Best Vacuums for Stairs in 2023, Tested by The Housewire

Stairs are hard to clean, especially with bulky vacuums not suited for tight corners and narrow steps. Vacuuming stairs means getting to hard to reach corners, moving up and down many steps, and cleaning dozens of nooks and crannies in a high traffic area.

If you want to clean stairs, opt for vacuums featuring lightweight bodies, stair attachments, great maneuverability, or cordless designs.

Since they’re tons of vacuums with such features, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to research and test the best options so you don’t have to.

Here is our review of the best vacuums for stairs.

Read Full Review: Dyson V11 Animal Cordless Vacuum Review

---

Nothing is worse than stopping halfway through vacuuming to recharge a battery. The Dyson V11 Animal has 60 minutes of run time – yet at less than seven pounds, it’s light enough to easily climb stairs.

With great battery life and twice the suction power of most cordless vacuums, the V11 Torque Drive is engineered for whole home, deep cleaning.

Plus, when you need to clean smaller areas, the V11 Torque Drive can convert to a cordless handheld vacuum to clean the nooks and crannies of your stairs.

What We Like

Intelligent Cleaning Modes

The V11 Torque has three power modes to choose from: eco, auto, and boost. Eco is the most efficient and has the longest run time. Auto allows you to automatically adjust the cleaning power when changing floor types.

Boost gives that extra bit of deep clean power for a shorter, but very powerful vacuuming stairs experience.

LCD screen

The LCD screen provides a variety of information at your fingertips, including available battery life, current mode, and maintenance alerts. You never have to wonder what is happening with your vacuum again.

Powerful Even in Handheld

Customers loved that no power was lost when transforming it to a handheld. The same power that can clean your carpets thoroughly can give you deep cleaned stairs without needing to lug the entire vacuum around.

What We Don’t Like

Difficult to Use a Second Battery

Some customers hoped to increase the long battery life with use of a second battery. That won’t work with this vacuum. Replacing a battery involves removing screws to get to the correct part.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to get your stairs cleaned well. This Bissell Zing is an excellent vacuum for stairs at a reasonable price.

It comes with powerful washable filters that help capture fine dust and particles that tend to collect between railings or in stair crevices. And its dirt cup can hold 2 entire liters before needing to be emptied.

With a 15 foot cord, you can fully vacuum most staircases without needing to move the plug. Plus, you can vacuum without stopping between different surfaces by flipping a switch.

Related Reading: The Best Affordable Vacuums in 2023

What We Like

Strong Suction

The feature customers loved the most on this vacuum is the powerful suction. It is perfect for picking up larger debris without getting stuck.

Easy to Move

This little vacuum comes with two large wheels on the canister which makes it easy to use anywhere in your home. It is lightweight so whether pulling or picking up, you can get it where it needs to go.

Easy Empty Canister

Never again will you need to struggle to get the bag off your vacuum with this easy to remove canister. Simply pick up the canister, press a button, and the bottom pops off to empty into the trash. Customers said it was as easy as carrying a coffee cup.

What We Don’t Like

Short Hose

The hose for this canister vacuum is on the shorter side so taller people may have to bend to clean floors. The Bissell Zing does come with wand attachments to lengthen the hose and help alleviate bending.

Do you find yourself staring at the dirt and pet hair in the corners of your stairs? The Black&Decker 20V Max Flex can clean that in seconds.

The 20V Max Flex is cordless and compact, which makes it extremely portable and perfect for easily cleaning stairs. And if you attach the stick vacuum wand, you can also clean floors and ceilings.

This vacuum also offers a pet brush, specifically created to pull up stubborn pet hair quickly and easily from carpeted stairs or upholstery.

What We Like

Lightweight

The 20V Max Flex weighs less than four pounds, making it easy to traverse stairs or other parts of your home with it in tow.

Powerful

With a 20 volt lithium ion battery, customers have loved the power packed into such a small package. Able to maintain consistent and powerful suction, this vacuum can clean messes of all sizes without getting clogged.

Convenient Charging Base

To charge this powerful machine, you simply set it on the charging base. No plugging in messy cords. With spots for all your attachments as well, the charging base keeps everything neat.

What We Don’t Like

Small Capacity Dirt Bowl

The dirt bowl collects only 17 oz. Many customers noted that they had to empty it during usage or after each use.

You won’t need to worry about tripping over a cord with the Womow W20 Cordless Stick Vacuum.

Unlike many other cordless units, this Womow remains lightweight (under 6 lbs!) so you can easily take it up and down stairs. Need even more portability? It converts to a handheld vacuum so you can take it anywhere.

Plus, it is ultra quiet so you can use it around children or pets without worry. And when you’re done, there’s a convenient wall mount for easy storage and charging.

Finally, thanks to its hepa filter, it traps 99,97% of the tiny particles. This makes it a good option if you suffer from allergies.

What We Like

Can Clean Large Particles Easily

The Womow W20 has a 120AW suction rating allowing it to pick up large particles without clogging. Whether your stairs have dirt, large amounts of pet hair, or even debris as big as dog food, this powerful vacuum can clean it all.

Detachable Battery

The battery pack on the Womow W20 is easy to detach. If you want to double your run time, you can easily purchase a second battery and swap it out in seconds. You can clean your stairs and the rest of your home easily in one go this way.

Great Customer Service

No matter the issue, customers raved about the helpful and efficient customer service they received from Womow.

What We Don’t Like

For Hard Floors Or Light Carpet Only

The Womow W20 is made for hard floors or light carpets. While it can still vacuum thicker carpets, customers noticed it was difficult to push and they had to go over the area repeatedly. For the best results on thick carpets, you should use the high power mode, which drains the battery faster.

The Eureka EasyClean is perfect for carpeted stairs thanks to it’s lightweight and powerful design. This vacuum actually has two separate motors, one for suction and one for the brush bar, to give you the most power while cleaning. Yet it still weighs less than 5 pounds so it can easily be carried up and down stairs.

The Eureka EasyClean also has an integrated hose that can detach from the bristle brush to provide better reach into corners and other tight spaces. With the additional crevice tool, you can clean between railings with ease.

Read Next: The 7 Best Vacuums for Carpets in 2023

What We Like

Riser Visor System

The Eureka EasyClean features the Riser Visor System, which is specifically designed for stairs. By flipping down the Riser Visor that covers the bristle bar, you can clean your stair risers with the same power you use on the steps.

Clear Debris Canister

The debris canister on the Eureka EasyClean is made of sturdy clear plastic and sits on the nose of the vacuum. Customers loved being able to tell exactly when it needed to be emptied and just how much they were getting off their stairs.

Extra Long Cord

The cord on the Eureka EasyClean is 20 feet. Most staircases, even extra long ones, can be cleaned without once needing to move the plug. Plus, the cord wraps easily around the vacuum to store.

What We Don’t Like

Can’t Clean Whole Home

This vacuum is powerful but isn’t made to clean an entire house. While it’s great for cleaning a staircase, customers noted that it shouldn’t be used to try to clean large carpeted areas without having long breaks every ten minutes to avoid burning up the motor.

You love your pets, but their hair can easily get everywhere, including your stairs. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser is designed to clean stubborn pet hair and is light enough to take on the stairs.

You can easily see how much you’ve already sucked up in the clear dirt canister. With a triple level filtration system, you make sure that all the debris stays in the canister.

Plus, it has a 14V lithium ion battery which will give you thirty minutes or more of power. That should be plenty of time to clean an entire staircase and then some.

What We Like

Powerful Motorized Brush

Customers’ most loved attachment is the motorized brush. While pet hair can get ground into your carpeted stairs as it is walked on everyday, this brush can easily pull up deeply lodged pet hair without a problem.

Easy Grab and Go

This little vacuum weighs only 3 lbs and has a well-balanced handle. Whether you’re ready to do a full deep clean of your stairs or smaller cleaning tasks, this vacuum is perfect to just grab and go.

Sturdy Design

The materials used in the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser are high quality and very durable. Many customers came back to update reviews to state that the vacuum still worked powerfully after months or years of use.

What We Don’t Like

Long Charge Time

Many customers dislike the long charge time of the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser. It can take upwards of 6-8 hours to reach a max charge.

The Black&Decker Dustbuster weighs only 2.6 lbs, making this one the lightest vacuums on the market. You can easily climb stairs with this vacuum.

And stairs are often high traffic areas, meaning dirt and debris can become deeply lodged quickly. That’s no problem for the Dustbuster. It has a powerboost mode to get stubborn debris up easily.

The Dustbuster also has an XL dustbin to collect more before emptying. And speaking of emptying, you just need to push a button and the canister opens for a hands-free process.

Read Next: The 6 Best Lightweight Vacuum Cleaners in 2023

What We Like

Rubber Bristles

The motorized pet brush has rubber bristles, allowing it to pull up more pet hair and dirt from high traffic areas like staircases. The rubber bristles are also anti-tangle, making sure your brush can continue working smoothly no matter what.

Easy Storage

The Dustbuster is lightweight and compact so it can easily be stored in small spaces. It can also stand upright on its own, allowing it to fit in closets without cluttering the floor.

Battery Indicator

Never wonder if your battery is about to die with the built-in battery indicator light. Depending on your staircase size, you can clean your staircases up to two or three times on one charge. With this battery indicator, you don’t need to charge needlessly or be caught with a dead battery.

What We Don’t Like

No Hard Floor Attachment

This vacuum works great on carpeted stairs, but doesn’t have an attachment that works well on hard floors. While you can still use it, the Dustbuster won’t clean it very well. Customers especially had trouble with the rubber bristles on the motorized brush on hard floors.

What to Look For in a Vacuum for Stairs