The 3 best handheld vacuums in 2025 – handy cleaners perfect for tight spaces and small messes

Handheld vacuums can work wonders around the house to quickly clean up small messes, dust, food spillages, and pet hair. They're not as powerful as traditional vacuums, naturally, but they're better-suited for those pesky little clean ups.

As home tech editor, I've worked with some of the world's best vacuums and have spent more than 100 hours testing 19 of them for Homes & Gardens. From the handheld vacuums my team of product testers and I have reviewed, I've handpicked the best three handheld for every cleaning job.

But don't forget: almost all of the best cordless vacuums can be transformed into a handheld vacuum by detaching the wand, and they'll offer stronger suction and more diverse set of attachments. It also means you're saving money by buying a vacuum that's both full-sized and handheld. Most cordless vacs come with a wall mount too so you can grab it just as quickly as a handheld vac.

The best handheld vacuums in 2025

The best handheld vacuum cleaner

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The Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster is the best handheld vacuum we've tested at Homes & Gardens. Its cleaning performance surpassed anything you'd expect from such a small device.

A stand-out feature of the dustbuster furbuster is a motorized cleaning head that's actuallly able to pull pet hair out of carpets similarly to a full-sized cordless vacuum. This isn't something you'll often find in a handheld vac, particularly for under $100, and it completely transforms what you're able to do with it.

The best vacuums for pet hair need a motorized brushroll to be able to pull hair out of carpets and upholstery, and when I tested the Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster in a local pet shelter, I was surprised by just how well it did so. I've spoken with dozens of consumers and professional cleaners about how to stay on top of pet hair around the house, and a common solution is to keep a handheld vacuum nearby to clean fur as and when it appears. This Black+Decker vac is the perfect vacuum to do this with.

Aside from fur, the dustbuster furbuster also cleaned up any other mess with little hindrance. When I vacuumed on hard floors, the vacuum pulled in dust, dirt and hair from 1-2 inches away, easily cleaning up without needing the power boost mode. And when cleaning kitchen countertops, the powerful suction was able to capture fine particles like dust and small crumbs as well as a dusting cloth would.

It runs for up to 30 minutes between charges. This might not seem very long but it's more so than many other handheld vacs at this price point (and longer than the others in this guide), and as it rests on a charging dock when not in use, it's always ready to go when you need a quick clean-up.

My only issue with the vacuum is that it doesn't use a HEPA filter, and the filter can become clogged after extended cleaning sessions. But luckily, it's easy to slot out of the dustbin and shake or wipe the dust away.

Read more in my full Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster AdvanceClean+ Cordless Pet review.

The runer-up best handheld vacuum

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For its price, the Brigii Cordless Handheld holds up well as a basic handheld vacuum that can clean up small messes on any surface.

'Having scattered cereal across linoleum, hard wood, and carpet floors, I used the Brigii on its low suction setting and got testing,' wrote tester Emilia Hitching. 'I had absolutely no trouble and this cleared the floor in seconds.' It also made very little noise, no more than 75 decibels, equal to the sound of an average running dishwasher.

The vacuum doesn't have a motorized attachment, but still had no issues vacuuming hair from carpets and hard floors. It might not be the best for vacuuming hair from stubborn materials like padded upholstery or thick-pile carpet, but on low-pile carpet and hard floors it worked like a treat.

When vacuuming carpet, the Brigii struggled a little with fine powders like flour and sugar. But with the dusting brush attached it was able to restore the carpet to its clean state.

Its 15-minute runtime means you won't be able to do any extended cleaning with this model, so it's better placed to vacuum sofa than vacuuming cars.

What Emilia loved most is the vacuum's simplicity. It's so easy to grab it and clean whatever mess appears that she was surprised she hadn't invested in one sooner.

Read more in our full Brigii Cordless Handheld review.

The best budget handheld vacuum

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One thing I particularly enjoyed about the Black+Decker 12V MAX Dustbuster is the built-in extendable crevice tool. Without having to attach or detach the cleaning tools you can simply pull the nozzle out and reach tighter and harder-to-reach areas.

The 12V MAX Dustbuster is great at vacuuming hard floors and countertops, but not the best when dealing with carpets and upholstery. The lack of motorized vacuum attachment means that it struggles to pull hair and dirt from soft surfaces; the suction is decent, but not strong enough to do so by itself.

But if you live in an apartment with mostly hard floors, and you're looking for a handy vacuum to clean up small messes, this could be all you need. I tested the vacuum in a local pet shelter on laminate and hardwood floors, where dust and hair were pulled into the nozzle from a good distance.

When attempting to vacuum hair from some soft padded chairs and a sofa, the vacuum didn't get very far. Most of the fur remained and it was only when I used the Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster that they were vacuumed up. So, I wouldn't recommend this vacuum to any pet owners.

The bottom line is that the 12V MAX Dustbuster is cheap, it's easy to empty, has a lightweight and straightforward to design, and cleans dust, hair and crumbs from any smooth surface. Just don't buy it if you're hoping to clean anything else.

Read more in my full Black+Decker 12V MAX Dustbuster review.

How to choose the best handheld vacuum

You can check out our general guide on how to choose a vacuum cleaner that'll suit your home's cleaning needs, and for any unfamiliar terms, I've put together a comprehensive vacuum jargon buster that clears everything up.

More specifically, when it comes to choosing the right handheld vacuum, you should consider what you're going to be cleaning. Handheld vacuums are popular choices for cleaning up DIY messes, vacuuming pet hair and dealing with crumb spillages as and when they happen.

But not every handheld vacuum can do it all. For cleaning large volumes of dust after doing any housework, you'll need a vacuum with a HEPA filter and a larger intake nozzle to deal with the volume of mess.

Handheld vacuums for pet hair also benefit from a HEPA filter, as well as a motorized brushroll like in our top pick in this guide. The brushroll is a must if you're ever vacuuming hair, or any mess for that matter, from soft fabric like carpets and furniture. This is especially important if your home has thick rugs or carpeting.

If you're looking to just clean up small, solid spills quickly, then you don't need to spend very much. Many basic handheld vacuums can easily do this and don't necessarily need to have certain filtration levels or attachments.

Aside from the essentials, you might want to consider noise levels. Handheld vacuums have tiny motors and can occasionally make unpleasant, high-pitched whirring sounds. Look for lower decibel ratings (anything below 70dB) to help manage this.

And, as handheld vacuums are so small, you're going to be emptying them often. This is inevitable, but make sure that the vacuum is easy to empty, with a filter that doesn't clog too often or attachments that avoid hair wrap. If not, you'll be going through the frustrations of these tasks every time you use it.

How we test vacuums

You can find out more about our process in our page on how we test vacuums.

We test vacuums in our own homes and in our standardized test studio, which features sections of carpet, linoleum, and hardwood floors. Carpet is hard to clean, since dirt clings to the long fabric fibers. Linoleum is easier to clean, but shows up stains and smudges, while dirt tends to get trapped in the cracks between wood floorboards. The best vacuum will excel across all floor areas, while others might be suited to some surfaces more than others.

Handheld vacuums are subjected to all the same tests as standard size cleaners. We also take a few design features into account. We consider the size and shape of the handheld vacuum and assess its suitability for cleaning tight corners and narrow nooks. We also feel the weight of the handheld vacuum and determine how it would feel to hold up high to clean cobwebs or stretch under sofas to dig up dirt.

I've also tested handheld vacuums in a local pet shelter, Bristol ARC, to understand how well it can deal with fur and the high volumes of mess that come from a busy establishment.

Meet the team

Dan Fauzi

I am the home tech editor, and I've been reviewing products and appliances since 2021. Since joining Homes & Gardens, I've spent more than 100 hours testing 19 vacuums, including the two Black+Decker handheld vacs in this guide.

Emilia Hitching

Emilia is our sleep editor, and for a long time, she was visiting the test center every two weeks to test appliances and vacuum cleaners, including the Brigii Cordless Handheld in this guide.

FAQs

Are handheld vacuums worth it?

Handheld vacuums aren't as powerful, nor as capacious, as a full-sized cleaner, but they aren't supposed to be. They're designed for quick, deep cleans in tight corners. The best handheld vacuum would make a quick and easy upgrade to your cleaning routine, and it shouldn't set you back more than $50 to $100.

If you spend a lot of time in your car, it will inevitably accrue dust, dirt, and debris. You couldn't reach it with an ordinary vacuum, but a handheld cleaner could suck it right up. Similarly, if you spend a lot of time on the sofa, eating and drinking, it's bound to pick up spills and stains that can only be treated with a handheld vacuum.

And, pet owners will know all about the never-ending challenge of vacuuming fur. To deal with pet hair before it becomes a more difficult task, it can be smart to keep a handheld vacuum nearby to get rid of the hair when you see it.

Which is the most powerful handheld vacuum?

From the handheld vacuums we've tested, the Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster (available at Amazon) is the most powerful. It's an excellent cleaner on its lowest setting, but it even has a power boost mode for when you need extra suction.

But if you're looking for more power than that, I recommend shopping for one of the best cordless vacuums and removing the wand. They have much larger motors creating more powerful suction.

Once you've invested in one of the best handheld vacuums, it's important to take good care of it. It's worth learning how to clean a vacuum to improve suction and clear the air.