The best handheld vacuum cleaners for compact and quick cleaning

Boasting a 22V battery, the Gtech Multi Platinum Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner offers a run time of up to 30 minutes and can be charged and ready to go in just three hours, which is pretty impressive for a handheld model. A range of accessories are included as standard, including scented cartridges, an extension tube, a dusting brush, a crevice tool and a powered mini-floor tool. As there are more attachments included in this vacuum compared to others on our list, you'll be fully equipped for fully refreshing the sofa, giving the car a mini-valet and reaching up high into corners to get rid of cobwebs and so much more.

Reviewed by Senior Writer, Rosie Floyd: “When I first got the Gtech Multi Platinum Cordless Handheld Vacuum, I was a bit sceptical about how it was going to perform for a handheld vacuum, but my scepticism was soon dashed when I realised how powerful it was. The suction is definitely on par with some regular cordless vacuums I’ve tried so don’t judge it for its size like I did. However, I did find that the suction wasn’t as powerful when I pushed the vacuum away from me but worked better as I vacuumed towards myself.

“My family and I have tried this vacuum in multiple scenarios. It sucked up crumbs with complete ease, made light work of cleaning up the pet hair of my three pups (which, as you can imagine with a Labrador that is constantly shedding, is a full-time job in itself) and also worked wonders with ridding my car of debris and mud. The reason why this Gtech handheld vac is able to perform as well as it does is because of the varying attachments included. My favourites are the thinner nozzle, which is great for getting dirt and dust out of hard-to-reach places, and the turbo brush that head works hard on getting rid of stubborn, embedded hair, which also lights up so you can see exactly where the dirt is. There’s also a dusting brush and an upholstery nozzle so you can literally clean every nook and cranny.

“Another thing that stands out about this Gtech vac is the design, it’s very sleek and modern and I also like the addition of a scent cartridge that ensures things are kept fresh while you suck up the dirt. There’s no denying that this is a pricy option but overall, I think it’s worth it if you’re always finding yourself cleaning up after smaller messes and want an all-singing, all-dancing model to do it with. The battery lasts a decent amount of time for a handheld, at least 30 minutes, and it’s super easy to manoeuvre too.”

We love the design of the Shark Premium Handheld Vacuum WV270UK. Sleek, slim and lightweight at just under 700g – what's not to like? From collecting crumbs on the kitchen worktops to pet hair in between the sofa cushions, it offers two suction modes so you can choose the perfect power for the task at hand. It charges while stored on its base and has a one-touch, easy-empty dust cup. 

Our reviews editor, Emily Gilbert, tested this and shared her thoughts: "As much as I love my Dyson V15 Detect, I was after something smaller that I could use for quickly sucking up dry spillages and pesky crumbs and the Shark WandVac has been ideal. Not only does it look great on our kitchen counter but it's lovely and lightweight and so easy to whip out and use whenever I need. I personally find the battery lasts long enough for my needs but I appreciate some with bigger houses may want longer."

Designed with a high-efficiency motor and powerful suction, the Shark WV200UK Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is perfect for quick clean-ups around your home. Its sleek, slim design and lightweight build, weighing in at under 700g, make it incredibly easy to handle, allowing you to clean effortlessly and with precision. The vacuum comes with a Crevice Tool and a Multi-Surface Pet Tool, ideal for refreshing upholstery, tackling pet hair, and removing crumbs from various surfaces. When you're done, simply empty the dust cap with a single button press for easy, mess-free disposal.

Reviewed by Lauren Brown for Yours.co.uk: "A great compact vacuum, well worth the money. Its slim, sleek design fits neatly within our kitchen without taking up too much space. The useful attachments have meant that it’s been easy to vacuum on any surface. We’re currently renovating our house so it has meant lots of wallpaper stripping, which has left tiny fragments of plaster all over the place. This Shark vac easily vacuumed these up with no issues, changing from the covered attachment for use on our wood flooring to the pointed nozzle for carpeted flooring. We did find that we were having to empty it frequently because it soon got filled up so we would have preferred it to have a slightly bigger capacity.

"Our cat Luigi creates a lot of fluff and loves to walk his litter around the house so we're always having to clean up after him The Shark WV200UK Handheld Vacuum Cleaner has no trouble in picking up hair and litter, and the fact this compact vac only weighs 700g is a fab bonus. Just keep in mind that the vac has a run time of around eight minutes so while this has been great for quickly cleaning up after Luigi, we have needed to ensure it's charged frequently to ensure the battery doesn't completely run out. Overall, we’ve loved using this great new device, its power and stylish design was exactly what we were after."

The clever BLACK+DECKER PV1820LGB Compact Pivot Vacuum features a nozzle that pivots up to 200 degrees, making it ideal to access those awkward spaces from any angle. It's perfect for cleaning lampshades, between sofa cushions, and higher shelves, as well as car interiors. The flip-out brush is great for those delicate surfaces, and there's also an integrated extendable crevice to tackle between sofa cushions and car seats quickly and easily.

One of our Digital Writers, Akhila Thomas reviewed this vac and these are her thoughts: “This Black+Decker Dustbuster Pivot Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is ideal for cleaning up small messes. It’s lightweight with good suction power for a small handheld vacuum. It’s a handy device that can be carried anywhere easily. The nozzle pivots up to 200 degrees so you can easily access any awkward spaces from any angle. It clears small debris like sugar or oats in one sweep from hardwood floors and around two to three sweeps from carpeted surfaces. It also easily pulls up hair, which is often tangled and stuck together on carpets and mats due to my long curly hair in two sweeps. As a very light machine that can be carried and manoeuvred with ease, it is the perfect vacuum cleaner to have handy if you have trouble lifting and moving heavy things. Although, one downside I’ve noticed is that the machine isn’t very quiet.

“It comes with a flip-out brush, which is great for those delicate surfaces, and there's also an integrated extendable crevice so you can tackle between sofa cushions and car seats quickly and easily. This tool also helps to clean wardrobes and cobwebs. The suction is powerful enough to clean seats, carpets and even the floor mats of our car. The design is quite modern, light and premium for the price range. It is also easy to use and assemble.

“It is quick-charging and the battery is long-lasting. There’s a light that flashes 30 seconds before it runs out of battery, so you've got some warning before it conks out. It’s super compact, too, and folds in half when not in use for easy storage. It’s important that you make sure you empty it regularly to keep it working at its best though.”

Weighing less than 1kg, the Gtech ProLite Cordless Vacuum Cleaner might be light but that doesn't mean it compromises on power. There are two power modes, the ECO mode which promises up to 30 minutes of runtime for cleaning up light messes and the MAX mode which gives you extra power to clean up those more stubborn messes. Just keep in mind that this vac starts up in MAX mode so you might find the battery drains more quickly if you don't switch it to ECO mode.

Something you don't often see with a cordless handheld vac is that the Gtech ProLite Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is actually a bagged model. The dust bags are triple-filtered to ensure they're hygienic and once they're full, you can just simply chuck away so there's no mess involved. It does mean you'll need to factor in the cost of getting additional bags once you've run out of the ones included but you can easily get new bags direct from Gtech. We love that it comes with a dusting brush, so you can ensure delicate and harder-to-clean areas are given a good dusting.

Great to grab for those quick jobs, the Black+Decker Wet and Dry Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner will suck up crumbs and spills in a jiffy. The two-in-one functionality means that it's not just designed for dry messes, but it will effortlessly scoop up spilt liquids like coffee or juice, too. It's super manoeuvrable, so it can get into all those awkward space you may not be able to reach otherwise. The mouth is also wide so it can suck up a lot at once, but keep in mind that this may mean more frequent trips to the bin to empty it.

Customers online have praised it for being powerful and that it's great for vacuuming wet and dry messes off a variety of surfaces.

If you are looking for a handheld vacuum cleaner that can quickly remove dust, debris and pet hair from surfaces and soft furnishings, then this Shark Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner can get the job done. It comes with three different attachments, including a motorised pet tool, a dusting brush and a crevice tool to help you clean every nook and cranny, whether that's up high in room corners, down low on the skirting boards or down the back of your sofas and car seats.

With over 5,000 reviews on Amazon alone, this Shark CH950UKT Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is clearly a popular choice. Customers rate it highly for its suction power and how easy it is to use. They also say that it's lightweight too, although at 1.2kg, it's one of the heavier cordless vacs on our list. Areas of improvement for this handheld Shark vacuum, according to customers are the battery life and charge time as the battery only lasts for 10 minutes but then takes a couple of hours to charge.

Mini but mighty, the Eufy HomeVac may weigh in at just 1.2 lbs, but it certainly packs a punch with 5500Pa suction power to help you suck up every spec. The sleek, non-slip design makes it comfortable to hold with precise handling at the same time, so you can easily whip it out for those little crumbs and other messes on your countertops. You can make use of the extension nozzle to help you deep clean the corners of your sofa and get rid of dust on skirting boards

The charging speed is one of the features that stands out for customers in the reviews. They say it's super speedy so even though customers think the battery life could be improved, you'll be able to get it back up to full charge in no time at all once it's run out. The compactness and overall design also get a huge thumbs up from reviewers.

If you're after a nifty little vacuum to clean up smaller messes around the home and in the car without breaking the bank, we'd recommend the Beldray BEL01096 Airlite Handheld Vacuum. You can be tough on those more stubborn areas as it has dual speed settings to help you tackle them and a crevice tool when you need a more targeted clean, such as in between seats and sofa cushions.
It's also super lightweight, making it ideal if you have any mobility issues, and we love that it's suitable for allergy sufferers with its HEPA filter.

For a budget handheld vacuum cleaner, the suction power on the Beldray is actually pretty good say customers. The size is something that crops up in the reviews time and time again, with customers remarking that for a handheld vacuum, it's actually quite big yet the capacity is fairly small given its size. Overall though, reviewers are happy with how easy it is to clean with it.