Does the size of a vacuum determine how effective it is? Our answer is no, it absolutely does not. Cordless handheld vacuums may be small, but they’re still extremely effective on taking care of dirt and debris.
Upright vacuums can be tedious due to their size and weight. Sometimes you need a vacuum for a quick cleanup of your home or car. A handheld vacuum is just the item for such a job.
Keep reading to see our reviews of 10 top quality cordless handheld vacuums on the market!
Why Buy a Cordless Handheld Vacuum?
Below, we’re going to outline some of the advantages of using a handheld cordless vacuum:
Portability
Portability is probably the number one advantage of using a cordless handheld unit. Portability means easily moved and in this case, means that you’re free to work in areas that don’t have a power outlet nearby. Furthermore, you can bring a cordless unit anywhere you want, so you aren’t limited to using it indoors! As long as it is charged, or if you are able to charge it, you can even put it in your car and drive it to an event.
These vacuums also have increased portability by virtue of being handheld. As the term handheld implies, these vacuums are intended for use with only a single hand, so they tend to be very light. This reduced weight allows you to clean faster and easier. It also allows you to access places that would be more difficult with bigger vacuum units. For example bigger units wouldn’t be effective on upholstery, sofas, or shelving units. Tabletops or countertops would also be more appropriately cleaned with a handheld as opposed to a regular vacuum.
More Hygienic
You’re probably aware that homes can be hotbeds of germs and bacteria like mold, E coli, Staphylococcus aureus, or even salmonella.
Vacuuming is able to capture germs and bacteria. However, bagged vacuums require that you access the vacuum bag while disposing of its contents.
Luckily, bagless vacuums are available, and allow you to empty vacuum contents by pushing a button. The dust canisters empty without requiring that you handle it.
Quick to Use
Maybe you have guests arriving and can’t spare the time to unpack your upright vacuum. Or maybe the guests are already here, and something has spilled. Either way, it’s not the ideal time and place for a big conventional vacuum.
However, this is the perfect scenario for a cordless handheld vacuum. These vacuums are small and compact, so you can bring them out quickly and they’re powerful enough to quickly take care of small messes. They’re not at all difficult to use, and can be turned on and off with a button.
Use Less Electricity
Cordless vacuums have rechargeable batteries. This means that they might use less electricity than their counterparts, which require connection to outlets.
This feature might appeal to people who are environmentally conscious. It might also save some cash on your power bills.
Choosing the Best Cordless Handheld Vacuum
Here are some excellent features that can revolutionize your vacuuming experience:
Runtime
Battery power is what determines how long you can use your vacuum. Sure, the battery won’t run indefinitely, but a solid unit should offer at least 20-40 minutes of use. For most people, this isn’t too shabby. Many vacuums also have a light that indicates when the battery is running low, so you’ll know when you need to recharge the vacuum and how much time you have left before the next cleaning.
Weight
Most handheld units are designed to be operated with one hand, so it needs to be light. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be easy to comfortably maneuver and hold, causing you to tire easily. Some vacuum units are as light as 1.4 pounds! However, some can be up to 6 pounds, varying according to its shape and size. Generally, a lighter vacuum is preferable for the reasons mentioned above.
Attachments
Most vacuums will come with add-ons and attachments so you can use it on different areas and for different needs. Brush tools with soft bristles can be used to remove pet hair from carpets and upholstery. Crevice tools are narrow and long and can be used to clean out narrow areas like the edge of car seats. You can also run them along edges, corners and spaces that are hard to reach.
Dust Canister Capacity
Dust canisters are made to contain the debris and dirt that you vacuum up. Unfortunately, handheld vacuums will have smaller capacities than upright ones. However, they can stand up in cleaning tasks that aren’t as heavy duty.
Don’t enjoy visiting the trash can so often? You’ll want to get a vacuum with a bigger capacity, but this is probably going to make your vacuum heavier as well.
LED Light
If you have trouble spotting debris while vacuuming smaller spaces, like behind a fridge or under your desk, you’ll understand the benefits of an LED light.
These lights are usually attached to the head of vacuum and provide lighting for the area you’re targeting.
Wet and Dry Cleaning
Small children spill more than just crumbs and dirt on the ground. If you have kids at home, you’ll know that they regularly end up with drinks on the floor too.
Luckily, some vacuums can even clean up liquid spills. If this is something you deal with often, you might prefer a vacuum that can handle both dry and wet spills.
Always remember only to vacuum up things that your vacuum manual explicitly says are safe for your unit.
Charging Dock
Imagine you could just pick up your vacuum and go – no waiting for it to charge, no plugging it in first. With a charging dock, you can do just that! Instead of looking through your storage to find your vacuum when something spills, you can just grab and go.
Charging docks greatly improve convenience because they make sure that you vacuum is always there when its needed. Leaving it on the charging dock means its fully charged when you pick it up.
Warranty
Warranties let you take a guess at how confident a manufacturer is in their own product. You’ll also feel better about your own purchase if you know that it’s covered in case something goes awry.
Best Cordless Handheld Vacuums
After thorough research and review, we’ve compiled this list of the top vacuums available on the market. We’ve considered lots of online customer opinions in order to get you the best information. Keep reading to take a look at the best cordless handheld vacuums!
Shark WandVac Handheld Vacuum
Most Lightweight Cordless Handheld Vacuum
Most people want a vacuum that’s easy to use. The WandVac from Shak is only 1.4 pounds, making it the lightest model on today’s review.
The recipient of a design award, this unit has a modern design that’ll look good in your apartment too. But the main perk of this unit is the charging dock, which allows you access to your vacuum quickly whenever you need it.
Backed by a lithium-ion battery that comes with 115 watts, this vacuum will give you 10 minutes of suction and take two and a half hours to reach a full charge.
The attachments that come with this unit are also a great perk. The vacuum already comes with a tapered nozzle, but with the addition of a crevice tool, you can use it on small spaces and corners too. The cleaning path might only be 2.3 inches, but this works perfectly for tight areas.
The included multi-surface pet tool, as the name suggests, is intended to remove pet hair from your carpets or fabric surfaces. It has a slightly larger cleaning path width of 3.6 inches.
Emptying the dust canister isn’t hard, only requiring that you press the button located near the off switch. The spring-loaded design lets you empty the canister without dirtying your hands. You can also wash and reuse the filtration system included.
Why We Love It:
Only Weighs 1.4 Pounds
This vacuum only weighs 1.4 pounds, making it almost half as light as many other vacuums. This gives it tremendous ease of access and use.
Quick Charging Time
Two and a half hours of charge should give you 10 minutes of use time, and those two and a half hours make it the quickest charging vacuum on today’s list.
Features a Charging Dock
The compact charging dock that comes with this vacuum is aesthetically pleasing and space efficient. The attachments for this vacuum can be stored on it as well. Charging docks let you access the vacuum whenever needed.
Keep In Mind:
Short Runtime
Despite the quick charging time featured on this vacuum, its total run time is only around 10 minutes, or 9.5 minutes to be more precise. This won’t leave you with a lot of time to clean large surfaces.
Bissell AutoMate Cordless Handheld Vacuum
Best Cordless Handheld Vacuum for the Car
Cordless handheld vacuums are often used for cleaning cars, since they can be used far away from power outlets and are small enough to fit inside a car.
This vacuum specifically comes with accessories to detail and clean the inside of your car. One such accessory is the motorized brush tool, which can be used to clean car mats, trunk carpets, and car seats. Motorized brushes are great for loosening dirt that has been stuck onto upholstery or carpets, before removing them with suction.
The LED crevice tool included is also more than just the average crevice tool for narrow spaces. The design is not only custom made for small areas, it also has an LED light attached. This ensures that you can see exactly where you’re cleaning, which can be invaluable inside a garage with dim lighting.
The flexible crevice tool enclosed also provides an extra layer of efficiency. This is another way to access spaces where dirt and debris can accumulate, allowing you to deep clean your vehicle thoroughly.
This vacuum boasts a 14.4-volt lithium-ion battery that gives you a 20-minute cleaning time. According to reviews, this vacuum should only take about 30 minutes before its fully charged. This is actually one of the fastest available charge times for handheld vacuums.
To charge, simply use the adapter. A full charge is indicated when the light turns green, whereas a low battery would be red. Indication lights keep you aware of the status of the battery at all times.
With a see-through dust canister, you’ll be able to monitor when the vacuum fills up and needs emptying. Since the entire unit weighs in at 3.1 pounds, its light enough to be easily brought in and out of a car.
This model has a three-level filtration system in order to help take allergens out of your car. Given how much time we can spend in cars, it’s good to keep the air inside them clean.
Another highlight of this model is the triple-level filtration. This is going to reduce the number of allergens inside your car before you need to drive it.
Why We Love It:
Includes a LED Light
Since cars can be difficult to clean with limited lighting, the LED crevice tool helps illuminate all those hard-to-reach areas while accessing them easily.
30 Minutes Full Charge
This vacuum is exceptionally quick to charge, with customers reporting that it sometimes takes only 30 minutes to charge fully. Given that some units take as long as 3 or 4 hours to achieve a full charge, this is a relatively short time.
Triple-Level Filtration
The inside of your car can accumulate a lot of small particles and dust, especially with all the small and hard to reach areas, and upholstery that may not be cleaned often.
People with allergies might note a more pressing need to keep their cars clean, and the triple filtration may accomplish this feat.
Keep In Mind:
Noticeably Longer than Average
One thing to note from customer reviews on this vacuum is that its design makes it quite long with a cleaning tool attachment connected. If you have a smaller car, you might find this to be a hindrance rather than an advantage.
Dyson V7 Trigger Cord-free Handheld Vacuum
Best Cordless Handheld Vacuum for Allergies
The Dyson V7 vacuum features double-tier radial cyclone tech. This allows it to vacuum particles that are as tiny as 0.5 microns! Needless to say, this gives it a great advantage in getting rid of pathogens that might irritate allergies, causing symptoms like watering eyes, itchiness and sneezing.
With a washable filter, this vacuum can be cleaned periodically. This will help keep its efficiency up to par.
This model has excellent suction power courtesy of its digital V7 motor. This lets it effectively capture dust and debris. It also manages 110,000 repetitions every minute with the help of its lithium-ion batteries.
Two power settings are available on the Dyson. You can have it on Powerful Mode and Max Mode.
Max Mode is mostly recommended for deep cleaning, as it offers some extra suction power at 100 air watts. It can hold that power level for up to six minutes.
Powerful Mode is what you’ll likely keep on for daily cleaning tasks. Suction power comes in at 28 air watts, but the battery will last you much longer. You can probably run Powerful Mode for 30 minutes at a time.
Something you’ll need to keep in mind is that this vacuum takes about 3.5 hours to reach a full charge.
A feature that some customers have been excited about is the trigger. This trigger offers control over suction power, allowing you to pick between three cleaning tools.
When you’re ready to empty the dust canister, you can access it at the push of a button.
The included crevice tool is perfect for reaching edges. Also included are the mini motorized tool to dislodge dirt and a combination tool.
The vacuum itself comes in a 3.77 pounds and includes a two year warranty.
Why We Love It:
Two-Tier Radial Cyclone Technology
Radial Cyclone Technology’s function offers a strong centrifugal force that helps the vacuum grab even the smallest particles. With this power, this vacuum is great for anyone who worries about fine airborne allergens.
Trigger for Control
Vacuum suction can be completely customized at the touch of a button. Another perk is that keeping the suction at a lower level might also preserve battery power.
Two Power Modes
Besides being able to customize suction power, you can also switch between the power modes to alternate between battery conservation and extra power for stubborn debris.
Keep In Mind:
It’s Very Loud
Something that customers seemed to complain often about in reviews was the noise level of this vacuum. If you have small children or pets that are sensitive to noise, you might need to consider this downside.
Black + Decker Dust buster Cordless Handheld Vacuum
Most Compact Cordless Handheld Vacuum
Unlike most conventional vacuums, the cleaning tools on this machine are already attached. These include an extendable crevice tool and a flip-up brush, which cannot be detached. Since you won’t need to make extra room for attachments, you might save some storage space. Obviously, cleaning accessories give you an edge when vacuuming.
This model comes with a lithium-ion 16-volt battery and 15. 2 watts of suction power. It can be expected to run for about 11 minutes before needing another charge.
In order to fully charge, this vacuum will need about 4 hours on the charging block. When its fully charged, you’ll see the blue flashing indication light turn off.
Automatic charging means that your charger will turn off by itself when the vacuum is fully charged. This not only saves you some power, but it also preserves the health of your battery.
Something notable about this vacuum is its ability to keep its charge for up to 18 months, thanks to its long-life lithium-ion battery. Even if you store this vacuum for up to 18 months at a time, it might still be ready to use when you take it out.
At a surprising 2.6 pounds, it comes with a dust canister with a 0.58-liter capacity. This should be adequate for smaller surfaces.
The transparent dust canister will let you see when it needs emptying, which can be done at the touch of a button.
The filter on this vacuum can be detached and washed before reuse. Finally, this vacuum comes with two years of limited warranty.
Why We Love It:
Automatic Charging
With this vacuum’s automatic shut off when a full battery charge is reached, preventing damage to the battery. It can also be stored long term on the charging station without issue.
Extendable Crevice Tool
This crevice tool might not be able to detach from the vacuum, but it can extend and retract as needed. This is storage effective and prevents you from misplacing the attachment.
Nozzle Rotates 180 Degrees
Rotating nozzles give you an extra degree of maneuverability, especially with narrow areas.
Keep In Mind:
Charging Base Needs a Flat Surface to Work
If you’re ready to charge this vacuum, you’ll need to put it on the base to charge. The issue here is that you need a surface to place both elements on, which requires some space. This vacuum also doesn’t snap into the charging base, so it might be easily knocked off.
Let’s Wrap It Up
Hopefully, this list has detailed some of the ways that a cordless handheld vacuum might provide a significant advantage for housekeeping. Its main benefit is its portability, which is superior to canister or upright models. The lack of a power cord and lower weight than an average vacuum are other advantages.
One handed cleaning is a possibility with these light weight vacuums. You will also find that they are more power efficient.
There are a few features you’ll want to ensure come with your vacuum – namely, that they are lightweight and come with a respectable run time. Other add-ons like LED lights and attachments are extra benefits.
If you need versatility, you’ll want to make sure your vacuum can handle both dry and wet cleaning. Charging docks are also essential for convenience.
Considering buying a cordless handheld vacuum on this list? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!