Or, to put it another way: Which vacuum cleaner best suits my needs?
In this guide, you'll get help choosing a vacuum cleaner that is suitable for your home and matches your needs. That's the most important thing. The vacuum cleaner that your mother, your neighbor, or a random vacuum cleaner test crowns as king is not necessarily the one that best meets your needs.
Our interior design and the size of our home place several demands that you might not be aware of. What we expect a vacuum cleaner to be able to do varies greatly. Then there are all your personal preferences regarding cord length, vacuum bag, noise level, etc.
Therefore, we have compiled the nine most important factors that determine which vacuum cleaner you should choose. We also tell you which direction to go in if this particular point is the most important to you.
We will cover these factors so you know which vacuum cleaner to choose:
- Noise level
- Corded or cordless? And cord length
- With or without a bag
- User-friendliness
- Capacity
- Energy class
- Allergy-friendly vacuum cleaner
- Adjustable suction power
- Weight.
Which vacuum cleaner should I choose if I have special needs?
In the cleaning and construction industries, as well as in hospitals, for example, special demands are placed on the vacuum cleaner's functions. Under our category with all vacuum cleaners, you can filter by, for instance, ash vacuum cleaners and commercial vacuum cleaners.
In addition, we have industrial vacuum cleaners and wet/dry vacuum cleaners, which have a high capacity and extremely powerful suction that can be used for construction waste, among other things.
#1 Noise level
If the kids are watching TV right next door, they'll probably complain if you suddenly make a lot of noise. It's worth considering the noise level when you're vacuuming. The sound level is measured in decibels, and for every three decibels, the noise level doubles.
The sound level of vacuum cleaners is typically around 78 dB(A). A vacuum cleaner with a low noise level should be below 68 dB(A), which corresponds to the sound level of a normal conversation.
If noise level is the most important factor for you when choosing a vacuum cleaner
Which vacuum cleaner should I choose if noise level is a breaking point for me? The short answer is that you should, of course, go for a vacuum cleaner with a low noise level.
Search for "Low noise level" or "Quiet vacuum cleaner" in our search field. Then you'll find some good vacuum cleaner alternatives.
You could also consider getting a robot vacuum cleaner. With a robot vacuum cleaner, you can start the robot via an app on your smartphone when you're not home – even according to a predefined schedule. This way, you can actually completely avoid vacuum cleaner noise.
#2 Corded or cordless? And cord length
Daily vacuuming: Modern vacuum cleaners – the so-called cordless battery vacuum cleaners – are wireless vacuum cleaners that are incredibly easy to maneuver when you need to vacuum small areas every day.
Vacuum once a week: If you only want to and can vacuum once a week, where you go over the entire house with the powerful vacuum cleaner, it's an advantage to choose a corded vacuum cleaner. They have stronger suction power, which cordless ones cannot yet match.
There can be a big difference in cord length. If you want the advantages that a corded vacuum cleaner can give you, you should, of course, also consider what cord length suits your needs.
A long cord for the vacuum cleaner can be an advantage so you don't have to switch outlets too many times during a vacuuming session when you want to vacuum the entire house with as few interruptions as possible.
If it's most important to you whether the vacuum cleaner is corded or cordless
Which vacuum cleaner should I choose when I prefer a vacuum cleaner that is either corded or cordless? This is, of course, where you should start by sorting them out once you've decided whether it should be corded or cordless.
However, it doesn't make sense to choose a vacuum cleaner solely based on whether it's corded or cordless. Also decide what else is important to you once you've narrowed it down the first time.
If you're looking for the very long adjustable cord, the Max 1 Plus is a really good choice for you.
See our selection of corded vacuum cleaners and cordless vacuum cleaners.
#3 With or without a bag
Today, vacuum cleaners are available both with and without a vacuum bag.
Vacuum cleaner with a bag:
- Stronger suction power (for pet hair, carpets, etc.)
- Best for allergies
- Less cleaning and maintenance of the vacuum cleaner itself
- Most
Bagless vacuum cleaner:
- Good for quick, daily vacuuming
- Easy to empty
- May struggle with pet hair and carpets
- You never have to think about vacuum bags
- Requires more cleaning of the vacuum cleaner itself.
If it's most important to you whether the vacuum cleaner is with or without a bag
With a vacuum bag: There can be several reasons to choose a vacuum cleaner with a bag – for example, if you have allergies in the house. If that's the case and you primarily want a vacuum cleaner with a bag, you have an endless selection of vacuum cleaners to choose from.
It would also be a good idea to consider what else is important to you in relation to the vacuum cleaner you are going to buy.
Bagless vacuum cleaner: Go for a cordless vacuum cleaner, a handheld vacuum cleaner, or a robot vacuum cleaner. They are bagless. However, it may often be necessary to also have a vacuum cleaner with a bag and stronger suction power in the house – especially if you have pets and carpets.
#4 User-friendliness
The user-friendliness of a vacuum cleaner is determined by several things. It depends, among other things, on:
- how easy it is to assemble and disassemble the vacuum cleaner
- whether the nozzles meet your needs
- whether the nozzles are securely attached to the tube
- how long the cord is. Can it reach around your house?
- how easily the vacuum cleaner glides over thresholds.
If user-friendliness is the most important factor for you when choosing a vacuum cleaner
A solution for you who highly value the user-friendliness of the vacuum cleaner might be to go for a Nilfisk brand vacuum cleaner in the Nilfisk Elite and Nilfisk Select series. These two series have very simple and user-friendly vacuum cleaners. They are, among other things, designed with an on/off button and a button to retract the cord.
Nilfisk Elite or Select – it doesn't get any easier.
#5 Capacity
There is a huge variation in the capacity that different vacuum cleaners have. When we talk about capacity, it's about how much dirt and debris you can vacuum up before you have to empty the vacuum cleaner's container or change the vacuum bag.
At the low end of the scale, we have the practical everyday bagless and cordless vacuum cleaners with a capacity of 0.5 liters. Some of the largest for private use have a capacity of 12 liters or more, while large industrial vacuum cleaners have a capacity of 30 liters or more.
When you're looking for capacity, there isn't a single answer to what you should choose. It depends on what you need and whether you also want the vacuum cleaner to be able to handle ash and wastewater or just ordinary household dust and dirt.
If capacity is the most important factor for you when choosing a vacuum cleaner
Capacity can mean different things depending on what the vacuum cleaner will be used for. It's clear that an industrial vacuum cleaner has a very high capacity, but it's not the obvious choice for someone living in a private home.
If you are a private individual looking for a vacuum cleaner where you don't have to empty the vacuum bag so often, the Max 1 Plus Home Vacuum Cleaner is an obvious choice for you. With the vacuum cleaner's 12-liter vacuum bag, it will be a long time before it needs to be emptied.
Alternatively, you could consider a central vacuum cleaner, which has even larger bags but also requires a good deal more to install in the household.
In any case, you should avoid cordless and bagless vacuum cleaners, which need to be emptied more often.
#6 Energy class
More and more people have started to look extra closely at the energy labeling of their prospective vacuum cleaner due to high electricity prices. Vacuum cleaners are available in energy classes A to G, where A is the best and uses electricity most efficiently.
If energy class is the most important factor for you when choosing a vacuum cleaner
Which vacuum cleaner should I choose if energy class is the most important thing for me? Well, then you should naturally choose a vacuum cleaner in energy class A. It will have the greatest efficiency in relation to its power consumption and thus also be the cheapest to operate in terms of power consumption.
#7 Allergy-friendly vacuum cleaner
It is allergy-friendly (in relation to dust mite allergy, at least) to keep the amount of dust down in the house. This can easily be done with a vacuum cleaner.
Here you should consider, among other things, whether you want to vacuum yourself, or whether the vacuum cleaner should do the work for you. You should consider how powerful a HEPA filter you want.
If an allergy-friendly vacuum cleaner is the most important factor for you when choosing a vacuum cleaner
Which vacuum cleaner should I choose if I or others in my household have allergies? You should choose a vacuum cleaner:
- with a bag
- with a HEPA filter (HEPA 12 or HEPA 14 for best effect in terms of dust retention).
It can also be a really good solution to have a robot vacuum cleaner, so it's easy for you to vacuum every single day to keep the dust away. However, this solution will only be a supplement to more thorough vacuuming.
#8 Adjustable suction power
Different floor types require different suction strengths. For example, a vacuum cleaner needs to be able to vacuum more powerfully if it's running on carpets, which means that a robot vacuum cleaner is not suitable for homes with many carpets.
If you have pets that shed a lot of fur, you also need a vacuum cleaner that can handle pet hair.
We recommend that you don't go below 650 watts in power when choosing a vacuum cleaner, which also naturally affects the suction power.
With adjustable suction power, you can also set a stronger suction power or reduce the suction strength, so your vacuum cleaner's noise level decreases.
If adjustable suction power is the most important factor for you when choosing a vacuum cleaner
If you have many different floor types and rooms with and without pet access, or if for other reasons you prefer a vacuum cleaner where the suction power can be adjusted, you won't have to look long for the right vacuum cleaner.
Most vacuum cleaners today have several or many settings for suction power. The best thing you can do is browse our site and read the rest of this post to determine what's next most important to you.
#9 Weight and size
Today's vacuum cleaners come in all sorts of sizes and weight classes. There's everything from mini handheld vacuums to standard upright vacuums and the very large industrial vacuums.
In industry, people often look for a maneuverable vacuum cleaner for, for example, cinemas and other places where space is tight, and here a backpack vacuum cleaner can be a good idea.
If you are a private individual, you can opt for compact vacuum cleaners. These are inexpensive vacuum cleaners, and almost all brands have a vacuum cleaner that isn't too big. However, you often compromise on various functions by prioritizing size, but if these functions are not crucial in your home, there's nothing to miss out on.
If weight and size are the most important factors for you when choosing a vacuum cleaner
Which vacuum cleaner should I choose if weight and size are most important to me? When we talk about size and weight, we assume that you are looking for a small vacuum cleaner with a low weight. If capacity (a large dust container) is most important, you should read point five.
The smallest vacuum cleaner is a so-called handheld vacuum cleaner. It is so small that it can fit in a cupboard or a drawer. See, for example, Cecotec Rockstar Micro 6000.
If you prefer regular vacuum cleaners but only have a small cupboard for storage, you can, for example, try searching for "Compact" in our search field. Then you will get suggestions for vacuum cleaners that are optimized in terms of size.