Most households across the U.S. have more than one vehicle, more than one television and definitely more than one phone in them.  What about vacuum cleaners?  If you’re like me, I’ll bet you also have more than one vacuum cleaner in your home.   I personally have 3 (yes that’s not a typo)  vacuum cleaners in my home.  Probably my favorite kind of vacuum are the  small vacuum cleaners that can be used for quick pick ups.

Known sometimes as a dustbuster, handheld vacuum, portable handheld vacuum or by a number of names, the small vacuum cleaners in the market are both powerful, practical, and very functional.   They are also generally speaking some of the less expensive vacuum cleaners that you can purchase.

So what makes a good small vacuum cleaner?    Size , nimbleness and suction power really are the keys to success for small vacuums.

The compacted size of small handheld vacuums are usually perfect for small messes.  For example, when my dog is shedding and I pet him, clumps of hair fall out quite easily.  Generally I can scoop up the major clumps, but because he is a black lab, his fur is easily seen on my light color wood floors and throw rugs.    Rather than trudging down to the basement to pull out my Miele vacuum,  I simply will pull out my little handheld vaccum and run it quickly over the area where he was laying.   Literally in 1 minute or less, I can vacuum up all his hair as if he was never there.  I’d say that is  a major plus for me and certainly may match your situation as well.

Nimbleness is really a term I just made up.  Basically what I mean by it is the ability of the small vaccum cleaners to get into places that are tight, cramped, and just plain a pain in the you know where for big bulky upright vacuum cleaners.     I find that the narrow shaped noses of the small vacuums come in great handy for getting under chair and couch edges,  behind doors, and also in closets (where floor space is showing of course).  This makes zipping in and out of a room for quick vacuum effortless and doesn’t require pulling out the big vacuum at all.

Finally, suction power is important.  Although I should state, that you won’t be able to find a handheld small vacuum with the same suction capabilities of a larger more expensive upright model.   What’s really important, is “Can this vacuum do what I need it to do?”   Bottom line, will it pick up cheerios, paperclips, dog food, and other stuff that is a pain to clean up by hand.    Most modern small vacuum cleaners made in the past few years are MUCH more powerful than the Dustbusters of bygone days.   The new models are strong, fairly quiet, and even come with a variety of accessories that can make pulling out the regular vaccum just unnecessary for most tasks.