Cleaning stairs can be challenging if your vacuum has a bulky design or a short power cord or hose, as these design elements affect your ability to clean tight, narrow spaces efficiently. If you're cleaning a staircase, an ideal vacuum should be lightweight, easily portable, and maneuverable. It should also be able to get into tight corners and have a long enough range to reach the top or bottom of your staircase.
We've tested over 105 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best vacuums for stairs. We chose these picks based on their performance on different types of surfaces, designs, and prices. For more options, see our lists of the best lightweight vacuums, the best cordless vacuums, and the best stick vacuums.
Quick Look
We've independently bought and tested over 105 vacuums with no cherry-picked manufacturer samples. We run each vacuum through a gauntlet of tests whose results are validated by multiple teams to ensure you get an accurate picture of how each model will perform and can easily compare them. We keep the products in our lab so we can periodically go back and see how they stack up to the newest competition.
Want to learn more about our testing and review pipeline? Check out our How We Test Vacuums article for insight into our lab and writing processes.
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Best Vacuum For Stairs
Stairs8.6Bare Floor7.8Low-Pile Carpet7.4High-Pile Carpet6.9Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldCordlessYesTotal RangeN/ASee all our test resultsTotal Weight5.20 lbs (2.36 kg)The best vacuum for stairs we've tested is the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. At under 5.5 pounds, this cordless stick vacuum is lighter than most full-size stick vacuums, making it a cinch to carry up and down long flights of stairs, and you can quickly convert it into a handheld configuration to better clean tight spots. It's well-suited for cleaning various floor types, as it features a soft roller for improved debris pickup on bare surfaces, such as vinyl or hardwood. It also comes with a multi-surface floorhead you can use on carpeted stairs. Like the pricier, heavier Dyson V15 Detect, its soft roller has a built-in laser light to help you see fine debris on hard surfaces, and the vacuum can automatically increase its suction power on carpets or when it detects a heavy concentration of debris.
However, the downside of this vacuum's compact design is its tiny dustbin, which needs regular emptying. If that's a concern, the Miele Duoflex HX1 is a better-built, comparably priced alternative that delivers mostly similar debris-pickup performance and has a dustbin with almost twice the overall debris capacity. Unfortunately, it's much heavier than the Dyson and performs a little worse on hard floors and low-pile carpets because it has a bristled brushroll rather than Dyson's soft roller.
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Best Mid-Range Vacuum For Stairs
Stairs8.6Bare Floor7.3Low-Pile Carpet7.1High-Pile Carpet7.0Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldCordlessYesTotal RangeN/ASee all our test resultsTotal Weight5.16 lbs (2.34 kg)If you're on a slightly tighter budget, the Samsung Jet 60 is worth a gander. While it has a shorter battery life than the Dyson V12 Detect Slim and doesn't perform as well on bare surfaces, such as hardwood, it still has plenty to offer. For one, at just a little over five pounds, it's as light as the flyweight Dyson, so you won't have much difficulty carrying it up and down long flights of stairs. Its top-mounted dustbin has a considerably larger capacity than the Dyson's dirt compartment, so you won't have to empty it as often.
This Pet variant of the Jet 60 comes with a helpful assortment of attachments, including a turbo brush, allowing you to tackle carpeted stairs when using the vacuum in its handheld configuration. Unfortunately, this vacuum doesn't have a telescopic wand, so you may have trouble finding a suitable height when using it in its stick configuration.
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Best Budget Vacuum For Stairs
Stairs8.0Bare Floor6.9Low-Pile Carpet7.3High-Pile Carpet6.6Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldCordlessYesTotal RangeN/ASee all our test resultsTotal Weight4.96 lbs (2.25 kg)Consider the Wyze Cordless Vacuum S if you're looking for a cheap and lightweight vacuum to keep your stairs clean. Obviously, there are a few sacrifices that come with a vacuum at this low a price point. Its plastic chassis feels cheap and scratches easily, especially when compared to the sturdier build of the Samsung Jet 60, which weighs roughly as much. It can also have a harder time tackling finer debris worked deep into carpeted stairs, and unlike the Pet variant of the Jet 60, doesn't come bundled with a mini turbo brush tool, though one is available for purchase separately.
On the upside, this vacuum's HEPA filter is a rare but welcome addition for a budget cordless vacuum. In addition, its battery performance almost matches that of the pricier Samsung vacuum's max runtime. Better yet, unlike some other cordless stick vacuums, the battery is removable and replaceable, so there's no need to junk the whole appliance if charge performance drops.
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Best Handheld Vacuum For Stairs
Stairs9.0Bare Floor7.4Low-Pile Carpet7.4High-Pile Carpet7.5Vacuum TypeHandheldCordlessYesTotal RangeN/ASee all our test resultsTotal Weight2.27 lbs (1.03 kg)If you don't need a full-size cordless vacuum like the Wyze Cordless Vacuum S, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is the best handheld vacuum for stairs we've tested. It's very lightweight, making it a cinch to carry up and down stairs, and is small enough to be stowed away under a shelf or in a closet when not in use. However, it's only meant for short clean-ups, as its battery lasts only a bit over 10 minutes, which is on the shorter end of the scale, even for a handheld model. It comes with a crevice tool to help clean debris stuck in cracks more effectively and a miniature motorized turbo brush. However, this tool has difficulty clearing away shorter strands of pet hair.
Unfortunately, this vacuum also does a poor job of sealing fine particles, making it a less suitable option for those with allergies. Consider the Shark WANDVAC if that's a priority, although the WANDVAC also has a short battery life. Its dirt compartment is much smaller than the UltraCyclone's, so you'll empty it often.
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Best Corded Vacuum For Stairs
Stairs8.3Bare Floor8.1Low-Pile Carpet7.7High-Pile Carpet7.4Vacuum TypeCanisterCordlessNoTotal Range50.20 ft (15.30 m)See all our test resultsTotal Weight17.02 lbs (7.72 kg)If you clean larger areas besides your stairs and want a corded canister model, the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium is among the best vacuum cleaners for stairs we've tested. You can get it directly from the manufacturer's website. It has a long operating range of roughly 50 feet, allowing you to clean long staircases without swapping power outlets and easily clean hard-to-reach spots. Plus, since it's a corded model, you won't have to worry about running out of charge while cleaning. Its build quality is fantastic. The canister body is made of dense plastic, and a cloth bumper runs along the outside to prevent your walls from getting scratched.
Performance on flat surfaces like hardwood or linoleum is exceptional, and the vacuum is quite effective in dealing with debris on carpeted stairs, even with a fairly basic straight-suction floorhead. You can easily change its suction power via a handle-mounted rocker switch, allowing you to adapt to different surfaces. The main downside is that it's heavy and bulky. Want something smaller, lighter, and cheaper? The Miele Classic C1 is worth a look, even if it has a much shorter power cord.
Notable Mentions
- Dyson V15 Detect: The Dyson V15 Detect is a cordless stick/handheld vacuum that's a great alternative to the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. Its more powerful suction motor makes it one of the best vacuums for carpeted stairs we've tested. That said, it's heavier and much pricier. See our review
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Black+Decker dustbuster AdvancedClean+ Pet:
The Black+Decker dustbuster AdvancedClean+ Pet offers similar performance to the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ on stairs, but it's a little heavier and considerably bulkier, with a wider, deeper turbo brush, making it harder to maneuver on stairs. It's also more expensive.
See our review - Black+Decker 16V MAX dustbuster Cordless Hand Vacuum: The Black+Decker 16V MAX dustbuster Cordless Hand Vacuum is a cordless handheld with a relatively spacious dirt compartment and outstanding performance on bare floors. Compared to the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+, it struggles quite a bit on carpeted surfaces. See our review
Recent Updates
Nov 14, 2025:
We replaced the LG CordZero A9 with the Samsung Jet 60 Pet as the 'Best Mid-Range Vacuum For Stairs' pick due to current product pricing and availability. We also replaced the Samsung Jet 60 Pet with the Wyze Cordless Vacuum S as the 'Best Budget Vacuum For Stairs' pick.
Apr 16, 2025:
We removed the Samsung Jet 90 Complete as an alternate recommendation for the 'Best Vacuum For Stairs' due to availability and replaced it with the Miele Duoflex HX1. We removed the unavailable Airsign HEPA Vacuum Notable Mention and added the Black+Decker dustbuster AdvancedClean+ Pet as a Notable Mention.
Jan 10, 2025:
We've replaced the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog with the Miele Duoflex HX1 as a Notable Mention, as the Duoflex is better built, weighs less, and performs better. We've also made small edits for clarity and concision.
Oct 03, 2024: We've verified that all recommendations are available and represent the best options. We've also made small edits for clarity.
Jun 21, 2024: Minor text changes for conciseness and clarity. No change in recommendations.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best vacuums for cleaning stairs. We don't just base our results on overall performance but also on factors like availability, price, and reader feedback.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our vacuum reviews, ranked by their performance on stairs. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no vacuum is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.