The Best Vacuums For Carpets To Suck Up Every Piece Of Hidden Dirt (2024)

Camryn Rabideau

Contributor

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Type: Bagless upright | Dimensions: 12.2 x 11 x 46.5 inches | Weight: 16.7 pounds | Dust bin capacity: 1.48 quarts | HEPA filter: Yes

Pros:

• Powerful suction
• Dual brush rolls with no-tangle design
• Lift-away cleaning mode
• Odor-neutralizing cartridge

Cons:

• Low “max fill” line on dust bin

The Shark Stratos is the brand’s most powerful upright vacuum, and it’s an unbeatable choice for households with carpets. Equipped with dual brush rolls—one with rigid bristles and the other featuring a plush, yielding surface—it excels in digging deep into carpet fibers to pull out all manner of dirt and dust. These brush rolls also boast a self-cleaning mechanism that prevents lengthy pet hair from getting tangled, ensuring consistent performance on both carpets and hard floors alike.

It’s also equipped with HEPA filter and an anti-allergen seal that guarantees that all sucked-up debris remains securely contained within the dust bin, eliminating the risk of it being reintroduced into your living space. Plus, its innovative "Powered Lift-Away" mode allows for effortless cleaning beneath furniture with low profiles, as you detach the canister from the wand. Not to be outdone, the floor head houses an odor-neutralizing cartridge that imparts a delicate, refreshing scent as you clean.

Type: Bagless upright | Dimensions: 14.9 x 11.4 x 45.5 inches | Weight: 15.9 pounds | Dust bin capacity: 0.9 quarts | HEPA filter: Yes

Pros:

• Affordable price for a full-size vacuum
• Lift-away design for cleaning stairs
• Swivel steering is easy to maneuver

Cons:

• Shorter-than-average power cord

The Shark Navigator delivers incredible suction power, efficiently tackling dirt and pet hair, while its HEPA filter ensures allergens are captured to keep your indoor environment cleaner. Additionally, its lift-away canister and swivel steering simplifies cleaning tasks offers effortless maneuverability across various surfaces such as staircases. Additionally, the option to deactivate the brushroll allows for seamless transitions from carpets to hard floors. The only drawback is its relatively short 25-foot power cord, which falls shorter compared to other full-sized upright vacuums.

Type: Cordless stick | Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.8 x 47.8 inches | Weight: 7.6 pounds | Dust bin capacity: 0.2 gallons | HEPA filter: Yes

Pros:

• Includes separate attachments for carpets and hard floors
• No-tangle brush roll ideal for pet hair
• Lasts for up to 70 minutes per charge

Cons:

• Expensive

The Dyson Gen5detect stands out as the best all-around vacuum cleaner we’ve tested, and despite being cordless, it impressively handles carpeted surfaces. Equipped with two floorheads, one specialized for rugs, its stiff bristles dig deep into carpet fibers, effectively removing dust, dirt and pet hair, while preventing long strands from tangling around the brush roll during cleaning.

It features three cleaning modes, delivers up to 70 minutes of runtime on its lowest suction setting, and unlike other Dyson stick vacuums, it has an on/off power button instead of a trigger. Additionally, it incorporates whole-machine HEPA filtration for comprehensive allergen removal.

Type: Bagged upright | Dimensions: 13.75 x 14.25 x 45.75 inches | Weight: 21 pounds | Dust bin capacity: Not listed | HEPA filter: Yes

Pros:

• Powerful beater bar for deep carpet cleaning
• Bagged design with HEPA filter for efficient dirt and allergen removal
• Floorhead adjustable to five heights

Cons:

• Heavier than typical upright vacuums
• Less effective on hardwood floors

If you don’t mind using a heavier vacuum, the Kenmore Floor Care Elite is a great choice for carpets. It features a bagged design with a triple HEPA filter for capturing allergens, a floorhead with five adjustable heights to accommodate various carpet thicknesses and a motorized pet tool, making it handy for cleaning stairs or furniture upholstery. Plus, the beater bar digs deep into rugs, loosening dirt effectively.

Type: Self-emptying robot | Dimensions: 11.49 x 14.93 x 19.02 inches | Weight: 8.15 pounds | Dust bin capacity: 60 days | HEPA filter: No

Pros:

• Automatically increases suction on carpeting
• Powerful suction for a robot vacuum
• D-shaped design gets along walls and in corners

Cons:

• Can’t replace a full-size vacuum for deep cleaning

The iRobot Roomba s9+ is the best robot vacuum we’ve tested, and it’s also one of the most effective options if you have a lot of carpeting in your home. Its unique D-shaped design features a larger brush roll, making it particularly effective at cleaning along edges and in corners compared to other robot vacuums. What sets it apart is its advanced sensors, enabling it to automatically detect carpeted areas and ramp up suction power for a thorough clean.

It’s also equipped with a self-emptying dust bin capable of holding up to 60 days' worth of debris and a runtime of up to 120 minutes per cycle, the s9+ proves its efficiency for larger homes. Additionally, its user-friendly app makes it convenient to use. Despite its higher price point, the s9+ is a worthwhile investment for maintaining carpet freshness between deep-cleaning sessions.

Type: Handheld | Dimensions: 6.6 x 8.2 x 15.8 inches | Weight: 4.3 pounds | Dust bin capacity: 0.75 liters | HEPA filter: No

Pros:

• Powered pet tool works well on carpeting
• No-tangle rubber bristles
• Large dustbin holds more debris

Cons:

• Only 20 minutes of runtime per charge

For hard-to-reach carpeted areas, such as stairs or car interiors, the Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster AdvanceClean+ is a great option. The highly-rated handheld vacuum features a potent motorized pet brush tool that’s great at tackling rugs and upholstery effectively. Its rubber bristles efficiently lift dirt and pet hair, remaining untangled even with longer strands. The larger-than-average dustbin is noteworthy for a handheld model, and its built-in, extendable crevice tool allows for thorough cleaning of nooks and crannies.

Type: Bagged canister | Dimensions: 19.52 x 11.18 x 8.94 inches | Weight: 23 pounds | Dust bin capacity: 4.8 quarts | HEPA filter: Yes

Pros:

• Adjustable-height floorhead
• Bagged design and HEPA filter help trap allergens
• Built-in accessory storage
• Wand can be “parked” behind canister

Cons:

• Expensive

The Miele Complete C3 Marin stands out as a worthwhile investment for those seeking a heavy-duty canister vacuum for deep cleaning carpets. For starters, the design offers adjustable height settings and long bristles to effectively penetrate the loops and fibers of your carpet, loosening dirt and debris. Plus, it aids in reviving matted-down areas by raising the pile of older carpets.

With a spacious bagged design capable of holding nearly 5 quarts of debris, the Marin vacuum is great for extended cleaning sessions. Its HEPA filtration system captures allergens and it includes a storage compartment for accessories. And once you’re done, you can conveniently "park" the wand in an upright position at the back of the canister for more compact storage.

Type: Bagless upright | Dimensions: 15.5 x 11 x 42.2 inches | Weight: 17.3 pounds | Dust bin capacity: 1.7 liters | HEPA filter: No

Pros:

• Detangles long pet hair as it cleans
• Stiff bristles gets deep in carpeting
• Multiple cleaning modes for different rug piles

Cons:

• Can be hard to maneuver
• No HEPA filter

For pet-friendly homes, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 stands out with its dense nylon bristles that deeply penetrate carpets to effectively remove dirt and hair. Its brush roll is designed to prevent tangling of long strands, while three versatile cleaning modes tackle hard floors, short-pile carpeting and high-pile carpeting. Additionally, its 15-foot hose enables cleaning of stairs and other hard-to-reach areas. However, it's worth noting that this upright vacuum is relatively heavy and may be challenging to maneuver. And despite its price, it lacks a true HEPA filtration system.