If you’re like me, you’ve got stairs in your home you need to clean. So how do you find the best vacuum for carpeted stairs? Well, it’s 2018 and we reviewed several top brands to find you the top vacuum to clean stairs. Take a look at our quick comparison table or jump down to the detailed reviews to learn more.
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Page Contents
- 1 Quick Vacuum Comparison Table:
- 2 What Types Of Vacuums Are Best For Carpeted Stairs?
- 3 Reviewing The Best Vacuum For Carpeted Stairs
- 4 Wrapping It All Up
Quick Vacuum Comparison Table:
| Picture | Vacuum | Price | Our Rating | See More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Shark Rocket Cordless HandVac | $$ |  (4.5 / 5) | See On Amazon |
 | Bissell 1985 Cordless HandVac | $$$ | (4.5 / 5) | See On Amazon |
 | Deik 2-in-1 Stick Vacuum | $$$ |  (4 / 5) | See On Amazon |
 | Bissell Pet Eraser 33A1 | $ |  (3.5 / 5) | See On Amazon |
 | Shark Rotator Lift-Away Vacuum | $$$$ |  (5 / 5) | See On Amazon |
 | Dyson Big Ball Canister Vac | $$$$$ | (4 / 5) | See On Amazon |
What Types Of Vacuums Are Best For Carpeted Stairs?
That’s a great question! And one that we will answer here in a second.
But first, let’s talk about all your options and maybe you’ll see a one style you like over another. There are 4 main types to consider for vacuums that clean stairs: Handhelds, Canisters, Backpack, and Lift-Away Uprights. Let’s talk Handhelds first:
Handhelds:
Handheld vacuums are a little older in style, but something that can be very beneficial for stairs. Say you have a tri-level home (like my sister-in-law) and it only has about 5 stairs in between each level. Is that worth getting out a big and clunky upright vacuum just to get those stairs? Uprights are not light and maneuvering can be tough.
That’s where handhelds can be useful. A small and light handheld vacuum can attack those carpeted stairs and clean them up before you even get the cord untangled from the upright. But there are downsides, mainly suction power. Handhelds are extremely portable, but usually lack prime-time suction power of bigger models. If you have low pile carpet, this might not matter too much. But if you have thicker carpet, consider checking out our list of shag carpet vacuums here. Thicker, shag type carpet can be tricky so be careful.
Canister Vacuums:
We did an entire review of canister vacuums here for you to check out. But long story short, canister vacuums usually have long cords and long hoses to let you reach all those stairs easily. We like canister vacuums because they have great suction, but are easy on the back since you don’t need to carry them.
But not all canister vacuums can reach every stair. There may be situations where you need to bring the canister downstairs (dangerous) or drag it up the stairs with you. So there’s some drawbacks in portability with canister vacuums overall. But we still like their abilities.
Backpack Vacuums:
A trendier topic in the world of vacuums is the backpack vacuum. Once again, there’s a bigger review of backpack vacuums here, but let’s just talk about how they work with stairs. Overall, backpack vacuums are quite powerful and extremely portable. They can tackle many jobs just like an upright can, but are easier to manuever since your carrying the canister.
The downside is when dealing with stairs, you might bump into walls with a backpack on your back. The backpacks are a little clunky which makes tight spaces harder to work with. Also, backpack vacuums tend to be pricey which means they should be used for specific purposes.
Lift-Away Upright Vacuums:
Our preferred style for the best vacuum for cleaning stairs. The Lift-Away style vacuums (i.e. a traditional upright with a removable handheld feature built in) can accomplish so much more than just stairs. They can tackle laminate floors, hardwood, and some models do shag carpets well.
What’s probably the best feature is the “lift-away” capability to turn a normal clunky vacuum into a portable canister that can tackle stairs. This gives you complete flexibility to only purchase ONE home vacuum and satisfy all your needs.
But in this breakdown below, we’ll show a few options from each category because we know everyone has different likes and preferences. So let the comparison begin!
Reviewing The Best Vacuum For Carpeted Stairs
So let’s dig in and take a look at a few vacuums in each category and then we’ll showcase our preferred choice!
The Shark Rocket Hand Vac (HV292)
“Probably the best handheld vacuum for stairs and pet hair”
We all know the Shark brand of vacuums has been a top quality choice for many years. And this handheld portable vacuum will work wonders cleaning stairs. Let’s quickly check out some of the features:
Features:
- Ultra lightweight (less than 4 lbs)
- 15 foot power cord to reach the stairs
- Bagless
- Motorized pet hair brush for deep clean
- Several other attachments
- Affordable price
- Washable filters
- 1 year warranty
Overall, the quality of Shark brands speak for themselves. And it’s clearly showing as more than 350 people have reviewed it on Amazon.com and it’s gotten 4.6 star rating as of 12/16/2017. That’s pretty great as we all know from Amazon reviews.
So what makes the Shark HandVac so great for cleaning stairs? Well, let’s get into it.
Probably the most amazing aspect of HandVac is the extreme portability. At less than 5 lbs. it’s extremely easy to haul around the house. There’s nothing more frustrating than a clunky vacuum that cannot maneuver around the house. The next most important aspect is suction power.
What good is a vacuum if it can’t actually suck (literally)?!
Shark vacuums have never lacked suction power and this HandVac is no exception. It has a 400 watt motor inside which is going to give you plenty of power. Combine this suction power with the nice accessories and you can even get up stubborn pet hair.
The motorized brush is definitely a nice feature for stair cleaning. If you have pets like we do, a motorized brush is absolutely wonderful and will change your life if you don’t have one currently. The extra crevice tool is also nice to get in the cracks of the stairs.
There’s only one real disadvantage of the Shark HandVac is the shorter cord length. It’s a full 15 feet of cord, but that’s not as long as many people would like. It could use at least another 5 feet because I don’t usually find an outlet right next to the staircase.
You can check out the Shark HandVac Corded Vacuum here on Amazon.
The Bissell 1985 Cordless Handheld Vacuum
“Probably the best cordless vacuum for stairs”
Bissell is another high quality vacuum brand that we’ve all come to know. And they really pulled out all the features for this handheld vacuum. It can tackle just about any tough job around the house or even in the car!
Features:
- Ultra lightweight (under 4 lbs.)
- Cordless (has large 22V battery)
- Bagless
- Comes with 5 attachments
- Includes motorized brush for pet hair
- Decent price
- 2 year warranty
What’s not to love about this cordless vacuum? The Bissell 1985 Cordless vacuum comes with it all… tons of attachments and power to clean up even dirty stairs.
Here’s what we truly love about this little handheld, it’s completely free of any restrictions (aka cords). It can literally go anywhere you need it to go. And with a solid 22V lithium ion battery, it’ll give you a solid amount of cleaning time on each charge.
The motorized brush tool is perfect for pet owners. It can pick up those large and small pet hair lingering in your stairwells. The dusting brush is great if you have hardwood stairs that need a little boost in those corners. And the crevice tool is perfect for in between the stairs where dirt can really collect.
And clearly other people on Amazon.com think it’s a good buy. It’s been reviewed over 100 times (as of 1/1/2018) with an average rating of 4.3 stars!
The only downside is the battery will start to fade after 15 minutes of full use. This isn’t a ton of time, but usually works long enough to get a good cleaning cycle done. So if you have several large staircases in your home, this might not be the ideal solution for you. Check out the Shark corded option above instead.
If you just need spot cleanup on your stairs occasionally, this will work wonders for you! It’s got the tools and power to accomplish what you need.
You can check out more Bissell 1985 Cordless Handheld Vacuum here on Amazon.
The Deik 2-in-1 Cordless Upright Vacuum
“Arguably the best vacuum for stairs and hardwood floors”
The Deik brand is lesser known to most consumers, but it definitely comes with solid upside. And when you see how many other people have bought this online, it’ll blow your mind.
Features:
- Lightweight stick vacuum (total 4.7 lbs.)
- HEPA filteration
- Cordless (large 22V lithium ion battery)
- 2-in-1 stick and handheld vacuum
- Comes with 2 attachments
- Bagless
- Good price for stick vacuum
Like we said before, a lesser known brand of vacuum, but that doesn’t mean anything these days. Plenty of brands pop up with amazing quality and good pricing.
This Diek vacuum was rated by over 750 customers on Amazon.com with a rating of 4.3 stars (as of 1/1/2018)! That’s amazing when so many people have purchased it! And the majority are 5 star ratings.
What’s different about this Diek vacuum that puts it on our list for best vacuum for carpeted stairs? Well, versatility is the answer!
This is a stick upright vacuum that can be converted into a powerful handheld vacuum quickly and effortlessly. So take the handheld portion and tackle the stairs, and use the upright stick aspect to do your kitchen floor. I love duel purpose items and this is a great option!
One thing we really enjoy about the Deik vacuum is the longer battery life. It should last a solid 25 minutes on full charge which is 40% longer than the Bissell 1985 mentioned above. Plus it comes with a HEPA filter which is highly sought after these days.
One negative aspect people noted in the reviews was the noise. It can be a little loud when vacuuming because it brings so much power to a small stick vacuum. If you need ultra quiet operation, this probably won’t be ideal for you. But if you like versatility and powerful stick vacuums, the Deik 2-in-1 is a great choice.
You can see more on the Deik 2-in-1 Upright Vacuum here on Amazon.
Bissell Corded Handheld Pet Eraser 33A1 Vacuum
“The best value handheld vacuum for stairs and pet hair”
Bissell came out with this little value vacuum specifically for pet owners and it’s definitely a steal for the price. It’s a little limited in it’s capabilities. But if you’re biggest problem is pet hair on stairs this is a great and cheap choice.
Features:
- Great price (cheapest on our list)
- 16 foot cord
- Lightweight (only 5 lbs.)
- Bagless
- Special rubber nozzle attracts pet hair
- Contouring nozzle molds around corners
- 1 year warranty
Once again, Bissell thinks of the consumer and their price needs. This Pet Eraser 33A1 vacuum meets consumers right where they need on price. It only lacks a few things that most people could live without if needed. And the reviews speak for themselves.
More than 5,000 people have reviewed this on Amazon.com as of 1/1/2018 and it has a rating of 4.4 stars! That’s fantastic for the number of people reviewing it. And the majority of reviews came at 5 stars!
What we love is that rubber nozzle which seems to be unique to this design. It works great when getting trapped hair off the carpeted stairs or upholstery. It’s not ideal on hardwood, so be warned. Home owners with hardwood stairs should steer away from this Bissell vacuum and look toward something else.
Although we would love to see a longer cord, 16 feet should suffice for most staircases. But at the worst you might need to swap outlets near the end. Not a deal breaker, but also not the most enjoyable.
If you need help getting pet hair up from carpeted stairs, this Bissell model excels. In every other manner though, it’s an average-ish vacuum. Don’t expect this to work well on hardwood or laminate floors. But that’s why it’s priced so well. It serves one purpose VERY well and not a lot more. So choose what you need.
You can see more on the Bissell Pet Eraser Vacuum here on Amazon.
The Shark Rotator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum
“Our recommended choice for the best vacuum for carpeted stairs”
This ultimate Shark machine is the one we actually have in our home. It’s incredible versatile and has amazing power to tackle just about anything. And we all know Shark makes high quality vacuums.
Features:
- Upright style with lift-away mobile canister
- HEPA filter
- Bagless
- Mobile canister weighs 8 lbs when removed
- 30 foot cord
- Large dust cup
- Comes with 5 attachments including pet brush
- 5 year warranty
What’s not to love about a Shark vacuum? Not much honestly.
That’s why we purchased one for our home. And it’s been a fantastic decision 4 years later still. Here’s what we love about our Shark Rotator vacuum… It’s versatile and powerful!
No kidding, this thing could suck up our hardwood floor if it wasn’t secured down! OK that’s a little exaggeration, but you get the point. It’s got some power under that little hood. And if it isn’t secured to the ground or carpet, it’s getting sucked up!
We also definitely like the lift-away canister for more mobile cleaning. When we want to clean our stairs (from our wonderful golden retriever), we just push the button that unlocks the canister and away we go. And because the cord is so long, I never have to unplug it and plug back in somewhere near the top.
That’s one aspect I like much more than the other corded handheld vacuums mentioned on our list. This Shark has a really long cord to reach just about anywhere in the house.
And then you throw in that awesome pet motor brush attachment and even our wonderful dog hair doesn’t stand a chance!
Then to top it off, it’s been reviewed on Amazon.com over 3,000 times with an average rating of 4.5 stars (as of 1/3/2018). If that doesn’t speak volumes, I don’t know what does…
Now it’s not all perfect with the Shark. As you can see, it’s a little heavier than just about every other vacuum on this list. So if you have trouble lifting things, the Shark Rotator might not be for you. So choose what makes the most sense for you.
You can check out more on the Shark Rotator Lift-Away here on Amazon.
The Dyson Big Ball Canister Vacuum
“The high end of the high end vacuums for cleaning stairs”
We all know the Dyson brand. It’s the Mercedes of vacuum cleaners and it’s definitely priced that way too. Dyson vacuums have always been known as good quality for a price. So let’s talk about it and see why it would work for cleaning stairs.
Features:
- Canister style vacuum
- Bagless
- 21 foot cord
- 4 foot wand extension
- Self-righting technology
- HEPA filteration
- Carbon fiber design
- 5 year warranty
Like we said, this thing looks absolutely beautiful with it’s sleek modern design. That’s another area Dyson vacuums always excel in… they look amazing! This Big Ball model is fits that class well.
Here’s why canister vacuums can work on stairs. If the wand and cord are long enough, you can reach most stairs without pulling the canister too far.
What’s also nice is that most of the weight of a canister vacuum is in the canister itself. The wand usually weighs little to nothing so you aren’t lugging anything heavy upstairs while you clean. But, if you have very long stairwells, you may need to pull it up or down at least once to get all the stairs.
What was mentioned most in the comments about this Dyson Big Ball was the suction power. People raved about how strong it was and they actually felt like this Dyson vacuum was picking up dirt other vacuums missed.
Obviously the biggest drawback with a Dyson vacuum is the cost. This Big Ball model is not cheap at all. But there’s no doubt it’s worthy of the price tag. So if you like high quality design and performance, a Dyson can certainly deliver.
Plus Dyson offers the best warranty we’ve seen on vacuums. A full 5 year warranty on both parts and labor! That’s a crazy good offer that we’ve never seen from another major vacuum manufacturer.
You can check out the Dyson Big Ball canister vacuum here on Amazon.
Wrapping It All Up
We hope you got a lot out of our list of the best vacuum for carpeted stairs. Feel free to drop a comment and let us know if you agree or disagree with any specific vacuums on the list. We’d love to hear what you think the best one is! And feel free to browse some other areas you might like. Thanks for visiting and happy cleaning!
