A Quick Guide to Canister Vacuums

Thinking about buying a canister vacuum cleaner for your home, but not sure how to search for the right one? This guide will tell you everything you need to know about canister vacuum cleaners. With a swipe of your credit card, the buying part is easy, but you can’t make the best choice without understanding the finer details of these home products.

canister vacuum
A canister vacuum cleaner is considered the best for hard floor and low-pile carpet.

What Exactly Is A Canister Vacuum?

This type of vacuum is distinguished by its low, box-like or canister shaped body, attached to a power-head via a plastic hose and tubes. This body wheels around, while its cleaning head is manually moved to clean. Due to its design, the canister vacuum’s head extends away from the canister body, attached by the plastic tubing and hose, allowing you to clean hard-to-reach places. A good example of a commonly known canister vacuum is the Dyson Big ball, not to be confused with the Dyson Ball Animal 2 – an upright vacuum cleaner.

It is often rivaled by the upright vacuum, for several reasons, but the canister vacuum still remains in a league of its own for its superiority on a hard floor and its agility of use. They usually come with several attachments and accessories to transform the device into a cleaning appliance that can clean almost anywhere in your home. There are two types of canister vacuums available for home-cleaning, bagged and bagless.

When to Use a Canister Vacuum?

A canister vacuum cleaner is considered the best for hard floor and low-pile carpet. Its unique design allows it to be maneuvered through tight spaces and around unmovable furniture, as the body is separate from the head of the canister vacuum. The freedom of the separate head and body makes the vacuum capable of cleaning under furniture, and over it as well, by using the attachments necessary to make it appropriate for cleaning upholstery and other above-surface areas in your house. It is particularly useful for cleaning stairs, again, because of its design that allows the head to move separate from the body, so you don’t have to move the whole thing up each stair to clean it.

In other words, a canister vacuum is ideal for houses that have more than one story, mainly hard floors and low pile carpet, and plenty of furniture and with little open spaces.

Highlight Features of the Canister Vacuum

Powerful, pure suction due to its generally larger motor size. This also allows for a better flow rate, making cleaning easier and faster.

Its design makes it seem light and easy to carry; the canister can be picked up or moved around.

The separate cleaning head and movable body make this vacuum type exceptionally easy to maneuver, allowing it get to places other common vacuums can’t reach. This makes cleaning stairs, hard-to-reach places, and upholstery care easier.

The canister vacuum body provides enough insulation to minimize the noise that the motor makes. In other words, canister vacuum cleaners deliver a quiet performance.

They come with a variety of attachments, making it a top choice for total home care.

The Downsides

Assembly of various attachments for cleaning adjustments can take up a bit of time. This means that it isn’t a tool for “quick clean ups.”

Its unique design can be bulky and hard to store, in contrast to other vacuums.

Requires bending down low to operate the canister functions. This is not ideal for people with certain back or knee problems. However, some newer canister vacs have controls built into the handle for easy operation.

The canister may seem cumbersome to drag around if you have big, open spaces.

Choosing the Right Vacuum for Your Needs

Once you’ve decided that a canister the type of vacuum your home care routine really needs, you need to know how to pick the right one. No matter which store you choose to shop from, canister vacuum cleaners are available from a low to high price range, so there’s something for everyone.

Buying a bagless or bagged vacuum will be the first real choice you have to make.

A bagless canister vacuum has the obvious advantage of not requiring its users to buy bags, which saves money. Instead of a bag, the canister vacuum cleaner contains a dirt chamber, that has to be emptied manually. Doing so will risk returning dust and other pollutants from your previous cleanups back into the air, so it is recommended that you empty your dirt container in an outdoor area. Also, finer dust bits build up over time inside the dirt chamber, despite the fact that it can be emptied.

A bagged canister vacuum isn’t as cost-effective as a bagless one, but it has another vital benefit. The bag inside the canister vacuum securely traps and locks away all the dirt, mites and other pollutants that the vacuum collects from cleaning your home. Come disposal time, you simply have to remove the bag and toss it, along with its contents, then refill your vacuum with a new one. This is the most effective way to get rid of dirt and debris from your house, as opposed to using a bagless or a water filtration vacuum cleaner. It’s also a huge advantage for allergy sufferers and those with health concerns.

Additional Things To Consider When Buying A Canister Vacuum

Though there are many vacuums available, not all vacuums are created equal. The type of canister vacuum you buy should be based on your specific needs and preferences. The design of the canister vacuum’s head varies from vacuum to vacuum, and that can make a crucial difference in how easy it is to use in your home care routine.

Also, many canister vacuum cleaners come with HEPA filters, which is extremely useful for people with allergies and sensitivities to air-quality. Of course, these vacuums fare on the high end of the price range.

Best Canister Vacuums to Buy

Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal

This bagless Dyson Ball Animal canister vacuum works exceptionally well on every floor surface, and has a smooth glide to it that makes using it feel effortless. It features a HEPA filter and its canister can hold up to 2L of dirt before it needs to be emptied. It also comes with all the accessories need for total home cleaning and care.

Miele Complete C3

This bagged canister vacuum is top-of-the-line for its extreme ease of use and convenience. This canister vacuum has controls built into its handle, so you don’t need to bend over to operate it. In fact, all Miele canister vacuums have handle controls. These high-end vacuum cleaners offer total care for your home, with a wide range of accessories and attachments. Plus, it also features a HEPA filter to keep your air quality top notch.

Miele also offers a great range of canister vacuums, including the Miele Compact C1 Pure, Miele Compact C1 Turbo, and Miele Compact C2 Electro. Other great brands to look for on the market are Home Maid Canister Vacuum, Hoover Quiet Performance, Bissell Hard Floor Expert, Mighty Mite Canister Vacuum and Dirt Devil Featherlite Cyclonic Vacuum.

Buying the right floor canister vacuum for your home floor care isn’t as easy of a choice as one may think, but hopefully, this quick guide to canister vacuums will get you started in the right direction. Any top rated vacuum will make an excellent home improvement and addition to your home electronics and appliances.