The 4 Best Handheld Vacuums to Tidy Up Your Home

If you need to quickly clean crumbs off the sofa, it’s much easier to reach for a handheld vacuum than pull out a full-size upright vacuum. “Handheld vacuums are versatile tools, perfect for quick cleaning tasks like spills, pet hair removal and reaching tight spaces such as stairs and car interiors,” says Elizabeth Shields, operations manager at Super Cleaning Service Louisville. These vacuums are also lightweight, and most of today’s best handheld vacuums are cordless, so they can be used virtually anywhere. They’re often lacking when it comes to suction power or battery life, though. “Nothing’s more frustrating than a device that dies midtask,” says Ryan Knoll, owner of Arizona home-cleaning service Tidy Casa.

To find the best handheld vacuums for all types of cleaning jobs, we spoke to several cleaning experts and spent weeks testing 11 top-rated products, evaluating them on their run time, suction power, ease of use and overall design.

The best handheld vacuum was the Black & Decker Dustbuster PowerConnect, which has strong suction to handle both large and small debris, as well as a swappable battery for extended run time. If you’re specifically looking for a vacuum to tackle pet hair, the Dustbuster AdvancedClean Cordless Pet Hand Vacuum comes with a highly effective motorized attachment that’s able to pull fur out of all types of upholstery. We also recommend the DeWalt Cordless Hand Vacuum and the Black & Decker Dustbuster Max Flex.

• Best overall handheld vacuum
• Best handheld vacuum for pet hair
• Best heavy-duty handheld vacuum
• Best handheld vacuum for cars
• Others you should know about
• How we picked

Best overall handheld vacuum

Pros

• Powerful suction
• Handles debris of all sizes
• Longer-than-average run time 
• Detachable battery
• Well-balanced design
• Onboard accessory storage

Cons

• Not effective on pet hair

Specs

• Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Dustbin capacity: 0.5 liters
• Attachments: Crevice tool 

The Black & Decker Dustbuster PowerConnect Handheld Vacuum is our top pick for everyday cleaning tasks, as it’s powerful enough to pick up all types of debris and comfortable to use. This vacuum’s suction was noticeably more powerful than that of many of the others we tested, which our experts say is a top consideration. “The most important factor for handheld vacuums is suction power,” says Jessica Samson, cleaning expert at Omaha, Neb.-based The Maids, which has nearly 200 residential cleaning franchises in the U.S. and Canada. “This will lead to the vacuum being able to pick up even the toughest messes and dirt.” This model was able to pick up large pieces of cereal and dried leaves quickly without getting jammed. In fact, its suction was so strong that the vacuum occasionally suctions itself to the floor if you don’t hold it at the right angle.

The Dustbuster PowerConnect is just as effective on smaller debris. It took it around a minute to suck up cat litter that was scattered across the floor, easily pulling fine particles from cracks between the floorboards. None of the pieces fell back out of the dustbin when the vacuum was flipped upside down, either (a problem we ran into with vacuums from Shark and Bissell).

This vacuum comes with a 1.5 amp-hour (Ah) battery and charger, and it offers around 18 minutes of run time when fully charged, which is longer than the majority of vacuums we tested. (The brand also has 2.0 and 4.0 Ah batteries, which would likely last even longer.) This model stands out from the other Dustbusters we tested due to its detachable battery—the same 20-volt lithium ion battery used on many of the brand’s other power tools (and even its portable cocktail maker). This means if you have another (charged) battery handy, you can easily swap it in to extend the vacuum’s run time without having to wait to recharge.

The only attachment included with the Dustbuster PowerConnect is a crevice tool. We loved that there’s a slot on the bottom of the vacuum to store it, because it’s easy to misplace small vacuum accessories if they don’t have a designated storage space. While shorter than most, the crevice tool proved to be useful for cleaning out tight areas inside a car, as it tapers to a narrow point that fits into small cracks. This accessory, coupled with the vacuum’s powerful suction, made the PowerConnect a top performer when it came to cleaning out dirt. When it’s time to empty the vacuum’s dustbin, there’s an eject button on the handle that releases the cup, but you have to manually pull out the filter before you can dump the debris.

The only area where the Dustbuster PowerConnect fell flat was pet hair removal. Because the vacuum doesn’t have any type of pet tool, it was ineffective at pulling embedded hair out of car upholstery. It was able to remove some fur from the surface of a sofa seat, but it’s not nearly as fast or efficient as the Dustbuster AdvancedClean Cordless Pet Hand Vacuum, which is our top pick for pet owners.

Best handheld vacuum for pet hair

Pros

• Motorized tool is very effective on pet hair
• Long run time
• Handles debris of all sizes
• Integrated crevice tool
• Large, easy-to-empty dustbin
• Convenient charging dock 

Cons

• Slightly bottom-heavy 
• Long hair may wrap around brush roll

Specs

• Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Dustbin capacity: 0.75 liters
• Attachments: Built-in crevice tool, motorized pet brush

Handheld vacuums can be useful for cleaning up pet hair from furniture or car seats with the right attachments, but not all models are effective for this challenging task. The Black & Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean Cordless Pet Hand Vacuum is our top choice for pet owners because it comes with a highly effective motorized brush that was able to pull hair out of car upholstery in our tests. It made quick work of even the most deeply embedded strands in four or five passes, leaving the fabric looking as good as new.

The Furbuster is one of just two vacuums we tested that has two suction settings (the other being the Dyson Humdinger), and on low it was able to run for 30 minutes. The lower setting was more than powerful enough to handle most debris, and the vacuum made quick work of cereal, dead leaves and sand. We found that the higher setting was needed for sucking up cat litter, as it allowed the vacuum to pull in particles from a wider area around the nozzle. The vacuum has a built-in crevice tool that slides out of the nozzle. It was the longest crevice tool we tested and ideal for getting into tight nooks and crannies around the car.

This Black & Decker’s dust cup is the largest of all the models we tested, allowing you to pick up more hair before it needs to be emptied. It was also the easiest model to empty. All you have to do is hold it over the trash can and press the eject button. The bottom of the vacuum swings open, dumping out the debris without you having to touch it. We also loved that this vacuum comes with a charging base that can be mounted to the wall, but we do wish there was a space to store the pet brush on the dock.

Best heavy-duty handheld vacuum

Pros

• Powerful suction
• Quickly cleans large messes
• Long run time
• Detachable battery
• Includes six accessories
• HEPA filter

Cons

• Heavy to carry
• Battery and charger sold separately
• Loud operation

Specs

• Weight: 5.38 pounds (with 8.0 Ah battery) 
• Dustbin capacity: 0.7 liters
• Attachments: Extension tube, floor nozzle, flexible hose, crevice nozzle, gulper brush, round brush

If you’re looking for the most powerful handheld vacuum, the DeWalt Cordless Dry Hand Vacuum offered the strongest suction and longest run time in our testing. It had no problem picking up even the largest leaves or clumps of dirt, and it was the best for cleaning up cat litter. The vacuum sucked up all the pieces of scattered litter in just a few seconds with the floor nozzle attached, and it even was able to remove the bulk of the pet hair off upholstery with its brush attachment (though it wasn’t quite as effective as the Furbuster’s motorized tool). With a 8.0 Ah battery installed, the DeWalt vacuum ran for an impressive 36 minutes, but it was the loudest model we tested, with a noise level over 90 decibels that became irritating after several minutes.

The tool comes with six accessories, including a floor nozzle and extension tube that allow you to clean up debris without bending over. In almost every test, it worked faster than any other vacuum. However, there are a few downsides that kept this vacuum out of the top spot: The vacuum is heavy and bulky when an 8.0 Ah battery is attached, making it more challenging to wield, though it might be a bit lighter with a smaller battery. Its battery and charger are sold separately (and typically cost as much as the vacuum itself), but if you already own other DeWalt power tools from the brand, you can use their 20-volt batteries on the vacuum.

The DeWalt is also the only vacuum we tested with a HEPA filter, which our experts recommended for anyone with allergies. It has a sizable dustbin, but to empty it, you do have to manually pull out the filter. Overall, it’s a heavy-duty option for your home or even a workshop, but its bulky form may not be the most convenient for everyday use.

Best handheld vacuum for cars

Pros

• Flexible hose makes it easy to clean in tight areas
• Removes pet hair from car upholstery
• Comfortable to carry 
• Easy-to-empty dustbin
• Includes docking station with accessory storage 

Cons

• Shorter run time
• Two-handed operation required

Specs

• Weight: 6.1 pounds
• Dustbin capacity: 0.5 liters
• Attachments: Crevice tool, 2-in-1 nozzle/brush, pet brush

The Black & Decker Dustbuster Max Flex has a unique shape that’s more versatile than many other vacuums, making it ideal for cleaning out your car. The unit has a 4-foot flexible hose that wraps around its body, and when detached, this accessory is perfect for reaching tight areas such as underneath seats and in crevices next to the door. The vacuum is easy to carry thanks to its large handle and balanced form, but you generally need two hands to use it—one to hold the body of the vacuum and another to wield the hose and nozzle. We tried using it with the hose attached to the body, but it’s too awkward to be practical.

This vacuum performed in the middle of the pack in terms of battery life, lasting for just over 15 minutes on a single charge. But its suction power was sufficient for all our tests, easily picking up cereal, cat litter and leaves. The only problem we ran into was that the cereal pieces were too large to fit through the tip of the crevice tool, so we had to switch to the larger 2-in-1 nozzle for that task. The Dustbuster Flex excelled when it came to cleaning sand out of the car, easily pulling all the grains from tight corners and reaching far underneath the seats. We were also surprised by the effectiveness of the unit’s pet brush. While not motorized, the attachment has rubber bristles that were able to pull all the pet hair out of the upholstery with several strokes.

This vacuum is another option that’s very easy to empty—there’s a door on the side of the vacuum body that swings open, allowing you to dump out debris without touching anything. It comes with a compact docking station for charging, and it has two slots for accessory storage, making it easy to keep track of the attachments.

Others you should know about

If you need a very light handheld vacuum

The Dyson Humdinger is the lightest vacuum we tested, weighing just over 2 pounds, less than half the weight of our other picks. While it was easy to use, its performance just didn’t justify its $300 price tag. The suction wasn’t quite as strong as many of the other vacuums’, and it took longer to clean up debris. Plus, its dustbin is less than half the size of our top pick’s bin, meaning it needs to be emptied twice as often. It comes with a 2-in-1 brush and crevice tool, which helps get into tighter spaces.

Great for quick cleanups

While its suction power was impressive, the Black & Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean had the shortest run time of all the Dustbuster models, dying after just 10 minutes. We also weren’t sold on its charging base, which requires the vacuum to be stood up on its end and leaves it a bit wobbly. The vacuum picked up debris quickly in our testing, but overall, we think the PowerConnect has a better all-around design.

True to its name, the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser excelled at pulling pet hair out of upholstery with the help of its motorized pet tool. However it came up short during many of the other tests. Cereal got clogged in its nozzle, and the flap inside the dustbin doesn’t close properly, allowing debris to fall out of the vacuum if you hold it upside down.

When equipped with a 1.5 Ah battery (sold separately from the vacuum), the Ryobi One+ Handheld Vacuum has a surprisingly short run time of just under 10 minutes—the shortest time of all the models we tested. The vacuum’s performance was in the middle of the pack. It did well with cereal and cat litter but couldn’t pick up leaves or pet hair, and we didn’t like that you have to pry the filter out to empty the dustbin.

The Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro had the least effective motorized pet tool that we tested—even after several strokes, it barely picked up any of the fur embedded in the car upholstery. We also thought the long, narrow design was awkward and unbalanced to hold, and its dustbin doesn’t have a flap to keep debris from falling back out if the vacuum is inverted.

The Dirt Devil Quick Flip Plus seemed like a promising lightweight vacuum, and we were impressed by its ability to pick up pet hair using its motorized attachment. We discovered one major flaw during the cat litter test, though: The vacuum’s filter is just a piece of plastic with holes in it, and it didn’t stop the litter from being sucked right into the motor. Every time we turned the vacuum on after this test, litter would shoot out of the air vents, making a whole new mess for us to clean up.

The Dirt Devil Whole Home is the newest model from the brand, and we liked that it comes with a compact docking base with a space for its dusting brush. Unfortunately, the model we received for testing was unable to hold a charge, so we weren’t able to use it. We contacted Dirt Devil, who told us it hasn’t seen the issue before and will be investigating. We’ll update this article with future results.

How we picked

Trust us

I’m a professional product tester, and over the past seven years, I’ve tested dozens of vacuums, including upright models, cordless stick vacuums, robot vacuums and more. I also own two golden retrievers and a short-haired cat, so I regularly use handheld vacuums to clean dog hair off my furniture and cat litter off the bathroom floor.

I didn’t rely on my experience alone while researching and testing these vacuums. I also spoke with three cleaning experts: Elizabeth Shields, operations manager at Super Cleaning Service Louisville; Jessica Samson, cleaning expert at The Maids; and Ryan Knoll, owner of Tidy Casa. These industry professionals offered their tips on selecting the best handheld vacuum for your needs, as well as insights on the strengths (and shortcomings) of this style of vacuum.

We tested

There are several important factors that make the best handheld vacuums stand out from the crowd, affecting both their performance and ease of operation. Using insights from experts, as well as our own research, we looked for products that outperformed the competition in the following areas:

• Suction power: Handheld vacuums are inherently less powerful than full-size vacuums, but they still need to have strong enough suction to pick up debris of all sizes. Unfortunately it can be hard to gauge a vacuum’s suction without testing it firsthand, as most brands don’t list air watts (the most common measure of suction) in their product specs. There are also several different factors that may affect a vacuum’s suction power: “Motor wattage, battery voltage, design efficiency, filter quality and the types of cleaning attachments all play a role in a vacuum’s suction power,” says Knoll.
• Battery life: All of our experts recommended cordless handheld vacuums over corded models: “The whole idea of having a handheld vacuum is being able to take it anywhere with you—the car, hard-to-reach places and anywhere around the house,” says Samson. “Cordless handhelds have come a long way, and you won’t be sacrificing much power over a corded handheld vacuum.” It can be frustrating if a cordless vacuum dies too quickly, so we looked for options that offer at least 15 minutes of battery life (but preferably more).
• Weight: It’s important that handheld vacuums are lightweight and ergonomic to hold because they’re meant to be carried around your home. If a vacuum is too bulky or its weight isn’t evenly distributed, it can be uncomfortable to use for long periods. 
• Attachments: You may want a model with specific accessories depending on where you’re planning to use your handheld vacuum. For pet owners in particular, a motorized brush head will make it much easier to clean upholstery: “Handheld vacuums sometimes come with attachments that allow you to pick up pet hair quickly from places like the couch,” says Samson. Other popular attachments include crevice tools and dusting brushes. Just keep in mind that the more attachments your vacuum has, the more pieces you’ll need to store. 

To assess each handheld vacuum, we started by testing their battery life. With the battery fully charged, we put each vacuum on its standard setting and timed it until it died. To evaluate their suction power, we created a testing area with controlled variables and specific amounts of debris, including Cheerios, cat litter and dead leaves from houseplants. We timed how long it took to clean up the different messes, noting if the debris clogged the vacuum or fell back out of the nozzle when the vacuum was held upside down.

Because handheld vacuums are often used to clean up pet hair and car interiors, we also tested each model on these tasks. We used the vacuums to remove pet hair (kindly donated by my dogs) from the upholstery of my car, as well as a controlled amount of sand from a crevice beside the car door, noting how long it took and if the vacuum was able to pick up all the debris. Throughout all these tests, we also assessed each vacuum on its weight and ergonomics, and we noted whether it was easy to charge, empty the dust bin and change attachments.

Our experts

• Elizabeth Shields, operations manager at Kentucky-based Super Cleaning Service Louisville
• Jessica Samson, cleaning expert at Omaha, Neb.-based housecleaning company The Maids
• Ryan Knoll, owner of Tidy Casa, a housecleaning service in Arizona