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You don’t get to buy a new vacuum cleaner every other day. So, when aiming to buy the best canister vacuum cleaner, Mark Johnson, an expert in clean environment from Bypurify, recommends that you invest in a quality vac that cleans your home thoroughly and will continue to do so for a long time. A modern-day vacuum cleaner has to do much more than just picking up dirt, dust, and debris. For example, if you have a pet, a decent vacuum not only cleans after your furry little buddy but also sucks up potential allergens within your home.

Having the best canister vacuum can significantly improve your home’s cleanliness and hygiene. Their powerful, full-sized engines offer incredible suction and brilliant flow rates to meet most, if not all, of your home cleanup needs. The selection of canister vacuums available online, or at your local store, is relatively wide. Such a wide range of choices can sometimes make a potential buyer woozy. So, how does one find the best canister vacuum cleaner for their household? Here’s a rundown of some of the considerations you should make when looking for a vac to fit your home needs and lifestyle.

Performance

The performance of a canister vac determines how many passes one has to make over a particular area before the vacuum cleans it effectively. The better the performance, the fewer the passes. Consequently, cleaning is usually much more manageable when working with a vacuum cleaner whose performance is excellent. There several indicators of a vacuum cleaner’s performance: it’s suction strength, flow rate, and depression. You can estimate a vacuum cleaner’s suction strength by considering its motor rating. A high motor rating is almost always synonymous with decent suction power. The motor rating of a canister vacuum is usually expressed in Watts. However, if two cleaners have a similar motor rating, their individual suction strength depends a lot on the technology used to build them. It’s, however, essential to note that greener canister vacuum cleaners use less power but still provide decent performance.

Bag or Bagless

Just like with most vacuum cleaners, canister vacs are available in two varieties– bagged or bagless. Bagged vacuum cleaners are probably the oldest vacuum designs available today. Bagless models are a much more recent innovation. The filtration of a bagged canister vacuum cleaner is considerably better than that of their bagless counterparts. They also tend to better at cleaning after pets, are more silent and cheaper. Bagless canister vacuums don’t require a bag to separate dirt, dust, and debris from the air. They are relatively more expensive to acquire, but their maintenance cost is low.

Dirt Capacity

The vacuum unit on a canister vac contains dirt bins (aka dust bags) where the dirt, dust, and debris collect. A vacuum cleaner with a small dirt capacity requires that its dirt bin be emptied ever so often during the cleaning process. Thus, if your home is quite large, or very dirty, cleaning won’t be the most enjoyable task if you’re working with a vacuum cleaner whose dirt bin size is small. The smallest bin size has about 2.5-quart capacity. However, you should select a cleaner with a dirt bin that’s big enough to at least cover one room before emptying is needed.

Filtration

Almost all canister vacuum cleaners have some sort of filtration system installed. In fact, all bagged cleaners are automatically fitted with a filtrations system.

Nevertheless, it’s always best to go for canister vacs with HEPA filters. HEPA filters are much more efficient than other filter systems. They are particularly helpful for folks with allergies or asthma because they are good at eliminating pollen, dust, and other allergens commonly found inside a home.

Budget

Quite frankly, your budget is most probably going to determine the canister vac you purchase. Generally, spending more money means that you’ll get a cleaner with better technology, more attachments, and accessories as well as enhanced add-on features.

Don’t forget to watch out for canister vacuum sales. You, for instance, can get 20-30% discounts during the holidays. Shopping on Black Friday won’t hurt your wallet either.

With kids, pets, and weekend get-togethers, stains and dirt can be inevitable. We all know what it’s like trying to scrub out that stubborn coffee stain that never seems to fade. These tips and tricks will help you battle (and win!) the toughest stains on your carpet, and keep it clean, too!

First, the stains need to go! Here’s how:

1. Take 2 empty spray bottles and fill one with cold water. In the other bottle, add 1/4 tsp dishwashing liquid and 1 cup of warm water. Shake well.

2. Spray the detergent mix onto a cloth and dab the stain (don’t rub!). As the stain begins to dissolve, begin to blot with a clean section of the cloth. Keep doing this until the stain is gone.

3. Take a clean cloth and spray it with the cold water. Use it to rinse the detergent from the carpet, and blot it with a dry cloth.

4. Stack up paper towels on the spot and place a heavy pot on top. Leave this overnight. The paper towels will soak up any residual stain that’s deep inside the carpet. In the morning, remove the pot and paper towels and fluff up the carpet with your fingers. Allow it to air-dry completely.

Now that we’ve got the stains out, here are a few tips on how to keep dirt at bay:

De-Grit Doormats

Your interior doormats only stop dirt from being tracked inside the house if they’re clean. Toss your mats into the washer and dryer on a gentle cycle and tumble-dry them on low. If they are non-washable, use a vacuum. Vacuum first the front, then the back to loosen any embedded dirt. Vacuum the front of the mat again to get all the grit that came out. To give the mat a quick refresh, take it outside and shake it well. Using a stick or your hand, beat the mat to loosen any dirt.

Clean High-Traffic Areas

In between heavy-duty cleanings, use a powdered or foam carpet cleaner on areas that get a lot of traffic. Apply the cleaner according to package directions and vacuum.

Take Off Your Shoes

Keep dirt outside by implementing a no-shoes rule in your home. Keep extra slippers near the door, and encourage visitors or family members to use them. Keep a broom handy in the entryway closet to collect dirt before it gets stuck into your doormats. Put mats outside your door as well so you can wipe your feet before heading inside.

Photos: Angies List, This Old House, House Ideas. 

Dry cleaning is cleaning a room without sinks or any water sources. Dust and dirt tend to fly when they’re disturbed, and a dry room is always cleaned starting from the top to the bottom. Working around the room only once saves you time, and makes the job go by faster. Read our steps on how to handle cleaning a dry room!

Step 1:

Place the wastebasket outside the door to be emptied. You can get rid of the trash at the end.

Step 2:

Move around the room in sections, and always start from the top. Use a long-handled duster and wipe down crown moldings, door tops, and the tops of photos and other artwork. Clean photo glass and windows with a cloth sprayed with glass cleaner.

Step 3:

Now it’s time to tackle horizontal surfaces. Dust any knick-knacks on mantles, shelves, or tabletops with a cleaning cloth, then dust the surface beneath them. Apply a spray of cleaner to loosen any soil on windowsills or counter tops. Dust furniture legs and wipe the dust from baseboards.

Step 4:

From circling the room and working from the top to the bottom, clean any furniture in the center. Vacuum the floor and empty and replace the wastebasket. For a final touch, spray the room with freshener to leave it smelling great!

Photos: Housekeeping.about, Housekeeping.wonderhowto, Life Hacker.