If they’re cordless, they may also have a shorter continuous battery life than non-handheld vacuums. Initially, we looked at how well the Pet Hair Eraser did at cleaning up flour from a section of automotive-style carpet. We spread out a tablespoon of flour onto the carpet, then attempted to clean it up.
The price is a bit much, but the vacuum is backed by a two-year limited warranty and exceptional customer service. For our next round of tests, we moved on to assessing how the Pet Hair Eraser dealt with messes that are a bit harder to clean up. We scored each vacuum on how well it cleaned up flour, oats, and Mini-Wheats cereal from different fabrics and carpets. We also measured the wind speed and airflow generated by the motor. We evaluated and ranked how each vacuum handled light messes that you would typically encounter around your home. The Bissell AeroSlim is a sleek, attractive handheld vacuum cleaner that somehow even looks good charging on a countertop.
Fans of this hand vacuum love how much power is held in its small footprint. People seem to actually enjoy the chore of vacuuming, and even self-proclaimed “lazy housekeepers” attribute this Bissell to the newfound cleanliness of their homes. If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our handheld vacuum reviews. While no vacuum is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them. Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best portable vacuums to buy. We don’t just base our results on overall performance, but also factors like availability, price, and reader feedback.
For more options, see our lists of the best lightweight vacuums, the best vacuums for stairs, the best car vacuums, the best Dyson vacuums, and the best cordless vacuums. Handheld vacuums are a great option if you’re looking to clean small spills around the home. They’re lightweight and portable, and due to their small size, they’re handy when tackling more difficult or uneven terrain, like inside your car or on your stairs. Some stick or canister vacuums also have a handheld configuration, making them even more versatile if you need to clean larger areas. Unfortunately, handheld vacuums tend to have small dirt compartments.
This vacuum is at a bit of a disadvantage right from the start in these tests, as it doesn’t come with a dusting brush, forcing us to use its upholstery attachment for these assessments. However, we were pleasantly surprised by its performance in our first test, where it only took about 22 seconds to clean all of the statically bissell handheld vacuum charged flour off the plastic sheet. When you’re cleaning your car, you don’t want the vacuum to die on you. So, to test out the battery life of the Bissell 1985 Vacuum, I cleaned my Prius and a friend’s minivan. You can then charge the battery for an hour for a short cleaning session or four hours to get it back to full juice.