How we test vacuum cleaners at Ideal Home

If you're looking to buy a new vacuum cleaner, here at Ideal Home, we pride ourselves on being able to help you choose the right vacuum for your home, lifestyle and budget. Our best vacuum cleaners guide contains our top recommendations based on our rigorous in-house testing process.

But when you are potentially spending a significant amount of money on the right device, the details of how we test vacuum cleaners is important. After all, we know how crucial it is that the advice we give to you is reliable and useful, as you invest your money.

As a brand, we've been recommending products to our readers for more than 100 years, based on our industry knowledge and personal experience. We're constantly honing our testing process to ensure we're keeping up with new and groundbreaking technologies. Since 2019, our rigorous vacuum testing process has been in place, and we've spent countless hours testing a huge selection of vacuums, both in our dedicated test facility and in our homes. Vacuums only make it into our buying guides if they have been tested by us and scored highly against competitors, so you can trust we're basing our unbiased and honest recommendation on our own personal experience and data we have collected ourselves.

Each vacuum is initially tested for at least two weeks, but we are also in regular contact with our testers so we can check back in at later intervals to see how the products are standing up over a longer time period. Below you can find out even more about our set testing process, including specific details on how we rank our guide to the best cordless vacuum cleaners, which involves testing the battery life of each model too.

How we test vacuum cleaners at Ideal Home

All of the vacuum cleaners we test are put through the same process, with our reviewers putting each device through a set number of scored and non-scored tests. Some tests are based on visual inspection and personal assessment, while others are based on exact data using consistent measuring instruments. We also compare our test results to the manufacturer's claims to see how closely they match.

As well as looking at what you get for your money, we also assess the unboxing and set up process before putting each vacuum through a series of tests on different floor types and using different types of debris. We also delve into the value for money of each vacuum, assessing its price against its range of power levels, dust-bin size, battery life (if applicable), range and effectiveness of accessories and ease of use.

Each reviewer is required to complete the same form, and provide visual evidence of their testing and results. To ensure consistency, all of our testers are required to use a controlled weight and type of debris, a fixed number of sweeps, and we specify which power mode (if variations are available), and which head or attachment should be used for each test to ensure uniformity.

At the end of the testing process, the results of the scored tests are added to give an overall score, which helps us rank the vacuums we test. This is out of a maximum 75 points (for pet hair vacuums) and 55 points for vacuums that aren't specifically designed to deal with pet hair. As well as the overall score, we also take into the results of the non-scored tests and value for money to provide a well-rounded picture of each vacuum.

How we test packaging and set up

As the first port of call in our tests, we assess the packaging and set up process of each vacuum. We look at how it's packaged, the state it arrives in, how easy it is to manoeuvre and unbox, whether all the packaging is necessary and whether it is recyclable (which is really important to us here at Ideal Home).

We also time how long it takes to go from opening the box to actually being able to use the vacuum, and assess how easy it is to put together.

How we test ease of use and special features

When it comes to measuring ease of use, we look at how much the vacuum weighs and determine how easy it is to move around on flat surfaces and stairs. We also look at whether it can stand up unaided without toppling over, or whether it needs to be rested against something or laid down flat.

We also track whether the vacuum is equipped with anti-odour technology, anti-allergen filters or anti-hair wrap features, which helps us provide suitable comparisons at different price points. This means we can be more effective in giving you all the information you need to choose the right vacuum - without having to spend hours searching yourself.

How we test battery life and charging times

When it comes to the best cordless vacuum cleaners, we know that battery life is super important. We measure how long a full battery charge lasts in each the various power modes and how long it takes to recharge once the battery runs out.

We collect this data ourselves and assess whether this is true to the manufacturer's specification.

We also pay special attention to how convenient the charging process is.

Assessing the attachments

Next we look at attachments. We not only look at the range of number of attachments included with the vacuum cleaner, but also how easy they are to interchange and store. In addition, we determine how necessary the attachments are, and how often the average household would be them.

We use every single attachment to test its effectiveness, and also use specific attachments for certain scored tests.

Testing cleaning power

When testing vacuums at our test centre, we use three different types of flooring, all supplied by Flooring Superstore. That means that each vacuum is tried on hard wood floor, carpet and linoleum.

For home-based tests, the experiments are conducted on both carpet and hard flooring.

Each vacuum is then tried on each floor type with the following debris:

• Cereals (crushed and whole)
• Flour
• Coffee grounds
• Actual pet hair (for pet hair vacuums only)

Each of these tests allows us to see how the vacuum stacks up against different claims the manufacturer makes, such as hair repelling designs and the ability to deal with large amounts of debris.

Using coffee grounds also allows us to test any anti-odour properties a vacuum cleaner has, given the strong and distinctive scent.

For all vacuums, we also use a decibel meter app to measure how loud it is, which is crucial for homes where there are people or pets with particular noise sensitivity.

To test anti-allergen properties, we use an air quality monitor, with readings taken at multiple points to assess effectiveness.

How we test for pet hair

When it comes to how we test pet hair vacuums, we have a special range of tests for those vacuums that are specifically designed to tackle dust and debris caused by our furry friends.

Anti-allergen filters and anti-hair wrap features are particularly tested, as well as the effectiveness of upholstery tools on clearing pet hair from furniture and pet beds.

These vacuums are tested by those with pets in the home, using real pet hair, so we know for sure whether it would suit your home.

How we test emptying the vacuum

Our testers also pay special attention when emptying the vacuum. They assess whether it can be done one-handed and whether it's messy or not.

We also track whether a vacuum is bagged or bagless, and the size of the dustbin to allow for effective comparison between models.

How we test robot vacuums

Our process for testing robot vacuums is very similar as to how we test standard vacuum cleaners, with a few variations thanks to new and emerging technology, and the fact that the robot is doing most of the work!

Our unboxing process is a little longer where robot vacuums are concerned, as these devices need a little more time to acclimatise to their new homes. Once we've connected each robot we test to its corresponding app, we set it off to map the area it's going to be cleaning and evaluate how easy it is to get going and set into a routine.

From there, we set the robot vacuum off to test different floor types in our team's homes, in order to replicate everyday conditions that they would come up against if you were to invest in one.

With robot vacuums, it's also crucial to evaluate how much space each docking station takes up, and whether the robot empties itself into a bin after every clean, or whether the user will have to do that themselves.

These robot devices can be seriously expensive as well as being very useful, so in each review we make sure to interrogate what you'll really be getting for your money, and whether you can truly put your feet up and let your new robot vac get on with the cleaning instead.

Our Certified Experts

The Ideal Home Certified Expert programme is a long-term commitment to achieving the best product expertise on a range of topic areas, so you can be certain our editors know their stuff when it comes to the products they recommend in our buying guides.

Becoming a Certified Expert involves meeting several strict criteria:

• Hands-on testing experience
• In-depth product knowledge 
• Insider experience 
• Consumer intel 

Our reviewers

Jullia Joson

Jullia has spent more than 60 hours testing vacuum cleaners for Ideal Home and is adept at knowing how to put these machines through their paces.

Lauren Bradbury

Lauren has tested multiple vacuums in her home, and is especially skilled at putting a vacuum through a rigorous test when it comes to tackling pet hair. Watch out for Lauren achieving her Certified Expert status in the coming weeks.

Molly Cleary

Molly might be Ideal Home's Certified Expert for appliances, but she also spent countless hours over two years reviewing and writing about vacuum cleaners over her years with the brand.

She regularly visits the Future Test Facility in Reading to put products through their paces.

Our vacuum cleaner reviews

Below you can find a selection of our vacuum cleaner reviews and see our testing process in action, with images and video in each review from out test centre and our homes.

• Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute vacuum review
• Shark Stratos cordless vacuum review
• Henry Xtra vacuum cleaner review
• Halo Capsule X review

You'll find full details of the Ideal Home review process on our how we test page, including how we put mattresses, air fryers, BBQs, pizza ovens, and a whole host more products through their paces to bring you our top recommendations.