Vacuum cleaners can be expensive, but don’t assume paying top dollar for the latest cleaning device means you’ve snagged the best one. I’ve spent the last two months testing some of the best (and most expensive) vacuums available, but when I woke up to find that one of my hanging planters had crashed to the ground during the night, I reached for my trusty Black + Decker Dustbuster. Right now, it’s on sale for just $49.
While robot vacuums are great for everyday surface cleans, big messes—like spilled potting soil—are best tackled with a handheld vacuum like this one. See for yourself: This is the plant catastrophe I woke up to find.
Curious to see how the robot vacuum would handle the situation, I powered it on. After waiting for it to make its way over to the mess, I was disappointed to see that it just moved the dirt around (left). Then I hit the pile of dirt with the Dustbuster, which sucked up the soil in no time. I was even able to navigate it into the small space between the cabinet and the wall to pick up all the stray specks of dirt (right). After that, I just ran a wet paper towel across the area, and my floor was spotless once again.
Here are even more reasons why I love my Black + Decker Dustbuster.
BUY IT: $48.99 (orig. $59.99); amazon.com
It’s easy to use.
You don’t have to download an app or learn to use any special features to operate this cordless handheld vacuum—just charge it and set it loose on your mess. The dustbin detaches at the touch of a button for easy emptying.
It’s lightweight but powerful.
There’s a reason this is my go-to vacuum for messes ranging from dog food crumbs to full-on my-planter-shattered catastrophes. At only 2.6 pounds, it’s super lightweight, but its suction is powerful. It even sucked up a few plant-drainage lava rocks that were part of the mess above.
