This machine extracts deep-down dirt from your carpet fibers. It’s the kind of grime your old vacuum just glides right over. You know the feeling—you run the cleaner, but the carpet never looks or feels truly clean. A proper carpet vacuum tackles that problem head-on, getting to the stuff you can’t see.
We tested this model for weeks to see if it lives up to that promise. The results were, frankly, a bit surprising. Let’s dive into what makes it different and wether it’s the right fit for your home.
Product Comparison Table: 11 Best Carpet Vacuum
| Image | Why We Like This Product | Editor’s Rating | |
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Shark Upright Vacuum, Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe with Large Dust…
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9.5 |
Read Review |
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Shark | Upright Vacuum Cleaner | Navigator Lift-Away |…
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9.3 |
Read Review |
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Bissell CleanView Compact Turbo Upright Vacuum with Quick Release…
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9.1 |
Read Review |
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LEVOIT Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, Stick Vac with Tangle-Resistant Design,…
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8.9 |
Read Review |
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Bissell CleanView Compact Upright Vacuum, Fits in Dorm Rooms…
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8.7 |
Read Review |
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Eureka NEU10AE5 Powerful Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner Carpet and…
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8.6 |
Read Review |
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Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum, Hepa Filter,…
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8.4 |
Read Review |
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Eureka Lightweight Powerful Upright Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet and…
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8.2 |
Read Review |
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Bissell Featherweight Stick Lightweight Bagless Vacuum with Crevice Tool,…
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8.0 |
Read Review |
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Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off with Powerful Suction,…
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7.8 |
Read Review |
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Bissell 2252 CleanView Swivel Upright Bagless Vacuum with Swivel…
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7.6 |
Read Review |
Quick Review For Top 11 Carpet Vacuum
Shark Upright Vacuum, Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe with Large Dust Cup Capacity, HEPA Filter, Swivel Steering, Upholstery Tool & Crevice Tool, Blue, NV360
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360 is an upright vacuum designed to handle a variety of cleaning challenges in your home. Its core strength lies in its powerful suction, which effectively pulls dirt from both carpets and bare floors. This makes it a versatile choice for households with mixed flooring.
A key feature of this model is its Lift-Away functionality. You can detach the main pod from the vacuum’s body. This lets you easily clean under low furniture like beds or sofas.
Or, you can detach the entire hose and wand assembly to clean above-floor areas. It’s great for tackling stairs, upholstery, and shelves without having to haul the whole machine around.
For those concerned about air quality, the vacuum incorporates Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology. This system works with a HEPA filter to trap dust, pollen, and other allergens inside the dust cup. It aims to prevent them from escaping back into the air you breath.
This feature, combined with its powerful pet hair pickup, makes the NV360 a strong option for pet owners. The included upholstery tool helps remove hair from couches, chairs, and car interiors with relative ease.
Maneuverability is another highlight. The swivel steering allows the vacuum to pivot smoothly around furniture legs, through tight corners, and in cluttered spaces. You get precise control with minimal effort. Furthermore, the brushroll shutoff feature is handy.
Shark | Upright Vacuum Cleaner | Navigator Lift-Away | Swivel Steering | HEPA Filter | Vacuum for Pet Hair | Crevice Tool & Dusting Brush Included | For Carpets & Hard Floors | White/Silver | NV356E
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV356E upright vacuum cleaner is designed to be a versatile and powerful cleaning partner for your home. Its a particularly strong choice for households with pets or allergy concerns, thanks to its thoughtful features and sealed filtration system.
One of the core features is the Lift-Away functionality. You can detach the pod from the vacuum’s body with a simple release.
This lets you easily carry a lightweight, powerful canister to clean stairs, upholstery, or other above-floor areas without lugging the whole machine. Combined with the swivel steering, which makes navigating around furniture legs and into tight corners effortless, this vacuum aims to reduce the strain of cleaning.
For air quality, the Anti-Allergen Complete Seal is key. It works with a HEPA filter to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, based on ASTM testing.
This means what you pick up is less likely to get blown back into the room’s air, which is a major benefit for anyone sensitive to dust or pet dander.
Cleaning different floors is straightforward. The brushroll shutoff lets you instantly switch the spinning brush off. Use it on for a deep clean in carpets, and switch it off for gentle, effective cleaning on hard floors like wood or tile, where you might not want that agitation.
Bissell CleanView Compact Turbo Upright Vacuum with Quick Release Wand, Full Size Power, Compact Size for Apartments & Dorms, 3437F
The Bissell CleanView Compact Turbo Upright Vacuum with Quick Release Wand, 3437F, is designed for smaller living spaces that still demand a serious clean. If you live in an apartment, dorm, or just have limited storage, this model aims to give you the power of a full-size vacuum without the bulky footprint. It’s built to be functional and straightforward, helping you tackle everyday messes efficiently. Weighing just 10 pounds, this vacuum is notably lightweight.
That makes it easy to carry from room to room or up a flight of stairs. The maneuverability is a key benefit, allowing you to navigate around furniture legs and into tight corners without much effort. Despite it’s compact size, Bissell has packed in full-size suction power. So you’re not sacrificing performance for the smaller design. It’s meant to handle carpets and rugs effectively, pulling out dirt and pet hair that settles deep down. A standout feature is the Scatter-Free Technology.
When you switch to cleaning hard floors like wood, tile, or laminate, this technology helps contain the mess. It reduces the frustrating phenomenon where debris gets blown around instead of sucked up. You can clean up cereal, crumbs, or dust more effectively in a single pass, saving you time and repeat effort. The quick-release extension wand is another practical tool. With a simple button press, you can detach the wand to instantly reach above the floor.
LEVOIT Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, Stick Vac with Tangle-Resistant Design, Up to 50 Minutes, Powerful Suction, Rechargeable, Lightweight, and Versatile for Carpet, Hard Floor, Pet Hair, LVAC-200
The LEVOIT Cordless Vacuum Cleaner LVAC-200 is designed to make your cleaning routine simpler and more effective. This stick vacuum combines powerful suction with a lightweight, cordless design, giving you the freedom to move quickly from room to room without being tethered to an outlet. With up to 50 minutes of runtime on a single charge, you can tackle multiple areas of your home in one go, from carpets to hard floors. A standout feature is its tangle-resistant design.
The specially engineered roller significantly reduces hair wrap, whether it’s from daily shedding or your pets. This means you spend more time cleaning and less time cutting hair of the brush. The included 2-in-1 pet tool is perfect for upholstery and stairs, helping you lift embedded pet hair and dander with ease. For those with allergies, the 5-stage filtration system works to capture fine dust and particles, keeping them locked inside the dust bin. Maintenance is straightforward.
The easy-empty dust bin releases debris with a single click directly into your trash. Both the washable filters and the detachable, easy-to-clean roller can be rinsed under water and reused, which helps maintain suction power and saves you money on replacements over time. The vacuum’s lightweight build makes it easy to carry up stairs or use for above-floor cleaning without arm fatigue. Versatility is built in with multiple attachments.
Bissell CleanView Compact Upright Vacuum, Fits in Dorm Rooms & Apartments, Lightweight with Powerful Suction and Removable Extension Wand, 3508
The Bissell CleanView Compact Upright Vacuum, 3508 is designed for life in smaller spaces. If you live in a dorm room, apartment, or just have limited storage, this vacuum fits right in. It’s built to be your go-to tool for quick cleanups without the bulk of a full-sized machine. At less than eight pounds, it’s genuinely lightweight and easy to carry up stairs or from room to room.
Maneuvering around furniture legs and tight corners is simple, so you’re not fighting with you’re vacuum to get the job done. Despite its small size, it doesn’t compromise on power. The CleanView Compact features strong suction that pulls dirt and debris from both carpets and hard floors. One of it’s key features is the Scatter-Free Technology, which aims to contain messes on hard surfaces like tile or wood.
Instead of blowing dust and crumbs around, the suction and brush roll work to capture them directly, which means less chasing debris and more efficient cleaning. For those tricky spots, the vacuum includes a removable extension wand. This lets you reach under low furniture like beds or sofas, or tackle cobwebs in corners without bending over. When the cleaning is done, emptying the dirt container is straightforward.
Eureka NEU10AE5 Powerful Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner Carpet and Floor, AirSpeed Ultra-Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner, w/ Replacement Filter, Blue
The Eureka NEU10AE5 Powerful Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner is designed to be a straightforward, effective cleaning partner for your home. It focuses on core functionality, making it a practical choice for tackling everyday messes on a variety of surfaces without complicated setups or heavy lifting. A central feature of this vacuum is its POWERFUL ALL FLOOR SUCTION. It’s built to handle both carpets and hard floors with ease, pulling up dirt, dust, and pet hair efficiently.
The 10.5-inch wide cleaning path means you can cover more area with each pass, speeding up your cleaning sessions significantly. It gets the job done without requiring you to go over the same spot repeatedly. Maneuverability and storage are key strengths here. Weighing just 7.7 pounds, the NEU10AE5 is genuinely LIGHTWEIGHT & EASY TO STORE. You can carry it up stairs or around furniture without strain, and its compact shape tucks away neatly in a closet or corner.
This lightweight design doesn’t come at the expense of power, offering a balanced clean for most homes. For cleaning beyond the floor, the QUICK RELEASE HANDLE is a simple yet invaluable feature. Detach the handle and attach either the included crevice tool or dusting brush to reach under furniture, clean blinds, tackle upholstery, or get into ceiling corners. The fact that it’s ALL TOOLS ON BOARD means these attachments snap right onto the vacuum body, so they’re never lost when you need them.
Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum, Hepa Filter, Anti-Allergen Technology, Swivel Steering, Ideal for Carpet, Stairs, & Bare Floors, with Wide Upholstery & Crevice Tools, Lavender
The Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum is designed to be a versatile and effective cleaning partner for your home. Its core feature is the Lift-Away functionality, which lets you detach the main pod from the upright body. This means you can easily carry a powerful, self-contained vacuum unit to tackle stairs, clean car interiors, or reach upholstery without dragging the whole machine behind you. It fundamentally changes how you approach multi-surface cleaning.
For households concerned about air quality, this model includes Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology combined with a HEPA filter. This system is engineered to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, preventing them from escaping back into the room you’re cleaning. It’s a key feature for anyone with allergies or pets, helping to ensure that cleaning actually removes irritants instead of just redistributing them.
The machine is also notably powerful yet lightweight, making it easier to push and carry without sacrificing suction on either carpets or hard floors. Maneuverability is a strong point thanks to the Swivel Steering. The vacuum head pivots smoothly, allowing you to navigate around chair legs, into corners, and under furniture with minimal effort. When you move from a carpeted area to a bare floor like hardwood or tile, the Brushroll Shutoff feature is there to help.
Eureka Lightweight Powerful Upright Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet and Hard Floor, PowerSpeed, New Model,Blue,black/New Model
The Eureka PowerSpeed Lightweight Upright Vacuum Cleaner is designed to be a straightforward, effective tool for keeping your carpets and hard floors clean. It’s the new model, featuring an upgraded cyclone system that’s better at capturing everything from large debris to microscopic dust and allergens, trapping 99.9% of them inside the machine.
This means the air in your home stays fresher as you clean.
For carpets, this vacuum offers powerful suction that penetrates deep to pull out embedded dirt and pet hair that settles down in the fibers. It’s not just powerful, though; it’s also surprisingly lightweight. This makes it easy for you to push around furniture and carry it up and down stairs without feeling like your arm is getting a workout.
The vacuum has five height adjustment settings, so you can optimize it for everything from plush shag rugs to low-pile carpet and bare hardwood floors. The wheels are designed to roll smoothly on those hard surfaces to prevent any scratches or gouges, which is a nice peace of mind.
Above-floor cleaning is well-considered too. A quick-release handle connects to a stretch hose, giving you easy access to a set of onboard tools.
Bissell Featherweight Stick Lightweight Bagless Vacuum with Crevice Tool, 2033M, Black
The Bissell Featherweight Stick Lightweight Bagless Vacuum, model 2033M, is designed for one thing: making quick, everyday cleaning as simple and effortless as possible. Its name tells you alot about its core benefits. The ‘Featherweight’ part means it’s incredibly light and easy to carry around your home, up stairs, or even out to your car. The ‘Stick’ form factor means it’s slim, easy to maneuver, and a breeze to store in a closet or corner.
This is a vacuum built for speed and convenience, not for deep, heavy-duty carpet cleaning sessions. You get powerful suction from this compact machine, which is perfect for grabbing crumbs, pet hair, dust, and debris from your hard floors and low-pile rugs. It’s ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, and living areas where you need to do a fast pickup without dragging out a heavier, bulkier vacuum.
The dirt cup holds 0.67 liters and is bagless, so you can see when it’s full and just empty it into the trash. No ongoing costs for bags, which is a nice plus. One of the best features is it’s versatility. Bissell calls it three machines in one, and that’s pretty accurate. First, it’s your standard stick vacuum for floors. Then, you can detatach the main body from the stick handle, and it becomes a compact, handheld vacuum for quick spills on countertops, furniture, or your car interior.
Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off with Powerful Suction, HEPA, Tangle-Free Brush Roll, 39883
The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off 39883 is designed for homes with pets, focusing on cleaning up after them without creating a mess of there own. Its core promise is powerful suction that tackles the stubborn dirt, fur, and dust that pets leave behind on both carpets and hard floors. This isn’t just about picking up visible hair; it’s about managing the fine particles that come with it. A key feature is the HEPA Sealed Allergen System.
This system traps dust and allergens inside the vacuum, preventing them from escaping back into your home’s air. For households with allergy sufferers, this is a significant benefit, as it helps keep the air cleaner after you’ve cleaned the floors. It works in tandem with the powerful motor to ensure what goes in, stays in. Dealing with hair wrapped around the brush roll is a common frustration.
The Tangle-Free Brush Roll on this model is specifically engineered to resist hair wrap, cutting down on maintenance and keeping the vacuum running effectively. You’ll spend less time cutting hair out of the roller and more time actually vacuuming. Plus, the Scatter-Free Technology aims to make cleaning hard floors easier by preventing debris from being blown around, so you can get it in one pass. The design includes smart conveniences. The Lift-Off Detachable Pod is a highlight.
Bissell 2252 CleanView Swivel Upright Bagless Vacuum with Swivel Steering, Powerful Pet Hair Pick Up, Specialized Pet Tools, Large Capacity Dirt Tank, Easy Empty
The Bissell 2252 CleanView Swivel Upright Vacuum is designed for homes with pets, focusing on manuverability and specialized hair pickup. Its core feature is the swivel steering head, which lets you pivot around chair legs and under tables with a simple twist of the wrist. You won’t be constantly repositioning the whole machine, which makes the whole process quicker and less frustrating. A major highlight is the Triple Action Brush Roll.
This system doesn’t just skim the surface; it actively loosens embedded pet hair from carpets, lifts it, and suctions it away. It’s built to handle the kind of hair that gets woven deep into fabric. For hard floors, the Scatter-Free Technology is key. It aims to suck up dry messes like kibble or litter on the first pass, preventing the vacuum from blowing debris around and making more work for you.
The package includes specialized pet tools, like a crevice tool and upholstery attachment, for furniture, stairs, and car interiors. These let you tackle hair on the sofa or in the car without needing a seperate machine. The edge-to-edge cleaning capability means the brush roll extends to the sides, so you can get dirt and dust that accumulates along baseboards and in room corners more effectively. You’ll appreciate the large capacity, bagless dirt tank.
Carpet Vacuum Buying Guide
Deep-clean fibers and restore your carpet’s appearance. Choosing the right tool makes this chore far simpler. A good carpet vacuum tackles ground-in dirt, pet hair, and allergens, leaving your floors fresh and looking renewed. Let’s look at the key features that matter most.
Suction Power & Motor Type
This is the heart of any vacuum. For carpets, you need strong, consistent suction to pull dirt from deep within the pile. Look for a motor with high air watts or a sealed system that maintains power. Ever notice how some vacuums just push dirt around? That’s often weak suction. A powerful motor ensures a thorough clean on the first pass.
Adjustable Height & Brush Roll
Carpets come in different thicknesses, from plush to low-pile. An adjustable cleaning head is crucial—it lets the vacuum sit at the perfect height to agitate the fibers effectively. A motorized brush roll is non-negotiable; it beats the carpet to loosen stubborn debris. Check if it easily handles transitions from carpet to hard floors without you needing to fiddle with settings.
Filtration System
If you have allergies, this is a top priority. A vacuum with a HEPA filter can trap 99.97% of microscopic particles like dust mites and pollen, preventing them from blowing back into your home’s air. Remember that time you emptied a dusty canister and started sneezing? A good sealed filtration system keeps that contained, which is a major win for indoor air quality.
Maneuverability & Weight
You’ll be pushing this appliance around your entire home. Lightweight models are easier on stairs, but sometimes sacrifice power. Consider if you prefer an upright’s simple back-and-forth motion or a canister’s flexible hose for under furniture. Easy-rolling wheels and a swivel steering head make navigating around chair legs and corners much less of a hassle.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carpet Vacuums
What’s teh difference between an upright and a canister vacuum for carpets?
Upright vacuums are all-in-one units that are great for covering large carpeted areas quickly. Canister vacuums have a separate unit and a hose, which can be easier for stairs and furniture. For mostly carpet, many people find uprights more convenient.
How important is the suction power?
Very important! Strong suction is what lifts dirt from deep in the carpet fibers. Look for amps or air watts in the specs. But remember, good suction also needs a well-designed brush roll and seal system to be truly effective.
Do I need a vacuum with a HEPA filter?
If you or someone in your home has allergies or asthma, a HEPA filter is a excellent choice. It traps tiny particles like pollen and dust mites, preventing them from blowing back into the air. It helps keep the air cleaner after you vacuum.
What features should I look for on a carpet vacuum?
Look for a motorized brush roll to agitate and lift dirt. An adjustable height setting is key so the vacuum can work on different pile heights. A good cord length and easy-to-empty dust bin are also big pluses for convenience.
How often should I replace the vacuum bags or filters?
For bags, change them when thay’re about 2/3 full to maintain suction. Washable filters should be rinsed every 1-2 months. Check your manual, but a clogged filter is a common reason for loss of power.
Are cordless vacuums good for carpets?
Modern cordless models can be very good for carpets, especially for quick clean-ups. Their power has improved alot. For deep, whole-house cleaning, a powerful corded model is often still the most reliable choice.
Can I use a carpet vacuum on hard floors?
Most can, but you need to check. Many have a setting to turn off the brush roll so it doesn’t scatter debris. Some even come with a separate hard floor attachment. It’s a versatile feature to have.
Our Final Words
Restore your carpets’ appearance and remove embedded soil. The right tool makes this simple, not a chore. You’ll see a real difference in color and texture. Your home will feel fresher and more welcoming. It’s a satisfying step for any room.
Investing in a great carpet vacuum is worth it. It protects your floors and your air quality. Regular cleaning extends your carpet’s life, saving you money. You can enjoy a cleaner home with less effort. Start with one good clean and you’ll feel the benifit immediately.