If you’ve ever reached the far corner of a room while vacuuming only to be stymied by a cord that was a few feet too short, you understand the value of a cordless vacuum. And while cordless vacuums of the past lacked the power to clean very well, many of today’s models are extremely effective on messes, both big and small. To make a good selection when shopping for a cordless vacuum, ask yourself three questions—what size of vacuum you need, how long you need to be able to vacuum between charges and what attachments are necessary to accomplish your common tasks.
Size is important for a variety of reasons. If you have a large, fairly open area to clean, a large cordless vacuum will be your best bet since it will clean such an area more quickly than a handheld model. But if you are purchasing a cordless vacuum to clean out the nooks and crannies around your car seats or couch cushions, a smaller handheld model will serve you better. For in between jobs, a medium sized vacuum might be your best choice. Some larger units are made to telescope down to be more the size of a handheld. Of course, a smaller vacuum can always be used to clean a large space, while the opposite isn’t always true. Buying a vacuum on the large end of what you need offers more versatility in cleaning.
If you can only clean half of your game room or den before your vacuum starts running out of power and losing suction, you’re never going to be happy with it. Don’t fall into the trap of buying a cheap vacuum to save money and inadvertently sacrifice battery life, which is critical to cleaning without constant interruptions. If you’re going to have to stop every 15 minutes to charge your battery, you might as well be using a plug-in vacuum that you have to move from electric socket to electric socket. Look for a vacuum that meets your requirements for size, has good suction and has a battery life long enough to finish your most common jobs, and you’re well on your way to making a good selection.
Once you’ve figured out the size of vacuum you need and narrowed your decision down to those with adequate battery life for your tasks, it’s time to start thinking about attachments. The more useful attachments a cordless vacuum has, the more versatile and effective it is. Note that if attachments are a really big deal to you, you’ll probably need to purchase an upright cordless vacuum instead of a handheld, since handheld models typically have fewer attachments available for them. Useful attachments to look for include carpet/floor nozzles, upholstery tools for use on furniture, crevice tools for tight spots, pet tools with brush for picking up cat and dog hair, long wands for cleaning baseboards and edges without bending over, bare floor brushes and various others.
