Your vacuum is probably one of your most used home appliances, particularly if it’s an upright , cordless , robot or handheld model from a popular brand. With that said, it might also be one of the least cleaned appliances in your home. Yes, your vacuum itself should be cleaned from time to time, and this means more than just emptying the dust bin. Depending on what type of vacuum it is, you may have to be more hands on with your cleaning methods.

To learn more about how to clean a vacuum without disrupting how well it works, I spoke to a cleaning professional to get their guidance. Below, I rounded up products based on their recommendations and also included popular cleaning tools and appliances that we have tested at NBC Selected.

Selected. Our top picks

Best for cleaning by hand

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