From The Straits Times    |

Three upright vacuum cleaners to clean your home fast

 

Philips Powerpro Aqua Stick

$499, from major electrical stores  

Philips vacuum

As an upright bagless vacuum cleaner, it stands out from other stick vacs with its unique mop function. The mop is a magnetic attachment consisting of a microfiber pad that’s dampened by water stored in the 200ml water tank. The mop can simultaneously clean the area you’ve vacuumed and can also be detached if you only want to vacuum. The floor of our home was spotless after using the vacuum and mop. The latter left the floor just damp, not overly wet. The magnetic mop system was easy to attach – fill up the water tank, attach the mop pad and click in place.

Although the machine is weighed down by the nozzle, water tank and dust bin, the wheels on the nozzle made moving it across different types of flooring – parquet, tiles and carpet – a breeze. Swivel head, which went around furniture legs and into corners easily, also helped. Only downside was the large nozzle didn’t always fit into tight spaces.

VERDICT: An easy-to-use and time-saving appliance that did a great job of cleaning my home, and in half the time it usually takes.

Bosch Readyy’y 2-in-1 (16.8V)

$299, from major electrical stores

Bosch vacuum

The Bosch Readyy’y 2-in-1 is a cordless, free-standing model with a sleek body and super-light design. You can detach the vacuum cleaner from the trunk and use it as a hand-held machine. After charging it fully for 16 hours before first use, and 12 hours subsequently, it can run for up to 32min.

Holding it was comfortable enough and it glided smoothly over rugs and hard floors. The swivelling pivot head made it agile. While it didn’t have the power to clean dirt and dust from a high pile rug, it performed well on smooth surfaces and a flat woven rug. As a handheld unit, it lacked strength to suck up dry cereal from a tricky corner. However, a quick sweep over the breakfast table and the back of a dusty cupboard with a crevice nozzle attachment left those surfaces spotless.

VERDICT: It’s not the most powerful cleaner but it’s really a fairly effective one for small spaces and hard-to-reach areas.

Dyson V6

$699, from Robinsons, Takashimaya D.S., Tangs and major electrical stores

Dyson Vacuum

This is an excellent vacuum that does double duty: as an upright vacuum, it is good for weekly clean-ups around the house; as a handheld vacuum, it is handy for picking up crumbs or cleaning small areas.

As an upright vacuum, it glided over ceramic, terrazzo and parquet floors smoothly and effortlessly. It was also easy to swivel and manoeuvre. For use as a handheld vacuum, just detach the long tube. For tabletops and tighter spaces, it is best to switch to the regular nozzle or crevice tool. The combination of large and small nozzles gives you the best of booth worlds.

VERDICT: A worthwhile investment, covering all your vacuuming needs.