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You might be familiar with the minimalism trend, or the television show Hoarders. From either side of the spectrum, both are concerned with one thing: having too much stuff.
This problem can even apply to cleaning supplies. Say you have an upright vacuum for your carpets, a cordless stick vacuum for smaller messes and tile, and a handheld vacuum for even smaller messes and your car…
That means you’ll need closet space for the two bigger vacuums, multiple outlets and a higher electricity bill to charge the cordless vacuums, and hundreds of dollars to buy all the specialized options.
There is something to be said for each of those options, of course – uprights can really clean carpet, cordless stick vacuums are easier to use and mean you don’t have to bend over like you would with a cordless handheld, but handhelds are even more convenient when the mess is above the floor.
So I need to have at least three kinds of vacuums?
Luckily, modern technology makes it easy to have your cake and eat it, too. You can get every specialized kind of vacuum in one easy to use and affordable option: the two-in-one cordless vacuum. With this cleaning tool, you get:
- the convenience of a cordless vacuum – no tripping over or tangling annoying cords
- a light weight that is easy to carry up and down stairs
- the ease of a stick vacuum for reaching floors, so you don’t have to bend over just to clean a small mess
- versatility to clean multiple floor types and even your car
- the ability to clean up crumbs and everyday mess in seconds by detaching a handheld vacuum
How to Pick a 2-in-1 Vacuum
There is one limiting factor when it comes to 2-in-1 vacuums – they are limited to the power of the integrated handheld vacuum. You might ask, why is this important?
Well, if you want a single vacuum that is truly versatile enough to replace several other kinds, it needs to be able to match up to those other vacuums in certain ways – power being one of them.
- power is needed to match up to upright vacuums in being able to clean floors well; the more volts the vacuum has, the better it deep cleans carpet
- a long runtime is necessary for 2-in-1 vacuums, because they are used for multiple tasks – you don’t want cleaning up a bunch of crumbs with the handheld part to use up all the charge
- quality design is a must! There are many shoddy, poorly made and badly functioning 2-in-1 vacuums out there…some companies have attempted to catch up with integrated vacuum technology, but with poor results that you’ll want to stay away from
The Best 2-in-1 Vacuum
There’s one 2-in-1 vacuum that stands out far and beyond any other options: the Dyson DC44 Animal. Here’s are some of the features that make it the best choice:
- its 22.2V motor is the most powerful of any cordless vacuum
- runtime is longer than most at 20 minutes
- fast charging battery
- well suited for all types of flooring
- lightweight at under 5 pounds
- boost mode for additional suction
- includes brush, crevice, and motorized brushroll attachments
The DC44 is also the most pricey cordless out there. If the price tag of the Dyson is too high, consider the Electrolux Ergorapido Ion. It handily matches the features of the best cordless stick and handheld vacuums. Take a look at its features:
- a head that swivels 180 degrees to get around furniture and make your vacuuming easier
- a unique LED headlight so you can easily see the finest dust and smallest debris and get your floors truly clean
- thirty minutes runtime – fantastic by any cordless vacuum’s standards
- easily removable handheld vacuum with simple button release
- an 18V lithium-ion battery that will maintain its charge consistently and that provides power that rivals the best cordless stick vacuums
- two speed settings that offers bursts of power for bigger debris or carpet, and a battery gauge help keep that higher setting from ending your cleaning early
- brush and crevice tools and a brushroll that’s easily removable for maintenance
Below the price point of the Ergorapido Ion, you’ll see a big dropoff in suction power. There are a number of options that will do a fair job of cleaning small messes. In the case of the Eureka 96H, these can be as cheap as $35 or less.
Again, keep in mind the cheaper models sacrifice suction power and often don’t include a motorized brushroll for cleaning carpets such as the Dyson DC44 and Ergorapido Ion do. Keep in mind whether you’d like to use the vacuum for whole-house cleaning or for pickup of small messes when making your choice.