Thick carpets can be difficult to clean well. Dust and debris can get embedded in the fibers of carpeted floors.
Some vacuum cleaners can damage your plush, thick pile carpets – while others don’t provide enough suction.
The ideal vacuum for high pile carpets should have adjustable suction and height settings combined with a turbo brush.
Here we tested and reviewed some of the best vacuums for high pile carpet. We based our selection on their performance on thick carpets but also on low pile carpets, features set and also their price.
Here, You can then read our review of the best vacuums on the market to see which product is right for your home.
Our Top Picks
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PROS
- Large 0.88 quart dust bin capacity
- Versatile
- Easy to use
CONS
- Heavy
This Shark Rotator boasts powerful suction whether you’re vacuuming hard floors or carpeted areas.
You can even clean your stairs in the lift-away mode. Speaking of this mode, it will make cleaning up pet mess from your plush carpets an easy task. Simply detach the canister, combine with an attachment and use it as a handheld.
There’s also a sealed filter system that includes a HEPA filter. It can catch up and trap 99.9% of tiny particles of dust, pollen, and allergens, making it ideal if you suffer from allergies.
The bright lights on the vacuum head help you to see where there’s dirt to clean up. You’ll also be pleasantly surprised with the LED lights on the handle. So even in the lift-away mode, you can see where they needed to clean.
The head rotates so well that you’ll easily maneuver the vacuum in even the most awkward spaces. However, keep in mind that this sturdy model is heavy and bulky. At 13.7 pounds, you’ll probably have more issues sliding on your thick carpets than lighter models.
What Customers Are Saying
Customers liked the 3 settings offered by this vacuum: hard floors, low pile carpet, and high pile carpet. At the flick of a switch, they could change the mode depending on what type of floor they were cleaning.
However, some users found that this upright vacuum tipped over easily. This was especially true when it was in the handheld mode.
Additional Specs
Vacuum Type: | Upright/Bagless |
Weight: | 16.7 pounds |
Bin Volume: | 0.88 quarts |
Cord Length : | 25 feet |
Included Accessories: | Upholstery tool, pet power brush, crevice tool |
2. Best Cheap Vacuum for Thick Carpet : Eureka PowerSpeed Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner
PROS
- Easy to empty
- Easy transition from carpet to wood floors
- Lightweight
CONS
- Noisy
With its powerful dynamic motor and incredible suction, it will give your high pile carpets – and your hard floors – a good clean. In one pass, it will do an excellent job at removing dirt, dust and debris from your carpet.
Weighing under 10 pounds, this powerful vacuum cleaner is lighter than similar vacuums from other brands. Because of this, it’s really easy to move around your home.
You also get 3 handy tools with this vacuum cleaner: a crevice tool, an upholstery brush and a dusting brush. This makes this inexpensive model versatile enough to clean most surfaces in your home. The attachments can all be stored on the vacuum itself for easy access.
The nozzle is 12.6 inches wide helping you to clean more of your carpeted floors in less time.
For various types of floors, this budget pick includes 5 height adjustment settings. Use this vacuum for cleaning high pile rugs but also low and medium pile ones, plush carpets, shag carpets, as well as hardwood floors.
What Customers Are Saying
Users were really impressed with how much the dust bin could hold before they had to empty it. Eureka promises this is an XL dust cup and feedback suggests that this is exactly what you get.
The handle on this vacuum releases so that you can pull out an extension hose to clean stairs or the tops of curtains. But some users thought that this hose was too short for them to reach all of those areas with any ease.
Additional Specs
Vacuum Type: | Upright/Bagless |
Weight: | 10 pounds |
Bin Volume: | 4.1 liters |
Cord Length : | 25 feet |
Included Accessories: | Upholstery tool, dusting brush, crevice tool |
3. Best Vacuum for Thick Carpet and Pet Hair : Hoover WindTunnel Performance Vacuum
PROS
- Good Warranty
- Various carpet height options
- Pet turbo tool attachment
CONS
- Heavy
- Noisy
Many positive reviews complimented how much pet hair was cleaned up from their thick carpets – compared to when they’d used previous vacuums on the same floors. Making one of the reasons why we picked this vacuum as being the best vacuum for thick carpets and pets.
The carbon HEPA filter picks up the tiniest particles of dust and allergens and it traps unpleasant pet odors.
This mighty vacuum comes with an adjustable brush roll. Whether you have hardwood floors or carpeted areas at home, this won’t be an issue. Simply raise the brush roll when you vacuum delicate wooden floors to prevent debris from scattering.
The accessories will also make your vacuuming jobs easier. The pet turbo tool can be used on stairs, on upholstery, and in small spaces. Plus the dusting too is pivoted giving you flexibility in reaching the top of shelves and furniture.
Hoover has designed this bagless vacuum so that it’ll remove pet hair and debris embedded in even high pile carpet. The combination of 13 cyclones and their WindTunnel 3 Technology gives this vacuum cleaner really powerful suction.
What Customers Are Saying
Customers liked how easily they could empty the dust bin. You just need to press a button to lift the dirt cup from the vacuum body, hold it over your trash bin, and then press the release lever.
Some customers found this vacuum cleaner difficult to move around due to its weight. It was hard to maneuver it upstairs. So if you have more than one floor in your home, it might not be the best option for you.
Additional Specs
Vacuum Type: | Upright/Bagless |
Weight: | 18.1 pounds |
Bin Volume: | 1.42 liters |
Cord Length : | 40 feet |
Included Accessories: | Pet turbo tool, pivoting dusting tool, crevice tool |
4. Best for Deep Cleaning : Soniclean Soft Carpet Upright Vacuum Cleaner
PROS
- HEPA filtration system
- Lightweight
- Easy to push on thick carpets
CONS
- Plastic parts
It’s also been certified gold by the CRI and owns the highest performance certification that is awarded.
When in deep cleaning mode, the sonic bar on the bottom of the vacuum head is activated. It vibrates 200 times per second making this vacuum cleaner primed to dislodge even the most embedded dirt when you’re vacuuming thick carpets.
The vent system can be adjusted depending on what type of floor you’re vacuuming. When the vents are open you can easily clean high pile and plush carpets; closed vents are great for low pile and harder surfaces.
Soniclean has designed their brush roll with ultra-soft bristles. This guarantees that there is no damage to carpet fibers as sometimes it may happen with the stiffer bristles used by other brands.
You’ll also benefit from the Seal-Tech HEPA filter bags. These are hospital-grade and you won’t come into contact with any dust when emptying.
What Customers Are Saying
Many users said that the big, wide wheels made it easy to push and pull this upright vacuum around their house. And they’re made of rubber if you have hard floors to clean too.
For some users, this vacuum cleaner was too expensive. It didn’t offer as good value for money as some of the other picks. So check the price if you’re on a budget.
Additional Specs
Vacuum Type: | Upright/Bagged |
Weight: | 10.5 pounds |
Bin Volume: | N/A |
Cord Length : | 35 feet |
Included Accessories: | N/A |
5. Best Canister Vacuum for Thick Carpet : Miele Complete C3 Alize Canister Vacuum
PROS
- Quiet
- Perfect for allergy sufferers
- Suitable for hardwood floors
CONS
- Expensive
With a six suction power setting, it’s perfect to adapt to all different carpets areas whether it’s for low pile or high pile carpets. But you can also have it on automatic setting – it’ll pick the best suction giving you the best cleaning power.
There’s a HEPA filter and an AirClean sealed system. This sucks up the dirt and debris from your floors but it also cleans the air inside your house – too.
There’s also space on the back of the vacuum to store the 3 accessories. The cord can be automatically retracted too.
The telescopic stainless steel handle has a LED light. You can easily reach awkward spaces in your home – such as under furniture. And you can see where the dust has gathered on your high pile carpets, meaning you can focus your cleaning on those areas.
What Customers Are Saying
Many reviewers commented on how quiet this vacuum is. They could get their cleaning done at any time of the day and not have to worry about disturbing anyone.
However, some customers found this canister vacuum a little hard to move around. They thought it was on the heavy side and could be tiring to push around.
Additional Specs
Vacuum Type: | Canister/Bagged |
Weight: | 16 pounds |
Bin Volume: | 4.5 liters (bag) |
Cord Length : | 25 feet |
Included Accessories: | Upholstery tool, dusting brush, crevice tool |
6. Best Cordless Stick Vacuum for Thick Carpet : Dyson V11 Animal Vacuum
Read Full Review: Dyson V11 Animal Vacuum Review
PROS
- Quiet
- Perfect for allergy sufferers
- Suitable for hardwood floors
CONS
- Expensive
“Big machine suction power. But with cord-free versatility” — This is Dyson’s take on their cordless stick vacuum. This vacuum cleaner is lightweight and easy to move around – but also has powerful suction and 3 power modes.
The direct-drive cleaner head digs deep into your thick carpets to suck up dirt that has become embedded. This vacuum also has a runtime of up to 60 minutes and there’s a washable HEPA filter.
You can also transform this stick vacuum into a handheld making cleaning carpeted stairs easy.
This stick vacuum cleaner comes with a wall dock. You can mount this anywhere and store the slim vacuum when not being used.
And the vacuum head is small enough for you to clean around all those tight corners and under tables and couches.
What Customers Are Saying
Lots of reviewers were pleased with how well this vacuum performed when cleaning pet hair. For a lighter, cordless model, they didn’t expect it to pick up as much pet hair as heavier, upright models they’d owned before had. But it did!
Several customers weren’t happy with the trigger for this vacuum which you have to hold down constantly while cleaning. They found it could get uncomfortable and sometimes hurt their hand when vacuuming for longer periods.
Our Experience
Despite not being our top performer, this Dyson V11 proved to be mobile and effective at cleaning thick carpets. We liked how easy it was to move it around our house. The vacuum also worked as well on hard floors as it did on high pile carpets.
This vacuum cleaner was at the bottom of the list for its construction. Its plastic parts look cheap for the price. It also lacks headlights given this premium vacuum.
Additional Specs
Vacuum Type: | Stick/Bagless |
Weight: | 5 pounds |
Bin Volume: | N/A |
Cord Length : | N/A |
Included Accessories: | Combination tool, crevice tool, wall dock, charger |
What To Look For In A Vacuum For Thick Carpets
Let’s examine the key features you need to look out for when choosing a vacuum cleaner for thick carpets.

Types of Vacuum Cleaner
Upright Vacuums
Upright vacuums have an all-in-one design and often come with powerful suction. Most importantly, they come with a rotating brush roll or beater bar that removes dirt through sweeping movements and vibrations deep in your carpet fibers. And they’re also versatile as they can be used on both carpeted surfaces and on tile and wood floors.
Canister Vacuums
Canister vacuums are also powerful. They have a slim wand and smaller cleaning head – it’s this part you move around to vacuum. Since the main body of the canister vacuum is on wheels, the canister is dragged along behind you as you move the wand. Depending on the model, it may get a bit stuck on thick carpets. But the slender wand is good for reaching awkward areas, such as under furniture.
Stick Vacuums
Stick vacuums have a tall body and long stick-like handles design making them easy to move around. Although they should still have enough suction power to eliminate allergens and small dust particles. But since a stick vacuum is the least powerful of these different vacuum types, they might not be strong enough for thick carpets. Normally, they work better on hard floors, rugs, and low pile carpets.
Handheld Vacuums
Handheld vacuums are easy to get out quickly when you have smaller messes to clean up.
But, if you have large areas of high pile carpet, a handheld vacuum might not be the best option. It would take you a long time to clean large high pile carpets.
Robot Vacuums
Robot vacuums do the cleaning for you. They glide around your house vacuuming up dirt and debris along the way. However it’s not as powerful as other models. For deep cleaning of thick carpets, a robot vacuum might not have sufficient suction power.
Read Next: The Best Robot Vacuum for Carpet in 2023

Suction Power
But, if a carpet vacuum cleaner is too powerful, you might risk damaging your carpets. And the cleaning head might get stuck in the plush carpet fibers.
So the best option is to pick a model that has different suction power settings. You can then use stronger settings on hard floors and low pile carpets. And then use lower settings when cleaning high pile carpet.
An example is this canister carpet vacuum which has a 2-motor system: Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly.

Filters
HEPA filters trap more dirt and dust than other types. They’ll trap 99.97% of airborne particles that are larger than 3 microns (2). So if you or your family suffer from allergies, having one of these is ideal.

Weight
But, you also need to consider the suction power. Lighter models won’t be as powerful. So they won’t be as good as cleaning up areas that have a lot of dust and dirt. For this, you’ll need a heavier model.

CRI Approval

Brushes
Another feature to check is whether there’s an option for adjustable heights on the vac. You can then raise the cleaning head when vacuuming your thick carpets to avoid the beater brush getting tangled.
Some vacuum cleaners also have an option for you to turn the beater brush off.
FAQs about Thick Carpet Vacuums
Here we answer some regularly asked questions about high pile carpets.

How Often Should I Vacuum My Thick Carpet?
However, if you have a busy household or pets, this may need to be more. The more traffic over your carpets, the more you need to vacuum them.

How Do You Vacuum Your Thick Pile Carpet Efficiently?
1. Choose the Thick Carpet Setting
If you don’t have a vacuum designed specifically for thick carpet use, make sure you’ve got the right setting on your vac.
2. Sweep the Vacuum
Steadily sweep the vac across the carpet. Take it slowly so that the vacuum has time to pick up all the dirt and debris
3. Vacuum in 2 Directions
The pros suggest that you clean in 2 directions: north to south and east to west. This gives you maximum coverage of your thick carpets.
To learn more check our guide about how to vacuum your carpet.
Thick Carpet Vacuum Comparison Chart
Product | Type | Weight | Bin Volume | Cord Length | Accessories Included | Our Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shark NV752 Rotator Lift-Away Vacuum | Upright/Bagless | 16.7 pounds | 0.88 quarts | 25 feet | Upholstery tool, pet power brush, crevice tool | (Testing Now) |
eureka PowerSpeed Bagless Vacuum | Upright/Bagless | 10 pounds | 4.1 liters | 25 feet | Upholstery tool, dusting brush, crevice tool | (Testing Now) |
Hoover WindTunnel Performance Vacuum | Upright/Bagless | 18.1 pounds | 1.42 liters | 40 feet | Pet turbo tool, pivoting dusting tool, crevice tool | (Testing Now) |
Soniclean Soft Carpet Upright Vacuum | Upright/Bagged | 10.5 pounds | N/A | 35 feet | N/A | (Testing Now) |
Miele Complete C3 Alize Canister Vacuum | Canister/Bagged | 16 pounds | 4.5 liters (bag) | 25 feet | Upholstery tool, dusting brush, crevice tool | (Testing Now) |
Dyson V11 Animal Vacuum | Stick | 5 pounds | N/A | N/A | Combination tool, crevice tool, wall dock, charger |