6 Best Vacuum Cleaners for Stairs in the UK (2024) (2024)

The V7 has replaced the excellent Dyson V6 series of vacuum cleaners – and we’re pleased to say it combines the V6’s powerful suction and array of excellent tools with several improved features.

What makes the V7 such an excellent cordless vac though?​ And which version is best for stairs?

The first thing that stands out is its lightweight design. Weighing just 2.3kg without tools, it’s a lightweight cordless vacuums so you won’t get tired carrying it on stairs.

There are currently three V7 models. The Animal is cheaper than the Total Clean, but still includes the motorised tool that’s great for cleaning carpeted stairs and upholstery. That’s why it’s our #1 pick for stairs. The Motorhead is the cheapest version, but doesn’t include the motorised tool.

Like all Dyson cordless vacuums, the V7 Animal is a bagless vacuum can be converted to a handheld by detaching the rigid tube. Unlike an upright vacuum’s hose, you can attach the floor tool directly to the handheld body, so you get full suction power. This feature is one of the main reasons why the Animal is our top pick for vacuuming stairs.

All V7 models are powered by Dyson’s V7 motor and a lithium-ion battery, which provides strong suction – especially for a cordless. The 30-minute run-time is also long enough for most cleaning tasks.

The tools are what make the range really stand out though. In particular, the direct-drive cleaner head is great for carpeted stairs. This floor head has tough bristles and a powered brush bar for digging deeper into carpets while providing decent edge cleaning.

Aside from the direct-drive cleaner head, the Animal includes a mini motorised tool. This is great for cleaning pet hair from carpets, but can also be useful for cleaning the upright section of steps and upholstery.

There’s no hard floor brush included with the Animal though, such as the head found on the V6 Fluffy or V7 Total Clean. The direct-drive head still does a decent job of cleaning hardwood flooring without scratching though.

Quick Summary: The V7 Animal is our top pick for a stair vacuum. The combination of powerful suction, innovative technology, excellent array of tools and handheld mode mean it makes quick work of dust, dirt, hair and any other debris on stairs. ​It’s also lightweight and cheaper than the V8 series (albeit with a shorter run-time).

Note: If your home has lots hardwood flooring, we recommend the Dyson V7 Total Clean instead. It includes all the tools you get with the Animal, but also comes with Dyson’s soft roller head. This is great for getting rid of both large debris and fine dust on hard floors.

One of our – and it also happens to be excellent for stairs.

At its core, the PV1820LGB is a cordless handheld with a 10-minute run-time. We found it provides surprisingly strong suction for a handheld vacuum – especially considering the price.

It picks up most debris with ease and is perfect for sprucing up your stairs between cleaning with a regular vacuum. The lack of a turbo tool means it’s less suited for pet hair than the Dyson V7 though.

One of the most interesting features of the Lithium Compact is the “pivot” design. This makes it easier to clean awkward areas, such as under sofas, above furniture and stairs. It can also do a decent job at cleaning car interiors – although it’s less powerful than the best car vacs and is too big to fit right under seats.

Due to its size and bagless design, the Black and Decker is lightweight and convenient to use. The 0.44 litre capacity isn’t the largest, but it’s not small for a handheld and is more than enough for quick cleaning jobs. The vac also has a built-in crevice tool and flip-down dusting brush, making it a versatile choice.

A downside is the noise output. It’s surprisingly loud for such a small and lightweight vacuum – although this is partly due to the powerful motor. We also found that it can feel quite heavy and bulky to hold, although this is less of an issue for short cleaning sessions.

Quick Summary:If you’re looking for a powerful and convenient handheld vacuum for stairs, the Black+Decker Lithium Compact Pivotis a great choice. It can handle dust, dirt and larger debris, while the pivoting design is great for cleaning awkward areas. The biggest downside is the lack of a pet turbo tool, which is why we don’t recommend it for pet owners.

Another excellent handheld cordless vacuum for stairs is the Worx Cube Vac WX030. As it’s a cordless handheld vacuum, the Worx is highly portable and great for tall stairs. We also love the built-in extendable hose, which is great for cleaning awkward locations.

Despite the striking and somewhat bulky appearance, the Worx is lightweight and easy to carry up and down stairs. There’s no powered brush bar, so don’t expect it to dig deep into carpet fibres, but the 20V battery generates plenty of suction for tackling most dirt and dust.

We particularly like the addition of an extendable hose. This is brilliant for cleaning difficult areas, including staircases and car interiors.

Aside from the extendable hose, the WX030 also has a crevice tool that’s handy for cleaning along the edges of steps. The 20V battery provides decent suction and allows for 25 minutes run-time before needing to recharge.

Finally, the Worx is easy to empty, due to its one-touch emptying system. This combination of convenience, cord-free design, retracting hose and great cleaning performance, makes it an excellent choice for stairs.

Note: This model replaces the Vax H85-GA-P18 on our list. While the Vax was better at cleaning pet hair, we think the Worx is the superior all-round vacuum cleaner.

Quick Summary:The Worx WX030 CubeVac is a great cordless handheld vacuum. While it can’t match the all-round cleaning performance of full-size handhelds, such as the Dyson V7 range, it’s lightweight and great for quickly cleaning stairs. The extendable hose also makes it easier to clean dirt from both carpeted and hard floor steps.

We’ve already mentioned that the average upright vacuum is difficult to use on stairs. The bulky and easy-to-topple design of uprights – not to mention short hoses and power cords – can make them a nightmare for stair cleaning.

That’s one of the reasons why the Vax Air Lift Steerable (the successor to the Vax U84-AL-Pe Air Lift) has a lift-out cylinder. This is designed to make above-floor and stair cleaning easier without sacrificing power – and it makes a big difference.

Let’s start with the most important feature (at least for stair cleaning): the lift-away design.

The cylinder of the vacuum can be lifted away from the floor head and carried separately. When used as a stair vacuum, this means you don’t need to balance a bulky floor head on each step. No upright is going to be as portable as a handheld vacuum, but the Air Lift is much easier to use on stairs.

While a lift-out cylinder is nothing new (Shark have many popular vacuums that do this), we love the Vax as a vacuum for stairs because of its all-round performance. It features a multi-cyclonic suction system, which achieved high test ratings for both carpet and hard floor pickup. It also has a turbo tool that’s great for getting rid of pet hair from carpeted stairs and upholstery.

At 6.2kg, the Vax is far from the lightest stair vacuum cleaner. It has a 1.5 litre capacity though, which is larger than many of the other vacuums, and the 10 metre cord is long enough to reach up almost any staircase.

There are a few drawbacks to this model though. While the lift-out canister is great for stairs and above-floor cleaning, it can’t match the mobility of a cordless vac. The Vax makes up for this with excellent suction power though. It’s also quite messy to empty – although this is an issue common to most bagless vacuums.​

Quick Summary:If you’re looking for an upright vacuum cleaner for general home cleaning that’s also great for stairs, the VaxAir Lift Steerable Pet is our top pick. It’s heavier than other vacuums for stairs, but provides strong carpet, hard floor, upholstery and pet hair performance, so it can be used everywhere in the home.

As we mentioned when talking about the Vax Air Lift, a removable canister can make cleaning stairs much easier. Assuming the canister is relatively light, a vacuum becomes much more manoeuvrable when the canister can be held separately.

Another vacuum cleaner with this feature is the excellent Shark NV681UKT. It’s an expensive vacuum, but has strong filtration, powerful suction and an easy-to-steer design. The brush bar is also powered even when the canister has been detached, so it’s effective at cleaning both carpeted and hardwood stairs.

Aside from the lift-away design, the Shark also has a powered pet brush attachment for removing hair. This is particularly useful for getting rid of pet hair on stairs. The handle has also been ergonomically design to be comfortable when cleaning. Like the Vax, however, it’s a relatively heavy stair vacuum at 6.1kg.

Quick Summary:The Shark NV681UKT is an excellent upright vacuum cleaner that excels at floor cleaning. The lift-away canister also makes it much better suited to cleaning stairs than other upright vacuums, while the pet tool attachment is great for hair.

If you’re looking for a lighter corded option than the Vax or Shark uprights on this list, the Shark DuoClean True Pet might be a good option.

It’s a corded stick vacuum that’s able to convert into a handheld (like the Dyson V6 and V8 range), so it’s great for cleaning both the horizontal and vertical parts of steps. It also comes with Shark’s excellent DuoClean technology for more effective dust and dirt pickup.

One of the best features of the HV390UKT, at least when it comes to stair cleaning, is that it can convert to handheld mode. ​While the handheld mode loses the powered floor head, you can attach the turbo pet tool for deep cleaning of carpets. A dusting brush and crevice tool are also included.

Like the other Shark vacuum on this list, the HV390UKT comes with a powered pet brush tool. If you struggle to get rid of hair stuck in carpeted stairs, this tool will quickly become indispensible.​

A bonus of the True Pet is that the stick design reduces its overall weight to just 4.8kg. It also has a relatively long 10 metre cord. If you want a lightweight vacuum that’s easy to carry up and down stairs, yet still has the versatility of an upright vacuum, it could be a great choice.

Quick Summary: If you want the floor cleaning performance of an upright with the convenience of a handheld, the Shark DuoClean True Pet HV390UKT is one of the best vacuum cleaners for stairs. It doesn’t quite have the suction power of the upright Vax or other Shark on this list, but the handheld mode makes cleaning stairs quick and easy.

The Gtech Multi Mk2 is one of our favourite handheld vacuums for stairs. Unlike many handheld models, it comes with a powered brush bar for more effective cleaning. It’s also lightweight and convenient to use on stairs.

Like the Gtech AirRam, the Multi Mk2 is built to a high-standard and looks great. It’s designed to be easy to use, with a simple emptying system and a washable filter. There’s even a headlight for illuminating dirt and dust – something which we found really useful during our review.

It’s not the most powerful vacuum on this list, but we found it performs well on most flooring types. We did find that it struggles on deep pile carpet though, which is something to keep in mind if you have a lot of this flooring in your home.

Despite this issue, the lightweight design makes it a brilliant choice for cleaning stairs, although the slightly awkward shape can be difficult to use in a car.

There are a few drawbacks to this model though. We don’t think it’s as powerful as the Dyson V7 Trigger and has a shorter 20-minute run-time. Some of the tools can also be stiff to detach, although this is a minor issue.

Quick Summary: If you want a powerful handheld vacuum for stairs, then the Gtech Multi Mk2 is a great choice. The Power Brush is effective on almost any floor type, while the crevice tool is useful for cleaning steps. It’s quite pricey compared to most handheld vacs though.