Carpet Sweepers are a great non-electric way to clean carpets quickly. So a recent review of a Hoky Sweeper on Cool Tools, caught our eye:

You’ve probably seen Hoky Sweepers used in restaurants and hotels. They just plain work. No electric, no plugs, no noise & lightweight. So convenient to grab for a few second cleanup. Just push and they clean, even small crumbs.

Hoky Sweepers have “rotorblades” replacing the traditional bristle brush, the are said to last 8 times longer and self-clean. These sweeprs have horsehair corner brushes and large soft rubber wheels. They are priced around $70. Available from: Amazon

Canisters vacuums normally have stronger suction than upright vacuums. Canisters can fill a dual role of a full-sized upright and a smaller machine (like a stick or handheld vac) for smaller jobs. Also the compact nature of these machines allows cleaning under furniture (usually a problem area for uprights).

Reviewers rate the “Hoover S3765 WindTunnel Bagless Canister Vacuum” highly for its ability to agitate dirt out of carpets. We like it because it is bagless, inexpensive (around $185-250), compact, and its HEPA filter can be removed and cleaned. With no bags or filters to replace, the vacuum is quite cost effective in the long term. On the negative side, some reviews found the vacuum noisy.

This review from VacDepot.Com (a retailer) has lots of photos and details of the vacuum. Consumer Reports also has a very detailed survey of canister vacuums.

Available from Amazon for around $210.

The model previous to the 3765, the Hoover 3755, is available for about $170 from Amazon. The only features the 3755 lacks are the “Remote Fingertip Power ON/OFF Control” and the “Powered Hand Tool and Floor Brush Included”.

Product Home Page: Hoover S3765 WindTunnel Bagless Canister Vacuum

The Stinger 2 Wet/Dry Vacuum apparently “sucks” — in this case, it’s a good attribute — it performs well and is inexpensively priced at $27. Here’s what a reviewer said at Cool Tools:

I tried a hand-held dustbuster type, but found that its incredibly small storage and lack of any useful way to hold debris inside was just a bad design. After investigating those “Shark” or small Oreck vacuums, I found their prices were much too high and their design didn’t look very impressive either, so I passed.

I found my dream machine in the 2 Gallon Stinger Wet/Dry Vac for less than $30. What you get: Lots of sucking power, very easy to dump out debris, lots of capacity, very light and easy to move around, gets into tight spaces, and much less expensive than those premium models!

Available from: Home Depot via Cool Tools

This is a canister vacuum with the longest name we’ve seen so far. Designed by James Dyson in the U.K., this vacuum has only recently become available in the U.S., and it has a impressive list of design features, including the claim that it is “the first vacuum that doesn’t lose suction.”

Other features include telescoping parts, an energy efficient motor, a cleanable HEPA filter and a turbine head that adjusts to the type of floor you are cleaning.

One thing for sure, a lot of thought has gone into the design of this vacuum. It is sells for about $500.

Product Home Page: Dyson

Available from: Allbrands.Com or Best Buy, Target, Sears ($499) or Ebay ($399)