7 Best HEPA Vacuum Cleaners, Tested and Reviewed by Cleaning Pros

Vacuuming is essential for removing dust, dirt, dander and pet hair from your floors and furniture, but a poorly sealed vacuum cleaner can send dust and debris into the air. Before settling back onto the floor (and every other surface in your home), airborne particles diminish indoor air quality, and they can even trigger asthma and allergies.

A good vacuum will keep dust trapped inside rather than spewing it back into the air. The best way to catch dust and dirt once and for all is to use a model with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which will prevent small dust particles from escaping through the vacuum’s exhaust.

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, we're always testing vacuum cleaners. In the last few years alone, we've tested close to 75 vacuum cleaners, including stick vacuums, cordless handheld vacuums and plenty of HEPA vacuums too. After our top-tested picks, stick around to learn how our Lab tests vacuum cleaners and what you should consider when shopping for one.

How we test HEPA vacuums

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, we have tested nearly 75 vacuum cleaners in the last two years alone, including HEPA vacuums. We conduct a complete battery of performance and ease-of-use tests on all the vacuum cleaners we evaluate. All are tested following exactly the same process for more accurate comparisons, and our tests are based on the ASTM International industry-standard test methods.

To measure the effectiveness of each vacuum’s filter — HEPA or not — and how much dust is generated while vacuuming, we turn to an outside lab with a highly specialized test lab chamber and extensive experience required to run the industry-standard filtration protocol. Once the results are in, we review the data against the brand’s filtration claims. We then use our internal test results to recommend the vacuums that offer the best combination of cleaning and filtration. In our opinion, it doesn't matter how well a vacuum filters if it can't pick up dirt and clean well.

When it comes to performance, we evaluate dirt removal from plush carpeting and bare floors, pet hair removal from carpeting, how well it picks up large debris and fine grit, suction at the hose, ease of use, loudness and extra features. Every model goes through each test three times before we average the results to give them an overall score across all categories.

Our carpet dirt removal test is performed using a custom-built automated machine that passes the vacuum cleaners the same number of times over the same test carpeting in exactly the same pattern (pictured). We weigh the dust bin or bag of each vacuum before and after cleaning to see how much of the deeply embedded sand and talc mix the vacuum has removed from the plush carpeting. To test dirt removal on bare flooring, we calculate and weigh a mix of gritty sand, dry orzo pasta and other components and spread it out on a floor. After a specified number of passes, the dust bin is weighed to objectively measure how well each vacuum picked up the debris.

To test for pet hair removal, we use industry-standard rayon fibers to simulate pet hair that we evenly spread on a carpet’s surface. We count the number of strokes each vacuum takes to visually remove all the pet hair. We repeat this test multiple times for each vacuum. In total, each vacuum goes through a minimum of nine separate tests just to assess floor cleaning performance.

Testing for ease of use includes evaluating maneuverability (weight is a factor here too), battery run-time for cordless vacuum cleaners, the ease of the controls and how simple it is to empty and clean the vacuum cleaner after each use. These assessments are often made not just by our Lab experts but by consumer testers too. Additionally, we evaluate the owner’s manual for each vacuum cleaner and assign it a grade for robustness and how easy it was to follow instructions for use. For sound measurements, we often work with Quiet Mark, an independent global sound certification program, to objectively determine the loudness of each model.

What to look for when shopping for the best HEPA vacuum

Here are some common terms you'll see used when shopping for HEPA vacuum cleaners and what you need to know before investing in one.

✔️ "Sealed" HEPA vacuums: While a HEPA filter on a vacuum’s exhaust is a must for trapping irritating particles, it’s only effective if most of the air coming out of the vacuum passes through it. If a lot of air seeps out from other cracks and crevices, like around the body or hose connections, you might as well not even have a HEPA vacuum. The Miele Complete C3 Kona vacuum, Dyson stick and Shark convertible vacuums here are sealed HEPA vacuums, meaning little bypasses the filter and escapes out into the air. Based on our experience, we're confident that our other recommendations also allow minimal air to elude their HEPA filters.

✔️ True HEPA filters: Be wary of vacuums with “HEPA-type” or “HEPA-like” filters. They may look like traditional pleated HEPA filters and likely will trap some small particles, but they could miss the tiny, microscopic ones that can't escape a true HEPA filter. Vacuums with HEPA filters are generally more expensive. Keep in mind that less expensive vacuums can be sealed and have filters that grab 99% of particles down to 0.5 microns, but only a HEPA filter nabs 99.97% of particles as tiny as 0.3 microns (and yes, that can make a difference!).

✔️ Bagged models: Vacuums that use bags are generally preferred for severe allergy sufferers because the dirt is contained, even as you empty it. A bagged vacuum with a high-efficiency, self-sealing filtering bag is best. But if you want a bagless model, look for one — like the Dyson, Miele Boost and Shark models above — with a dust cup that empties from the bottom or the Samsung that self-empties into its stand. This allows you to hold the container down in a trash can to empty it and avoid a dust cloud. But depending on the design of the dust cup, you may still need to reach inside to remove any remaining bits of dust and hair.

Are HEPA vacuums worth it?

Yes, we think a HEPA vacuum cleaner is one of the best products for allergies. HEPA vacuums boast a special high-performance filter that traps 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size — too small to see with the naked eye, but not too small to be felt by allergy sufferers. The most important filter for trapping these microscopic allergens is a HEPA filter located on the exhaust, where the air blows out of the vacuum and back into the room. Dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke and more are all caught by these high-efficiency filters, and since HEPA filters are available on many upright, canister and stick vacuums, it’s relatively easy to find a model to fit your needs.

How often should HEPA filters be changed?

Changing the HEPA filter on your vacuum is an important maintenance step because a clogged, dirty filter can impact a vacuum's suction and its ability to trap fine particles. While it’s always best to follow your vacuum manufacturer’s recommendations, if you have a small home, use multiple vacuums or only vacuum once a week, your vacuum’s HEPA filter may last as long as one or two years before it needs to be changed. With daily use or use in a larger home, the vacuum may need a new filter as often as once every six months. This is especially true in homes with pets.

While some HEPA filters are washable, most should not be exposed to water and must be replaced. For washable filters, follow the manufacturer's directions, and allow it to thoroughly air dry before putting it back in the vacuum. A HEPA filter placed back in the vacuum while still wet won't work correctly, and it can even begin to grow mold without proper ventilation.

Is an air purifier better than a HEPA vacuum cleaner?

HEPA vacuum cleaners and air purifiers are two completely different items. A vacuum with a HEPA filter is handy to have (especially if you have allergies), but it only filters whatever the vacuum picks up and the air that comes out of the vacuum, not all the air in the room.

If you're looking for something to filter all of the air in a larger space with the goal of removing dust, smoke, pollen and other irritants, an air purifier is your best bet.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Carolyn Forté has more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert and serves as Executive Director of Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care & Cleaning Lab. Carolyn has 22 years of deep analytical testing and editorial writing experience in categories like vacuum cleaners, household cleaning products, appliances and more. She is also a member of ASTM's F11 Vacuum Cleaner Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Consumer Information Subcommittee. She meets regularly with vacuum cleaner company engineers and testing lab executives to develop and set the standard testing methods used by the vacuum cleaner industry.

Noah Pinsonnault works as a product reviews analyst in Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care & Cleaning Lab where he helps design and perform tests on various product categories. In preparing this article, he spent hours poring over previous testing data and reviews, making frequent trips to the Lab to hold and try out the models for himself.