Luis Ramos has an upright vacuum for his carpets, but for cleaning pet fur, he relies on a robo-vac.
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"If you have dogs that shed you just turn that thing on and go you, don't have to worry about cleaning up dog hair all day," he said.
Robotic vacuums are good at picking up dropped snacks and dust bunnies. Consumer Reports recommends the Eufy 11S. It is affordable and slim enough to get beneath furniture.
But a robo-vac shouldn't be your only vacuum.
"To reach embedded dirt, you need an upright or canister vacuum. Lighter vacuums like robots, handhelds or sticks don't have the strong suction and the brush-roll combination that the bigger vacuums do," said Consumer Reports Home Engineer Sue Booth.
Depending on your surfaces, here is what will work best for your floors.
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If carpet is king in your house, an upright vacuum is a great choice. The brush pushes down into the pile, loosening and sucking up dirt. The Miele Dynamic U1 Cat & Dog excelled in CR's carpet tests.
If you have carpeted stairs, canisters are much easier to maneuver. Take advantage of the on-board attachments to reach drapes and high cobwebs. The Kenmore Pop-N-Go does an excellent job cleaning carpets and pet hair.
"Stick vacs are handy for quick cleanups, and they're really good on bare floors. And our tests find that the corded models out-perform battery ones," said Booth.
A top-rated corded model, like the Shark APEX Uplight Lift-Away DuoClean is great for picking up pet hair and stray debris.
Cordless stick vacs might be easier to use but a Consumer Reports survey found that nearly a third have a battery problem by their fifth year and does not currently recommend them.
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Your vacuum will run better and longer if you don't wait until the bag or bin is full before you empty it.
Eufy 11S / $220
Miele Dynamic U1 Cat & Dog / $699
Kenmore Pop-N-Go BC4026 / $279
Shark APEX Uplight Lift-Away DuoClean LZ601 4275 / $275