The best stick and robot vacuums for spring cleaning season
It's almost spring and that means spring cleaning. It's the best time of year to get the house in tip-top shape so you need to make sure you have all the right tools!
When it comes to keeping the floors clean, there's so much more out there than "just a vacuum cleaner".
Things to consider when buying a vacuum and floor cleaner
I think the first and most important thing is what sort of floor finishing you have. If you're like me and have all hard floors, then there's no real concern about the brush head and suction power based on the carpet you have.
However, for those with carpet, a deep pile carpet needs a better clean than a short one and the looseness or conversely the tightness of the carpet can also make a difference.
Next up, you have to think about how often you will clean. Most of us working busy lives are cleaning once a week, outside of the unexpected clean-ups throughout the week.
For some though, it's a daily or nightly chore. In that case, consider that you won't have as much dust or debris build-up, so the advanced suction might not be as important.
And finally, just what sort of mess are we talking about here? Simple daily dust? Or are your kids prone to spills, or dropping a percentage of their dinner on the floor – in that case, you need to consider a wet and dry option or a steam option to ensure it's hygienically cleaned.
NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.
Stick vacuums to consider
Tineco Hero 11
Price: $199 (was $319)
Tineco is a company with a long history in the home cleaning industry so well worth a look. One of the key things to know about this product is that it's well-engineered. It has a great solid feel to it and a premium build quality. While the price may seem far cheaper than the big names, remember there are others for a third of this price too!
Key features are a 40-minute run-time, simple and easy-to-use attachments, the LED lights on the front that help when going under furniture, and the three suction levels that in all honesty are perfectly enough for every Aussie home and situation.
Dyson V10
Price: $799
While several generations old for Dyson, the V10 is a robust, strong cleaner from probably the biggest name in the game.
Everyone wants a Dyson, and for good reason, they simply work!
Dyson is very strict on air quality, so the fully-sealed filtration system traps 99.97 per cent of all particles as small as 0.3 microns – look, that's small, and important.
Affordable multi-purpose vacuums
ADVWIN foldable vacuum price: $119.90
ADVWIN extendable vacuum price: $97.90
ADVWIN 3-in-1 vacuum price: $95.90
If you really want a stick vacuum, but can't afford those higher prices, these three are great examples of the world of mass production where the most popular things can be made more affordable.
What you don't get is the rigid build quality, stronger materials or perhaps as many years of active service in your home, but what you do get is a simple, easy-to-use vacuum that frankly, if you're an everyday cleaner will be just what you need.
The Foldable from ADVWIN is a great option if you've got a lot of furniture to get under and don't want to break the back!
Affordable wet and dry steam options
Tineco FLOOR ONE S5 Steam
Price: $449 (was $699)
For hard-floor kitchens, laundry and bathroom areas this is the ultimate do-it-all. The Tineco S5 will vacuum, and steam in one go, while also clearing up wet spills and mess.
The suction, water flow and roller speed are all automatically adjusted based on the mess, so doggy footprints, spilled milk and everyday dust are all taken care of.
There's even a handy digital display to let you know if it's detecting any spills so you know if you need to keep going or move on. The Tineco S5 will even speak to you, alerting you to clean or maintain the cleaner as required.
Dyson V15 Submarine
Price: $1,549
And you thought Dyson was just a vacuum. Think again. This V15s Detect is the latest from Dyson with all their advanced vacuum technology and powerful brush heads. Except it comes with one you might not have seen.
For those hard floors, the 'Submarine' head allows you to use water to clean the floors. It's all contained within the head of the vacuum and doesn't use suction, just a head to effectively mop and clean the hard floors.
The head cleans itself as it goes so you're not spreading mess, and when you're done you clean it ready for next time.
Great for that weekly clean, with the supplied vacuum head for those daily tidy-ups.
Let the robots do it!
ECOVACS Deebot T20 Omni
Price: $1,799
The ECOVACS Deebot T20 OMNI is the latest in floor care with smarts.
This beauty will perfectly map your home and set cleaning tasks as you need them.
But the smarts come from its ability to know what's carpet and what's a hard floor, allowing it to lift up the mopping pads when on the carpet and lower them down on hard surfaces.
This means you don't have to choose when to mop and when not to, the vacuum does all the work.
Plus, with the Omni station, it returns home, empties out the dust bin and cleans the mopping pads, ready for its next cleaning task.
ECOVACS Deebot N10
Price: $599 (was $799)
If you want advanced mapping and great automated technology, this is the perfect machine.
Great suction means it will clean up every day for you while using a dragged-wet mopping pad to wipe the floors down too.
Advanced lidar sensors allow this to create an accurate map of your home, which you can then use on the app to decide what and where it needs to be.
Eufy BoostIQ 11S
Price: $220.15 (was $349.99)
For something simple in a carpet-based home, this robot from Eufy doesn't use an app or anything like that. You just pick up the remote, set it off to do its thing and you get all the basic dust and debris cleaned up whenever you need.
Many people are skeptical about robots, so I do think sometimes the best thing to do is get something simple, and realise that it all only gets better from there with your next one!
But wait there's more...
K'A'RCHER VC7 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Price: $499 (was $799)
You might know K'A'RCHER for their pressure washers, but they have a range of household products too.
This VC7 essentially takes the power and battery performance from power tools and implements it on a stick vacuum.
Up to 60 minutes of run-time is almost without a challenger, plus there are more nozzles and attachments than you could need. It's also just over 2.5kg and that makes it versatile to use in all ways, even up on the higher areas not just the floor.
The biggest step up you get with a device like this is the Dust Sensor. That allows the vacuum to know how dirty the area you're cleaning is, and adjust its power accordingly. You don't think you need this, but once you use it, you'll never look back.
K'A'RCHER SC5 Steam Cleaner
Price: $949 (was $1,099)
For those hard floors with stubborn grime or remnants of disgusting spills, the SC5 is the latest steam cleaner from Karcher. Clean anything, from the floors to that induction cooktop, your splashback, bathroom tiles, and sink, steam will clear and clean those areas.
This one comes with so many attachments you'll be left wondering what you're not cleaning that you should be.
And, most importantly, steam cleaners like this are killing bacteria too!
SEE ALSO: The K'A'RCHER SC4 here!
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