Which Vacuum for Stairs.

Looking for the best vacuum for stairs, well before explaining which the best available options are, you really need to know the features you need to look for in a stair vacuum. Stairs can be tricky to clean at the best of times so knowing which model does what and if it’s suitable for the job is essential.

I have seen people trying to clean their stairs with a regular-size vacuum cleaner that was nearly impossible to carry from one floor to another. The vacuum cleaner was perfectly fine, but it was pretty heavy for regular use. They had no problem cleaning any of the areas of the home with it, but the stairs were not easy to clean with it. If you are struggling to clean stairs then you should treat yourself to a vacuum that is suitable for the task.

What to consider before buying a stairs vacuum cleaner:

Suction Power:

Suction power is one of the first things you should consider before buying a vacuum cleaner. The vacuums with more suction power provide better performance. There are several things to consider about suction power, like watts, amps, or Aw. Besides having good suction power, a good vacuum cleaner also should ideally include a suction power control button. Because, you need to control the suction power when you are cleaning sensitive areas like a couch, shag carpets, or your carpeted stairs.

Type of Vacuum Cleaner:

It is always better to purchase a handy type of vacuum cleaner for cleaning stairs, they get dirty in no time! So if you want to regularly clean your stairs by vacuuming, you should buy a vacuum cleaner that you feel comfortable working with.

A lot of people have different preferences over the types of vacuums. You can go for a canister, upright, handheld, or stick vacuum. But most consumers say handheld vacuums are best for cleaning stairs. Besides the lightweight handheld vacuums, people also consider stick vacuums for cleaning stairs.

Nowadays there are several vacuum cleaners that are convertible from one form to another. I think those vacuums are great for multi-purpose cleaning. If you have a heavy full-size upright vacuum and you can convert it to a small handheld vacuum or use it as a canister vacuum, then you can easily clean anything with it. I think going for such vacuum cleaners is a great option.

Weight & Portability:

The second most important thing you should consider while going for a stair vacuum is the weight of the product. You are going to carry the vacuum cleaner from one floor to another. So, if it is huge in size and heavy in weight, it will be very tiring to clean your stairs with it. That’s why a good stair vacuum needs to be portable and lightweight.

If you are going to look for a canister vacuum, it should have proper-sized wheels. If you are going upright, then the weight should be light. But considering, portability and lightweight, stick and handheld vacuums are most effective in this case.

Cordless or Corded:

If you are going for a cordless vacuum, then that is probably the best for carpeted stair cleaning. If it is corded, then you must check the length of the cord. The cord decides the radius of the area where you can clean. So, many consumers find it a bit inconvenient to have a corded vacuum to clean your stairs.
On the other hand, if you are going for a cordless vacuum, you should check the battery life and charge time of the vacuum cleaner. You can choose a long corded or a cordless vacuum depending on your convenience.

Additional Tools:

It is not always that suction does all the cleaning. To clean effectively you must need some special types of tools with your vacuum cleaner. The additional tools that come with a vacuum cleaner can change the effectiveness and the time consumed for cleaning.

Many vacuums nowadays, contain a small motorized brush tool that can help you clean pet hair effectively. This motorized tool is also very effective on stairs too. Especially if you have pets, and your stairs are carpeted then this motorized tool will help you get rid of all the hair that your stair carpet catches every day.

Besides the motorized tools, it is better to have a crevice tool to clean the corners of the stairs. Many vacuums also come with small brush tools, long hose pipes; bare floor brush tools, and other types of cleaning extra tools that help you clean different types of surfaces at a time.

Multi-floor vacuuming:

When choosing a vacuum cleaner, you should consider thinking about what type of surfaces you are going to vacuum with it. Households contain different types of flooring; like tiled floors, hardwood floors, or carpeted floors. All these different floors need a different kind of care.

So, before buying a vacuum cleaner, you should check what type of surface it can clean most effectively. If your house contains different types of floors then you must think of having one that can work effectively on different types of surfaces. For carpeted stairs, you may find one vacuum very effective, whereas hardwood stairs may need a different type of vacuum cleaner.

Hepa Filter:

If you have dust allergies, then you must take extra care while choosing a vacuum cleaner. It is best to have a vacuum with a HEPA filter if you can afford one.

Warranty:

Last but not the least, it is always better to check the warranties properly before buying any appliances.

1. Dyson V8 Absolute

The first one I choose as the best vacuum for stairs is from one of the most popular manufacturers of vacuum cleaners, Dyson’s V8 Absolute. Dyson is very popular for its wide range of vacuum cleaning products. But more than that Dyson’s vacuum cleaners come with innovative designs and superior functions. In my opinion, Dyson V8 Absolute is one of their best vacuum cleaners.

I love this handheld cordless vacuum that can also work as a stick vacuum for everyday cleaning. It has an amazingly strong suction that can compete with any handheld or stick vacuum in the market. The powerful lithium-ion battery lets you operate the device for up to 40 minutes without any faded suction. This is quite impressive for a vacuum that runs on a battery.

This vacuum cleaner’s weight is 5.7s lbs, which may not be the lightest of all. Still, it is fairly easy to carry and work with. Along with that, this is a cordless vacuum. So, Dyson V8 is perfectly portable to anywhere in your house.

When you need to clean your stairs you can either pull off the long stick and work with it as a handheld vacuum or simply add the brush roll and work with it. Dyson D8 comes with a mini-motorized tool that is extremely effective to clean pet hair from any surface. You can simply push a button to control the suction power, which is very important while cleaning a stair that is carpeted.

If your stairs are made of hardwood and you are thinking if you should go for it or not, then there’s good news for you. Dyson V8 Absolute comes with a soft head brush tool that is specially designed to work on the hardwood floor. So this vacuum cleaner is perfect for cleaning multi-surface.

Now, if you are a budget concerned buyer then this vacuum may not be a great option for you. Dyson V8 Absolute is a high-end product that comes with lots of features and the price is also in the higher range. But it certainly is one ultimate solution for everyday cleaning.

Pros:

• Ultimate features for stick & handheld vacuum
• Powerful suction
• Great portability.
• Hepa filter included
• Amazing battery life
• Motorized Brush-roll
• Soft brush head for hardwood floor
• Great additional tools
• Compact design

Cons:

• High price range
• Weight may be tiring for a long time cleaning
• Need to charge after a limited use

2. Bissell Pet Hair Eraser

The Bissell is another modern design handheld vacuum that is extremely convenient to use for vacuuming your stairs. It is a cordless vacuum that comes with a 22-volt lithium-ion battery with a faded free 15 minutes run time. It takes 4 hours to get fully charged. The suction power of this vacuum is pretty amazing compared to most of the handheld vacuums on the market.

This vacuum has a weight of 4.6 pounds, which is less than the Dyson V8 absolute. You can easily carry this handheld vacuum wherever you want. So, it is totally portable and perfect for cleaning a car interior, stairs, or places where a full-size vacuum cannot reach easily.

You can use this device single-handedly, as it has a wonderful grip and buttons near the handle. To clean the dust cup of this bagless vacuum, you just need to do nothing but push a button.

Bissell Multi comes with a motorized brush tool, which I think is perfect for cleaning carpeted stairs. Besides that, an extension wand, an attached crevice tool, and an onboard dusting brush come with this vacuum cleaner. Unlike Dyson V8 Absolute, it does not include any specialized brush for hardwood floors. But all the other tools are very effective for different types of cleaning every day.

This vacuum is designed in a very convenient way. The see-through body helps you to decide when the dust cup is full and needs to be cleaned. Bissell Multi does not come with a HEPA filter. The filter inside the vacuum is washable with warm water and reusable after it is perfectly dry.

This vacuum cleaner comes with 2 years limited warranty. The price range is much lower than Dyson V8 Absolute. It is very suitable for a budget purchase comparing any other handheld vacuum in the market.

Pros:

• Good suction power
• Fade-free 22 v lithium-ion battery
• Cordless, lightweight & easily portable
• Additional motorized brush roll
• Built-in extra tools
• Comfortable design
• Proper for multi-purpose use

Cons:

• Small battery life
• No HEPA Filter
• No option for suction control

3. BLACK+DECKER BDH2020FLFH MAX Lithium

Black + Decker BDH2020FLFH Max Lithium is one of the best handheld vacuums on the market. It is very popular among users. It is a great choice for a handheld cordless vacuum at a very convenient price range. Besides that, it works perfectly on the stairs and any other surfaces of a house.

Black + Decker Max Lithium is a small and lightweight vacuum that has a weight of 3.20 lbs. You can use this vacuum as a handheld or a stick vacuum by adding additional tools to it. It is a cordless vacuum. So, it’s super handy and portable to clean the stairs. The 24 AW suction power amazingly works on all the dust and dirt.

This device comes with a 20-volt long-lasting lithium-ion battery that ensures fade-free suction. Even using the highest suction power, you can continuously run this vacuum for 16 minutes with a fully charged battery. To get it fully charged, you need to recharge it for 4 hours.

This device comes with a 4-foot hose to reach the tough spaces. It also includes a stick vac floor head to convert it into a stick vacuum, and a pet hair brush to clean pet hair from anywhere.

I like this vacuum cleaner very much because it is a perfect example of an easy-to-use handheld vacuum. It has thousands of satisfied consumers. This device has been very popular in the market for its value-for-money pricing. If you have a budget constraint, this is a good handheld vacuum that you can use for cleaning stairs. This vacuum cleaner comes with a great price and 2 years limited warranty.

Besides being very portable and extremely convenient for cleaning stairs, this vacuum cleaner has some negative issues. Unlike many other vacuums, this unit does not include a motorized brush tool. This vacuum cleaner does not contain any filter. If you are allergic to dust, you should not consider having this vacuum.

Pros:

• Budget-friendly powerful vacuum
• Convertible from handheld to stick vacuum
• Fade-free lithium-ion battery
• Lightweight & portable

Cons:

• No motorized brush tool
• No HEPA Filter
• Small battery life

4. Shark Rocket Hand Vacuum

Shark Rocket Hand Vacuum is a good budget-friendly hand vacuum that comes with a good price and great features. This vacuum is perfect for cleaning stairs, multiple surfaces of your household, and outdoor vehicles.

The Shark Rocket is one of my top choices for cleaning stairs and pet hair, because of its amazing motorized brush tool. A handheld vacuum that comes with a motorized brush tool is already a good choice for cleaning stairs. But, this vacuum contains a flexible rotatable brush roll that can clean vertically and horizontally. It is perfect for cleaning stairs. So, if you have pets and you have carpeted stairs, this tool can be extremely helpful for you. It is one of the best handheld vacuums for stairs and pet hair.

It comes with powerful suction and never loses suction technology, which ensures a good cleaning. It is not a cordless vacuum. It comes with a 15 ft long cord. This can be a problem if you do not have an electric connection near your stairs. So before going for this device, you should check if the cleaning radius covers your whole stairs.

The transparent dust cup tells you when to clean up the dust from it. You can easily clean the dust cup, by just pushing a button, without having touched anything. It uses washable filters. Once you wash the filter, you have to let it completely dry. Then you can use the filter again.

Besides the motorized brush, this vacuum cleaner comes with a few very important attachment tools. A 12-inch crevice tool that has a thin nozzle head can be very effective while cleaning tough places like stair corners. The long flexible hose lets you reach places where your full-size vacuum cannot reach. It also comes with a brush head tool, which can be very effective to clean dust from the bare floor.  So, this vacuum cleaner is a good option for cleaning multi-surface. No matter if your stairs are carpeted or tiled or hardwood. The additional tools make it possible to clean the stairs easily.

Pros:

• Value for money product
• Vertical surface cleaning motorized Brushroll
• Portable and easy to handle
• Lightweight and simple to use
• Additional tools are great for cleaning multi-surface
• No battery life limitation

Cons:

• The cord is not very long
• No suction control option

5. Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away Speed Upright Vacuum

Shark vacuums are usually highly featured, powerful quality products, but at a convenient reasonable price. This lift-away upright vacuum is one of those best “value for money” vacuum cleaners for stairs from a shark.

If you need a good vacuum cleaner for doing your everyday cleaning easily and have a small budget for it, then Shark Rotator lift away is the ultimate option for you. This vacuum cleaner is a convertible corded bagless vacuum, which you can use both as a canister and an upright vacuum.

This vacuum is not lightweight like the vacuums I have suggested to you before; it has a weight of 13.2 lb. It can be tough to carry to clean stairs, but still, it is one of the best options for cleaning stairs. The reason is, that you can easily use it by detaching it from the main vacuum. It comes with a long 30 ft cord. You can place it near your stairs and easily clean the surface with the detached long vacuum head.

This vacuum is for those consumers, who prefer to have one vacuum for multi-tasking, rather than having two separate vacuums. This full-size vacuum is easily movable from one place to another. After placing it somewhere you can simply lift away the vacuum head and work with it to clean near surfaces.

The powerful suction, amazing built, suction power control, and attached tools make an effective option for any type of floor. It is a good option if your floor is hardwood or carpet because it works great on both surfaces. This vacuum comes with a pet power brush which works like magic on carpeted stairs.

This vacuum comes with anti-allergen complete seal technology and a HEPA filter. It traps 99% of the ducts and allergens inside the vacuum cleaner. So, those who have dust allergies can easily go for this vacuum cleaner.

I’d like to mention again, that handheld and small portable vacuums are the best choices for cleaning stairs. If you are more comfortable with an upright or canister than the handheld vacuums, only then the shark rotator is a perfect option for you. Otherwise, you can go with any of the small handheld or stick vacuums mentioned above.

Pros:

• Powerful suction
• Anti-Allergen HEPA filtration
• Comes with a motorized brush tool
• Controllable suction for carpet cleaning
• Extra tools are good for multi-purpose use
• Great for hardwood floor

Cons:

• Heavyweight and hard to carry
• Corded vacuum

Conclusion

So, these are the most convenient options for the best vacuum cleaner for stairs. If you have the perfect vacuum that serves your needs, then you’ll find the cleaning tasks get much easier than ever. Hopefully, all my reviews have helped you to make a clear choice.