We found that it picked up all the hair on the upholstery rather quickly. On the floor, we noticed clumps of hair came up easily, though some did get left behind on the edge of the carpet when the vacuum made the transition from between floor surfaces. We chose the best Shark vacuums for pet hair based on their effectiveness, portability, and maneuverability, as well as their noise level, simplicity of setup, ease of emptying the dust canister, and overall value. The last time we updated our list of the best cordless vacuums, we pointed to the Tineco A11 Hero as an outstanding midrange option.
Tineco leads the way with its collection of cordless wet-dry vacuums. It also has a long 40-minute runtime and a clean water tank large enough to keep you from stopping to refill every 10 minutes. In a nutshell, Dyson vacuums are more expensive but this ensures you get a vacuum cleaner that’s extremely powerful but still lightweight and easy to maneuver around your home.
The Outsize also has an 11.5-inch-wide cleaner head designed for cleaning more in each pass, of which debris was effortlessly picked up on a single pass. The Outsize also comes with a longer battery run time, about 67% longer than previous Dyson batteries we’ve tested. Until this year, the Tineco Floor One S5 Smart Wet Dry Cordless Vacuum Cleaner was my top pick. It’s a smart, compact, cordless wet-dry vacuum cleaner that converts to a handheld vacuum (the hand vac can’t be used for wet messes).
We tested models from iRobot Roomba, Eufy, Roborock, Shark, and other brands. Because a mop vac effectively and efficiently mops a floor while also sucking up dirt and debris, it cuts cleaning time in half. So if you have a substantial amount of flooring not covered by carpet, and you would like to spend less time cleaning those floors, a mop vac is for you. Bagged vacuum cleaners usually have a greater capacity for storing dust and dirt, so you don’t have to empty them as often. Cordless vacuums are also becoming increasingly lightweight, and in some cases more powerful, with significantly more suction power. In fact, the best ones now give just as deep a clean as their corded counterparts.
A lightweight 2-in-1 Lift-Away upright vacuum with a detachable canister for portable cleaning power. With the push of a button, Lift-Away technology allows you to lift the canister away and easily clean in hard-to-reach areas. This vacuum is also armed with swivel steering for excellent control when maneuvering around furniture, and has a completely sealed system with a HEPA filter to trap dust and allergens. Additionally, it has a Brushroll Shutoff button so you can easily switch between carpet and bare floor cleaning.
Two testers of Shark products with the feature did not particularly love this extra or expressed a plan to purchase the replacement filters once the filter lost its scent. Add in the self-emptying charging base and it’s obvious that anyone looking for a hands-free all-in-one cleaning experience should consider the iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus. If you’re looking for a compact vacuum that you can grab quickly to clean up the odd spillage straight away, this is the best stick vacuum for the job. While this Shark’s pick-up and manoeuvrability is good on floors, it’s just as impressive reaching overhead and on upholstery. With great vacuuming and mopping capabilities, the J7 Plus has a self-emptying base, ability to retract the mopping pads when going over carpets, and intelligent mapping.
Like other stick vacs, you can use the Shark Rocket in handheld mode to clean furniture, ceilings, stairs, and more. A good stick vacuum should be lightweight, but not necessarily light-duty. We’ve had our eye on the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Corded Stick Vacuum since 2021, and it continues to be a great option even without the latest technology that some of the newer models bring (like our best stick vacuum). An extension hose also provides almost 11 feet of reach and makes it easy to clean drapes, stairs, or cobwebs without lugging the entire unit with you. It has a suction wattage of 281 air-watts, which is more than double the V7’s, and at 0.32 liters the dust bin is also almost twice the capacity.
If you have old wooden floors or especially expensive floors, you’ll appreciate the brush. It consists of two brush bars that are covered in soft nylon to capture large particles without damaging hard floors, while shark handheld vacuum anti-static carbon fibre filaments collect fine dust at the same time. Plus, if you tap the front of the vacuum gently, the bendable flex tube folds 90 per cent flat, for effortless cleaning under furniture.
Since they lack wheels, some cordless vacuum cleaners pose a challenge to those of us lacking body strength. The Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab is constantly testing vacuums of all makes and models, and because there are new ones coming to market all the time, we continually update our reviews. We’ve tested the best robot vacuums, vacuums for pet hair, budget-friendly vacuums under $100 and plenty of others. Add this to the hundreds of hours we’ve spent testing uprights, canisters, robots and more, and it’s safe to say we know our vacuums.
I tried it on the hard kitchen floor as well – the vacuum simply requires you to toggle the mode from carpet to hard floor which is convenient, lots of other vacuums require a change of brush head. It delivered an impressive clean wherever I tried it, including in handheld mode, a true testament to its suction power. Cordless vacuums use less electricity than traditional vacuum cleaners, since they have smaller motors and only draw power when they’re recharging.