Things to Look for When Choosing the Best Car Vacuum Cleaner in 2017!

Are you planning to own a car vacuum cleaner? If yes, that’s a good move! Nevertheless, the process of choosing the best car vacuum can be quite tricky.

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So, where does the trickery come in here?

Trust me; it’s not easy.

I was in your situation a month ago, shopping for my car vacuum. I almost spilled everything because I didn’t have some guide. Not that money was an issue my budget was okay. However, I am inclined to quality when it comes to sourcing for car accessories. Now, the big problem was choosing the product that would serve me best in the plethora of numerous types of car vacuums presented.


But What is a Car Vacuum in the First Place?

Via vacuumsguide.com

A vacuum cleaner is an electric-driven tool or devise designed to suck up dirt and dust from carpets, upholsteries, walls, and floors, but in this case, the machine is fashioned uniquely for car cleaning.


So, Do I Need a Car Vacuum?

Your car is like a "house" where you get to spend a couple of hours each day. As such, we carry dust, vegetable dirt, food particles and even pet poop into our vehicles, which necessitate sanitization.

Obviously, you can use pressure washer while cleaning the exterior of the car, but when it comes to the interior part, that’s another case. The water from a pressure cleaner could damage your vehicle's interior and even dismantle the adhesives used on the seats and the wall lining. That’s why a car vacuum remains the only option for interior car cleaning.

On the other hand, depending on a bucket of water with a rag to wash your car can be quite of a task. Yes, you may be wiping the car’s interior with the wet cloth, but you also know that there are some unreachable crevices and hidden surfaces you can't reach by this method. Meaning, your car doesn’t become clean enough.

Nonetheless, if you are smart and have been renting car vacuum cleaning services, still you are missing the mark because that’s much expensive on your side compared to owning a car vacuum and doing it yourself.


What are the Benefits of a Car Vacuum?

  • It provides a faster clean-up solution
  • It enables you to clean hidden areas with ease including the hidden corners, crevices in your car
  • It is easy to use
  • Most of them are easily portable in the car’s trunk
  • It will not cause rusting because it dries the cleaned surface
  • Will not dismantle the adhesives in the car
  • Anybody can operate it without professional knowledge
  • A vacuum cleaner is aesthetically pleasing compared to a bucket and a rag

Hey! Now that you know how important the car vacuum would be to you don’t jump into buying any machine without some facts at your fingertips. What facts?


The Major Types of Car Vacuums; Which Include:

Type

Feature

Corded Vacuums

This requires a cord to connect to a power source

Cordless Vacuums

This one uses an internal battery as the source of power instead of codes


The Things to Look for When Choosing the Best Car Vacuum

In this section, we’ll unveil the important factors you should consider when choosing the vacuum cleaner that is most appropriate for you. Essentially, an ideal machine is the one that goes down to meeting your daily personal needs. Check below for the hints:

1. Power

Whether corded or cordless car vacuums with higher power rating are efficient and will perform better. When comparing different products based on this aspect, what you should focus on is the wattage figure. Check the margins and the differences to ensure there is a reasonable variance to cause you to pick one over the other. Otherwise, if the difference is too small, the performance across the models in question will pretty be the same.


2. Size and Weight

In this day and age, a car vacuum that is small and light is to be prioritized, as much as it delivers the service required. Also, the design of the machine should make it easily portable to be able to reach the nooks and corners inside the car. Ideally, an appropriate car vacuum should weight 5 or fewer pounds. However, it's nice to know that some corners can be impossible to reach and that may require extra attachments such as a long hose.


3. Tank Capacity

When a vacuum cleaner collects the dirt substances, where do they disappear to? As you may imagine, they collect into a dust canister. Usually, the canister's capacity varies with different machines, could be between 350 and 650 ml. On this point, it is good to acknowledge that the size of the tank dictates how much dust the cleaner would hold, and for how long it would work before it is emptied.


4. Accessories

Your car has different surfaces including the carpets seats and other uneven areas. Some places have nooks, crevices and difficult to access points, and in that sense, the best car vacuum ought to have attachments like the hose and rest to aid in vacuuming such areas.

You’ll be using a crevice tool to vacuum the unreachable spaces, and the attachment brash to scrub off the dirt in certain areas. Therefore, choose the car vacuum that makes your cleaning extensive and more efficient.


5. Cost

You are shopping for a car vacuum, and chances are, you already have a budget, right? That is good financial acumen. However, it is smart of you first to list the features you desire for the appropriate machine and check it against your budget.

You can select 5 machines and analyze them. That way you can adjust your budget to the machine that will serve best other than picking something outright cheap that will be a waste of money in the long run.


5 Best Car Vacuums You should Consider

***Below are more information on the recommended Car Vacuum Cleaners, but you can click the link of each product to get an update on the current price and customer reviews on Amazon.

This machine is purely designed to clean the interior of your vehicle. It works very well on dry and wet debris. That is to say; you can use it to clean up spilled yogurt or food substance in your car as well as vacuum the dust at the same time. Most car owners who know about car vacuums prefer it for flexibility.

Our Rating

Via amazon.com


Other Pros

  • It comes with all accessories required for complete interior car cleaning
  • Has a strong but flexible horse that makes it durable and easily usable
  • Has a centrally placed handle that makes it easy to move from one place to another
  • It is somewhat oval-shaped, so it occupies a small space
  • Sucks up both wet and dry dirt particles
  • Has a 2.5-gallon storage tank, so it's reliable
  • Has a long 10-foot and 6-foot hose, so you use it even when the power source is a bit far

Cons

  • You cannot plug it into the car

Please watch the video to know how to use this product:


The Hikeren car vacuum has an extended mouth that allows cleaning of corners and hard to access zones. It also comes with a separate hand brush for scrubbing off stubborn dirt.

Since it is a cordless machine, you can move it to all areas inside the car, as well as turn it to different angles without distraction. Its shape is also superb.

Our Rating

Via amazon.com


Other Pros

  • It uses DC instead of electric current (AC) thus you can use it anytime as long the battery is powered
  • Has a power suction of 160w, strong enough to handle wet and dry dirt
  • The battery is 12-Volts, which is enough to complete various tasks before charging
  • It also comes with one carry bag, which you might as well need when storing it
  • It has a washable Hypalon filter; thus you don't have to keep on exchanging filters
  • It is easy to disassemble when cleaning it, so no need for professional intervention
  • It also comes with one spare HEPA filter, together with the already fix one, you two filters per machine
  • It's fitted with a LED light, which makes it convenient for cleaning darkish zones

Cons

  • Cannot be used when the battery is depleted
  • Not suitable for vacuuming corrosive, explosive or flammable liquids

Please watch the video to know how to use this product:


This vacuum is somewhat amazing because it can use either electrical energy or battery power, as it is both corded and cordless. The corded or cordless operation is powered by a 20v AC or an 18v MAX battery respectively, which makes it usable at all times, and at various venues.

Our Rating

Via amazon.com


Other Pros

  • It comes with a high rated HEPA wet/dry filter that is proven to traps dust at 99.97% efficiency
  • The filter is easily accessible when you need to clean it
  • Besides being usable multiple times, all you need is normal clean water to clean the filter
  • Has an onboard horse so no need to always attach and detach
  • Comes together with a crevice tool, so you don't have to buy it separately
  • You can easily coil the hose into small rounds on top of the machine to make it more portable
  • It is a popular machine, so you be assured of correct functionality based on different user reviews
  • Has an ergonomic design for easy handling

Cons

  • The overall item seems bulky
  • It does not ship to certain regions outside the US

Please watch the video to know how to use this product:


The Carrand has a superb and compact design that makes it both unique and aesthetically appealing at the same time. In essence, it is exceptional in many ways in terms of functionality, innovativeness, and handle-ability. As in, it has special attachments that can fit into the car's air inlets, corners, inside the dashboard and so on, making your car cleaning duty more extensive.

Our Rating

Via amazon.com


Other Pros

  • Has a 360 degrees turning swivel elbow connecting to the 43-inch hose, which eases maneuvering in the process of car cleaning,
  • Comes with a reusable collection bag or basket, so you'll not need to replace
  • Has an upholstery and carpet tool that grabs debris and hair from floor mats and car seats faster
  • Has a blower operation to blow away water, debris, and dust from seams and crevices
  • It also comes with a dash and console brush used to sweep fine dust from console seams, vents, and electronics
  • Has more cleaning power as a result of its 44 percent more air flow thus outperforming other handheld machines
  • Comes with a 12-foot power cord that increases convenience

Cons

  • It must stay plugged in for it to work
  • It is a bit expensive
  • The 43-inch hose is inflexible; thus it depends on the swivel elbow

Please watch the video to know how to use this product:


This machine makes cleaning your car or boat super easy because it has a unit to connect to your vehicle's power outlet. Ideally, it doesn’t require an electric power or internal battery, your car's 12v battery or so is enough to power it.

The power cord is 16', which is sufficient for you to move to the farthest end of the car. Besides common dust and dirt, it also picks up gravel and crumbs with ease.

Our Rating

Via amazon.com


Other Pros

  • It features a slim pivoting nozzle necessary for reaching out snacks and treats that found their way into unreachable surfaces
  • The pivoted nozzle also permits you to clean the car at any needed angel, so you'll not waste time trying to turn
  • Has a capacity of 11.8 oz which is even a bigger dust canister size for a car vacuum
  • Has a PVF100 approved re-usable filter, which makes it economical
  • It is smaller and compact which makes it easy to use and keep inside the car's trunk
  • It features cyclonic action, meaning the filter and suction will last longer
  • It provides an easy way to empty the canister, so your hands don't have to touch the dirt
  • Has a 3-stage filtration operation that inhibits dust from seeping into the air
  • The design allows you to wrap the cord fittingly, which makes the machine compact for neat storage

Cons

  • It is a bit costlier compared to other car vacuums

Please watch the video to know how to use this product:


Comparisons

Now, let’s compare all these 5 best car vacuums in a summary table as below to identify the ones that beat the rest:

Item

Cord

Portability

Capacity

Convenience

1. ArmorAll Utility Vac

Corded

Average

2.5, Ok

65%, not pluggable in car

2. Hikeren DC

Cordless

Better

Average

75% battery powered

3.Dewalt DCV581H 18/20 Max

Both

Average

Ok

85% electric&battery powered

4. Carrand 94005AS

Corded

Better

Ok

70% not pluggable in car

5. Black+Decker PAV1200W

Corded

Best

11.8 Oz

95% plugged in car, use car battery


Which One Should You Choose?

With regard factors like portability, capacity, and the convenience you expect to get from the vacuum, in this round up we see item number (the ArmorAll Utility Vac,) and item number 5 (Black+Decker PAV1200W) emerge much promising.

However, although both of them are corded, the Black+Decker PAV1200W seems to be the best car vacuum in the sense that is plugged in the car. In other words, you don’t need electric power or an internal battery to operate the machine because your vehicle's battery is enough.

Its canister capacity is also 11.8oz, which is quite okay and sizeable for a car vacuum. It also has a PVF100 re-usable filter as well as an easy to empty canister, so you don’t have to soil your hands.


Conclusion!

There is no debating that a vacuum cleaner is the best option for cleaning your car's interior. However, you’ll want to purchase one that meets your personal need. As in, maybe portability is not as important as the dust canister size, or could be what you want is something aesthetically more appealing like the Carrand 94005AS.

All in all, just ensure that the best car vacuum you choose is durable, priced reasonably and works efficiently enough. On that note, choose Black+Decker PAV1200W to avoid loopholes for frustrations.

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