Floorcare
There are vacuums for every kind of home, along with machines that wash carpets and hard floors.
Three things narrow the field quickly: how big your home is, what your floors are made of and whether a dog or cat sheds on them. Below the products, our guide compares each type and the features that genuinely help.
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Browse floorcare by type
- Cordless vacuums: battery-powered sticks that are light enough to grab for a five-minute tidy, and most turn into a handheld for the sofa or the car.
- Upright vacuums: mains-powered machines you push in front of you, built for big carpeted rooms. Many have a body that lifts away for stairs.
- Cylinder vacuums: the motor rolls along behind you on a hose, so only a light wand is in your hand. Bagged, bagless and wet and dry versions.
- Handheld vacuums: compact rechargeable cleaners for crumbs, car seats and fur on the sofa. Window vacs, which dry glass and tiles without streaks, sit here too.
- Robot vacuums: set a schedule and they clean while you're out. Some mop as well and empty themselves into their base.
- Carpet cleaners: full-size washers that scrub and rinse whole rooms, and small spot cleaners for spills and upholstery.
- Steam cleaners and mops: steam mops, steam cleaners for grout and tiles, and wet cleaners that scrub sealed floors using clean water from a tank.
Which cleaner suits your home?
| Type | Suits | Worth checking |
|---|---|---|
| Cordless stick | Flats, smaller houses and a quick daily once-over. | The run time on normal power, how long it takes to charge and the bin size. |
| Upright | Larger houses with plenty of carpet. | The weight, the length of the cable and what it does on the stairs. |
| Cylinder | Stairs, mixed flooring and cleaning under furniture. | Bag or no bag, the hose reach and which tools come with it. |
| Handheld | The car, crumbs and small spills. | Battery life and the attachments in the box. |
| Robot | Keeping on top of dust between proper cleans. | Mapping, whether it mops and whether the base empties it. |
| Carpet cleaner | Stains, pet accidents and tired-looking carpet. | Tank sizes, drying time and which cleaning solution it takes. |
| Steam or wet floor cleaner | Tile, vinyl and other sealed hard floors. | Whether your flooring can take steam at all. |
Making the choice
Battery or mains?
A cordless stick is always ready and weighs little, and plenty will get round a small home on a single charge. The catch is that the top power setting drains the battery fast, so compare the run time at normal power. A corded upright or cylinder keeps going as long as you do, which is why they still suit big houses and thick carpet.
Bag or bin?
A bagless machine saves you buying bags and shows you when it's full. A bagged one keeps the dust shut away, so emptying it is a cleaner job, and that matters to anyone with allergies. If someone at home has asthma, a fully sealed machine with a HEPA filter is the thing to look for, whichever you choose.
Dogs, cats and long hair
Pet editions normally add a small turbo tool for upholstery and stair carpet. A brush bar designed not to tangle saves you cutting hair off it with scissors. For muddy paw prints and accidents, a carpet or spot cleaner does what a vacuum can't.
Wood, tile and laminate
A soft roller head gathers fine dust from hard floors instead of flicking it about. To wash as well as vacuum, look at steam mops and wet floor cleaners. Steam is only for sealed floors, and the flooring maker's guidance on wood and laminate comes first.
Stairs and somewhere to keep it
Stairs are easiest with a stick you can turn into a handheld, or an upright whose body lifts off. Think too about the charging dock or stand: how big it is, and where it will go.
Before you order
- Find the charging spot. Wall docks and self-emptying bases need a socket nearby, and some have to be screwed to the wall.
- Allow for consumables. Bags, filters and cleaning solutions all run out. Each product page says what that model uses, and you'll find spares in floorcare accessories.
- Test the carpet first. Try a carpet cleaner on a patch nobody sees, and give the room time to dry.
- Keep DIY dust away from the house vacuum. Water and building dust can ruin a household machine; a wet and dry vacuum is made for the garage and workshop.
The brands we sell
Our floorcare comes from . Narrow the list with the brand filter beside the products, or open a brand's page to see everything else it makes.
Buying floorcare from KDH Electrical
Each machine is covered by its maker's UK guarantee. We don't charge for delivery once your order tops £600, and it usually reaches you within 3–7 working days.
Spotted a lower price elsewhere in the UK? Ask about our price match. Our team is on 01622 541312 for advice, and our showroom is in Rochester; please phone ahead to find out what's on display before you set off.
Floorcare: your questions answered
Can a cordless vacuum match a corded one?
For day-to-day cleaning, many can. A corded machine holds full power however long you clean, so it still has the edge in a big house or on deep carpet.
How long will a cordless vacuum battery last?
That depends on the model and the power level. The product page gives the run time on normal power; boost mode empties the battery far quicker.
Which is better for allergies, bagged or bagless?
A bag keeps the dust sealed in when you throw it away, so less escapes. What matters most is a sealed system with a HEPA filter, and both types can have one.
Can I steam clean laminate or wood?
Only when the floor is sealed and its maker says steam is fine. Unsealed wood and some laminates can be damaged by it.
Which vacuum is best for pet hair?
Choose a pet edition: it adds a mini turbo tool, and its brush bar is built to resist tangles. You'll find them among both uprights and cordless sticks.
Will a robot vacuum do all my cleaning?
It keeps floors tidy between cleans, but you'll still want an ordinary vacuum for the stairs, the sofa and a more thorough going-over.
Carpet cleaner or spot cleaner: which do I need?
A carpet cleaner is full size and washes whole rooms. A spot cleaner is small and portable, made for stains, stairs, upholstery and car seats.