The 6 Best Multi-Surface Vacuums - Fall 2021 Reviews

The best multi-surface vacuum cleaner with a corded design that we've tested is the Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine. This premium canister vacuum delivers superb performance on bare floors, where it easily sucks up pet hair as well as small and bulky debris like rice or cereal. It also clears an impressive amount of debris on low and high-pile carpet, and its 7-level suction power adjustment feature lets you adapt to different surfaces on the fly.

Despite its somewhat heavy weight, this vacuum is very easy to maneuver, thanks in part to its smoothly-rolling rubber wheels that enable it to easily climb onto high-pile rugs or navigate over electrical cords. It also feels amazingly well-built, with a premium-feeling plastic body and a telescopic wand made of stainless steel. It's remarkably easy to disassemble and reassemble for regular maintenance, as most of its parts clip onto one another.

Unfortunately, it incurs a couple of recurring costs in the form of its dirtbag and allergen-trapping HEPA filter, which need periodic replacing. It also doesn't come with a very wide variety of attachments, with only an upholstery tool, a crevice tool, and a soft-bristle brush. However, other tools and accessories are available from the manufacturer. Overall, if you're looking for a vacuum that can handle various kinds of messes on a wide mix of surfaces, this is an excellent option.

The Dyson V15 Detect is the best cordless multi-surface vacuum that we've tested. This cordless stick vacuum delivers exceptional performance on bare floors, where it clears everything from pet hair to cereal without difficulty. It also has no trouble sucking up material like sand or baking soda on low and high-pile carpet. Using it in its 'Auto' mode allows it to increase or decrease suction on different surface types automatically.

Its lightweight design makes it easy to maneuver in tight spaces, and you can quickly reconfigure it into a handheld vacuum for spot cleaning. It comes with a wide assortment of tools too, which include a cone-shaped turbo brush, a combination hard bristle brush/upholstery tool, as well as a secondary vacuum head with a soft brushroll and a built-in laser light to help you see fine debris. Battery performance is alright overall, as it can supply roughly anywhere between 10 to over 70 minutes of runtime depending on your choice of attachments and suction power level, though this can vary slightly in the real world.

Unfortunately, its strong suction force can make it a little difficult to push around on some carpets and can cause it to drag lighter rugs around. Also, there are quite a few parts that need regular cleaning, but thankfully its bagless design and washable pre-motor and HEPA filters result in a near-total lack of recurring costs. Overall, its broad assortment of tools and versatile performance make it one of the best multi-surface vacuums we've tested.

The best multi-surface robot vacuum that we've tested is the iRobot Roomba S9. This robot vacuum has no trouble clearing debris on many surfaces, from laminate floors to high-pile carpet. Its performance remains fairly consistent overall as its relatively spacious dust bin fills, good for bigger cleaning tasks.

It feels amazingly well-made, with a high-grade plastic construction that looks and feels premium. Its battery performance is superb, and you can expect roughly between 50 minutes to over 2.5 hours of continuous runtime on a single charge depending on the power mode it uses. Using its companion app, you can schedule cleaning times for individual rooms, check its current battery life, and even place virtual boundary markers to block off areas you don't want it to enter.

However, like many robot vacuums, recurring costs are high due to the number of parts that need occasional replacing. Regular maintenance can also be quite demanding, as many components need to cleaning fairly frequently. If you're looking for a robot vacuum that can handle messes on many surface types, this is a good option.

The best multi-surface vacuum that we've tested in the budget category is the Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister. This compact canister vacuum clears a remarkable amount of debris on bare, even surfaces like hardwood or laminate. It also does an excellent job of sucking up debris like pet hair, sand, or baking soda from low-pile carpet and delivers good overall performance on high-pile carpet.

This vacuum's primary vacuum head has bristles that can be extended or retracted depending on if you're cleaning hard floors or carpets. Its bagless design and washable filters keep recurring costs to a minimum, and its lightweight plastic construction and built-in carrying handle make it easy to pick up and carry to other rooms. You can also remove its wand to clean furniture, shelves, and delicate surfaces.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with very many tools and accessories, with only a soft-bristle brush that can be attached to its handle. Its short vacuum hose makes it difficult to clean hard-to-reach areas, while its short power cord may require you to swap outlets when cleaning larger spaces. Some components in its construction feel rather flimsy, especially its clear plastic dirt compartment. Otherwise, its strong performance on a variety of surface types, lightweight design, and budget-friendly price makes it one of the best vacuums for under $100 that we've tested.