Cleaning
The Best Vacuums for Every Kind of Dust, Dirt & Mess
We asked the Food52 staff about their favorite vacuums, and they had... a lot to say.
Photo by Rocky Luten

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11 Comments
Smaug
February 10, 2021
Another possibility is a built in- I installed them a couple of times for friends; it requires a dedicated circuit at the location of the vac (basement, in both those cases) and plastic piping needs to be run, with wall outlets for the hose. The hose is quite long but most houses will need at least 2 or 3 outlets. Also, the vac will require an exhaust outlet to the outside. All of this would be pretty ambitious for a DIY project (though possible if you enjoy that sort of thing) but fairly easy as part of a remodel or new construction. My friends have been very pleased with the system- I don't remember who makes them, but Google doubtless does.
AntoniaJames
February 10, 2021
Sebo K3 with a separate attachment for carpets. Perfect for our large house with lots of large Persian rugs and hardwood floors on three floors. Built like a tank and works better than any other vacuum I've ever owned or tried. German engineering FTW. ;o).
Johanna
February 9, 2021
Can't believe you didn't mention Miele. Mine is 18+ years old. Just had to have a tune up. It is worth every penny. Sucks up everything. Easy to use. Just fabulous, and long lasting.
Smaug
February 9, 2021
Possibly no F52 employees own one; like so many of these "survey" stories this is drawing on a very limited and not necessarily typical sampling.
Caroline M.
February 10, 2021
This is true! We love sharing our favorite things, so while perhaps not an exhaustive sampling, it's very earnest.
Smaug
February 9, 2021
If you want a shop vac, there are better brands- I use an Aero, by far the best I ever used, but there are some premium brands I haven't tried; I know Fein makes some really good ones. My faithful old Eureka Mighty Mite refuses to show its considerable age, still the best for spot pickups.
Caroline M.
February 10, 2021
Maybe when I move out of the city I'll get a shop vac (and workshop full of tools and supplies).
AntoniaJames
February 10, 2021
Thanks for the tip, Smaug! When we moved from the Bay Area, I ended up giving our shop vac to a very grateful worker on my next door neighbor's renovation project. I need to buy another shop vac, so I'll look for an Aero! ;o)
Smaug
February 10, 2021
By the way, Aero was formerly known as WAP- I suppose the name somehow failed to resonate with the American public. As a disclaimer, my experience with these things is a few years back, don't know what's new out there.
AntoniaJames
February 11, 2021
Or perhaps they had problems with search engine results as WAP is used widely for both Wireless Access Protocol and Wireless Access Point.
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