When we moved into our first caravan, we had to rethink our vacuum cleaner and choosing the right type took a little bit of research.
The best type of Vacuum Cleaner for caravan / RV living is the cordless handstick vacuum as it is extremely versatile, can do the whole space in one charge, has low power consumption and doesn’t need much storage space.
Things to think about for caravan / RV vacuuming
Before you dive right into choosing your vacuum, you should put some energy into thinking about the following points so you can select the right vacuum based on your circumstances.
- What is the area you will be cleaning and how often?
Our caravan / RV can be totally vacuumed in detail in less than 15 minutes. This includes going around the kid’s toys, the three dogs and the two children trying to help. - Do you have pets?
Pets create a lot of hair, and pet hair is particularly troublesome for some vacuums. If you have dogs or cats that shed their hair, you can count on needing to vacuum more often than once a week. - What storage space have you got available?
Storage space is a huge factor in a caravan and sometimes you have to compromise on performance - How much power do you have available
- What is your budget
Types of vacuum cleaners
To be honest, we had never really thought about how many types of vacuum cleaner there actually were before we moved to our caravan where having the right or wrong vacuum makes such a difference. Below
Upright – These are the traditional type where the unit is all in one. They are usually powered by mains power and are designed for large areas. Some of these vacuums can be suitable for cleaning your couch or car if they have a hose and attachments. Uprights take up a fair amount storage space and in most cases are overkill for a caravan / RV.
Canister – These vacuums have a main canister which does all the work while you hold the vacuum tube and head. Like the Upright, these are also mains powered and designed for large areas. Canister type vacuums can also be used for cleaning your couch/car. These aren’t as bulky as the upright but still, take a fair amount of space.
Handheld – These are the smallest type of vacuum and are typically designed for “spot treatment” vacuuming where you are just cleaning one spot rather than a whole home. These vacuums are much more portable since they are battery powered and very small to store but are not practical for cleaning a whole caravan as they do not come with a tube for vacuuming from a standing position.
Handstick – These are a cross between the Upright and the Handheld, as they function like an Upright but with the portability and versatility of the Handheld. They are portable since they are battery powered but as such do have a limited run time, suitable for cleaning your couch/car, and don’t take up much storage space. These are the ideal choice for caravan / RV living.
Robotic – We have a few of these out with mixed results. These are generally small units that will map out your home’s floor space and furniture and create a cleaning routine that will cover most of the space autonomously. These units are battery operated and more than capable of cleaning a small space in one charge cycle. Robotic vacuums are not suitable for cleaning your couch or car. When these work well, they are absolutely amazing but all too often we have come home to find “Mickey” our Samsung vacuum stuck after ingesting a mat or trying to mount one of the pedestal breakfast nook stools. One other thing robotic vacuums don’t like is kids toys and pets (who also don’t like them).
Storage places
When choosing a vacuum, you really need to put some thought into where you are going to store it. In most cases, people just to store their vacuum in the cupboard on the floor… the only problem is that when you live in a caravan, cupboard space comes at a premium.
One of the best things about handstick vacuums is that they can be wall mounted. Essentially you fix the charging station to the wall or inside a cupboard or behind a door and run the power cable to a power point. Having this charging station
With Dyson vacuums, the charging station comes as a nice neat little unit that can hold the additional attachments like the crevice tool or upholstery head. A place for everything and everything in its place. This charging station is also intelligent so you can leave your vacuum on the station and the station plugged in without having to worry about damaging the battery.
Prices
If you ask me, Dyson is like the iPhone of vacuum cleaner manufacturers. These units are sleek, very powerful and the aftersales service is second to none. We can personally vouch for this as we did have a problem with our Dyson Animal DC44 and Dyson sent us out a replacement part on two occasions and extended the warranty. Since then we have had no issues.
So, to compare prices of the different types of vacuums we will use a Dyson in each category. Obviously, there are plenty of other manufacturers and the prices vary considerably, but to keep everything as similar as possible we will stick to this brand.
Since Dyson
Type Model Suction Price US$ Price AU$
Upright Dyson Small Ball Multi Floor 141 Air Watts $399 $599.00
Canister Dyson Big Ball Original 252 Air Watts $399 $599.00
Handheld V6 Trigger 100 Air Watts $199 $249.00
Handstick Dyson V7 Cord Free 100 Air Watts $399 $599.00
Robotic LG Hom-Bot Unknown $499 $769
These Dyson prices have been taken from the Dyson website to provide the best comparison in terms of pricing.
Power Usage
One of the biggest things to consider when looking for new appliances for caravans, in particular vacuums and coffee machines, is power consumption. Large vacuums like the Canister and Upright types are designed for large areas and so are usually powered directly by mains power for higher performance. If you are like us and have an off-grid power supply, power usage is a big concern and vacuums like these bigger units can decimate your power resources.
To give you an example, most large vacuums consume around 1400W of power while being used.
So, if you use it for 15 minutes every week at a cost of 12 cents per kWh, you will consume 18.2 kWh of power and cost you about US$2.18 for the year.
In Australia, the same usage would cost you AU$4.73 for the year.
As you can see the cost of power isn’t the problem… it’s the need to deliver 1400W of power for fifteen minutes every week. If you live off
The same usage with a small handstick model like the Dyson animal, will run for 20 minutes (assuming you use a full charge) and then recharge for 3.5 hours at a power consumption of 21.4W. This total charge time will use a total of about 3.89 kWh and cost US$0.47 for the year. In Australia, the same consumption would cost AU$1.01
So instead of needing large amounts of power instantly, the battery-operated hand stick trickle charges the batteries over a long time. This is definitely not ideal if you are cleaning large areas like a suburban house, but if you are only needing it for your caravan or RV, it makes perfect sense.
One of the major differences between these two vacuums is the suction. The 1400W has twice the suction and so will deal with dirty environments or long pile carpets much more efficiently. But if you live in a caravan and want or need low power consumption, the handstick is the way to go.
Choosing a vacuum for caravan / RV living means you need to weigh up what your requirements are, what storage space you have available as well as your power and financial budget.
Our recommendation stands as the handstick type vacuum for almost all small space applications and in particular the Dyson brand. If you have any other suggestions for brands or if you have an experience different to ours with Dyson, leave a comment below.
Thanks for reading, happy Caravanning.
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