This Lightweight Stick Vacuum Made Me Realize Just How Much Dirt Was Hiding in My Home
I hate big, bulky vacuum cleaners. That’s probably because they look like relics from the 20th century. We’ve been in a new millennium for over two decades, so there’s no reason why a vacuum should weigh more than five or six pounds, or have me tripping over cords. That’s why I love everything about cordless stick vacuums, including the sleek look, lightweight feel, and endless color choices (did I mention they’re cordless?!). I’ve written about my favorite cordless stick vacuums before. However, I recently found another one to add to the list: the Ultenic U-11 Cordless Vacuum.
The Ultenic vacuum first caught my attention when I noticed that it has a floor standing bracket, so I couldn’t wait to try it out. If there’s any downside to cordless stick vacuums, it’s that many of them either need to be propped up against the wall or placed on the floor or a shelf when not in use. And then there are the cordless stick vacuums that have to be mounted on the wall — which requires you to drill holes. A very small percentage have a floor-standing bracket, but they usually come at a premium price point. However, the very budget-friendly Ultenic U-11 has a round floor standing bracket that’s just big enough to hold the vacuum, so it doesn’t take up much floor space. The floor bracket stores not only the vacuum, but the auxiliary brushes as well.
Speaking of brushes, the Ultenic U-11 has plenty of them: a floor brush, roller brush, round brush, a dusting brush, and a crevice tool. The attachments are easy to switch out, so I can quickly go from vacuuming my floors and steps to cleaning my blinds and ceiling registers. Or, I can detach the metal extension tube and use the vacuum in handheld mode to clean furniture and cabinets.
And since the vacuum’s tube is so long, it’s easy to get it down my carpeted steps without having to bend over. I have 17 steps, and hunching over to clean each one can cause some serious back pain. Thanks to this convenient feature, I can stand upright when vacuuming. Plus, the brush head can bend at 90 degrees and 180 degrees, so I can maneuver the vacuum into the corners on the staircase. And the Ultenic only weighs six pounds, so it’s easy to move it from one step to the next.
Since the vacuum has LED floor lights, I like to turn my lights off and clean in the dark, as though I’m using a forensic inspection kit (which kind of feels like I’m in an episode of CSI!). It’s amazing — and kind of scary — how much dirt and debris the light illuminates in the dark.
Even more impressive is the LED touch screen control. This is where I select between eco, auto, and max cleaning modes (although I tend to just use eco and let it determine the suction level, depending on whether I’m on hardwood or carpeted areas). The screen also displays the battery status, and even has a fault display. I’ve never had to use the latter, but if an error code popped up, it would tell me to check if something was caught in the floor brush, or that the attachments were firmly connected. The battery is designed to last 52 minutes (in eco mode) without needing a recharge. That usually means I don’t need to recharge until I’ve finished cleaning.
Since my allergies are easily triggered, I have several air purifiers throughout my home. Fortunately, the vacuum cleaner uses HEPA filters and a sealed cyclone filtration system. As a result, the vacuum is really capturing the dust instead of just pushing it around or spreading it in the air.
The Ultenic U11 has so many features that make vacuuming easier, but what I love most is that the unseen dust and dirt trapped in those hard-to-reach places have nowhere to hide. This stick vacuum picks up every speck of dirt in its path, and I’m always amazed at how much I find when I empty it. I’m giving it bonus points for the fact that my air purifiers don’t have to work as hard. It’s safe to say that this cordless vacuum brand may have just landed at the top of my list.
Buy: Ultenic U-11 Cordless Vacuum, $219 (normally $239)