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Start with your floors and your mess
A vacuum cleaner uses a motor to suck air, and the dust with it, through a hose and into a tank or bag. In an Indian home the main job is the fine dust that comes in through windows every day, on tile, marble and wooden floors, plus sofas, mattresses, curtains and fan blades.
The kind of dirt you have decides the type you need.
| Your home | Look for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A flat with tile or marble floors, sofas, curtains | A bagless dry vacuum, about 20 kPa, HEPA filter | Light enough to carry around, and the filter traps fine dust |
| Balconies, terrace, car, water spills | A wet and dry drum vacuum, 10 to 21 litres | It can suck up water as well as dust |
| Only sofas, beds, car seats, small corners | A handheld vacuum | Small and cheap, but too slow for whole floors |
What to look for
- Dry or wet and dry. A dry vacuum is for dust only. A wet and dry vacuum also picks up water, but it is bigger and louder.
- Suction. Shown in kPa. About 17 to 24 kPa is normal for home use. More suction helps with carpets and rugs.
- Watts. Watts show how much power the motor uses, not how well it cleans. Compare suction instead where you can.
- Tank size. A 1.5 to 2.5 litre bagless tank suits a flat. A 10 to 21 litre drum suits wet cleaning and big areas.
- Filter. A HEPA filter traps very fine dust, which helps if anyone at home has a dust allergy. Check whether the filter can be washed.
- Attachments. A crevice nozzle for corners, a brush for sofas and a floor brush are the basics. A turbo brush helps with hair on rugs.
- Cord and plug. A long cord means fewer socket changes. Check whether the plug is 6 amp or 16 amp.
- Weight and wheels. Big wheels and a carry handle matter if you have stairs.
Top 5 vacuum cleaners to look at
We have not tested these. The details come from each Amazon listing, and the pros and cons are our reading of those details and of this type of product. This is a shortlist, not a ranking. We picked popular listings on Amazon.in, so the order does not mean one is better. Check the current price, warranty and reviews on Amazon.
| Product | Type | Listed power | Suction | Tank | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philips PowerPro FC9352 | Dry, bagless | 1900 watts | 370 W (air watts) | 1.5 litres | 2 years |
| Eureka Forbes Cyclo Vac | Dry, bagless | Not in the title | 24 kPa | 2.5 litres | 1 year |
| AGARO Ace | Wet and dry | 1600 watts | 21.5 kPa | 21 litres | 1 year |
| INALSA Micro WD10 | Wet and dry | 1200 watts | 17 kPa | 10 litres | 1 year |
| AGARO Regal | Handheld, dry | 800 watts | 6.5 kPa | 0.8 litres | 1 year |
1. Philips PowerPro FC9352
This is the most rated vacuum in this list, with over 23,000 ratings and a 4.3 out of 5 rating. It is a compact bagless dry vacuum with a cyclone tank, an allergy H13 filter, a turbo brush for rugs and pet hair, and a dusting brush built into the handle.
Key details
- Power: 1900 watts, up to 370 W of suction (air watts)
- Type: dry, bagless, cyclone
- Tank: 1.5 litres
- Filter: allergy H13, fully sealed
- Attachments: MultiClean floor nozzle, turbo brush, built-in dusting brush
- Plug: 16 amp
- Warranty: 2 years
- The longest warranty of the five
- The H13 filter suits homes with dust allergies
- The turbo brush helps with pet hair and rugs
- Needs a 16 amp socket
- Dry only, so no water spills
- It gives suction in air watts, not kPa, so it is hard to compare directly with the others
Good for: A flat with hard floors and rugs, especially if someone at home has a dust allergy.
2. Eureka Forbes Cyclo Vac
This is Eureka Forbes' bagless cyclone vacuum. The listing gives it 24 kPa suction, the highest here, a 2.5 litre tank, a HEPA filter, a suction knob, an automatic cord winder and six attachments.
Key details
- Suction: 24 kPa, adjustable from low to high
- Type: dry, bagless, cyclone
- Tank: 2.5 litres
- Filter: four stages, including HEPA
- Attachments: floor brush, crevice nozzle, upholstery brush, round brush, extension tube, hose
- Extras: auto cord winder, overheat cut-off, a cord of about 16 feet
- Warranty: 1 year
- The highest listed suction and the biggest dry tank
- Adjustable suction suits both curtains and rugs
- The cord winds itself back in
- The title doesn't give the motor watts
- Only a 1 year warranty
- Dry only
Good for: A family home that wants strong suction and easy storage.
3. AGARO Ace
This is a large wet and dry drum vacuum with a stainless steel body. The listing gives it 1600 watts, 21.5 kPa suction, a 21 litre tank, a blower function and a washable 3 litre dust bag.
Key details
- Power: 1600 watts
- Suction: 21.5 kPa
- Type: wet and dry, with blower
- Tank: 21 litres, stainless steel, washable 3 litre dust bag
- Attachments: floor brush, flexible hose, adjustable tube, crevice nozzle, cleaning brush, wet brush
- Weight: about 7.2 kg
- Warranty: 1 year
- The biggest tank here, for terraces, balconies and big spills
- Picks up water as well as dust
- The blower can clear dust from corners, keyboards and vents
- Heavy and bulky to store in a small flat
- Only a 1 year warranty
- Uses a foam filter, not HEPA
Good for: A house with a terrace, garden, car or frequent water spills.
4. INALSA Micro WD10
This is a smaller wet and dry vacuum with a 10 litre tank. The listing names 1200 watts, 17 kPa suction, a blower function, a float that stops it sucking more water when the tank is full, and four rotating wheels.
Key details
- Power: 1200 watts
- Suction: 17 kPa
- Type: wet and dry, bagged or bagless, with blower
- Tank: 10 litres, impact-resistant polymer
- Safety: a float that stops water pickup when the tank is full
- Warranty: 1 year
- Wet and dry cleaning in a smaller size than the AGARO Ace
- The float protects the motor from overflowing water
- Four 360 degree wheels make it easy to pull around
- The lowest suction of the full-size vacuums here
- You must swap the cloth filter for the sponge filter before wet use
- Only a 1 year warranty
Good for: A flat that wants wet and dry cleaning without a huge drum.
5. AGARO Regal
This is a small corded handheld vacuum with over 20,000 ratings. The listing gives it 800 watts, 6.5 kPa suction, a 0.8 litre dust tank and a crevice nozzle for tight spots.
Key details
- Power: 800 watts
- Suction: 6.5 kPa
- Type: handheld, dry, corded
- Tank: 0.8 litres
- Filter: cloth
- Weight: about 1.8 kg
- Warranty: 1 year
- Light and easy to use on sofas, beds and car seats
- The cheapest way to start vacuuming
- A very large number of ratings
- Much weaker suction than the others
- Too slow for cleaning whole floors
- A small tank to empty often
Good for: Quick cleaning of sofas, mattresses, car seats and shelves.
Running cost
Most homes vacuum for 20 to 30 minutes, two or three times a week. At an example rate of ₹8 per unit:
| Vacuum | 30 minutes | A month (12 sessions) |
|---|---|---|
| 800 watts | about 0.4 units, ₹3.20 | about ₹38 |
| 1200 watts | about 0.6 units, ₹4.80 | about ₹58 |
| 1600 watts | about 0.8 units, ₹6.40 | about ₹77 |
| 1900 watts | about 0.95 units, ₹7.60 | about ₹91 |
The real cost of owning one is mostly filters and service, not power. Check the price of a spare filter before you buy.
Vacuum cleaner or robot vacuum?
A robot vacuum cleans the floor by itself every day while you are out, but it can't do sofas, curtains, stairs or fan blades. A normal vacuum does everything, but you have to push it. Many homes that buy a robot keep a small vacuum for everything above the floor. See our robot vacuum guide for the other side.
Safety and care
- Empty the tank or bag before it is full, or suction drops.
- Wash or tap out the filter as the manual says, and let it dry fully before you put it back.
- Never suck up water with a dry-only vacuum.
- For wet cleaning, use the right filter and empty the water straight after.
- Don't vacuum ash, cement dust or sharp glass, which can damage the motor and filter.
- Unplug it before you change attachments or clean the brush.
Before you buy
Think about your floors and what you need to clean. For dust in a flat, a bagless dry vacuum with a HEPA filter is the best fit. For terraces, cars and spills, choose wet and dry. For sofas and beds only, a handheld is enough. Check the plug type, the warranty, and the price of spare filters on the listing.
Read next
We read the Amazon listings, compared the details and noted what they leave out. We have not tested these products, and brands do not pay to be listed.
Common questions
Is a vacuum cleaner useful on Indian tile and marble floors?
Yes. Fine dust settles on hard floors every day, and a vacuum lifts it from corners, under beds and along skirting without spreading it like a broom does. Many homes vacuum first and then mop.
What does kPa mean on a vacuum cleaner?
kPa is the suction pressure. A higher number pulls harder through the hose. About 17 to 24 kPa is normal for home vacuums. Brands measure it in their own way, so treat it as a rough guide, not an exact comparison.
Bag or bagless: which is better?
Bagless vacuums have a tank you empty into the bin, so there are no bags to buy. A bag holds dust better when you empty it, which helps if anyone at home has a dust allergy. Wet and dry drum vacuums often let you use either.
Does a vacuum cleaner need a 16 amp socket?
Some do. Big vacuums of 1600 watts or more often have a 16 amp plug, which only fits the large socket used for geysers and ACs. The Philips listing here says it uses a 16 amp plug. Check the plug type and your sockets before you buy.