Stick or Cannister Central Vacuum?

Vacuuming is one of those home tasks that you simply can’t avoid doing at least once a week, if not more. And there are so many selections, including both canister and stick vacuums. How do you identify which one is correct for your household?

Advantages with Using a Canister Vacuum

They are fairly light and easy to carry

A canister vacuum is typically light and easy to carry around from room to room as required. Most are quite small, and have handles you can use to pick them up, bring them upstairs, or go into other places.

More Powerful

They are usually more potent than stick vacuums and can clean a variety of floor surfaces with good suction. This is great if you have pets, or a person in the home who has allergies or asthma and is particularly susceptible to dust, dirt, debris, and pollen. They are specifically good for hard floors, so if most of your household has hardwood flooring, a canister vacuum might be the perfect option to make sure it gets all of the dirt and debris from between the crevices of the tiles or wood boards.

Can Clean Hard-to-reach Places

A canister vacuum can easily bend and twist for cleaning in hard-to-reach places, such as stairs, upholstery, behind furniture, blinds, and more. They typically work with a number of optional (or included) attachments and accessories for cleaning different surfaces and crevices, not just floors. So, for whole-household cleaning, they are the most versatile selection.

Can be Quieter

A lot of canister vacuums are relatively quiet in operation and run smoothly, the contrary of which can be a deal-breaker if you often vacuum late at night or early in the morning and don’t need to disturb the family or have a baby or small child at home that takes midday naps during which you’d like to vacuum.

Retractable Cord

Even though they aren’t wireless, they usually include neat retractable cords that you can pull as long or as short as needed without worrying about getting wrapped up in wires as you move about.

Advantages of Using a Stick Vacuum

Lightweight, small

A lot of latest stick vacuums are super lightweight and small, which makes them easy to push along and clean with minimal effort, and fast. They are perfect for quick clean-ups, whether it’s rice or flour spills on the kitchen floor, sand by the front door, or simply a quick pass-through before guests come over.

Simple to use

It’s simply a matter of placing it on the floor, pressing and/or holding down a button, and pushing it in front of you to clean. (If it isn’t a cordless model, you’ll need to plug it in as well.)

Good for carpeting, large Spaces

While stick vacuums are appropriate for all kinds of floors, they are especially good for getting dirt and dust out from carpeting. If you have carpets through the home, or area rugs, a stick vacuum might be the best option to pass over these for a thorough clean. The wide-body design makes stick vacuums ideal for cleaning large parts, whether it’s an open concept basement floor or a large dining area with minimal furniture.

Less Noise than Larger Upright Vacuums

While they might not be the quieter than canister vacuums, stick vacuums are usually less noisy than larger uprights.

Some are Cordless, and Battery Powered

The latest stick vacuums are cordless, mounting on a charging dock, then able to pass freely along with the floors or other surfaces, entirely cord-free. Many can even separate from the stick to use the small top part with attachments as a portable vacuum to clean things such as mattresses or car upholstery outside; or even blinds, ceiling fixtures, and more.

They are Easy to Store

Because they are relatively small and stand upright, you can easily throw a stick vacuum into a closet. Even more conveniently, cordless models usually come with wall-mountable charging docks. My cordless stick vacuum, for instance, is mounted in the corner of the kitchen beside the refrigerator for easy access when I need a quick clean.

They are Easy to Empty

You can typically open the compartment and dump the contents right into the garbage: no bags or complicated disposal methods required.

Resources and References:

• Benefits of a Canister Vacuum
• Why Purchase Canister Vacuums