It is not every time you need to clean your floor that you have to unleash your vacuuming arsenal. Sometimes, it could only be a spot clean and going all out takes away the fun. This is where stick vacuum cleaners comes in handy.
These types of vacuums are quite easy to store. The cool thing about them is that you can just grab them out of the closet, vacuum what you need, and hide them back. No fuss. No hassles.
Even though they are all called stick vacuum, not all of them are built the same. Some have long cords to connect to electric sockets while others are cordless and rely on battery power.
That is not all, there are stick vacuum cleaners that dare to be transformers. Remember those types that can go from one vacuum type to another? They exist in this species too.
Pet owners and people prone to allergies too can have a feel of the “stick experience”. There are stick vacuums too that are great for picking pet hairs. You will easily find some that have HEPA filters; some select ones even have washable filters.
As you read on, you will learn more about stick vacuum cleaners and what you stand to get from getting them. We also did not forget to wrap things up with how you can choose the best stick vacuum cleaner for your needs.
Let Us “Stick” It Out
A stick vacuum cleaner was probably conceived as a result of an obvious shortcoming of the upright vacuum. The uprights are a pain to use in tight spaces. And if you have furniture in the way, things can quickly become discouraging.
Most uprights are not exactly something you can carry around or want to. Truth be told, some uprights can compete in a lightweight category with cordless vacuums. One good example of that is the Oreck Magnesium upright.
Stick vacuum cleaners are like uprights that successfully lost weight.
In that vein, you don’t expect them to still have the power uprights are known for; something has got to give (LOL).
But with advancements in vacuum cleaner technology, these stick vacuums are beginning to pack some power.
Usually, one would only get a stick vacuum as a backup to the main vacuum. But with the way things are turning out, you can keep a stick vacuum cleaner as your main vacuum if you have a small apartment. They can be that reliable.
Now let us talk about the good stuff stick vacuum cleaners come with. If these things did not come with some nice advantages, they would not have been as successful as they are.
No Bags Needed
For one thing, stick vacuum cleaners are too small to have a filter bag. Another thing is, bagless vacuums are holding sway at the moment.
It is quite convenient that the stick vacuum cleaners do not use filter bags. It makes it easy to empty the dirt cup.
Since it will fill up quicker, emptying it should not be a hassle. However, you need to be careful when doing that so the dust does not get back in the air.
You will also save some money since you won’t need to buy replacement bags. It is always a good idea to have an appliance that saves you money.
Maneuverable and Lightweight
One of the biggest advantages of using stick vacuum cleaners is the handling. You can easily get hold of them and start cleaning right away.
Carrying the stick vacuum from one place to another is not a problem either, the convenience is just heartwarming.
The lightweight of the stick vacuums simply brings back the fun in vacuuming.
If you have a small space and a number of furniture around, you don’t have a problem.
A lot of stick vacuum cleaners have swivel steering which makes their movement super easy.
Get in and out of corners, under and around furniture in a breeze. You can now clean fast and clean well. No more hidden dirt in your home as you now have a better reach with your stick vacuum.
HEPA Filtration
HEPA is the standard for filtration system, especially for asthma and allergy sufferers. Those excellent filters are not only limited to the bigger vacuums. Stick vacuum cleaners too have HEPA filters that trap microscopic dirt.
With stick vacuum cleaners that feature a HEPA filter, you can breathe deeply and easily knowing that the air around you is clean.
To be specific, these filters can trap 99.97% of air particles to as little as 0.3 microns. So, not only will your stick vacuum clean the floors, it will also clean the air.
Versatile
Stick vacuum cleaners can be used in many different ways. You are not restricted to cleaning just the floors, you can go up too.
Remember stick vacuums are lightweight, so you can use them for all sorts of above the floor cleaning. By changing the attached tool, you can clean upholstery, dust furniture, and even clear out cobwebs.
Some stick vacuums can be transformed into handheld vacuums. That way, you can even go outdoors with your cleaning.
The ‘former’ stick vacuum can be used to clean the interior of your car and other parts of your home that the stick could not reach.
Low Noise
We all know vacuum cleaners can be noisemakers. Thankfully the smaller they get, the less noise they cause. Stick vacuum cleaners operate silently without compromising efficiency. You won’t be needing ear protection around these ones.
You won’t have to be concerned about your sleeping baby when you want to vacuum. These things can be that quiet. However, if vacuum noise is a concern, you have to pay attention to that when choosing a stick vacuum.
Their small motor is mostly responsible for that and vacuum noise reduction technology too plays a part.
Easy Storage
The bigger vacuums are a pain to store, especially if you have a small place. This is one of the biggest advantages of stick vacuum cleaners. They have a very small footprint which makes them easy to store.
The Shark Flex DuoClean Corded Stick is one transformer whose morphing skills help it reduce in size for a better storage.
Accessories
There are different attachments you can use with stick vacuum cleaners. These will open up the different types of cleaning that you can do.
If you attach a crevice tool, you can take out the dirt hiding in your baseboard and other such places.
There are pet tools that you can attach that are great for picking up pet hairs on different surfaces. Brush tools will let you clean off dust from the surfaces of your furniture.
The Dichotomy
In most cases, cordless and stick vacuum cleaners often used interchangeably. That is not entirely wrong considering the fact that cordless vacuums look like sticks too. But the truth is they are not exactly the same. Maybe similar, but not the same.
If you want to know the ways these vacuums differ or to better put it, the way we differentiate them, you can check out our vacuum cleaner guide in the “cordless and stick” section.
Some people might not agree with this differentiation but kindly indulge us for a moment.
If you think they are not different, or we should not separate them, check this out.
The Dirt Devil 360o Reach SD12517BPC falls into the category of stick vacuum cleaners by design but then, it is corded. That certainly stops it from being categorized as a cordless vacuum cleaner.
We hope you now get the point. It clears things up to create this separation for a deeper understanding.
That way, users can understand that they can get a slim vacuum cleaner without the constraint of using a battery.
Types Of Stick Vacuum Cleaners
We will mix up quite a number of categories so we can differentiate them based on different things. This will help clarify things and make things easy when you want to choose.
Wired or Not
Like we mentioned earlier, cordless vacuum cleaners and stick vacuum cleaners are not exactly the same, they are just similar. All cordless vacuums are, well, cordless. But quite a number of stick vacuum cleaners are corded.
Whichever you go for, you would get value for your money considering other variables equal. You have to keep in mind, though that if you choose the cordless variants, you are constrained by the battery.
The run time of some cordless stick vacuums might not be sufficient and you will have to wait for a recharge.
One way you can alleviate the battery issue is to get an extra battery so while you are using one, another is ready to go. That way, you can work faster and wait less for the battery to charge.
With the corded stick, you have unlimited time to use them. You can clean all you want how you want. Some of them have cords as long as 18 feet or more so your coverage is not impeded.
Pets
Having pets does not mean stick vacuum cleaners might not work for you, they actually will.
Vacuum brands are aware of how much of a hassle it can be to clean pet hair.
So, almost every type of vacuum they come up with has a variant specialized for pet hairs.
Most vacuum brands design their stick vacuum cleaners with pet owners in mind.
So, if you share an apartment with a pet, you won’t have a problem finding a stick vacuum cleaner that will help you deal with loose fur.
The Transformers
These guys feature here too and as always, they make things a little more interesting. They are the stick vacuum cleaners that can become a handheld.
This means that you now have a stick vacuum cleaner as well as a handheld vacuum. That is the value of two products for the price of one.
One cool feature of these transformers is that as you convert from stick to handheld, you can leave the brush head on and clean stairs with it.
How To Choose The Best Stick Vacuum Cleaners For Your Need
We have established that stick vacuum cleaners are best for small-scale vacuuming and spot cleans. There are some that are tipped to be strong enough to clean your entire home, at least according to their manufacturers. But honestly, we won’t stick an arm out for that.
However, we will still guide you towards choosing the best stick vacuum cleaner for you among the many options available.
Carpets and Pet Hairs
Are your floors mainly carpeted or do you have pets? If you have been using vacuum cleaners for a while, you would know that it takes some more power to properly clean a carpet compared to bare floors.
If you own a pet, you also know that cleaning the hair is a continuous work. In that case, you need something lightweight that you can easily reach out to.
If you have lots of carpeted floors and also have pets, then your best choice of stick vacuum cleaner is a powerful one.
If you are going to get a stick vacuum that will do a decent job, you should be ready to pay for that power.
The Shark Rocket Deluxe Pro is a great choice if you want a combination of power, maneuverability, and a touch of aesthetics.
Bare Floors
The Bissell Featherweight 3106, which truly is as the name implies, is a great performer on hard floors. It costs less than $30 and is even still impressive on carpets.
Get your hard floors squeaky clean all the time in no time with affordable stick vacuum cleaners that are popular for use on hard floors.
Cleaning type
If you want to be able to do different types of cleaning, you would want to go for one of those transformer stick vacuum cleaners.
With those ones, you can clean virtually any surface in your home. All you have to do is change attachments and you can go from floors to ceiling and everything in between.
Transform them from sticks to handhelds and go all out cleaning every nook and cranny of your home. Nowhere is a hard to reach area anymore with these little vacuums.
It is not even hard to find stick vacuums that come with a number of attachments that lets you do different types of cleaning. You can buy the attachments you don’t already have. That will only increase your cleaning possibilities.
You have done great getting to the end of this guide. At this point, we hope you now have sufficient information to give you the confidence to decide on which stick vacuum cleaner is best for you. When you are done deciding, don’t waste any more time, just go for the buy and start vacuuming away.
