All posts tagged: Vacuum cleaners

How to clean a vacuum cleaner in five simple steps

How to clean a vacuum cleaner in five simple steps

Published by Sam Flores

If your vacuum cleaner is looking rather sad, seeming to have lost suction and leaving dust and debris in its wake, hold off before replacing it immediately. In my work as a professional cleaner, I have found that it probably just needs a good clean. I’ve cleaned hundreds of vacuums in my time. While it’s something that may seem complicated, following a few simple tricks can return your vacuum cleaner to work with minimal effort and mess. You won’t have to wait days for its filter to dry either. Below is my video guide on how to clean a vacuum cleaner, or keep reading for more information. If this still doesn’t work and you do want to invest in a new machine, along with a panel of Telegraph readers, I’ve found the best cordless vacuums to consider. My favourites are linked to at the bottom of this article.  Source link

Five cleaning hacks everyone should know

Five cleaning hacks everyone should know

Published by Sam Flores

Cleaning grout is another hated job. But if yours is discoloured or you see the beginnings of black mould, this homemade paste will restore all the original colour without you having to individually scrub every line. You will need the following ingredients: 1/2 a cup of bicarbonate of soda (also known as baking soda) 2 to 3 tbsp hydrogen peroxide 1 tsp washing up liquid Mix the ingredients together until they form a thick paste; add more bicarb if it’s too runny and a splash of peroxide if it’s too thick. Then, do the following: Apply the paste directly onto grout lines using an old toothbrush or cleaning brush. Leave it for 15 to 20 minutes. Scrub any stubborn stains with the brush. Remove the paste with a damp cloth. Rinse the area thoroughly with warm water. Bicarbonate of soda lifts grime and acts as a mild abrasive while hydrogen peroxide breaks down staining, mould and mildew. The washing up liquid cuts through grease and soap scum too, meaning the paste doesn’t sit on top …

What your vacuum cleaner says about you

What your vacuum cleaner says about you

Published by Sam Flores

The world of vacuum cleaners, it seems, is a tribal one, particularly among Telegraph readers, where brand loyalty is key. Whether it’s a battle-hardened Henry dragged from job to job, a durable, German-engineered machine or a high-tech Dyson, each choice reflects a different philosophy of cleaning and often says as much about your priorities as it does about your floors. When we recently updated our guide to the best vacuums, the comments were full of varying opinions and recommendations. So, here’s the advice worth considering next time you’re in the market for a new one. The people’s champion: Henry Unpretentious, nostalgic and found everywhere from tradesmen’s vans to family homes, Henry is by far the most highly-rated vacuum cleaner among our readers, and for good reason. Made by British brand Numatic, the vacuum is reliable, indestructible, and even fireproof, as one reader explains. Henry is “the vacuum cleaner of choice” for David Jones, who regards the brand as the best for helping to manage maintenance on various facilities. While at home, he prefers to use …

The best vacuum cleaners

The best vacuum cleaners

Published by Sam Flores

Every vacuum on this list has been tested by our team of expert home product reviewers. They all try several models from different brands, using them at home for deep cleans and quick pick-ups. Each is scored according to the following metrics: Design and build: We judge how durable each vacuum feels and whether it is lightweight and manoeuvrable. Components like the bin and accessories are also assessed for overall usability. Performance and results: Our experts try each vacuum on different surfaces, including carpets, hard floors and tiles. They lay out debris including food crumbs, fine dirt and pet or human hair, to judge whether it successfully picks up everything in its path. Ease of use: The controls should be intuitive to use and well placed, while ideal noise levels are low. Any digital displays or app compatibility are also assessed for usefulness. Finally, we consider the reach under surfaces and into awkward corners. Storage: Our testers consider whether the vacuums can stand unsupported, if they fold away and come with a dedicated wall mount …

The best robot vacuum cleaners, tried and tested at home

The best robot vacuum cleaners, tried and tested at home

Published by Sam Flores

Should I get a robot vacuum cleaner? Until recently, for most people the answer was no. Even the best robot vacuums had a tendency to mount chair legs and get stuck, wheels feebly pawing at the air, or to have a nervous breakdown in a confined space. AI has changed all that. “People want robot helpers,” says Colin Angle, the MIT robotics expert whose iRobot Roomba kick-started the whole industry back in 2002. “Rather than clean the whole house, they want to tell their robot vacuum to just clean under the kitchen table, or in the office, but that takes a huge amount of tech.” The best robot vacuums cost well over £1,000 and even the cheapest are over £300, so these are not toys (although there have been more than a billion views of pets riding robot vacuums on YouTube.) To find out which are worth your hard-earned cash, we put some of the best robot vacuums to the test. You can read our full reviews below, followed by answers to frequently asked questions, …

The best carpet cleaners for removing stains, tried and tested at home with expert advice

The best carpet cleaners for removing stains, tried and tested at home with expert advice

Published by Sam Flores

Reviewed by Kulwinder Rai Steam mops for hard floors are a familiar concept but the Bissell Revolution HydroSteam is the first wet, upright consumer carpet cleaner with an integrated steam function. It performs its headline party trick by forcing steam into dirty carpets via a bank of 27 steam nozzles, located in front of, and underneath, its fixed, dual-brush roll assembly. The overall weight is heavier than Bissell’s Pet Pro (reviewed below) and while still manoeuvrable, a trip up the stairs does require some extra bicep action. The steam functionality also doesn’t extend to the supplied accessory tools. Operation is incredibly simple, however, with three choices. The first is the SteamWash Max mode, which is activated by pulling a trigger to dispense steam, water and cleaning formula. It takes eight hours to fully dry. The second allows you to soften deeply embedded stains by passing over them in Pretreat (steam-only) mode. Lastly, a faster, water and formula quick dry cleaning mode deals with everyday, light staining and sees carpets dry in around 30 minutes. The …

is this 40-year-old vacuum still up to the task in 2025?

is this 40-year-old vacuum still up to the task in 2025?

Published by Sam Flores

Price: £129.99 at Henry Alternative retailers: £130 at Amazon, £159 at Currys Our rating: 9 out of 10 We like: It’s solid, robust and built to last It’s good value for money The iconic design (only the most cynical would resist) We don’t like: The bulky volume requires sizeable storage space It can get stuck around corners The tool tidy doesn’t hold all attachments at once What is the Henry vacuum cleaner? Often affectionately referred to as ‘Henry the Hoover’ (although ‘Hoover’ is a different brand altogether), this classic British vacuum cleaner was launched in 1981 and is probably the best-known anthropomorphised home appliance there is. But is the old-timer still one of the best vacuum cleaners you can buy in 2026? Despite strong competition from the likes of Dyson and Shark, Henry remains the UK’s best-selling vacuum cleaner – with a significant proportion of sales going to professionals, such as cleaners and builders. Henry sells itself on being a reliable all-rounder that’s built to last. When I mentioned this review to friends, some were …

Narwal adds AI to its vacuum cleaners to monitor pets and find jewelry

Narwal adds AI to its vacuum cleaners to monitor pets and find jewelry

Published by skeptic

Robot vacuum maker Narwal unveiled its new set of smart vacuum cleaners at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with AI-powered features such as monitoring pets, finding valuable objects, and notifying users about misplaced toys. The company said that its new flagship Flow 2 robot vacuum has a rounded design and easy-lift tanks for better cleaning. The device uses two 1080p RGB cameras with a 136-degree field of view to map out the area and recognize different kinds of objects using AI models. Narwal said that through this tech stack, the vacuum cleaner has the ability to identify an unlimited number of objects. The device first tries to identify an object locally, but in case there are no matches, it sends the data to the cloud for further processing. Image Credits: Narwal The Flow 2 has three key modes called pet care mode, baby care mode, and AI floor tag mode. With pet care mode, you can define zones where pets usually rest or hang out to clean them. Plus, it can monitor pets and also …

The best vacuums for pet hair, tried and tested

The best vacuums for pet hair, tried and tested

Published by Sam Flores

Reviewed by Kulwinder Rai Hoover’s HF6 Turbo Sense Pet, is, as the name suggests, primarily aimed at pet owners, as well as households with long-haired members, but hair collection isn’t its only claimed superpower. One of the HF6’s headline claims is that it offers a maximum 100-minute run-time, but that’s measured in its underpowered Eco mode. The 37 minutes I got in mixed use (on the Standard setting) is more realistic. It’s easy to manoeuvre and handle, bar an annoyingly sharp-edged plastic moulding around the Mode button. The anti-wrap floorhead is quite simple in design, but its credentials are enhanced by its effective floor-type sensing system, along with the front and rear LED lighting that automatically changes colour when you move from hard to carpeted floors.Although the floorhead works as effectively going backwards as forwards, as claimed, the HF6’s anti-wrap brush bar regularly ended up with hairs tangled around itself, and these eventually needed to be cut off. While collection of short hair and debris from hard flooring and short-pile rugs was good, the HF6 …

The best cylinder vacuum cleaners

The best cylinder vacuum cleaners

Published by Sam Flores

The humble cylinder vacuum may not be as high tech as its cordless or robot counterparts, but it cleans better. Cylinder vacuums from big brands like Miele and Henry are typically more powerful and have a larger dust capacity and cleaning radius (the length of the cord). That’s why you’ll find that professionals use this type of vacuum cleaner in offices and hotels. When it comes to choosing between a cylinder and upright vacuum, however, it depends on personal preference and the space you’re cleaning. Katerina Petrova, a professional cleaner from the Happy House Cleaning Company (who has cleaned over 1,500 properties in her time at the company), says: “The pros of cylinder vacuum cleaners are manoeuvrability – you can clean underneath and behind almost everything – as well as powerful suction and the different accessories and brushes that make them multifunctional.” We’ve tried all the best cylinder vacuums currently on the market, with prices ranging from under £100 to just shy of £400. You can read the full reviews below, but first, here’s a …