Until recent years, the weight of a vacuum cleaner was never considered a priority. We simply put up with these huge and heavy products. As we age, the typical domestic tasks we used to perform now seem to be a huge struggle and one of the main problems is keeping your house clean from dirt, dust and pet hair. Depending on how large your home is, housework can require a fair amount of stamina and that’s definitely not easy as we age! Reaching those shelves, stooping to wash floors, wiping, dusting, hoovering – you name it. The elderly may suffer from osteoporosis, arthritis, spinal stenosis or weak joints, so its important to minimise any impact on the base of the back as best as possible. Those with disabilities or mobility issues may also face challenges with housework.
Vacuuming can certainly take it out of you. 
We spend approximately 15 – 30 minutes vacuum cleaning our homes and it requires pushing and pulling at various angles. Upright vacuum cleaners are easier on the back, because the hoover stands upright to the handle is at arms length. Cylinder vacuum cleaners are small and sit on the floor, enabling you to pull around fairly effortlessly, but it does mean that you stoop to clean your home.
So what we are looking to buy is an upright vacuum cleaner that’s light in weight, has tools at your fingertips and is small enough to store away. You may also want to consider the bin capacity as a larger home may require emptying the bin more frequently.
Let’s take a look at the various models in the table below that we’ve reviewed and their respective features/specifications:
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What we suggest is an upright machine that’s approximately less than 6kg in weight. We’re left with the following models:
Although the bin capacity is slightly smaller than most of the other models, you probably won’t notice much difference. This model is compact and ideal for small homes, but the suction power is not as great (100AW compared to the average 200AW).
No adjustable height for this model (well, it is a cordless cleaner), so you’ll have to make do whatever your height. However, as with most cordless machines, the weight is on the very low scale. Ideal for a home that doesn’t see dusty shelves that often and doesn’t require various accessories.
Remember, the Vax U91LFB is cordless so it requires prior charging and will last for around 15 minutes. If you think you can vacuum your home in that time, then maybe this is the product for you as it’s easy to store, being fairly small in size (28cm in width).
A lightweight 4.6kg cordless cleaner which manoeuvres with exceptional ability. Simple to maintain and empty, plus easy to store. Two 20 volt lithium batteries are included, which gives you approximately 25 minutes of use each. Ensure you keep both charged.
One of the best models around by Vax. Powerful, yet easy to store with a huge 200 air watts of power.
The Vax U90MAR has a power lead of 10 metres, so if you need to easily get to areas of your home where plug sockets are scarce, this model may be best suited.
The Vax machines are the most powerful of this selection of upright vacuum cleaners (but if you prefer more power, the Dyson DC25 is better to use, but is more weighty at 7.4kg).
Thanks for this concise article on buying for the older generation. My mother turns 80 in a few months, so I’ve bought the Vax U91LFB as it’s ideal for storage and is pretty much the lightest (good) vacuum cleaner I’ve seen. I own a heavier Dyson and can honestly say tehy manufacturer some pretty good models.
Thank you for writing this article. The Vax machines have more power, so I would opt for one of those. The Dyson Slim is advertised all the time, but it has such low suction power (like with most cordless vacuums).
The DC25 is a superb vac and is one I would buy again if need be. Mine has been thrown around, down stairs a few times and has always remained perfect. I bought the additional brush with this one and I have found every element of the product to be well designed and well functioned.
Power lead lengths I feel are important as I cannot get to plug sockets easily in my house. There is only one available, so my vac needs to be able to get to the furthest corner.
Interesting article. As an elderly person, I can recommend a Dyson. They have served me well in the past and the one time I needed their help with a problem, they were very attentive.