The 5 Best Vacuums For Apartments of 2025

The best vacuum for apartment living that we've tested is the Shark Stratos Cordless. This cordless stick vacuum isn't exactly new to the market, but it strikes a good balance between maneuverability in tight spaces and performance. It delivers good overall performance on hard surfaces like laminate or hardwood flooring, and its dual roller head provides a decent level of surface agitation on low- and high-pile area rugs or carpets. It's also capable of automatically adjusting its suction power depending on the quantity of debris on the floor. While it's on the larger and heavier side for a stick vacuum, its folding wand goes some way to rectify that by allowing you to clean under tables and some chairs without having to bend too deeply. You can also fold the wand completely in half when the vacuum isn't in use to save on space, which is great if you need to stow it away in a small closet or nook in your apartment.

It can run for up to an hour in its most energy-efficient setting, though that is a best-case scenario, and you can probably expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 40 minutes in mixed usage. You can also keep track of its battery status in real time with the LED display on the back of its body.

The Shark Cordless Pet IX141 is a great option if you want something cheaper. It goes without the fancier features found on the Shark Stratos Cordless, with no automatic power adjustment system, no folding wand, and no bundled HEPA filter to help lock in fine allergens. That said, it's still a good option for more value-conscious apartment dwellers. It delivers consistently satisfactory performance across a mix of different surface types, and while its max runtime of about 40 minutes is far from class-leading, it's also enough for most cleaning tighter apartments in a single go. Its dirt compartment is pretty generously sized for a cordless stick model, so you won't need to empty it out at the end of virtually every single cleaning session.

Unfortunately, this vacuum does have a fair number of parts that need to be cleaned. With no self-cleaning floorhead, you're likely to find yourself having to yank hair tangled in its brushroll pretty often, especially if you have pets or if you or someone in your apartment has long hair. As with the Stratos, it's a little heavy for a conventional cordless stick vacuum. Combined with its lack of a folding wand, it can be a little clunky to use in really tight spaces. The Samsung Jet 60 is a good alternative if you want something more maneuverable, but you'll have to put up with a smaller dustbin and inferior debris pickup on hard floors.

The Wyze Cordless Vacuum is the best vacuum for small apartments at a budget-friendly price point that we've tested. This cordless stick vacuum is less potent than the Shark Cordless Pet IX141 and a smaller dustbin. That said, it's got a lot of other things going for it, even discounting its cheaper purchase price. Its performance on flat surfaces like hardwood or linoleum is very good, and the vacuum can deal with messes on low- and high-pile carpets. Note that its build quality falls short of the Shark, with the vacuum's body feeling somewhat cheap to the touch, especially its dustbin and floorhead, which scratches very easily.

Its max battery life of about an hour is very good for a cordless model in this price range, though it does run out of juice very quickly in its power-hungry 'TURBO' mode. Its onboard HEPA filter does a decent job of sealing in allergens, too, but note that emptying its dustbin can release a cloud of dust and debris. If you'd prefer using a corded bagged vacuum to get around these issues, you could also consider the Eureka Mighty Mite. It obviously doesn't have the go-anywhere range of a cordless model like the Wyze, but it's still a good option for apartment dwellers. It's very compact, especially for a canister vacuum, so fitting it in a closet isn't hard, and its lightweight chassis makes it a breeze to carry wherever you may need it.

If you're looking for a handheld option for quick clean-ups, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is the best vacuum for apartment dwellers that we've tested. Unlike similarly priced full-size models like the Wyze Cordless Vacuum, it isn't meant for cleaning large areas. Still, it's remarkably effective when dealing with small amounts of debris on flat surfaces like countertops, shelves, and bare and carpeted floors. Its battery life of a little over 10 minutes is also poor, even by the standards of other handheld vacuums, and it forces you to work fast when dealing with more stubborn messes. The battery also isn't removable, so you can't swap in a new pack if the current unit doesn't hold onto a charge as well as it used to.

While it's on the larger side for a handheld vacuum, it's still very lightweight and takes up very little space, allowing you to store it in a cupboard or a closet when not in use. Unfortunately, while the Shark CH951 variant comes with a turbo brush attachment, it has a hard time dealing with hair on upholstered surfaces, so you're better off using its hard-bristle brush or crevice tool to clean couches or chairs. However, it does a terrible job of sealing in allergens due to its rudimentary filtration system. If that's an issue, the Shark WANDVAC is a good substitute, albeit with a much smaller dustbin and worse performance when cleaning up bulky debris, which can clog its suction inlet.