Canister Vacuum Cleaners

Canister vacuum cleaners are less popular than uprights. Physically, they are more cumbersome, but they are very versatile. A quality canister vacuum can clean a variety of floor services effectively. A canister is also effective when you need to actually vacuum underneath objects in your home, like a bed or coffee table. If you like using a canister vacuum, there are plenty of models to choose from.

I recommend the following brands of canister vacuum cleaners:

• Miele
• Panasonic
• Simplicity

Simplicity and Miele are only offered through authorized vacuum dealers. You can't buy a Simplicity vacuum cleaner (canister or upright) on the internet at the moment. If you buy one at a vacuum store, vacuum bags and other parts are readily available on the internet. Panasonic has retail models available, but might have specific models that are only made available at vacuum stores. Vacuum cleaner stores (online and "brick and mortar") tend to carry the higher quality vacuums.

I have found these manufacturers to make very reliable and high quality canister vacuum cleaners over the years. I do not review any specific models on this site because there are just too many out there. At any rate, canisters from these manufacturers are more than sufficient for a home that has wall to wall carpeting, hardwood floors, or a mix of hard surface and carpeting. If you have carpeting in your home, make sure you purchase a canister with a powerhead.

If someone in your household suffer from allergies or asthma, it may be worth considering a canister vacuum with a good filtration system (you'll notice terms like: hepa filter, hepa-like filtration, hypo-allerenic, etc). You will pay more, but a good filtration system can reduce exposure to dust, dust mites,and lung damaging particles while vacuuming. All vacuum cleaner filtration systems are not created equal. If a vacuum is not "sealed" properly (most are not) it will leak out air before it is expelled through the hepa-filter, or whatever type of filter they use to clean the exhaust. If you are truly asthmatic or suffer allergies, make sure the machine you buy mentions that the vacuum system is "sealed" and offers a hight quality filtration system.

I find Miele to be the most reputable and well known of the canister vacuum cleaner manufacturers mentioned above when it comes to filtration. Miele has put a lot of emphasis on this feature over the years. When someone walks into my store and ask specfically about a Miele canister vacuum, 9 out of 10 times they did some research about filtration, and found Miele to be the best or among the best in this category. Most vacuum cleaner manufacturers are making a significant effort to improve their machines ability to filter the stuff you clean off your floors, so be picky and expect to spend good money on a top of the line model.

I'll end this article with a quick tip. Whether you decide on an upright or a canister vacuum cleaner, be careful with area rugs. If you vacuum near the edges, you may end up vacuuming up the fringes or the end of the carpet. If the rug is to big to shake outside, I would use the floor tool near the edges to decrease the odds of damaging the carpet with the roller. Common sense? Maybe, but I here at least one person complain about this every month at my store.