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Best Vacuum Cleaners in India in 2024

A Vacuum cleaner is a valuable tool not only used for cleaning the home but is also helpful in maintaining the necessary domestic hygiene. Importantly, a lot of time, hard work, and patience are required to wipe, mop, and wash away all the dirt and dust from the house.  This handy domestic tool is certainly capable of easily removing dirt, dust, also reducing the risk of allergy. Therefore, to fulfill our cleaning requirements buying a proper vacuum cleaner seems to be the perfect option. First, let’s take a look at some of the best vacuum cleaners in India in 2024. But, before making a purchasing decision, do understand first what a vacuum cleaner is, what are its types, and which are the key cleaner metrics and features to look at by checking our buying guide.

Best Vacuum Cleaners in India in 2024

Buying Guide

What is a Vacuum Cleaner?

The vacuum cleaner is an electrical device, which makes use of an air pump for sucking-up dirt, dust and small particles from the floor and other surfaces. Depending on the type of the vacuum cleaner, the dirt is collected by either a dust bag or a cyclone for disposal.

Types of Vacuum Cleaner (for Domestic Usage)

The type of cleaning requirement determines the suitability of the vacuum cleaner, as there are several options available to choose from. There are 4 popular types of vacuum cleaner available in the market:

• Upright vacuum cleaners
• Canister vacuum cleaners
• Handheld vacuum cleaners
• Robotic vacuum cleaners

Let us look into the detail of each type of Vacuum Cleaners:

Upright Vacuum Cleaner

As the name suggests, these types of vacuum cleaner can stand in an upright (vertical) position. As it can stand in a vertical position, it does not require for the person operating it to bend. The nozzle head of the cleaner comes in direct contact with the carpet and this direct contact between the motor and nozzle induces the cleaner to clean the carpeted closet deeply. The upright vacuum cleaner is new and only a few models are available in the Indian market, despite being popular in developed countries like USA or Canada. That’s because the composition, partly carpeted area, space availability, and internals of Indian homes are fairly different from the developed nations. Upright vacuum cleaner boast of large capacity, capable for cleaning a large cleaning area. They are considered as an expert in-floor cleaning. They are best suited for big halls and rooms with negligible upholstery and mostly carpeted area. Upright vacuum cleaners are generally heavy and bulky machines, and therefore it is hard to move them in the corners to clean. Also, they are fairly incapable of cleaning the stairs.

Pros:

• Most effective cleaning  of the large vacant hall
• Provides best in class for cleaning the carpeted area and large place

Cons:

• Bulky
• Expensive
• Cannot clean sofa set, furniture or underneath furniture

Canister Vacuum Cleaners

In contrast to the upright vacuum cleaners, canister vacuum cleaners are fairly popular in India. The canister vacuum cleaner body contains a cylinder integrated with motor pump.  Additionally, there is a storage container (usually a bag). Cylinder connected to the suction nozzle with a hose pipe provides suction power. The good thing about them is that they are usually light and mounted on wheels for easy manoeuvrability. The canister vacuum cleaners are efficient in cleaning tricky places like stairs, underneath furniture, bed, sofa sets and armchairs. So, If you are looking for, all-in-one vacuum cleaner capable of cleaning bare floors, drapes and car interiors etc than canister class cleaners should be your choice.

Pros:

• Higher manoeuvrability
• Quieter than upright models

Cons:

• The hose and wand arrangement makes it harder to squeeze cleaner into a closet
• Carpet cleaning performance not as good as upright ones

Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

Handheld vacuum cleaners are portable vacuum cleaners known for its compactness and lightweight. Small sizing means a smaller motor and other parts which imparts less power. Main USP (unique selling prospect) of handheld models is their capability to clean tricky places like a curtain, car interiors where even motility of the canister models fail. Another plus point is that most of the models nowadays comes with an inbuilt battery which can be easily recharged. So with handheld models users can carry the cleaner all over the home without worrying cable entanglement. Most of the handheld vacuum cleaners are bagless, wherein dust is collected in an internal bin. This type of vacuum cleaners weights only a few KGs making it easier on the hands of the user. Modern handheld vacuum cleaners are equipped with a disk filter made up of paper or cloth traps dust particles.  Certain models from premium brands comes with a powerful HEPA filter (found in air purifiers) capable of removing 99.9% of the dust particles.

Pros:

• Portable
• Lightweight
• Cheap

Cons:

• Less powerful
• Need to make sure battery levels are adequate

Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

This is the future of “smart ”vacuum cleaning. Though it may sound like a scene of a sci-fi movie but slowly it is become a reality–at least in the developed economies like USA, UK, Japan etc. Soon we would see adoption even in our country. Robotic vacuum cleaner delivers fully automatic vacuum cleaning with help of a smart robot usually in spherical shape, which moves around the house for cleaning. These robots, usually navigate around furniture, moving autonomously while collecting surface dust and debris into a dustbin.

Premium models like Roomba comes with a built-in camera and sensors that help robot to map and navigate smoothly in the room. When fully charged, they can clean the clutter around and under furniture for couple of hours. The best part is when the battery falls below certain threshold (around 10-20%) robot automatically goes back to its docking station for charging. Premium models come with an app support that lets the user schedule the cleaning process for a specified room/area at a specified time. It also allows the user to track and monitor the robot when in operation. Moreover, customer can raise the queries, if any, related to the robot from the app itself for quick resolution.

Pros:

• Fully automatic cleaning
• Smart features like scheduling, tracking and monitoring

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Not as powerful as upright or canister cleaners
• Not suitable for houses which has lots of apparels, upholstery, and other material lying on the room floor in an haphazard manner

Besides the four main types of vacuum cleaners there is also stick and convertible type of vacuum cleaner which are less frequently bought by the customers. Stick vacuum cleaner is streamlined version of upright vacuum cleaner with compactness in size and weight. These vacuum cleaners are preferred for their versatile design and easy maneuverability. For those suffer from back bending problem and searching for easily movable vacuum cleaner, stick cleaners can make a good choice. Also, if you have a multi-story apartment, stick vacuum cleaner is a must have. Convertible vacuum cleaner are an advanced version of vacuum cleaners presently not available in India. These vacuum cleaners are made for handling multiple cleaning places with variegated needs. Upright vacuum cleaner are great for carpet cleaning but falters when it comes to cleaning the stairs. So, now you have to go for the stick or or canister vacuum cleaner. Just imagine what a convenience it would be had we been able to convert upright to canister or even canister to handheld! Well, this isn’t just a wishful thinking but a reality. There are variants of vacuum cleaner which offers that convertibility but sadly they are not available in India.

Key Parameters of Vacuum Cleaner Explained

With the latest innovations, the vacuum cleaner industry is expanding day-by-day. Every now and then companies introduce unique designs in their models. It is also important for the buyer to check its key parameters before buying a cleaner. Therefore, to decide which type of vacuum cleaner is suitable, one must investigate through the finer details and features. Below is the list of key parameter one must look at before buying a vacuum cleaner, explained in a detailed manner.

Design

The shape and size is the basic but important parameter to look at before buying a cleaner. Key design parameters to look at are:

• Capacity
• Weight
• Height
• Placement of buttons & indicators
• Additional attachments

The capacity of the vacuum cleaners is usually between 4 and 6 liters. Importantly, higher the capacity, lesser time is required in changing the bag or emptying the drum. Another important consideration is the weight of the vacuum cleaner. Some full-size upright models can weigh more than 10 Kgs while lightweight handheld models are just a 2-5 Kgs. Normally, the lighter cleaners are considered to be easier to handle and maneuver. The ‘auto-cord rewind’ attachment, usually found on cylinder cleaners, is considered a good option with regard to storage and convenience. Also, the modern vacuum cleaners are equipped with telescopic extension tubes and stair cleaning hoses, which are also considered as particularly useful. The modern vacuum cleaners are also equipped with a ‘full indicator’, an important feature providing a useful warning when the machine is getting full.

Bag vs Bagless

When you decide to buy a vacuum cleaner one of the important thing to decide is the storage type for dust. You will have to decide between the disposable bags and reusable bin. Cleaners with disposable bags tend to hold more dust. But it’s much harder to tell how full the bag is without removing it completely from the vacuum because most of the bag variants don’t sport a ‘bag full’ indicator. But the bright side is that bags release less dust into the air during disposal. It is ideal for those who have asthma or other respiratory disorder. But remember it would require frequent change of dust bags which means increase in operational cost of vacuum cleaner.

Bagless or the dust bin models are gaining popularity since Dyson came out with the dual cyclone bagless vacuum cleaners. The good thing with bin arrangement is they are often transparent, making it easier to know when they are full–but you have to manually empty and reuse them countless times. Additionally, you may have to replace the filters too. Though the replacement of filters is way less frequent than changing of bags but filters are pretty expensive. So go for the bagless models if you want hold no qualms in emptying the dust bin manually and would like to see dust collection done by the cleaner in real time.

Cord Vs Cordless

Based on cord, vacuum cleaners can be cord or cordless. Big and powerful cleaners usually come with cord. If you decide for vacuum cleaner with cord one of the important consideration shall be on cord safety. The vacuum cleaner generally comprises a circular spool upon which a power cord is wound. Look for the cord winder option. It is useful when an extra-long power cord is required, for example, when an area to be cleaned is not closely adjacent to the source of power. Also few premium models come with an automatic cord winders or the retractable cords reel that keeps electrical cords in place, especially when not in use. Usually cheap vacuum cleaners are not earthed. However it is important that the vacuum cleaner is properly earthed. Because if exposed to conductive surfaces  it may lead to electrical hazard. The typical cord length in most vacuum cleaners is about 5-7 meters long, which is normally adequate; however 10 meter cord vacuums are also available these days.

Cordless vacuums on the other hand work on the battery power. So, cords won’t get in the way of the cleaning path, and needles to say there’s no need to plug them in. They’re also usually much lighter than corded vacuums, which makes them easier to maneuver on stairs or ladders. Available in the handheld, stick and upright categories, cordless vacuums are good for fast cleaning of small clutter like cereal that gets knocked over in the kitchen or dirt that’s tracked in by pets or toddlers. Also they can clean crumbs out of crevices and hard-to-reach places too. Cordless handhelds most effective for above-the-floor cleaning needs, such as windows and upholstery. They’re portable enough to even clean the interiors of a car.

Filters

Owing to the type of work that they perform, vacuum cleaners are generally fitted with more than one filter these days. In such cases, one of the filters serves as the primary filter, which works by collecting a good proportion of the dust and dirt from the air that has been sucked into the vacuum cleaner before it is exhausted back to the environment. Then, there are secondary filters, which further clean the air before it gets in touch with the most crucial parts of the machine and the external environment as well. Some filters have been engineered in such a way that they can be washed, dried and used again. This extends the shelf life of a filter and reduces the cost of running a vacuum cleaner. Some manufacturers also advertise ‘Pet Filters’, specifically engineered to pick pet hairs from the air.

Following are the common types of filter usually found in the vacuum cleaners:

• Cloth filters: Cloth filters are in shape of bag and they act as a prefilter. They are washable, tough and less temporary compared to other filter types.
• Cartridge filters: Cartridge vacuum cleaner filters are disposable, and need periodic replacement.
• Disk filters: The disk filters are mostly primary filters, which draw their name from the shape that they assume. They can sustain a low to reasonable amount of dust before they need to be rewashed/replaced, and due to their structure, are usually more expensive than the rest.
• Foam filters: They serve as a secondary filters in vacuums cleaners. It takes primary filter air as input and removes, blocks dust particles then release fresh air back into the home. They are washable and reusable.

Some premium vacuum cleaner are also equipped with HEPA (high-efficiency particulate absorber) filters.  The HEPA filters are the most potent class of filters used to filter out microscopic particles; even of the tiniest size. Formally speaking, HEPA filters can remove around 99.9% of airborne particles sizing 0.3 µm or more. HEPA filters nullifies the problem associated with ordinary filters of simply sucking in the particle and then blowing back into the air through back exhaust without proper filtration. They employ robust filtration mechanism to filter out harmful particulates. If you asthma or other respiratory problem its advisable to go with vacuum cleaner coming with HEPA filter.

One of the essential things to take care with vacuum cleaners is the maintenance of filter. Be sure to change/clean the filter every few months, especially if you or family member have severe allergies. And, preferably go for washable filters in order to save money.

Sealed Suction

The sealed suction of a vacuum cleaner is measured in inches of water it can lift. This rating is taken when the motor is totally sealed, and the term refers to how many inches the motor will vertically lift a 1″ column of water. The power to pick up or lift clutter from the floor is measured through this parameter. Because the vacuum cleaners with more sealed suction will have an easier time picking up dust and other heavier dust particles from carpet and flooring. A good water lift rating means that a vacuum cleaner will keep performing well even as the dust bag gets filling up to higher levels. Normally, 18 -22 kPa or 2000 mm/WC are is considered good for the vacuum cleaner with 500 W rating.

Power Consumption

Whether it’s a upright, canister or a handheld model, when it comes to making a clean sweep of housework, all of them good consume good amount of energy. You may wonder how to much power your vacuum cleaner would consume. We will simplify that for you. Amperes (A) is a measure of the power coming into the vacuum from your outlet. The maximum amperes that can be drawn from a home outlet is usually 5A. But there would be some dedicated outlet(s) which would be rated higher at 15/16A. Heavy models of upright or canister vacuum, usually consume around 12A of current. You will need 15 or 16 ampere socket to run those vacuum cleaners. Wattage is what you get when you multiply amperes and the voltage. Wattage is specified under specifications of the model. Assuming a typical upright model with 1400W power consumption rating used 1 hour every week, monthly electricity cost for running it would be roughly 70/80 Rs (assuming 12 Rs/unit electricity cost).Additionally these days vacuum cleaner also comes with another unit called air watts. Air watts is a good indicator of a vacuum power capability because it factors in resistance to suction.  Anything with more than 200 air watts is a good enough to give the power for a typical home cleaning.

Noise Level

The Noise levels depend on the way the engine of the machines is designed. Generally, there is a fan which turns at very high speed, and the centrifugal force throws out the air, so the air is sucked in at the center and blown out at the periphery, creating noise. The best way to know the noise levels is to check the the decibel levels (dB) in the specifications. A vacuum with a decibel level in the 55-65 dB range will be relatively quiet, while a vacuum with a decibel level in the 70s dB range will be matchable to the noise levels of a kitchen garbage disposal. Many new models also come with ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ modes for setting the sound or noise levels. Battery operated vacuum cleaners and the robotic models are considered as quieter, due to their lighter weight and lower power consumption.

Additional Attachable Accessories

Generally Indian households, require a vacuum cleaner which can do more than just sucking up the dirt and dust from the floor. Like users also want to clean their drapes, sofas, chairs, and even dust shelves. Additionally cleaner which could go deep into cracks and clean the the otherwise inaccessible part of the room is also part of the buyers wishlist. To do all that, one need to make sure to buy the right attachments along with the main cleaner. Some popular attachments to consider are:

• Dusting brush: To gently dust shelves and tables
• Turbo brush:  To deep clean longer carpets
• Crevice tool: To clean the corners and tight spaces
• Upholstery tool: To easily vacuum the furniture without damaging

Conclusion

Any home maker will acknowledge the fact that keeping the homes dirt free requires rigorous and tiresome exercise and it is for these very reasons, vacuum  cleaners were manufactured and are widely used especially in the developed economies. Nuclear family structure, erratic schedule of household maids and busy lifestyles have led to increase in interest of buying vacuum cleaner amongst the Indian families. But the daunting task when a user has decided to buy a vacuum cleaner is the understanding of abstruse specifications and the associated jargons. Hope with this guide we have been able to simplify your vacuum cleaner buying decision. We saw how an upright vacuum cleaner is best for pure carpet cleaning while the canister is good for cleaning stairs and ladder. Stick and handheld are most battery operated appliances suitable to manoeuvre and clean crevices, corner and other inaccessible parts of the upholstery. Robotic vacuum cleaners are the smartest form of vacuum cleaning wherein user need to just schedule the cleaning time and the robot would clean the specified room. We also explain key parameters that a buyer must consider while opting for a cleaner based on his needs and preferences. Hope you found this buying guide useful. If you have any queries feel free to post it in the comment section below.