair.

Our overall score combines test performance (how well the vacuum) with predicted reliability (how likely models from the brand are to remain free of faults) and owner satisfaction (how likely owners of the brand are to be very satisfied).

Learn more about our testing