As promised in our last post, we want to address another common question- “What is the best vacuum?” Along with that, people often ask- “What is the best vacuum for pet hair?” That fits perfectly into our answer to the first question, which is that it depends on what you’re dealing with and what your budget is! Here we will quickly breakdown what to look for in a quality vacuum.

What to look for (in no particular order):

• CFMs produced by the vacuum motor- this will indicate how strong the suction power is, and you want something that’s is 85 CFM or higher. But remember, regularly cleaning your vacuum and keeping it clog free is the only way to get the full CFM power!

• Ease of maintenance- Some vacuums are very easy to pull apart in order to clean, maintain, and replace parts. Others require just short of an engineering degree to be able to put them back together properly.

• Bagless vs Bag- Many people will tell you that vacuums with bags can do a better job than bagless vacuums, but this is not necessarily true. As long as the specs like CFM check out, then you don’t need to worry too much about if it has a bag or not.

• Quality brush roll- Look for brush rolls that are made from metal or wood rather than plastic. These will last longer and are a key part of getting the most out of your vacuum.

• Style- Upright vacuums are usually the best option for homeowners (and they typically include handheld attachments). Backpack vacuums usually produce better suction, but often require purchasing a separate accessory brush roll and can get very expensive.

• Filtration- Look for a vacuum with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. This means the filter will trap at least 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns, which are the hardest microns to trap, so that they don’t get realeased back into the air

• Price- There’s a saying that “You get what you pay for.” For the most part, this holds up as true with vacuums, but there is one major caveat, and that is Dyson (see below for more details on that). The vacuums we recommend below range from about $300-600, and anything below that likely won’t be effective over a long period of time, and you’ll end up paying more in the long run by having to replace the vacuum.

Brands (Good and Bad):

• Best overall- ProTeam and Powr-Flite. These are the brands we use at on-site cleanings and in our high end area rug shop. The ProTeam X1500XP is a workhorse and will last for many years without breaking down, but when it does break down it can be very labor intensive to fix/replace parts. The Powr-Flite 15” Upright is our favorite for an effective, household vacuum that doesn’t break the bank and it has a whopping 135 CFM, all while being easy to maintain and replace parts.

• Best for pet hair- While “best” is somewhat subjective, the Shark DuoClean line is very good (here is one good option) due to their dual brushes to pull out the pet hair that’s deeply embedded.

• Not recommended- all Dyson vacuums. We know, we know, but hear us out on this one! Dyson has incredibly convincing marketing, but their vacuums just don’t measure up. We have gone in with our ProTeam vacuums into countless jobs that have already been vacuumed with a Dyson, only to pull up loads of pet hair and soil from the carpet. But here’s the real red flag- Dyson does not release the specs on their vacuums. Virtually any time a manufacturer keeps those secret, it means the specs are not good so they don’t want you to know. Great marketing, but average to above average performance and not worth what they cost.

If you have further questions regarding vacuums, feel free to contact us here or call/text us at 206-801-0161.