The 5 Best Vacuums for Allergies of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Vacuum

$150 At Amazon $150 At Wayfair $150 At Home Depot

Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4/5
• Portability
  4.8/5
• Noise Level
  2.5/5

Upright vacuums are a great model to turn to for completely enclosed dustbins and motorheads that lock allergens inside. The Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum is one of our all-time favorite vacuums, and it completely fits the bill. And yes, it has a sealed HEPA filter to capture over 99.7 percent of dust and allergens.

It impressed us during testing with an easy-to-maneuver and effective design. The floor head quickly picked up hair and larger debris on tile and hardwood floors, and we were especially impressed with its edge-cleaning capabilities, too—so dust, dander, cereal bits, and cracker crumbs up against your kitchen baseboards are no match.

It performed just as well on carpet, but we noted that the suction is so strong that it can be a struggle to maneuver the vacuum on high-pile carpet. The owner's manual makes a point of this, too. You can adjust the suction release collar to make it easier to move on carpets. Hair did become tangled on this vacuum's brush bar, which was slightly annoying and could be bothersome to users with especially high allergies, but it was easy to cut off with a pair of scissors.

When testing this model on stairs, we opted to clean with the hose, rather than the motor head and found this to be easier than struggling with the entire vacuum's weight (over 15 pounds) up a flight of steps. It was also easy to use the crevice tool and upholstery tool to clean an armchair.

We found the emptying process just as smooth as operating it. Simply press two hooks to release the dust bin from the main unit and then another hook at the bottom of the dustbin releases the contents into a trash can. Overall, we were very pleased with how efficient and effective this upright vacuum is, and feel that its HEPA filter will help keep allergies at bay.

_{Weight: 15.96 pounds | Bin Volume: 0.9 quarts | Cord Length: 25 feet | Included Accessories: Upholstery tool and crevice tool}

Best Bagged

Kenmore Floor Care Elite Upright Vacuum

$300 At Amazon $350 At Wayfair $350 At Home Depot

Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  3.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.5/5
• Portability
  4/5
• Noise Level
  5/5

Many modern vacuum cleaners are bagless, but if you prefer a bagged vacuum to keep dust and allergens trapped even as you empty it, the Kenmore Elite Pet & Allergy Friendly Upright Vacuum is a great option. This model is certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, so you know it’s a strong choice for allergy season and everyday life.

This vacuum’s motor system has more power than the average upright, and the brush head has five height adjustments so you can efficiently clean thick carpets and hard floors. It even switches off the rotating head when cleaning bare floors to avoid spitting larger debris, while still maintaining full suction. Along with the HEPA filter to capture microscopic particles, there's an infrared dirt sensor that detects dust and dirt you might not be able to see.

This model is on the heavier side, weighing in at 20 pounds (the heaviest on our list), which might make it difficult to clean stairs in your home. However, we appreciate its pet-friendly tool, the Pet HandiMate, which makes cleaning pet hair off upholstery much easier, and could easily be used to tackle stairs with the addition of the extension wand.

It's worth noting that after you purchase this vacuum, buying replacement bags will add to the cost, but we think it's worth the splurge, especially for users who have severe reactions during allergy season.

_{Weight: 20 pounds | Bin Volume: 3.48 quarts | Cord Length: 30 feet | Included Accessories: Pet HandiMate tool, extension wand, crevice tool, brush dusting tool}

Best Cordless

Tineco Pure One S11 Vacuum

$300 At Amazon $329 At Walmart $350 At tineco.com

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  5/5
• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.8/5
• Portability
  5/5

The Tineco Pure One S11 TANGO comes with all of the brand's beloved features—an LED display, dust sensor, and wall-mounted charging dock—and is equipped with a four-stage, sealed filter system. Like the brand's other vacuum models, this vacuum's display provides constant information about the battery power, suction power, malfunction alerts, and dust sensing. It's a lot of bells and whistles, but after testing, we would be willing to pay more for this vacuum given its effectiveness, especially after comparing it to other expensive models.

When used in iLoop mode, the vacuum automatically adjusts its suction power when it senses dust, and the screen lights up red when suction is increased. This vacuum breezed through all of our surface tests, and it was very easy to maneuver. We did find that the power brush struggled to pick up scattered Cheerios on hardwood flooring—for such a task, you might need to use one of the attachments.

On the plus side, very little hair wrapped around the power brush during our testing. Overall, we think it's an especially great choice for allergy sufferers who want a lightweight, easy-to-maneuver vacuum for their home.

_{Weight: 5.84 pounds | Bin Volume: 0.63 quarts | Battery Life: 40 minutes | Included Accessories: Multi-tasker power brush, soft roller power brush, mini power brush, 2-in-1 dusting brush, crevice tool, pre-filter cleaning tool, extra microfiber pre-filter, hair cleaning tool, wall mount}

Best Canister

Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum

$940 At Amazon $1,000 At Crate & Barrel View On Mieleusa.com

Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  4/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4/5
• Portability
  4/5
• Noise Level
  4.5/5

Canister vacuums, like this one, blend the power and performance of an upright vacuum with the agility of a lightweight vacuum. That ease of use, coupled with this vacuum's strong suction and HEPA filter, make it a great choice for households that want a workhorse of a vacuum. We tested it in a home with multiple dogs and a rabbit, and it did an amazing job capturing fur of different thicknesses with just one pass or push of the wand.

Along with the excellent cleaning capabilities, there are some extra design elements and conveniences that we also really appreciate. Notably, this vacuum is engineered to clean its own filter automatically, which not only keeps it running smoothly, but eliminates the chore (and the extra exposure to dust!) for users. We also like that there's an automatic cord rewind feature that can be controlled with your foot, so when you're done vacuuming, you don't have to squat or stoop to wind it all up.

The one downside we've encountered with this vacuum is that we found the emptying process to be a bit clunky, and messier than we expected. It is designed with what the brand calls "mono-cyclone technology" which separates tiny dust particles from larger pieces of debris. In theory, this would allow for cleaner emptying, but we never quite got this process under control, and felt like the emptying process was messier than we would have liked (but still reasonable). It's also worth noting that this is the priciest option on our list at over $900, but if you have room in your budget, it's well worth considering.

_{Weight: 19 pounds | Bin Volume: 2.1 quarts | Cord Length: 21 feet | Attachments: Crevice tool, upholstery tool, parquet twister floorhead, handheld mini turbo brush, electro plus floorhead}

Honorable Mention

Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra

$399 At Amazon $425 At Wayfair $400 At Home Depot

Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.8/5
• Portability
  4.5/5
• Noise Level
  4/5

Another one of our favorite vacuum overall cleaners, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra picked up every type of debris during our lab tests—like coffee grounds, cereal, and hair. It also has powerful filtration and unique attachments designed with allergy sufferers and pet owners in mind, like a tangle-free turbine tool and a pet grooming tool. Now, this Dyson pick is unique in that the brand doesn't tout their filters as "HEPA," however we've opted to still recommend it because the filtration level has met the same standard in separate testing.

The vacuum's adjustable floor head has three modes so you can change the suction and roller bar height depending on the surface you're cleaning. Dyson's Motorbar cleaner head is equipped with stiff nylon bristles to reach into thick carpet, and that effectively picks up hair. It has de-tangling vanes to prevent hair from wrapping around it. In our tests, we noticed that this vacuum head has a tendency to spit out larger debris before sucking it up, which is slightly frustrating. But setting the vacuum to the high-pile carpet cleaning mode can help with this.

We appreciate the suite of attachments that come with this upright vacuum, making it an excellent all-around cleaning tool. Whether you want to detail tight corners, rid upholstery of pet hair, or efficiently clean your home's stairs, this vacuum has an attachment for it. The attachments are also key to counteracting this vacuum's rather heavy build. When it comes to cleaning stairs, we think it's easier to pair the stair tool with the 15-foot extension hose, rather than lug the whole vacuum up and down.

This vacuum has the suction power, filtration system, and attachments to make it a competitive choice for busy households—and certainly worthy of the top spot on our list of the best Dyson vacuums, too.

_{Weight: 17.3 pounds | Bin Volume: 1.8 quarts | Cord Length: 35 feet | Included Accessories: Combination brush and crevice tool, stair tool, pet groom tool, tangle-free turbine tool}