Three new, lightweight stick vacuums from Shark and Dyson not only promise to do the trick but also claim to be as good, or better, than full-sized vacuums.
So Consumer Reports challenged them with a deep-cleaning test, where dirt is poured on and pressed in. It's a test normally reserved for full-sized vacuums.
The stick vacs couldn't keep up.
"For deep cleaning carpets, suction alone isn't enough," said Consumer Reports' John McAloon. "A vacuum needs to have some weight and a powerful brush roll. Stick vacs are generally under 10 pounds and just won't do the job."
But don't count them out. When compared to other stick vacs, the Shark and 2 Dyson units actually took the top three spots in Consumer Reports' tests.
Number one is the Dyson D-C 59 Animal.
It does an excellent job on pet hair, light carpet cleaning and bare floors. But the Animal is a beast when to comes to noise. It's one of the loudest stick vacuums tested.
Another Dyson, the D-C 59 Motorhead, came in a close second. It's a little quieter but wasn't quite as good on bare floors.
Both are cordless. But at maximum power they only run about seven minutes before they need recharging.
And at $500 each, they cost far more than most decent uprights.
If you don't mind a cord, the Shark Rocket is a more reasonable $180.
The way it's designed prevents it from cleaning well along the left edge, but it sucks up pet hair like a champ.