RV Vacuums – The Good, Bag and Under-Powered

Nikki Wynn

Apr 30, 2014 — 4 min read

After years of RV travel, constantly building up dirt and trying every machine powered device to suck it up, I have come to a conclusion: No single vacuum is perfect for an RV, but some come close.

Some are good (enough), some require the dreaded (dare I say old fashioned) bag and others loose (or never had) enough suction power. Here is a breakdown of my RV vacuum trial and tribulations…the good, the bag and the under-powered.

The Good

Shark – This little guy is hard to beat for under $100. The attachments were functional, it kept the pet hair at bay and, after a year of use it still had good suction power (not amazing, but good enough). Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1OG4tRy

Dyson – They makes some great vacuums…if only they weren’t so darn expensive! We first tried to get away with our standard upright (cleaned great) but was way too bulky for the tiny and oddly shaped areas in the RV. If you’re looking for a good vacuum for your house, this one is excellent! Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1nGK0mT

Animal – We finally broke down and got one of these guys. It has a cord but it works like a champ on all the cat hair and obscene amount of dust we seem to collect Wild Camping all the time! The attachments are great and it gets in all the tiny awkward spaces in our RV and Smart Car. Not to mention it has not lost any of it’s awesome sucking power. Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1OG5f0J

Digital Slim – We also looked into the cordless option, but I like the flexibility of the canister vacs. For us in the RV we really need the multi-function action of a canister and it’s flexible hose that can go in more places. (and you’d be surprised how quick 20-30min of cleaning time goes by). However, we know of fellow RV’ing friends who love this vacuum. Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1ngwiGw

The Bag

Roy came equipped with a Dirt Devil Central Vacuum to which I have mixed feelings about: It’s a very love-hate relationship. The “35ft” hose can be clunky and just barely makes it to the front of our coach (so any RV over 32ft long and you’ll need an extension that doesn’t exist).

It has decent suction power and 3 out of the 5 attachments are handy: The dusting, selectable rug/floor (really only works well for floors), and crevice tools are great. The rugrat (so called) powerbrush is useless. It is terrible on carpet and does more damage to the fibers than picking up any dirt. I have yet to find a good use for the upholstery tool. For what little upholstery we have, the dusting tool does a better job at picking up pet hair.

Then there is the bag that needs replacing (for us about every 2-3 months). This isn’t that big of a deal but seriously, is this 1980? No, we now live in the age of cleanable filters and bagless vacuums. All in all, it gets the job done and came with Roy. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t purchase and install one.

That being said…We did make this quick demonstration video for Fleetwood. So, keep in mind this video isn’t intended to be my personal opinions, it’s strictly informational if you’re curious to see it in action. Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1nGLsFC

The Under-powered

Bissel – Out of the gate this little guy impressed us (especially for $35). The battery would last 2 weeks worth of daily sweep/vacuuming and picked up a ton of dirt and pet hair. Sadly after about six months of use it started really loosing battery power and suction to the point of unusable. If you’re the occasional RV’er, this inexpensive vacuum could work great but not ideal for full time use. Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1ngxb1T

Black and Decker – This cordless worked fine for the first six months then quickly started losing suction. Before we reached a year of use the battery was so weak, you were lucky to get 2 solid minutes out of it. Also, with no real floor cleaning option, it was best for small areas/furniture and not ideal for full coach cleaning. Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1WFW6s6

Of course, this isn’t every vacuum option out there, just the ones I have personally used and tested. It’s an ongoing search for the perfect cleaning companion. So, if you have a vacuum that has stood the test of time and nomadic abuse, for the love of all things fresh and clean, share in the comment box below!