A Powerful Handheld Vacuum Can Help You Reach Ultimate Cleanliness

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Cleaning is therapeutic for some, but for others it’s just another task to add to the to-do list. One thing that adds to that ire? Lugging your clunky upright vacuum out of the closet whenever you need to tidy up a little spill or dust bunny. Handheld vacuums are a useful sidekick to your regular vacuum because they help you reach tight areas like stairs and corners, and under car seats and furniture.

But, you’ll still want to hold onto your go-to vacuum. Handheld vacs are better suited for tackling minor messes in between your deep cleans. They aren’t equipped to handle whole rooms or entire floors, and can’t get deep enough in your carpet fibers. But if you’re looking for a machine that can supplement your usual cleaning tools, then a handheld vacuum might be right for you.

The Best Handheld Vacuums

• Best Overall: Black+Decker Dustbuster HHVK515J

• Best for Small Household Messes: Eureka NEH100 RapidClean

• Most Lightweight: Eufy HomeVac H11 Cordless Handheld Vacuum
  

• Best for Garages and Workshops: DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Portable Vacuum

• Best for Carpet: Black+Decker Spillbuster Cordless Spill + Spot Cleaner

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What to Consider

Battery Life

A quality handheld vac should be ready to run whenever you need it, which means using a reliable battery with a run time that lasts long enough so you don’t lose power mid-clean. Many of our selections use a lithium-ion battery that can last anywhere from around 10 minutes to 40 minutes between charges, which can take as little as 20 minutes.

Voltage

More battery voltage is good to keep in mind, too, but brute force isn’t a necessity in a handheld vacuum. For dust pickup and pulling in light debris, all you need is an appliance in the range of 7 to 12 volts. If you need to do heavy-duty cleaning in the home, shop, or garage, we recommend grabbing a machine in the 20 volt range.

Dustbin Capacity

The dustbin capacity on handheld vacuums is generally on the smaller side and fills up faster than an upright version, but gets the job done when handling smaller spills. Consider vacs with dustbins that hold half a liter or more of debris, so you don’t have to make as many trips to the garbage can.

Attachments

A handheld vacuum with multiple attachments might be a worthwhile investment if you have kids that are prone to dropping crumbs or furry friends that shed like crazy. Crevice tools can get into the nooks and crannies of the couch, while bristled brushes can pick up pet hair. These types of attachments focus airflow and suction to a designated area, and can be used on different surfaces like upholstery, carpet, and hardwood floors.

Filtration System

Handheld vacuums typically come with cloth or foam filters that trap dust, hair, dirt, and allergen particles—you can wash these every once in a while to avoid buying a replacement.

Some handheld vacuums come with an additional filter, called the pre-filter, which is designed to trap larger particles before they reach the main filter. Others come with a HEPA filter, which can remove up to 99.7 percent of airborne particles and is beneficial for allergy sufferers. Opt for a handheld vacuum that has a two-step filtration system or a HEPA filter if you’re trying to free your home from common allergens like pollen and pet dander. Otherwise, a washable filter will suffice for general cleaning tasks.

How We Selected

For handheld vacuum models that we tried ourselves, we used them around the house, on hard surfaces like concrete and vinyl floor, as well as soft surfaces like carpet. We tested some of these models in our office, looking at how efficiently each vac could pick up a one-pound blend of sawdust, floor sweeping compound, small nuts and bolts, washers, and dried kidney beans. We also took note of how easy it was to change their air filter or dump their debris container.

We also vetted a few handheld vacuums that we haven’t tested yet based on our research of top contenders, user reviews, and product specifications like voltage and filtration.

We picked handheld vacs that are battery-powered and rechargeable for reduced maintenance. We considered the types of household messes they can clean, like collecting pet hair or crushed up snacks. We also looked at dustbin capacity and opted for models that range in capability, maxing out at half a gallon of debris. We’ve curated the following list of the best handheld vacuums that are a match for all of your house, garage, and workshop messes.

Light, easy-handling, and plenty of power: Those were the three strengths that helped this 20-volt Dustbuster ride to victory. Sure, other vacs we tested had more oomph, but the Dustbuster has more than enough to get the job done. In fact, we think it’s an excellent vacuum to take on jobs across the home, the shop, and even inside your car.

Its nozzle extends an additional 7.5 inches—all you have to do is pull it forward—but we did notice that the sliding action of the extension is a bit sticky, and coarser particles left scratches on the nozzle. But it’s still a very helpful feature to access hard-to-reach-places.

The vac comes with a foam filter and a pre-filter, and both are washable. There’s also a battery indicator light on the top of the handle to warn you when it’s time for a recharge.

As we mentioned, battery voltage isn’t everything, but it can prove to be important if your handheld vac is facing big messes. This Eureka has enough power to pick up dust and tidbits, and it managed the sawdust in our tests, but very slowly. It could pick up some of the kidney beans but left behind all of the nuts, bolts, and washers.

The vacuum comes with a crevice tool and a push-in brush, which helps hair and lint cling to the vac. There’s also a convenient base charger included, and you can wash the two-filter system to get rid of all the dirt and dust collecting in the bin.

Overall, this vacuum is a great option for cleaning up around your home and workshop in a pinch, but you’ll need a more aggressive vac for bigger jobs.

If you’re an artist with pencil shavings littering your drawing station, or you just don’t like dust collecting on your desk, then a small and compact handheld vac can help you keep things tidy on a regular basis. Deputy Editor Zoë Hannah likes this model from Eufy thanks to its lightweight design and surprising amount of power. “The canister is super tiny but it’s perfect for picking up dust bunnies or cleaning up after a messy project,” Hannah says. “The battery lasts a while for such a tiny vacuum.”

Her main complaint is that there isn’t anywhere to keep the crevice tool attachment, so she found herself using a Command Strip to attach it to the side. Nonetheless, this thing is great for quick clean-ups between big vacuums, especially if you have a shedding pet.

This mini shop vacuum is only slightly larger than the biggest handheld vacuum here. We admit, however, that it’s a good bit heavier, owing to the hefty 5-Ah battery we slid into it to run it. But it provides superior vacuuming power and the ability to tackle anything from a bowl of breakfast cereal dumped on the floor (milk and all) to a handful of metal shavings on top of your garage workbench.

The HEPA filter traps debris well, and the on-and-off switch looks like it belongs on a table saw. This is to say that though this is a small vacuum, it’s DeWalt through and through and built to stand up to the job. If you’re already on the DeWalt 20-volt platform, buy the bare version of the tool. If not, you can buy the DCV517B as a complete kit (vacuum, charger, and battery).

The Spillbuster is a versatile little cleaning tool, functioning as both a dry vacuum and a mini carpet cleaner. The lightweight workhorse performed well around the house on everything from dust and dirt to sawdust and food stains on carpet. We found it was easy to pour carpet cleaning solution into its tank; to apply it, we just pulled the squeeze trigger and a sufficient amount squirted out. Two or three squirts is enough for the average small stain.

Continuing with the ease-of-use theme, the Spillbuster pulls dirty water into a debris compartment, which is simple to dump. We’re particularly impressed with the brush roll at the machine’s front, a combination of synthetic bristles and mini rubber paddles. Work slowly back and forth over an area, and you’re rewarded with a clean surface.

There’s a particular feature on this handheld vacuum that gets our attention: according to Shark, the pet hair attachment is self cleaning. The drive roll on the attachment uses a series of helix-shaped paddles to scoop up hair and is wiped clean as they spin, and the collected hair is sucked up by a pair of cyclones into the dust chamber. Hit the eject latch, and the chamber door falls open, discharging dust and hair. You don’t have to touch anything. We also like how the design uses a two-stage filter to protect the motor and fan assembly, which are located well away from a dirty airstream.

This handheld vacuum is incredibly svelte, but it does grab up dust in a hurry. When we ran it through the mixed materials test, it sucked up the sawdust mixture in seconds, instantly filling its small dust cup to capacity. On that point, it doesn’t hold much debris before needing to be emptied.

We went around the house with it using the nozzle and the brush attachment; again, we found it effective. For wider areas, a pair of wings (to call them that) slide out and pivot down from its nose so you get more suction power and can cover more surface area.

It can run for up to 11 minutes off of a single charge, and it comes complete with a handy charging base so you can keep it stored when not in use.

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