Plus, a selection of our top vacuum cleaners from Amazon that clean out the competition

Cleanliness may be next to godliness but most of us would like the path to achieving dust-free nirvana to not involve so much time and back-breaking work. Which is why investing in a good, reliable vacuum cleaner should be high on your agenda as Diwali rolls around and the annual house cleaning lurks threateningly on the horizon. But before you launch your search for one, figure out the kind that works best for you. And that depends on your home—if you have bare or carpeted floors, if your house has stairs, if you have pets—the list is endless. We’ve done the groundwork for you, to give you a quick study on the variety out there.

The Upright: Traditionally, this has always been the most popular kind, where the motor and suction are in the same unit. It’s good for carpeted areas and bare floors too. It is now, however, slowly giving way to savvier models.

The Canister: These look sleeker, are less noisy (than the uprights) and more powerful. They have a cleaning nozzle at the end of a ‘wand’-like structure which links to the suction unit through a hose. The motor and dust bag are contained in a wheeled ‘canister’. The best thing? You don’t have to lug it around the room. Keep the canister standing and manoeuvre the long hose around. Philips, Panasonic and Eureka offer a wide variety to choose from.

The Stick: Long, narrow sticks that get into tight spots that uprights cannot reach—new-generation uprights, if you will. Look out for the Taurus lithium broom vacuum.

The Cordless: They run on battery power, so if you’re thinking of going wireless, choose one that has good battery life. Dyson always has some great, tech-forward options.

The Handheld: These are easy to carry and perfect for a quick dust-up in smaller surface areas—think desks, shelves, cupboards. Not meant for the heavy-duty jobs. Dyson’s ‘V6’ looks great and gets the job done!

The Robotic: It’s automated, so you are superfluous to the task of cleaning. But you must ensure that it can negotiate obstacles (read furniture) in a room and it is powerful enough to even run through the dust in carpets. (However, a robotic vacuum does not negate the necessity for the occasional deep cleaning.) iRobot’s vacuum-cleaning robot will make a good upgrade for tech-savvy homeowners.

The Pet-hair Remover: All that fur can sometimes be a challenge to suck off the furniture and often gets stuck in the suction cups of regular vacuums. You need one that’s specially designated to do the job. Bissel is your go-to if you have four-legged inhabitants in the house

So, if you’ve firmed up your decision to purchase a vacuum, be sure you follow these tips:

-    If you buy one with a bag, make sure you clear it of the gathered dust and dirt in time.

-    Bag-less vacuum cleaners are quite the rage, but you do need to dump the trash collected in the bag-less canister into a dustbin—and occasionally wash out the canister so it stays clean.

-    If you’re allergic to dust, then invest in one with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter; it prevents minuscule dust particles from being released into the air through the vacuum’s exhaust.

-    Be sure it isn’t too heavy to carry around. In fact, also keep in mind to choose one that doesn’t require continuous forward bending on your part (there’s always yoga for that).

Now that you’re all caught up on the ins and outs of vacuum cleaners, check out our short list of ones that we believe make the grade.