Buying a vacuum cleaner? John Lewis’s expert has the know-how to make the right choice

(Image credit: Dyson)

last updated 20 October 2021

John Lewis is one of our favourites for vacs as well as other investment buys. There’s a brilliant selection online and in store plus, when you shop at John Lewis, you can trust that the partners (in other words, the John Lewis staff) know their stuff.

It’s this expertise we’re tapping into in our series covering all the essential buys for your home with advice from the people in the know.

You can find the best vacuum cleaner 2020 in our guide together with more buying tips, and you can scroll down for vacuum cleaner savvy from a specialist and today’s top deals.

Vacuum cleaner buying advice from John Lewis

Po Lon Corrigan, Partner and Assistant Buyer Small Electrical, John Lewis & Partners (opens in new tab), offers this essential advice:

1. Get a vacuum cleaner for a smaller home

‘When you’re choosing a vacuum, it is important to think about your space, your flooring and weight of the product. If your home is on the smaller side, I would recommend a cylinder option. They’re lightweight, great on upholstery and easy to store away.’

2. Make life easy in a bigger house

‘For heavy duty cleaning and a larger carpet area, I would suggest an upright cleaner. These have great suction, and have revolving belt-driven brushes to collect ingrained dirt.’

3. Avoid heavy lifting

‘Cordless vacuums are a great choice if your home is across many levels as they’re light and easy to move around. There are no wires to trip over and the battery can last over 30 minutes.’

4. How much dirt do you have to deal with?

‘Another option for deep cleaning is a carpet cleaner. This will give your flooring a deep clean using water. It will help prolong the life of your carpet and make it feel like a fresh new one.’

If you have pets, try one of the best vacuums for pet hair.

5. Get the vacumming done for you

‘If you really want to go all out, you could try a robotic cleaner that takes away the task of vacuuming and does it for you. You can set your machine to clean at certain times, they use intelligent navigation systems to allow for thorough cleaning and are a great option for a bigger home. A robot vacuum also charges itself.’