Every home needs a dependable vacuum, especially if you have pets!
Yes, I know robot vacuums are the latest hit since DiCaprio in Titanic, but today’s upright vacuums offer far better features, plus extra suction power.
Most on my list include detachable canisters for cleaning:
Upholstery, drapes, stairs, high furniture
To help you find the best upright vacuum cleaner, we ranked them based on performance, features, price & buyer reviews.
The Best Upright Vacuums 2023
Hoover Upright Vacuum Cleaner
- Hoover's best-cleaning bag less upright vacuum
- Quick Pass Brushroll - clean surface debris 2X faster without having to pass over the same area multiple times
- Wind Tunnel 3 Technology - 3 channels of suction to lift and remove surface debris and deep down embedded dirt
- 4-Position Height Adjustment - Easily adjust from deep carpet to hard floor surfaces for the best clean. Fast cleaning of surface areas, Extended cleaning reach
- Includes pivoting dusting tool, pet turbo tool, telescoping extension wand, and crevice tool. Conveniently empty debris with the push of a button, without getting your hands dirty
The Hoover WindTunnel 3 is a heavy-duty, affordable vacuum w/ powerful suction.
Designed with a longer, 40 ft. cord – a good option for larger homes or residences with lots of carpets.
- Weight: 8.2 kg
- Reach: 40 ft. cord
- Pricing: Medium
Quick-Pass brush roll provides 2x faster cleaning (since you won’t need to go over the same area multiple times). An excellent option for lots of pet hair!
A full-home vacuum cleaner, the Hoover WindTunnel includes a detachable, handheld vacuum with 4 attachments.
Good vacuum for upholstery and furniture!
The Hoover Wind Tunnel is a top seller online.
Shark Upright Vacuum NV681UKT
- Lift-Up Canister: Simply press a button to quickly transition to a lightweight pod for stairs and above floor cleaning
- Completely Sealed System: Advanced HEPA filter system traps 99.97% of dust inside your vacuum, keeping them out of the air you breathe
- Powerful Suction: 2-Motor system for deep cleaning removes ground-in dirt from carpets and cleans hard floors, stairs, and more
- Lightweight and Maneuverable: This full-sized upright is under 14lbs and leaves dirt nowhere to hide with swivel steering
- Versatile Tools with Extended Reach: Flexible hose lengthens to 10 feet to access all your hard-to-reach places. A 3-in-1 combination tool features a crevice tool, dusting brush and upholstery tool for whole home cleaning
Shark NV681UKT is the best upright vacuum cleaner for dog hair.
Includes two surface settings for carpet or hard floors. Hardwood floors require a gentle vacuum – the Shark Rotator is a good option.
- Weight: 16.7 pounds
- Capacity: 1.5 quarts
- Pricing: Expensive
Powerful suction for carpets and gentle glide wheels are ideal for delicate flooring (i.e., oak or mahogany).
Buyers say the Shark NV681UKT motorized brush makes it the best upright vacuum cleaner for hair or carpets.
Fingertip controls and swivel steering make it super user-friendly.
Additional features:
LED lights, power-suction mode, detachable 1.5 qt canister
Expensive, but lots of positive buyer reviews.
Bissell Cleanview Swivel Pet Review
- Buy Bissell, save pets Bissell donates up to 10 dollars to the Bissell pet foundation for every pet product purchase, upon activation
- Triple action brush roll plus scatter free technology maximize pet hair pickup – even if it’s embedded
- 27’ power cord automatically rewinds for quick and easy storage. Cleaning path width - 13.5 inch
- Swivel steering makes cleaning around furniture and obstacles easy
- Edge to edge cleaning feature gets closer to walls and corners with each pass
The Bissell Cleanview vacuum is an affordable upright vacuum cleaner.
It comes w/ a specialized triple-action brush roll for pet hair – buyers confirm it picks up clumps or long hair that are tangled in the carpet.
- Weight: 18 pounds
- Reach: 25 ft. cord
- Pricing: Affordable
New Swivel Steering makes it easy to get around obstacles or awkward areas.
If there is a smaller area vacuum can’t be reached – no problem!
Easily disconnect the nozzle, and it can be used as a dry vac. The downside is the cord is a little shorter at only 27 ft. and a little heavier at 18 lbs.
Lots of good buyer reviews online!
Shark Rotator NV501 Reviews
- LIFT-AWAY FUNCTIONALITY: Detachable pod for cleaning under furniture or detach the nozzle to clean above the floor, on upholstery, furniture, stairs, and more.
- ANTI-ALLERGEN COMPLETE SEAL TECHNOLOGY: Works with a HEPA filter to trap dust and allergens inside the vacuum cleaner.
- ADVANCED SWIVEL STEERING: Easily maneuver your vacuum to get in and out of tight spaces, in corners, around furniture, and more.
- LED HEADLIGHTS: Powerful lights on the nozzle reveal hidden debris and pet hair around your home.
- WIDE UPHOLSTERY TOOL: The wide cleaning path helps remove pet hair, dust, and large debris from mattresses, couches, curtains, lampshades, and other delicate upholstered surfaces.
Shark Rotator NV501 is the most affordable upright vacuum cleaner on my list.
Includes a filter system and seal, which is designed to trap 99.9% of particles in the vacuum.
- Weight: 15.5 pounds
- Reach: 30 ft. cord
It is also reasonably priced and will appeal to those who want a 2-in-1 vacuum:
Upright and handheld vacuum (w/ lift-away pod).
One of Shark’s Lift-Away upright vacuums, it comes with an easy attach/detach canister for difficult areas.
Also includes LED lights for maneuvering in corners.
Read our review on Robot Vacuum Cleaners.
Oreck Commercial Vacuum Reviews
- MICROSWEEP: lets you switch from carpet to bare floors without adjustment
- DIRECT SUCTION: delivers dirt efficiently to maintain strong suction
- HIGH-SPEED ROLLERBRUSH: spins at 5,000 to 6,500 RPMs for deep clean
- MULTI-SURFACE DESIGN: safely cleans carpet, wood, laminate and tile surfaces
- BUY WITH CONFIDENCE: To guarantee an authorized purchase, ensure your product ships from Amazon
For power suction, you can’t beat the price of the Oreck Commercial XL Upright vacuum cleaner.
Even though it is considered a “commercial” vacuum, buyers say it is one of the best upright vacuum cleaners for the home.
- Weight: 8.2 pounds
- Reach: 35 ft. cord
- Pricing: Medium
Designed for power, the Oreck Commercial XL comes with helix brushes that spin at a rate of 6500 RPM.
The super powerful suction is good for pet hair and can pull in particles in tiny crevices.
Also includes:
high-speed roller brush, fingertip controls, bumpers for protecting furniture
Good vacuum for residential or commercial use.
Medium price w/ good buyer reviews!
Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright Vacuum
- Lift-Up Canister: Simply press a button to quickly transition to a lightweight pod for stairs and above floor cleaning
- Hair Eliminator Nozzle: Brushroll automatically removes hair from the brushroll so it’s always ready to clean. This full-sized upright leaves dirt nowhere to hide while being lightweight at under 14lbs and maneuverable with swivel steering
- Completely Sealed System: Advanced HEPA filter system traps 99.97% of dust inside your vacuum, keeping them out of the air you breathe
- Powerful Suction: 2-Motor system for deep cleaning removes ground-in dirt from carpets and cleans hard floors, stairs, and more
- Versatile Tools with Extended Reach: Flexible hose lengthens to 10 feet to access all your hard-to-reach places. A 3-in-1 combination tool features a crevice tool, dusting brush and upholstery tool for whole home cleaning.
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 vacuum is specifically designed to tackle pet hair (and pet dander).
With a very strong suction of 306 AW (air watts), it’s able to lift tangled hair right off the carpet — you shouldn’t need to run it over multiple times.
- Weight: 17.5 pounds
- Capacity: 12 dry quarts
- Pricing: Expensive
Includes a detachable wand to help you clean harder-to-reach areas. Simply press the button to detach it from its holster and use it as a lightweight carry vacuum.
Includes a special HEPA filter system that traps 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the dustbin.
This is a model that works great on multiple floor surfaces:
vinyl, tile, hardwood, and carpet
Downside – it’s pretty expensive.
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Reviews
- LIFT-AWAY: Lift away the pod to clean under furniture. Or detach the nozzle to clean above the floor, on upholstery, furniture, stairs, and more.
- ANTI-ALLERGEN COMPLETE SEAL: Works with a HEPA filter to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum cleaner. (Based on ASTM F1977 of particles .3 microns or larger.)
- BRUSHROLL SHUTOFF: Instantly switch from more maneuverability on deep carpets to gentle bare floor cleaning.
- PERFECT FOR PET OWNERS: Picks up pet hair and loose debris. Powerfully deep-cleans dander out of upholstery and other surfaces.
- SWIVEL STEERING: Easily maneuver your vacuum in and out of tight spaces, in corners, around furniture, and more.
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away is the most popular upright vacuum online.
User-friendly features and a “Lift Away Button” to detach and empty the HEPA vacuum filter.
- Weight: 12.5 pounds
- Capacity: 12 dry quarts
- Pricing: Medium
Good suction for carpets and gentle gliding wheels are perfect for delicate flooring (i.e., oak or mahogany).
Buyers say the Shark Navigator Lift-Away brushroll makes it one of the best upright vacuum cleaners for pet owners.
Easy fingertip controls w/ swivel steering make it even more user-friendly.
Medium price and lots of positive buyer reviews.
Hoover Air Lift Vacuum Reviews
- Lithium life battery technology provides an average of 25 minutes of fade Free battery Power on carpet and hard floors
- Wind Tunnel 3 Technology uses three channels of suction to lift and remove deep down, embedded dirt
- High Capacity, Easy empty and Easy clean dirt cup
- Includes a 2 in 1 dusting and crevice tool that cleans crevices, vents and furniture surfaces with ease
Hoover Air Lift Bagless Vacuum is one of my personal favorites:
- Affordable
- Cordless = rechargeable battery
- Large dirt bin (1.05 liters)
- Detachable = best handheld vacuum
- Boost mode for extra power
- Very lightweight
In terms of battery power, it comes with two rechargeable batteries giving you 50 mins of cordless vacuuming power. A large dust cup means you can vacuum uninterrupted (without needing to empty the bin).
What I love the most about this Hoover is the detachable canister vacuum – it easily disconnects and can be used as a handheld vacuum for your car, furniture, or stairs.
Super lightweight at 12.4 pounds, it weighs about 4-6 pounds detached.
Tons of positive buyer reviews confirm how very quiet it is – upright and handheld vacuum.
Charge time is 3 hours for a full 50 min battery.
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pet Upright Vacuum
- POWERFUL SUCTION: Deep-clean carpets and tackle bare floors with multi-surface powerful suction.
- LIFT-AWAY FUNCTIONALITY: Detachable pod for cleaning under furniture or detach the nozzle to clean above the floor, on upholstery, furniture, stairs, and more.
- ANTI-ALLERGEN COMPLETE SEAL TECHNOLOGY: Works with a HEPA filter to trap dust and allergens inside the vacuum cleaner.
- PERFECT FOR PETS: Powerful pet hair pickup attachments like the upholstery tool make cleaning pet hair a breeze.
- SWIVEL STEERING: Easily maneuver your vacuum in and out of tight spaces, in corners, around furniture, and more.
Shark Navigator vacuum is built with an upgraded bin sealer and HEPA filter — it traps 99.9% of allergens inside once you’ve vacuumed them up.
An extendable wand lets you reach the upper corners of your rooms and clean things like blinds and drapes. You’ll also find the vacuum works well on hardwood floors and carpets.
The canister is removable, transforming it into a handheld vacuum — easily clean stairs and other parts of the house that are narrow or hard to reach.
What I really love is how big the dust cup is — it holds up to 1.2 dry quarts (which is a lot).
You won’t need to constantly empty the bin, which is great for homes that require 2-3x week vacuuming.
Shark Navigator has a medium weight of 13 pounds but is easy to assemble w/ excellent maneuvering capabilities.
Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 Upright Vacuum
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The Dyson Ball, Multi Floor vacuum, comes with a 40 ft cord and uses new ball swivel technology.
Best of all, the Dyson Ball allows you can reach tight spaces throughout your home. It’s also designed for both carpet and hardwood floors.
What makes the Dyson Ball Upright Vacuum unique is its fantastic durability. It is tested to last 10 years totaling 12,800 hours of usage.
HEPA filter helps trap 99% of dirt and allergens inside the bin once they’ve been scooped. And the 1-button bin release makes it very easy to empty when you’re finished.
Comes with the new instant-release wand — clean under furniture or up high.
The downside is that it’s one of the heavier upright vacuums at 17.3 pounds.
Shark Navigator Vacuum Reviews
- POWERFUL SUCTION: Deep-clean carpets and tackle bare floors with multi-surface powerful suction.
- LIFT-AWAY FUNCTIONALITY: Detachable pod for cleaning under furniture or detach the nozzle to clean above the floor, on upholstery, furniture, stairs, and more.
- ANTI-ALLERGEN COMPLETE SEAL TECHNOLOGY: Works with a HEPA filter to trap dust and allergens inside the vacuum cleaner.
- PERFECT FOR PETS: Powerful pet hair pickup attachments like the upholstery tool make cleaning pet hair a breeze.
- SWIVEL STEERING: Easily maneuver your vacuum in and out of tight spaces, in corners, around furniture, and more.
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional is one of the best upright vacuum cleaners with 2-in-1 functionality.
You can use it as a regular home vacuum or detach it for a handheld vacuum – great for furniture, stairs, or car interior!
- Weight: 15.5 pounds
- Reach: 25 ft. cord
- Pricing: Medium
Users find this model to be very quiet when running, which is great!
If you have toddlers napping upstairs, you can still vacuum without waking the whole house.
What I like most is the easy-button controls:
- brush-roll ON/OFF
- increase/decrease suction (min/max dial)
- 1-button to detach the canister
Moderate weight of 13.7 lb, but still powerful for its size/weight.
Best Upright Vacuum Cleaner UK
Even with newer models available upright vacuum cleaners are still preferred by some people. The greatest benefit is their suction power – unlike a cordless stick vacuum or a robotic vacuum, upright vacuums have up to 3 times the suction power. This is ideal for homeowners with pets, especially dogs that shed.
When it’s time to replace your vacuum cleaner, you’ll want a new machine that can remove dirt quickly and efficiently and keep that dirt locked away inside.
You should also consider things like which models will work on your flooring surfaces and what attachments are included since attachments can be used to reach high areas and remove specific types of dirt, like pet hair.