With so many models and makes available on the market, it’s difficult to know exactly what to look for when choosing a new vacuum cleaner. Whether or not you are a single parent, if you are live in a busy family home with kids or pets (or both), then you want to make sure you choose a model that meets all your requirements and is worth your hard-earned cash.
What makes a good hoover?
Before you look at specific models and examine countless reviews, we want to show you what you need to look for when searching for a high-quality vacuum cleaner for a busy family home. Once you are aware what a good quality hoover should deliver, and what to look out for, you can delve deeper into makes, models and reviews. So, here are the main considerations you should be aware of before buying a new hoover:
Cleaning performance
A busy family home is bound to get messy, so first and foremost you will need a hoover that will be able to keep up. There are many different aspects to a vacuum that can alter how effective it is at cleaning up dirt and dust. Carpets are much more difficult to clean than hard floors, for example, especially if you live with family pets such as dogs that are prone to moulting.
There are so many brands, designs and models claiming to tackle dirt and dog hair that is hard to know which one to choose. Canister and upright hoovers tend to have the highest performance if you want to tackle deep rooted dirt or pet hair wound around carpet fibres. Whilst wattage matters, you don’t need to go for the most powerful model. Your model’s wattage only shows you how much your appliance consumes, not what its output is. So, wattage does not equal suction. If you go for an upright hoover, a 100-watt model will do whilst a cylinder hoover cleaner should have around 220 watts. What is more important is suction. If you look for a pet-friendly cleaner that’s been specifically designed to clean up after pets, you can’t go too wrong but compare the stats to make sure you go for an energy efficient model that delivers suction, not just wattage. Also look for pet tool attachments, which have special bristles designed to pick up dirt and fine hairs.
Floor head design
Cleaning performance is not all about power and suction: The floor head design of your vacuum also contributes to your vacuum’s cleaning efficiency. If you have lots of carpets, like many families in the UK, then look for a model with a powerful brush bar that will be effective on carpets. Many hoovers come with a variety of floor heads for different surfaces. This can be particularly useful if you have different flooring around the house, such as wood or laminate floors, and carpets. Some vacuum cleaners have motorized brushes which are very effective at removing dirt from sofas, cars, and carpets.
Capacity
In larger family homes or homes with lots of traffic, a vacuum with a greater capacity will unquestionably be more convenient since you won’t have to empty it as often. However, you also need to weigh up the storage space you have available in your home. If you have a lot of area to cover but little space to store your hoover away, then look for a medium capacity model.
If storage space is a concern, you may be better off looking at cordless vacuums, which are typically favoured for their compact size and easy manoeuvrability. The capacity of these cleaners might be smaller, and you will also need to factor in that they need charging and might have a limited battery life, but they are supremely practical for quickly and frequently cleaning up high traffic areas or a little dirt here and there.
HEPA filter
All hoovers come with a filter, but not all perform equally well. If you or a family member suffers from hayfever or other allergic reactions and / or asthma, you are well advised to buy a model with an inbuilt HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter that will remove 99.97% of ultra-fine particles. Whilst standard vacuums will be effective at removing small particles from floors or surfaces, they can just as easily throw them back into the air, causing an allergic reaction or an asthma attack in children and adults.
Did you know that 12 million Brits suffer from a dust mite allergy resulting in, or exacerbating, asthma, eczema, and perennial allergic rhinitis according to Allergy UK. Buying a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter that is designed to remove these airborne particles can keep allergens such as dust mites, pollen, mould, and bacteria trapped inside the cleaner thus creating a healthier home or workplace.
For even more protection against allergens, consider the benefits of a bagged vacuum, which negates the need for you to come into contact with the dirt inside the hoover. This may work out more expensively in the long run, and, of course, creates regular waste, but it is the better choice for allergy sufferers. When you buy filters and vacuum bags, you want to make sure they don’t split. These vacuum cleaner bags seem to be quite sturdy.
We all want a powerful yet energy-efficient and silent vacuum cleaner that is easy to manoeuvre and takes up little space in our family home, right? Think about your family’s requirements and your budget and look for a model that meets as many of these as possible. This will help in narrowing down your search and help you identify the right hoover for you. You might find exactly what you are looking for, or you may need to compromise, but with so many excellent vacuum cleaners on the market, you should come pretty close to finding the perfect model for your family.
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