What Is an Upright Vacuum?

Carpet Cleaner

• An upright vacuum cleaner, more so than any other kind of vacuum, is specifically designed to clean carpeted flooring. The advantage an upright cleaner has over other types of vacuums is the proximity of the motor to the cleaning head. Canister vacuums have a motor positioned several feet from the cleaning head, making it less effective in cleaning dirt from carpeting. The substantial airflow needed to pull dirt from the base of carpeting is lost the farther the motor is from the cleaning head. Upright vacuum motors are only inches from the cleaning head, meaning less of the power is lost between the motor and the carpet.

Reclining Handle

• The handle on an upright vacuum reclines to allow you to manipulate the cleaner over the flooring. By reclining the vacuum cleaner's handle you are able to gain leverage to push and pull the upright vacuum cleaner's head (including the motor) over the carpet. The handle often incorporates the vacuum cleaner's controls as well as switches to turn the brush roll off for cleaning hard floors. Some models have a mechanism near the base of the handle to lower the handle for cleaning while others, including later generation Kirby vacuums, have a spring-loaded handle release.

Dirt Collecting

• The two forms of dirt collection used by upright vacuums are bagged and bagless receptacles. The collection bins or bags are most often attached to the reclining handle. The more common bag collector uses a system of removable replacement bags that act as collectors and filters. Bagless upright vacuums use a plastic receptacle for dirt collection and separate filters to capture smaller particles before the air is exhausted. Some of the bagless models have filters that should be replaced periodically while others employ washable and reusable filters.

Limitations

• Cleaning tasks that are not handled as well by upright vacuum cleaners as they are by alternative vacuum styles include above-the-floor cleaning and hard-flooring cleaning. Many upright vacuums come with hoses and attachments to clean upholstery and stairs. The design of the upright vacuum makes it a more cumbersome option versus a canister vacuum, which is designed specifically for those jobs. Upright vacuums with optional brush roll switches are able to clean hard floors, however the weight of the upright and the wheels on the cleaning head can lead to scuffing or scratching the floor's surface. A canister vacuum with attachments or an electric broom are easier options for those types of tasks.