Regardless of your age, you need to keep your home clean always. And even seniors and elderly people are no exception to this.

Using a vacuum cleaner is one of the easiest ways to get rid of dirt on your carpet. This tool uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum that sucks up dust and dirt, usually from floors as well as other surfaces, such as draperies and upholstery.

Seniors can also use vacuum clean their homes. But not every vacuum cleaner out there is suitable or safe for seniors. Because of their age, seniors are not as physically fit as younger people and are unable to carry heavy objects. This explains why they should use only lightweight vacuum cleaners.

What are lightweight vacuum cleaners?

Lightweight vacuum cleaners are vacuum cleaners that weigh around 8 pounds or less. This reduced weight makes them an excellent choice for the elderly who have weak bones.

Lightweight vacuum cleaners are very easy to carry and manipulate around the home. So, seniors living alone can use them without assistance.

What to look for when buying vacuum cleaners for seniors

As with every other beneficial product, vacuum cleaners of different makes and brands abound in the market. But before making your choice, it’s important to consider these important features.

• Bagged or bagless: Bagged vacuum cleaners are cheaper, but require continuous replacement of the bags. They also have higher capacities and are more hygienic. Bagless vacuum cleaners, on the other hand, last longer but are more expensive but last longer. Some of them even have anti-bacterial agents to help keep them clean, and this makes them ideal for allergy sufferers.
• Filtration: This is a very critical feature to be considered by allergy sufferers or asthmatics. Filtration determines the percentage of dust particles that escape into the air from the vacuum exhaust. There are different types and some are more effective or sophisticated than the others.
• Cord or cordless: Cordless vacuum cleaners are typically lighter in weight than corded vacuum cleaners and are easier to operate. However, they are powered by batteries, and this limits their operation time.
• Size: Be sure to choose a vacuum cleaner that is big enough to cover the area to be cleaned within a short period of time. Smaller vacuum cleaners come with small bags, which means you’ll have to empty them more frequently.
• Full indicator: This tells you when the dust collector is full or getting full. With this feature you won’t have to open the vacuum cleaner to check how full it is.
• Capacity: It’s very important to check your cleaner’s dust capacity before purchase. The higher the capacity, the less time you spend emptying the drum or changing the bag.
• Attachments and brushes:Different attachment and brushes make it easy to manipulate cleaning of various surface types. For example, you will need a crevice nozzle for narrow corners and surroundings of chairs and an upholstery brush for curtains and soft furnishings. These are however found in most vacuum cleaners.
• Telescopic wand: A telescopic wand is adjustable, so you can adjust it to suit your height. With this, you won’t have to bend too low or struggle with a longer wand while using your vacuum cleaner.
• Adjustable head height:This allows you to clean different surfaces with different pile heights, floorboards and tiles.

Best lightweight vacuum cleaners for seniors (review)

With tens of hundreds of vacuum cleaner brands and models available, making the right choice when shopping for a lightweight vacuum cleaner can be overwhelming.

However, we’ve painstakingly helped you scour the market for some of the best lightweight vacuum cleaners for seniors based on buyer opinions, brand trust, durability, and other factors that matter. And here are the four best options we came up with.

1. Oreck XL Classic Upright Vacuum Cleaner Lightest Weight 8 LBS (U2200HHS)

The Oreck XL Classic Upright Vacuum cleaner sports a double-helix roller brush that whirls approximately at 6,500 rpm. It has a helping hand handle for comfort, a Sani-Seal® system that automatically seals the vacuum bag shut as it is removed for easy disposal, a cord guard, edge brushes, an On/Off switch at the base of the machine and a 25-inch power cord. It weighs about 8 pounds and is handy.

In our opinion, the Oreck XL Classic Upright Vacuum cleaner is the most suitable vacuum cleaner for seniors and elderly people due to its weight and ergonomic aspects.

>>> Click here to learn more about the Oreck XL Classic Upright Vacuum Cleaner

2. Oreck Commercial XL2100RHS 8 Pound Commercial Upright Vacuum

The Oreck Commercial 8 Pound Commercial Upright Vacuum Cleaner features a 12-inch wide cleaning head, which covers a wider area and leaves no center dirt path. It also has a powerful, high-speed and balanced double helix brush that whirls at 6,500 rpm.

There is a cord guard which prevents cord damage, a clear non-marring bumper and a fingertip-controlled on/off switch. It also has an automatic floor adjustment that enables the vacuum cleaner to move between carpets as well as hard surfaces without changes to the manual settings, and it weighs just about 8.2 pounds.

>>> Click here to learn more about the Oreck Commercial 8 Pound Commercial Upright Vacuum Cleaner

3. Bissell 9595A Vacuum with OnePass

The Bissell 9595A Vacuum Cleaner features the OnePass Technology with powerful suction and an innovative brush design.

It also has a simple empty dirt-tank, a multi-level filter, a washable foam filter and turbo brush tool for stairs or furniture. The premium attachments provide faster and efficient cleaning. But it’s a bit heavy at 15.1 pounds.

>>> Click here to learn more about the Bissell 9595A Vacuum Cleaner

4. Anker HomeVac Duo 2-in-1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

A versatile tool, the Anker HomeVac Duo 2-in-1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is lightweight and can easily be maneuvered. This makes it ideal for light-duty clean-up jobs of carpets or hardwood floors.

It features a washable bag-less system, an HEPA-style filter, and an advanced cyclonic system. It is powered by a 2000mAh lithium-ion battery, which delivers almost half an hour of constant, fade-free suction power.

>>> Click here to learn more about the Anker HomeVac Duo 2-in-1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

Why are lightweight vacuum cleaners ideal for seniors?

As age sets in, the typical domestic tasks carried out by elders in their youthful age previously now seems like a tough task.

One of these tasks is keeping the house clean, especially from dirt and dust, which can be time-consuming, depending on how big your home is.

Most seniors and elderly people are battling with health conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, weak joints, and so on. And using heavy vacuum cleaners can aggravate these conditions.

So, it is important to choose lightweight vacuum cleaners for seniors, as these require less energy to use and cause very minimal impact at the base of the  back.