How to Buy Floor-Care Appliances

Could you eat off of your floor? Although you probably wouldn't want to even if they were squeaky-clean, regular cleaning will increase the life of your floors and help you breathe easier by removing allergens. Because no single appliance cleans all floors--carpet, wood, tile, linoleum or vinyl--look for one that fits your particular needs with features that make the job easier.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Know what kind of vacuum power to look for. Cleaning effectiveness is determined by suction, not horsepower. Instead of motor sizes, compare the cubic feet per minute of the airflow.

2. Buy a full-size vacuum for overall performance. Uprights ($95 to $1,300) require less bending, but they're heavy to hoist up stairs. Look at light and self-propelled models. Features like carpet-pile selectors, bag-change signals, attachments, and retractable or extra-long cords add convenience.

3. Choose a canister vacuum ($180 to $1,200) if most of your cleaning is on bare floors, on stairs and in furniture-crowded rooms. Canisters with a powered head have a separate motor that turns a brush to deep-clean carpet. Look for different cleaning attachments and an easy-to-empty dirt container.

4. Clean floors quickly with a stick vacuum or electric broom ($40 to $90). Some use suction only; others add a brush to loosen dirt. Convertible stick vacuums convert to handheld units for stairs. You can also tackle stairs and small messes with a handheld-only vacuum ($20 to $100).

5. Install a central vacuum during new construction or remodeling. This built-in system is clean and quiet with the motor installed in the garage or basement, and only has one cleaning hose to lug around and plug into outlets in each room. It's also a better choice if you're allergy-prone.

6. Banish allergens with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum filter system. These workhorses remove 99 percent of the dust, pollen and mites captured with a specially sealed bag or filter. (Bagless vacuums also can be HEPA models.)

7. Sanitize hard-surface floors and relieve allergies with steam mops ($90 to $180), which turn tap water into 240-degree steam that loosens dirt and grease from tile, hardwood, laminate and vinyl. A cleaning cloth traps dirt and protects surfaces.

8. Deep-clean carpets when needed with a do-it-yourself hot-water extractor ($300 to $400). Note: For Oriental rugs and noncolorfast fabrics, dry shampooers are safer.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that any attachments are easy to use, the dirt container is easy to empty and the unit is easy to maneuver.
• A green CRI label indicates that a vacuum has undergone voluntary testing by the Carpet and Rug Institute and meets performance and airquality standards.
• Bag or bagless? Bagless vacuums confine allergens, but emptying the dust cup puts some of it back in the environment. They do save you the job of buying and changing bags.
• Occasionally turn area rugs over and vacuum the back side to remove gritty dirt.
• If you have pets, seal and discard vacuum cleaner bags at least once a week. Be aware that fleas can continue to develop inside vacuum cleaner bags and re-infest the house.