Best vacuum for small apartment

September 30, 2007 11:51 AM

Best vacuum cleaner for small apartment?

I'm looking for an easy, good vacuum cleaner for a very small NYC apartment. Storage space is limited (something of the stick variety would be preferable). One large rug, the rest wood and linoleum floors. A Dustbuster handheld type is too small, but a model with a drag-behind-you motor is too big. No pets. I've had a Dirt Devil upright in the past and found it only so-so but I'd like not to spend a ton of money. Suggestions?

posted by annabellee to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

This earlier thread may have some ideas. I think a few of the vacuums mentioned there are smallish.
posted by doift at 12:27 PM on September 30, 2007

I've had good results with the Eureka Optima 431A. It's probably not the best vacuum cleaner, as it was only $60 at Target, but it's small and powerful. I'm always amazed at how much crud it pulls out of our rugs.
posted by erpava at 12:42 PM on September 30, 2007

Since you don't have to keep up with pet hair, a carpet sweeper should do the trick. Amazon has several good models in the $30-60 range. The nice thing about a manual is that it's supremely lightweight, making it an feasible to do a quick swipe-swipe-swipe-done pass over the high traffic area every day if you feel like it (considerably more nuisance to do with an electric upright).

Optionally supplement with a Swiffer Sweeper for the bare floors.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 2:20 PM on September 30, 2007

As I mentioned in this previous AskMe thread, the Bissell 3106A Featherlight has been a godsend for my tiny apartment. The Amazon reviews are overwhelmingly positive on it (and I would agree with most of them).
posted by melorama at 3:22 PM on September 30, 2007

As I said in the previous tread, I'm extremely happy with my Eureka cordless, which only costs $40.
posted by alms at 7:31 PM on September 30, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for these so far. Just to clarify: I definitely need to use it on a rug too, not just floors--the does the Bissell 3106A Featherlight work well on carpets?
posted by annabellee at 7:58 PM on September 30, 2007

I would like to second the Eureka Optima. I have used it in an 850 sq ft apartment and in a 2,300 sq ft apartment. The filters are hard to find so I have to buy them online but otherwise it has changed my life.
posted by JJ Jenkins at 2:29 PM on October 5, 2007