Which Vacuum for a Shag Carpet.
Our team has tested different brands and models to find out the best vacuum for shag carpets. To remove dirt and ensure sustainable usage, you need to be cleaning your carpets regularly. The problem is cleaning this kind of sensitive material with high piles is not an easy job. With the help of a good vacuum cleaner, this job can be easier and less time-consuming. There are hundreds of new models of vacuum cleaners available on the market.
Before we jump in to look at the best ones, ask yourself a couple of questions. As well as the shag rug, what other issues are you faced with? Do you have pets, is long hair an issue? Would a multi-floor cleaner be better for your home as opposed to one that can only clean shag rugs/ carpets? How much do you want to spend on your new machine etc?
What should you look for in a vacuum for high pile carpets?
To find the best vacuum for a shag rug we have broken down some of the various options.
* Canister or Upright?
To clean your high pile shag rug then a canister can be more helpful than an upright vacuum. Canister vacuums are powerful for deep cleaning the high pile of a shag carpet along with all the other types of floors.
Many upright vacuums are specially made for shag carpets. These vacuums have an adjustable height function that helps you to clean the carpet without making the vacuum hard to push or damaging any other type of flooring you may have.
So, between the two, the decision is purely based on personal preference.
* Vacuum Without a Beater Brush
Cleaning your shag carpet with a beater bar head is inadvisable. Using a beater bar could pull the fibers from the yarn or lose the twist of the fibers. You will end up harming your shag carpet if you use either a beater bar or a brush roll. So while cleaning your shag carpet, just attach the suction-only nozzle. To clean your other regular carpets, you can use the beater bar.
* Easy To Push
Sometimes the thick pile of fibers of shag carpet can jam the opening of the vacuum cleaner and make it impossible to push. This is a usual problem for heavy suction upright vacuums. Avoid those vacuums if you want to use them for cleaning a shag carpet.
* Deep Cleaning Suction
Good suction power is very important to deep clean your shag carpet. Objects and dust particles can easily get trapped inside the threads and the surface of your carpet. You could buy a canister or upright vacuum that comes with good suction power, especially if you are trying to remove long hair from the carpet.
* Adjustable Height
When choosing a good vacuum for a shag carpet, a height adjustment feature is a must to look for. I’ve seen many powerful suction vacuums that are very hard to move across long pile carpets. You need the feature to adjust the height of the vacuum and set it to a level where it is neither very easy nor hard to push. If you are buying an upright, it is better if you can adjust the height of the upright vacuum.
* Large Wheels
Tiny wheels can easily get stuck in the long threads of the carpet. Go for a vacuum that contains large wheels. Large wheels make the vacuum easy to move and prevent any kind of tangled mess.
* Suction & Air Flow Control
The suction power is very important for deep cleaning the carpet. But each carpet needs an optimum level of suction and wind power for cleaning. So, look for a vacuum that lets you control suction and airflow.
Top 5 Vacuums for High Pile Carpets or Shag Rugs:
This bag-equipped canister vacuum is a high-profile vacuum cleaner from the very well-known brand Miele. To clean heavy-duty carpeting, you probably won’t get a better vacuum than this. I can personally recommend this model as the best vacuum for a shag rug. It works very well on shag carpets and long pile carpets. If you do have a long shag rug that gets regular use then you can’t go wrong with a Miele. It has all the features that you need to clean your rugs and shag carpets.
The suction is very powerful, and you have full control over it. Adjust the suction to whatever you need to clean your shag carpet. Even on low power, it easily drags up the dirt and hair from the pile.
You can control the height adjustments as you need. Also, you can quickly switch off the brush roll while cleaning sensitive things like your shag carpet. I also love the led light attached in front of the beater bar. It helps while operating in dark places like under tables or dimly lit rooms.
Miele is very well known for its quality vacuum cleaners. With lots of power and super comfortable features, this vacuum cleaner does cost more than a lot of other vacuums on the market. I would rather spend my money on something that does a great job and that will last. This vacuum is going to be long-lasting with proper use and can save you money in the long run. It is a great choice if you are looking for a good vacuum cleaner for your high-pile carpet. 10/10
The Kenmore Bagless Canister is also a good vacuum for cleaning your shag carpets. If you don’t want to mess about buying and changing bags, then you should be more comfortable with a canister vacuum.
Like most other canister vacuums, the Kenmore is very easy to operate and cleans your carpets effortlessly. With 11 amps of power suction, it can easily tackle anything in its path.
When you need to vacuum a shag carpet you can just switch off the brush to prevent you from doing any harm to your soft shag carpet by using the handy switch near the handle of the vacuum. You can clean the long piles of your shag rug with the crevice tool that comes with the vacuum cleaner.
You can work with the brush on short pile carpets and the suction along with the brush is very useful to clean dirty carpets. I tested it by vacuuming thick carpets and rugs that don’t have long piles and it worked really well.
It is an excellent vacuum for pet owners and comes with a motorized pet power-mate tool that picks up the pet hair effortlessly.
The only thing I’m not particularly happy about is the size of the dust cup. It is easy enough to clean the dust cup but obviously, you need to clean it more frequently due to the lack of size.
The Hoover Wind Tunnel T-Series Rewind Bagless upright vacuum is quite a traditional-looking vacuum and is highly recommended as one of the best vacuums for high-pile carpets. This easy-to-use vacuum has good suction power and comes with a five-position carpet height adjustment which is very useful for different floors and carpets.
If you need to clean your shag carpet regularly and you are looking for a good vacuum that is already tested by thousands of other users then this is the vacuum for you. I have heard from a lot of satisfied users who love this vacuum for cleaning multi types of floors and is very useful for medium to heavy use.
It is a bagless vacuum that contains a fairly large dust cup. The HEPA Filtration system is vital for those who have allergy problems by trapping any dust particles within the filtration system.
It’s an all-feature vacuum cleaner that costs much less than other vacuums available on the market so if you are on a budget then it is an excellent choice and a great value for money-purchase.
On the negative side, I did find the tangled brush roll very irritating. So if you have pets and need to do a lot of long pet hair vacuuming, then you need to clean the brush roll more regularly. Also, it does not have a brush roll switch on the system. So while cleaning a shag rug, you cannot use the beater bar; instead, try cleaning with the crevice tool. Your shag carpet will easily get clean with that.
Bissell is very well known for its budget-friendly vacuum cleaners. This Bissell Clean View will easily fit into a tight budget and provides you with all the features you need in a vacuum.
For those of you that need to vacuum a shag carpet, then I would always suggest a Bissell vacuum cleaner. This lightweight bagless upright vacuum would be a perfect solution for those who have a medium size apartment.
My brother, who lives in a 900 sq. Ft apartment, and has used this vacuum for the last four years without any issues. He cleans all of his different size rugs and shag carpets with it. The suction power is nearly the same as any other powerful vacuum, so it does clean very thoroughly.
It contains multi-height adjustments for different sizes of carpet piles, and it is easy to clean a long pile of carpet without ruining it. To clean shag carpets only then just use the crevice tool, and you are good to go.
So whether you need to vacuum pet hair or just your hardwood floor, the extra tools make it very easy to clean any type of surface.
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E
Shark is also very popular for its budget-friendly quality vacuum cleaners. The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional Vacuum is a bagless upright vacuum with a 10 amp suction and is great for anyone who is looking for a budget purchase.
The Shark Navigator allows you to detach it from the base, so it is easy to use on stairs and ceilings using any of the supplied attachments. The suction is more than powerful enough to deep clean your carpets. It is a very lightweight vacuum, and the crevice tool can reach deep inside your high-pile shag carpets. The supplied tools can be beneficial to cleaning pet hair from carpets, bare floors, and other surfaces.
Conclusion
If you are cleaning shag carpets then avoid using the brush as it may leave a mark, use the vacuum-only option. The manual suction control also helps while vacuuming carpets.
Find out How to Vacuum a Shag Rug.
