How to choose a vacuum cleaner for an apartment?

How to choose a vacuum cleaner for an apartment so that it meets all the requirements of an effective, quick and comfortable cleaning? When choosing household appliances, one should look not only at the design of the device and the manufacturer. First of all, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the technical characteristics of the device. We will talk about the main criteria for choosing a vacuum cleaner for domestic needs in this article.

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How to choose a good vacuum cleaner for an apartment?

Often, sales consultants in household appliances stores ignore their advisory responsibilities and impose on the store goods that are on the shelves of the store, assuring them that they are of high quality and practical. In order not to buy a “pig in a poke”, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with all the main criteria for choosing a household vacuum cleaner.

Suction power

Often this parameter of the dust-suction device is confused with the power consumption, which manufacturers indicate on the packaging in capital letters, thereby misleading inexperienced customers. In fact, these parameters are different.

For household models of vacuum cleaners, the suction power is in the range from 250 to 480 watts. This characteristic is also indicated on the package or in the instructions, but in order to find it, you often need to inspect the entire box.

Important! It should be borne in mind that the suction power indicated by the manufacturer corresponds to the maximum, which can be developed with a perfectly clean dust collector and an unheated engine. In fact, the parameter will be slightly smaller.

How to choose a vacuum cleaner by this criterion? Everything is quite simple - the higher the suction power, the more efficient and faster the cleaning will be carried out. Read more in our separate article. “Vacuum cleaner - suction power: which is better?”.

Important! A vacuum cleaner with more power will consume more electrical energy. Consider this fact when buying a unit.

Power consumption

For the “apartment” device it will be enough to consume 1.6-2 kW. It is better to look at this parameter in the technical data sheet, since on the packaging the manufacturer often indicates the starting power of the engine, and not the rated one.

Important! If two power numbers are indicated on the box, for example, 1500/400 W, then know that the first number is the power consumption, and the second is the value of the suction power of the unit.

Type of vacuum cleaner

Depending on your financial capabilities and your needs, you can choose a vacuum cleaner from one of the following options.

For dry cleaning:

• This unit will remove dust from carpet, curtains or furniture.
• You can also refresh clothes if special nozzles are included in the package.
• Such models are the most affordable and compact in size.

Important! For a small apartment - quite a suitable option.

Follow the link and find out about the best vacuum cleaners with a cyclone filter.

Washing vacuum cleaner:

• With such an aggregate, you expand your possibilities: they can wash floors, windows, remove stains on furniture and carpet, and clean tile.
• Spilled liquids can also be easily removed. In this case, no trace will remain.
• Washing vacuum cleaners are much more expensive and require more thorough care.

Important! Such a vacuum cleaner is more suitable for an apartment with a large area. Devices of the washing type differ among themselves in the volume of the water tank.For apartments of medium size, a vacuum cleaner with a capacity of 4-6 liters is suitable.

You should also pay attention to how convenient the maintenance of tanks is, since such a procedure must be performed quite often.

Important! If you want to buy a washing vacuum cleaner, our reviews will be useful to you:

• Vacuum cleaner - rating.
• Cleaning Vacuum Cleaners.

Combined vacuum cleaner:

• Such a device combines the functionality of a dry and washing vacuum cleaner.
• This technique belongs to the most expensive price segment.

Important! Devices that can perform many functions are very popular now. You might find yourself a housework among them:

• Steam mop.
• Vacuum cleaner with steam cleaner.

Type of dust collector:

1. Cheaper models of vacuum cleaners have fabric and paper dust collectors:
   • A paper bag for collecting garbage is used for about a month, after which it is thrown away. On the one hand, this does not cause any trouble to the consumer, and on the other hand, it requires constant updating of the dust bag, which leads to some financial expenses.
   • After cleaning, fabric bags can be washed and reused. This is much more economical than buying paper bags all the time.
2. Models that are more expensive have special containers for garbage collection that are easy to clean and wash after each cleaning.

Noise level

On average, a household cleaning device emits noise from 71 to 80 dB during operation.

Important! For comparison: a human whisper in noise corresponds to a level of 41 dB.

The more expensive the vacuum cleaner model, the less noise it will make during operation.

Vacuum filters

Basically, most modern models of vacuum cleaners have three degrees of cleaning. If small children or allergic people live in the apartment, it is recommended to choose a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. Such a fine filter is the most effective.

Important! If you saw a dust-suction device with a large number of degrees of filtration, then know that, most likely, this is just a marketing move by the manufacturer. The vacuum cleaner’s performance is unlikely to increase.

Important! Easy to use, practical and compact are vertical vacuum cleaners. We have collected all the useful information about them in our separate articles:

• Mains Vacuum Cleaner.
• Which cordless vacuum cleaner is better?

Useful features of a household vacuum cleaner

The functionality of a vacuum cleaner, as a rule, does not pay as much attention as, for example, a TV. However, some manufacturers introduce new technologies into the device to attract customers and thus facilitate the cleaning process.

The most useful are the following functions:

• Manual device control. In this case, the control buttons for the vacuum cleaner are on the handle of the pipe, so you do not have to bend to the body to control the operation of the unit.
• Antibacterial protection. Some models are equipped with an ultraviolet lamp, which is able to destroy ticks, mold and other harmful microorganisms.
• Power adjustment. This function allows you to set the power of the device, make cleaning more efficient and economical.
• The sound of the melody. An innovation from the Electrolux company, which allows you to listen to a soothing melody instead of the annoying noise of a vacuum cleaner.
• Vacuum cleaner robot. An intelligent device that cleans the apartment without your intervention in its work. The model is quite expensive, but with it you will completely forget about cleaning the floor.
• Light indication of the level of clogging of the dust bag. Devices with similar technology notify the user of the need to replace or clean the filter.
• Overheat protection. Prolonged operation of the device may lead to overheating and damage to the motor. To prevent this from happening, some vacuum cleaners are equipped with an automatic shutdown function.
• Automatic winding of the cord. Most models have this useful feature.

A device for the home or a vacuum cleaner for a summer residence. How to choose a unit by brand?

It’s better not to save on any household appliances, and sometimes it’s worth overpaying for a brand, but be sure of the quality and performance of the device. The best foreign manufacturers of vacuum cleaners are:

• Bosch;
• Karcher
• Dyson;
• Miele
• Thomas;
• Philips
• Electrolux;
• Samsung
• LG
• Zelmer;
• Daewoo.

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How to choose a vacuum cleaner for an apartment? - Useful tips

When choosing a unit for cleaning the house, you must also consider the following nuances:

• Choose a device whose cord is at least 5 meters in length, otherwise - cleaning spacious rooms will become problematic.
• It is better if the suction pipe in the device is made of metal and has a telescopic design. This greatly improves convenience and extends the life of the vacuum cleaner.
• The standard equipment of nozzles should include: nozzle brush, crevice nozzle and brush. Often, pet lovers wonder how to choose vacuum cleaner for an apartment with animals, because the wool eats deep into the pile of the carpet. In this case, it is recommended to purchase a model with turbo brushes in the kit. They will easily clean the floor of wool and remove dirt from the carpet with a long pile.

Important! It is advisable to use a turbo brush if the suction power of the vacuum cleaner is above 350 watts.

• It is good if the body of the vacuum cleaner has rubberized sections. They will protect furniture and the device from accidental collisions during the cleaning process.
• When buying, be sure to pay attention to the warranty period. A longer period indicates the reliability of the model.
• Keep in mind that washing vacuums are not suitable for cleaning laminate and parquet. When cleaning garbage on a long pile carpet, the effectiveness of such a device is also lost.
• Before buying, be sure to find out about the possibilities of acquiring accessories for a vacuum cleaner: dust collectors, nozzles, pipes and so on. It happens that garbage bags for a particular model are very hard to find.
• It is recommended that before buying, read the reviews of real users regarding this model on the Internet. So you learn all the advantages and disadvantages of the product.
• Be sure to consider the weight of the device when choosing. It is better if the model has large wheels - this will facilitate the movement of the device.

Important! Whatever your vacuum cleaner, it cannot handle all the impurities. In this case, you can always turn to the services of a cleaning company or dry cleaning. Find out, How much does it cost to clean a carpet in dry cleaning?.

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Stock footage

Having familiarized yourself with all the characteristics of a household dust removal device described in the article, you can choose a high-quality and reliable vacuum cleaner for your apartment that will satisfy all the needs for cleaning surfaces.