The Best Vacuum for Your Airbnb or Vacation Rental in 2023

In this post, we’ll answer one of the most popular questions regarding Airbnb cleaning: "What’s the best vacuum for vacation rentals?” Find out which vacuums earn the title of the best choice for short-term rentals and why.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Get more inventory ideas in our Airbnb Host Checklist

Vacation rentals have quite a busy cleaning schedule, which means that you need a superstar vacuum that can handle the challenge. But how to find the best vacuum for Airbnb? Should you go cordless or with a cord? Can that techy robot vacuum do the job right? We’re bringing you the answer to all these questions (and more)!

You don’t need to go through hundreds of vacuum cleaners to find the perfect one as we’ve done the in-depth research, consulted the Airbnb hosts, and read endless reviews to bring to you these top picks for Airbnb-worthy vacuum cleaners:

Why Should You Get a High-Quality Vacuum for Your Airbnb?

Alongside the mop, broom, and duster, the vacuum is one of the main cleaning supplies to keep your floors spotless. The hard truth is that many vacuums can’t rise to the task of cleaning short-term rentals. You need to run a spotlessly clean Airbnb if you want to get 5-star reviews, and most vacuum cleaners will get worn out pretty fast.

What usually happens is that they work amazingly well for a few months and then you start noticing that their suction isn’t as strong as before. You’ll be able to tell when this happens as the carpets just won’t come completely clean. 

Unless you want to repurchase the vacuum every few months, you need a powerful one that will be able to perform well for a long time. 

Factors to Consider When Buying a Vacuum for Your Airbnb

The best way to filter through thousands of available models of vacuum cleaners is to know what specifications you’re looking for. Here are the main factors you should consider:

Who’ll Be Using the Vacuum – The main question is for whom you’ll be buying this vacuum. Are you purchasing it for yourself to clean between guests or for the cleaning crew? Do you plan to make the vacuum available for guests to use as well?

If you’re buying the vacuum for the cleaners, for example, you can get a professional one as they’ll know how to use it properly—which can’t be said for the guests. On the other hand, if this vacuum will stay put at the property and will only be used by guests, you can get a smaller, lightweight one that’s easy to use.

Type of Vacuum – Whether you check CNN’s, NY Times’s, or US News’s list of the best vacuum cleaners, you’ll notice that the top pick is always an upright/cylinder vacuum. This type of vacuum is the easiest to handle. 

For quick cleaning, you can get a handheld vacuum. These are perfect for cleaning up after cooking or dining, for example. Now, if you want to impress your guests and get a vacuum that goes along with your techy/ modern Airbnb, you can get a robot vacuum cleaner. While their independence is great, don’t rely on them to do the job of deep cleaning.

Corded vs Cordless Vacuum – While cordless vacuums are more maneuverable, corded options have stronger suction and are more adaptable to different floor surfaces. Unless you don’t need strong suction, we suggest the corded vacuums.

The Best Vacuum for Hardwood/Tile/Carpet –  Some vacuums do their best work on hardwood floors while others are masters of cleaning carpets. Depending on what type of floor you’ll be cleaning, choose a vacuum that is designed to clean that surface. Also, if you plan to clean the furniture with it or trap pet hair (if you allow pets in your rental), make sure that the vacuum is fit for handling those tasks.

Suction Power – This refers to the pressure that is caused by the vacuum pump. To clean pet hair, crumbs on the floor, hair that gets tangled in the carpets, and other nasties that guests tend to leave, you’ll need a vacuum with powerful suction. 

Attachments – Do you need a crevice tool, dusting brush, and all those extras? If you’re used to using them, you should look for a vacuum that provides a variety of accessories.

Ease of Maneuvering – Since you want to finish the cleaning as fast as possible, the vacuum should be easy to maneuver. That means that you can reach places such as under the bed, beneath the couch, and so on, without having to strain your back. Upright vacuums are usually easier to handle. Also, if you have a rental on two stories, you should aim at a lightweight vacuum since you’ll need to carry it up and down the stairs. 

The Best  Vacuum for Airbnb and Vacation Rentals

If you want an affordable, lightweight vacuum with a stunning suction that can be used on any surface, you’ll find all that in our top pick, the BISSELL CleanView Bagless Vacuum.

BISSELL CleanView Bagless Vacuum

The BISSELL CleanView Bagless Vacuum has tens of thousands of reviews on Amazon and most of them are raving about this product. On top of that, it has these great features that satisfy your vacation rental’s cleaning needs:

Powerful Suction – This vacuum can suck the carpets clean on the first run. You can use it on any surface without worrying about whether it will clean the mess.

Scatter-Free Technology – We love that this vacuum minimizes scatter as that means reduces cleaning time.

Lightweight – You won’t have any problem carrying this vacuum around as it is very lightweight.

Easy to Clean – The dirk tank opens with a push of a button. Toss the dirt out, and that’s it. Plus, the filter is washable, so the vacuum will last a very long time with proper maintenance. 

Cleaning Accessories Included – There’s a storage section in the vacuum that keeps add-on tools such as the turbo brush tool, dusting brush, crevice tool, and extension wand. 

Extended Cleaning Reach – The 25-foot long power cord, 6-foot long hose, and 13.5-inch cleaning path mean you won’t need to move between outlets too often.

Other Airbnb  Vacuum Alternatives

Since there are so many different types of vacuums, we’ve picked out a few great contenders that some hosts may find to be the perfect fit for their short-term rental.

If you need a vacuum that can do an amazing job at cleaning both carpets and floors, then you might like this Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Vacuum. It has a multi-surface powerful suction and uses a HEPA filter to trap dust and allergens. You can lift away the pod when you need to clean under the furniture or reach the ceiling and windows. 

Airbnb hosts that have pet-friendly vacation rentals can find their ideal vacuum in the Shark NV752 Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet Vacuum. This vacuum cleaner is specially designed for pet hair as it has a self-cleaning Pet Power Brush that will suck the hair out even from carpeted stairs and upholstery. Besides that, it is easy to maneuver and you can even lift the pod for more detailed cleaning.

The Eureka Lightweight Powerful Vacuum has landed on our list of top picks because of its various accessories (crevice tool, dusting brush, and upholstery tool) and 5 height settings. The 5-height setting feature allows you to easily adjust the dial depending on what you want to clean—whether that’s carpet, plush, high pile rugs, or hard floors.

If you want to buy a vacuum for a cleaning crew or you want to do the pro cleaning yourself, the ORECK XL COMMERCIAL Vacuum is what the professionals use. You can switch from carpets to hardwood, from high pile rugs to tiles without any adjustment. Then, there’s also its high-speed roller brush that will take care of deep cleaning. 

For a lightweight bagless vacuum, we suggest the Bissell Zing Bagged Canister Vacuum. This is the perfect vacuum to leave in your Airbnb for your guests. It is super easy to use and carry around, and it is powerful enough to properly clean the rooms. There’s also a bagged version for those who prefer vacuums with dust bags. 

Final Thoughts

A clean short-term rental brings new and loyal guests which is why investing in quality cleaning supplies should be on every host’s checklist

We know that there are so many vacuums out there and that preferences can differ, but if you want one that won’t clean out your wallet but will do a fabulous job at cleaning your short-term rental, we suggest our top pick, the BISSELL CleanView Bagless Vacuum.

It can do a fine job whether you, the cleaning crew, or guests are using it, and you don’t need to worry about whether it can stand up to the challenge of keeping your Airbnb pristine.