Updated: 11:43 AM CST Dec 22, 2020
Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping Institute
Director, Home Appliances & Cleaning Products Lab
Lynn Redmile, Good Housekeeping Institute
For smaller messes, a good handheld vacuum provides quick cleaning without a lot of heavy lifting and without hogging precious storage space. These mini vacs won't replace a full-size canister vacuum when it comes to deep cleaning, but they are handy for instantly tackling dry spills, tracked-in dirt and pet hair stuck to just about everything. With handheld vacuums, you might even consider more than one as they don't just tackle messes inside your home: stash one in the garage to keep a workshop, garden bench and your car clean, too.