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We’ve written about vacuum cleaners a lot. Take a peek at our archives and you’ll find buying guides for just about every type of vacuum — from the general to the granular, like robot vacuums and vacuums for pet hair — where we’ve painstakingly spoken to cleaning experts, researched and tested dozens of models, and crowdsourced from our own team to figure out which ones are worth your coins. It’s a household staple you kind of have to buy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a high-quality, Strategist-approved vacuum for less than retail price.
Vacuums are one of those products that go on sale all the time, and though the discount can vary greatly, you can usually find some good options for at least 20 percent off. The best time to buy a vacuum doesn’t have to be during Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday sales (though that is when you’ll get the most options). As the Strategist’s deals editor, I spend hours combing the internet’s sales bins and can tell you that I find great deals on vacuums all year round — and I’ve rounded up the best ones that are on sale right now below. To do find these deals, I went through all of our best-in-class vacuum guides, as well as our home-organization and cleaning-specific posts from last year’s Prime Day (and October Prime Day) sales, so you can trust that everything here has been vetted by our team.
Upright and stick vacuums
Gone are the days of the clunky canister vacuum being the only option to clean your floors. These days, upright and stick vacuums are more high-tech than ever, from countless cordless vacuums to HEPA-filter-equipped models to doubly destroy dust and dander. It’s the most prevalent shape in our best-in-class guides by far, and you can usually find a good deal on some of our favorites at Amazon, Best Buy, or Target at any given time.
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away is a great fits-anyone vacuum. It’s lightweight, versatile, and has a detachable pod for cleaning stairs and other narrow spaces.
The Bissell CleanView is our top pick for carpets and upholstery. Cleaning expert Sarah McAllister says that even after running other vacuums over carpeting first, the CleanView still manages to scrounge up a good amount of additional dirt.
Now more than 20 percent off, this vacuum is a good choice if you have a pet that’s a heavy shedder. It’s cord free and also converts to a hand vacuum.
Here’s an under-$200 Shark vacuum that has powerful headlights to search every nook and cranny.
The Lift-Away TruePet is great for deep cleaning. It’s the model used at New York cat café Koneko, where up to 20 cats are in residence at any given time.
Content creator Alexandra Beuter told us that the LG CordZero A9 is a real game changer. “I’ve tested a crazy amount of vacuums and I have yet to find a comparable product at this price range, especially one that comes with a stand-alone charging base,” Beuter says.
Our best less-expensive vacuum is even cheaper than usual. The stick bends at a right angle so you can slide the whole vacuum under all your furniture.
This Dyson weighs under six pounds, has a 40-minute run time, and comes with a few handy attachments.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 easily sucks up tufts of cat fur and “unearths layers of dust and crumbs that have been buried in my thick living-room rug for months — if not longer,” according to our former senior writer Karen Iorio Adelson.
“The weight, feel, and maneuverability of this vacuum are all great, but I found the Jet AI’s suction power truly impressive,” writes Strategist contributor Madeleine Kuhns. “At 280 AW, the power was noticeable in how much detritus it picked up in my home compared to many of the other vacuums I’ve tested.” The vacuum has five settings (Min, Mid, Max, AI, and Jet), with the AI mode “optimizing” for the environment, so it changes the suction power as you switch between wood floors, rugs, and tile — all without having to push a button.
Robot vacuums
If you like the idea of a vacuum that does most of the work for you, consider getting a robot vacuum. When these first arrived on the scene, most were pretty pricey — but today, you can find plenty of excellent options for just a few hundred dollars.
The vacuum that senior writer Liza Corsillo uses to “maintain a sense of dust-free calm” in her home is $100 off when you apply the on-site code.
This robot vacuum mops, too — from sticky stains to pet fur.
Tech writer Jordan McMahon says that iRobot’s j9+ strikes the best balance between vacuuming, mopping, smart navigation, and price. “I’ve been using one in my house for a few months, and I’ve been able to cut down on my monthly cleaning by about one or two mopping jobs per month,” he writes.
Handheld vacuums
I’ve found that handheld vacuums don’t go on sale too often — and when they do, the best deals are during Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. They’re usually on the inexpensive side to begin with, so a difference of 20 percent off versus 30 percent off won’t be more than a couple of dollars.
If you don’t mind that it isn’t cordless, this Dirt Devil vacuum is very inexpensive.
This has a slim nozzle that can reach nooks and crannies underneath a sofa or behind a fridge; it even swivels to let you clean sideways.
Carpet cleaners and steam mops
These exist within the same family as vacuum cleaners, so we thought they’d make a helpful addition to this list — especially if you have high-tread areas in your home that need a little extra oomph to get sparkling clean.
Our pick for the best portable carpet cleaner, Bissell’s Little Green comes recommended by cleaning experts, pet owners, and vintage-furniture flippers. “It pushes the water through the fabric and then sucks it back up again, taking all the particles the fabric might have absorbed, like cat hair balls,” says Justin Renard, a marketing consultant and cat dad.
For something heavy-duty, this Hoover uses 360-degree brushes to scrub away dried-on stains from carpets and upholstery.
If you have hardwood floors, your best bet is a vacuum that can tackle both wet and dry messes.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
