5 best vacuum cleaners

Vacuums are a whole lot smarter than they used to be! From super-portable cordless designs to ones that suck up wet spills as well as dust, and mini robots that whizz around the house at your command, there’s one for every kind of household…

1 THE ALL-ROUND HERO

This hugely versatile corded, bagless design from Vax features a pull-out hose for sucking up cobwebs and a compact turbo brush head for blitzing upholstery, as well as a 3-in-1 dusting brush, crevice and upholstery tool, mattress tool, multi-angle brush and a pet hair remover. AIR LIFT STEERABLE ADVANCE UPRIGHT VACUUM, £219.99, VAX

2 THE CORDLESS CHOICE

It may be small and battery powered, but Dyson's new portable has the same suction as a full-sized design and can clean for up to 60 minutes between charges on low power. Yes, it's undeniably expensive, but it has three power levels and comes with three different brush heads, four additional tools, a full-length hose and a docking station for easy charging. CYCLONE V10 ABSOLUTE, £449, DYSON

3 THE PET-HAIR BUSTER

With 890W of power, a phenomenally-impressive rotating brush head and an allergy-protecting HEPA filter, this machine is perfect for sucking up pet hair. Plus, the filter cleans itself automatically to ensure peak performance every use. BLIZZARD CX1 CAT AND DOG, £360, MIELE

4 THE WET 'N' DRY CLEANER

This 1600W super-powerful vacuum will leave your carpets perfectly clean, but can also suck up liquid spills and serious mess with ease, making it a great choice for use in the home or workshop. Swap between a brush head for dry work and a squeegee for wet, as well as a range of handheld tools. WD 4 PREMIUM, £159.99, KÄRCHER

5 THE EFFICIENT ROBOT

Neato’s latest laser-guided design will create a floorplan of your home, avoiding any no-go areas you’ve highlighted on the app. You can also control the D7 using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, so for once, you can ask someone else to do the cleaning, and they'll actually listen! BOTVAC D7, £799, NEATO