For a thorough clean in a large home with hard floors, carpets and upholstery, start by looking at cylinder vacuum cleaners. Their continuous power supply suits a full cleaning session, provided you choose the right floorheads, operating radius and capacity. A cordless stick vacuum or robot can make it easier to keep on top of things between full cleans, but check its battery life and floor coverage before making it your main appliance.
You regularly move from wooden or tiled floors to rugs and carpets, while also cleaning furniture and awkward corners. Check which brushes and tools come with the appliance, then look at the cleaning results for different floor types, where available. UFC-Que Choisir tests performance on several types of flooring, dust and fibres.
You want to get through a long cleaning session without changing sockets too often, emptying the dust container or stopping work. The operating radius, capacity and weight are just as important in everyday use as the choice of accessories. UFC-Que Choisir describes cylinder vacuums as suitable for larger homes, while advising you to consider how much space they take up.
You want to deal with certain areas quickly between full cleans. For a stick vacuum, check the battery life in the mode you’ll use; for a robot, look at how it handles carpets, edges and obstacles.
For a large home, first choose the appliance you’ll use for a full clean, then decide whether a stick vacuum or robot would be useful for quick touch-ups in between. Whether to choose a bagged or bagless cylinder vacuum mainly depends on which type of maintenance you prefer.
Worth considering: for long cleaning sessions, if its capacity and operating radius suit the way you clean.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to replace the compatible bags and move the cylinder vacuum around.
Worth considering: if you’d rather empty a dust container but still want a mains-powered appliance for a full cleaning session.
Bear in mind: emptying the dust container and maintaining the filters are part of its upkeep.
Worth considering: for stairs or quick clean-ups between full sessions.
Bear in mind: how long you can clean for depends on the battery life in the mode you’re using, and you may need to stop to recharge.
Worth considering: for regular cleaning of accessible floors between manual cleaning sessions.
Bear in mind: it won’t clean furniture and upholstery on its own; check how well it handles obstacles and awkward corners.
| Feature | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Floors and accessories | Check which brushes are included for hard floors and carpets, as well as tools for upholstery and awkward corners. Where possible, look at test results for different floor types, such as those from UFC-Que Choisir. | When I often move from wooden floors to carpets and furniture, I want the right tools for each surface; around 36% of consumers would put this coverage first. |
| Long cleaning sessions | Compare capacity and, for a cylinder vacuum, its operating radius; for a stick vacuum, check the battery life in the mode you’ll use and how long it takes to recharge. | If I clean several rooms in a row, I want to minimise socket changes and interruptions; this would be the top priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Maintenance | Check whether you need to replace bags or empty the dust container, maintain the filters and find parts compatible with the exact model. | For regular use, I want to know what maintenance I’ll need to do; around 21% of consumers would prioritise this. |
| Quick clean-ups | For a stick vacuum, check the weight and battery life; for a robot, look at how it handles carpets, obstacles and edges. | Between full cleans, I’d prefer to make quick touch-ups easier or automate floor cleaning; this would be the main need for around 14% of consumers. |
The stated electrical power doesn’t tell you how well a vacuum collects dust and fibres from different floor types. UFC-Que Choisir tests suction on several surfaces and also looks at ease of use and maintenance.
Compare tests that are relevant to your floors and check which brushes actually come with the model you’re considering.
Battery life depends on how the appliance is used. iRobot support notes, for example, that some robots may have shorter battery life on carpets; corners and obstacles also need special attention.
Compare the stated battery life with your usual cleaning routine, and check the charging time, dust container capacity and which areas it can reach.
A bagged cylinder vacuum needs compatible bags; a bagless model needs its dust container emptied and filters maintained.
Find out which consumables you’ll need and read the maintenance instructions before choosing between the two types.
Replacing bags or filters, and potentially the battery in a cordless appliance, are tasks to factor in during use.
A floorhead won’t necessarily reach into crevices or clean skirting boards and upholstery.
Make a list of the surfaces you need to clean and check exactly what’s in the box, rather than looking only at the range of accessories available for the model.
Its range of bagged cylinder vacuums offers different configurations to consider for varied floors and long cleaning sessions.
The brand offers bagless cylinder vacuums worth considering if dust container capacity and operating radius matter in your home.
Its cordless stick vacuums are worth considering for quick clean-ups alongside a thorough clean.
Its robots are worth considering for regular floor cleaning between manual sessions.
This selection includes a bagged cylinder vacuum to consider as a main appliance, as well as stick vacuums and a robot for additional cleaning. Compare their stated specifications with the surfaces you need to clean and the length of your cleaning sessions.
Image unavailable
Worth considering as your main appliance if you expect to have long cleaning sessions across several floor types. Check which brushes are included for your floors, along with the operating radius, weight and availability of bags compatible with the EB61C4OG model.
Image unavailable
Worth considering for quick clean-ups between full cleans. The product title states a 45-minute battery life, but doesn’t specify the mode; check how long it lasts on carpets before planning a long cleaning session.
Image unavailable
Worth considering for cleaning specific areas without having to move a cylinder vacuum around. The stated 55-minute battery life applies to bare floors; check the battery life on carpets separately, along with the weight of the complete appliance.
Image unavailable
Worth considering for cleaning floors between full cleans and getting around furniture. The stated battery life is up to 65 minutes, but check which mode this applies to before judging whether it will last for a session on carpets.
Image unavailable
Worth considering for cleaning accessible floors between manual cleans. The product title states 180 minutes of run time; check how well it handles carpets and obstacles in your home, and make sure you have enough space for the dock.
No. Watts indicate electrical power, not how well an appliance cleans different surfaces. For a home with carpets and hard floors, look for tests by floor type and check which brushes are included. UFC-Que Choisir tests suction on different floors, dust and fibres.
Choose based on which type of maintenance you prefer: replacing a compatible bag, or emptying a dust container and cleaning its filters. In either case, compare the capacity, operating radius and accessories for the specific model before you decide.
It can, if its battery life in the mode you’ll use, capacity and brushes are suitable for your entire cleaning session. For a large home with carpets and upholstery, don’t assume the maximum stated battery life will be enough: Dyson France recommends considering battery life in relation to the size of your home and how you plan to use the appliance.
Don’t rely on a robot alone to clean upholstery, furniture and every hard-to-reach area. Check how the model performs on carpets, around edges and near obstacles; according to iRobot support, cleaning carpets can also reduce the battery life of some models.