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The 10 Best Small Upright Vacuum Cleaner in 2024 - Features, Reviews and FAQs

Avantika Richard
  Nov 2, 2024 9:35 PM

Are you on the hunt for an upright vacuum cleaner that is compact, efficient, and light enough to maneuver around your home? If so, you’re in luck! We rounded up ten of the best small upright vacuums available on the market. These upright models offer powerful suction and varied attachments to tackle any mess.

Each unit has been carefully selected from top-rated brands based on customer feedback, features, reliability, and cost. If you’re ready to invest in a quality cleaner that keeps your home looking its best without breaking the bank, keep reading our review—we cover all of what these machines have to offer and answer frequently asked questions about small upright vacuums.


Top picks

Best easy to clean: BISSELL 2252

The Bissell 2252 CleanView Swivel Upright Bagless Vacuum with Swivel Steering makes your cleaning options a breeze! With its swivel steering for maximum maneuverability, tackling everyday messes is now a breeze.

Whether it’s embedded pet hair or dirt along the edges and corners, the triple-action brush roll accelerates cleaning by loosening and removing items easily. Not to mention its specialized pet tools that are included that help pick up even tougher items like stuck pet hair.

Furthermore, its Edge-to-Edge technology clears away any pesky items found in hard-to-reach areas such as baseboards or stairs. Plus, an easy empty dirt tank opens up at the bottom making emptying quick and painless! 

Best for dealing with pet hair: BISSELL 2254 

The BISSELL 2254 CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum is the perfect tool for dealing with pet hair. Combining powerful suction and specialized pet tools, this vacuum makes it easy to keep your floors free from dust, dirt, and messy fur. 

This dynamic machine comes with a Triple Action Brush Roll plus Scatter Free Technology, which maximizes pet hair pickup - even if it’s embedded in carpet or rugs. The Edge to Edge Cleaning feature gets closer to walls and corners with each pass. Plus, the 27’ power cord will automatically rewind for quick and easy storage so cleaning is now more efficient than ever! 

Best for any home: Shark NV360

The Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum with Large Dust Cup Capacity will make your cleaning life so much easier. With multi-surface powerful suction, you can get deep down into carpets and tackle bare floors quickly and with little effort.

The detachable pod allows you to clean under low furniture and the nozzle will go above the floor for upholstery, furniture, stairs, and more. 

This vacuum's amazing anti-allergen complete seal technology works together with a HEPA filter to trap dust and allergens inside the vacuum cleaner, making it perfect for people with allergies or pets shedding in the home.

Plus, powerful pet hair pickup attachments like the upholstery tool make cleaning pet hair a breeze! And when maneuvering around tight spaces is tricky, swivel steering makes it much easier to take your vacuum in and out of tight spaces, in corners, around furniture, and more.

Plus, you don’t need to worry about missing any areas as the brush roll shutoff feature allows you to instantly go from carpet to hardwood floors.

Best easy to use: Shark NV356E

The Shark NV356E 31 Navigator Lift-Away Professional Upright Vacuum: the perfect choice for pet owners trying to keep their home clean of dust, dander & pet hair!

With its lift-away pod design and anti-allergen complete seal system, you won’t even have to move furniture— just detach the pod, and clean under with ease. You can also detach the nozzle to access hard-to-reach spots like upholstery, stairs, and more!

And with a brush roll shutoff feature to immediately switch from deep carpets to gentle bare floor cleaning, it doesn’t get easier than this. 

Best for busy home: eureka NEU182B

The EUREKA NEU182B PowerSpeed Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner, Lite, Purple is designed for whole home cleaning with its powerful motor and brush rollable to lift all stubborn, heavy debris. The 12.6” wide nozzle helps you clean faster and better – no more missing a spot with this one!

But it's not just about power – at only 10 lbs it maneuvers easily and the smooth-rolling wheels won't cause any scratches or gouges on hardwood floors.

Also, you don't have to empty the 2.6L extra-large dust cup too often. And because we want you to get the most for your money, we included multiple accessories like a quick-release handle connected to the stretch hose for above-floor cleaning and a 7” crevice tool, dusting brush, and upholstery tool to help clean hard-to-reach areas like high ceilings corners and furniture crevices. 

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    9.2
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    Bissell
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    9.2
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    Bissell
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    9.2
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    Shark
4
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    9.0
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    EUREKA
5
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    9.0
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    Shark
6
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    8.8
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    Soniclean
7
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    EUREKA
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    ORECK XL COMMERCIAL
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    EUREKA
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    8.6
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    Hoover

Last update on 2024-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images, Product Titles, and Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API

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Buying guides

Things to consider before purchasing the small upright vacuum cleaner

1. Consider the type of flooring you have.

The type of flooring in your home will determine how much suction power and filtration level your small upright vacuum cleaner needs to have.

Hardwood floors, for example, require a powerful suction setting with good filtration to remove dirt and debris from their cracks and crevices. Carpeting, on the other hand, needs less suction power but more filtration to capture dust mites and allergens.

2. Consider size and weight.

Small upright vacuum cleaners are typically lightweight and easy to maneuver, but some models may be too heavy or bulky for you to handle comfortably. Make sure that the model you choose is the right size and weight for your needs.

3. Look for a HEPA-rated vacuum cleaner.

The best small upright vacuums are equipped with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, which is designed to capture up to 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 micrometers. This will ensure that your home's air quality is kept safe and clean.

4. Look for a vacuum cleaner with adjustable suction settings.

Different types of flooring require different levels of suction power, so having an adjustable setting on the vacuum cleaner will come in handy. Make sure to check the manual to see what kinds of adjustments are available.

5. Consider the price.

Of course, you don't want to break the bank for a small upright vacuum cleaner, so make sure to compare prices of different models before making your purchase. Also, consider any extra features that may be included in the package – such as tools or attachments – when looking at the price tag.

6. Read customer reviews.

Before making your purchase, it's always a good idea to read customer reviews in order to get an honest opinion about the product. This will help you decide if the features and price of the small upright vacuum cleaner are worth it or not.

Shark NV360


Final words

Small upright vacuum cleaners have come a long way in the last few years and there are now some fantastic options available on the market. The 10 best small upright vacuum cleaners we've listed above all offer great features, reviews and FAQs that should help you make an informed decision about which one is right for you. Thanks for reading and we hope this guide has been helpful!