What is the best hand-held vacuum cleaner and best value for money/ good quality vacuum storage bags?

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

My toddler is burying our flat under the crackers' crumbs so I need a good hand-held vaccum cleaner. Today I paid the price for a longer lie-in as she played next to me on my bed and there is crumbs galore there now. Brush and dust pan it is for tonight.

Also I have more and more a lot of clothes so I would like to store the winter ones now under the bed but I'm not sure what bags to buy. Does it matter at all? Are the cheapest the way to go or is there a special secret to them that I should be looking out for?

Bump. I thought this was a haven for hand hoover users . No, no one?

I'd like to know too!

Not a handheld exactly, but we have got a lightweight cordless upright one, which is fantastic for just swooshing round once or twice a day, the head swivels really well so it's brilliant for getting in between table and chair legs etc. I hardly use the big hoover now. It just sits in the corner on a charger when not in use.

Electrolux Unirapido

I am no domestic goddess but I have done a lot of putting away recently so I can try to answer the vacuum storage bags bit for you :)

I have used two types recently, firstly a kind where you sort of zip-lock the bag and then use a vacuum hose on a valve with a screw top. not recommended - they are a cellophaney sort of plastic and so I think have either cracked somewhere or the zip-lock hasn't lined up and isn't sealed no matter how much you suck out of it.

The ones I like are from Tesco and can best be described as a whoopee cushion sort of construction - no vaccuuming needed, you just seal the end then squeeze to expel air out of the fart end, which then flattens magically to seal. Made of strong, rubbery soft plastic too.

Oh, and as for the bags, avoid JML ones, they are crap. The best ones we have had are from Lakeland. I don't use them under the bed, I have plastic lidded crates for that as it is easier to slide them out, open them up and have a rummage, but use the bags for out of season and spare duvets (they go in the loft or on top of the wardrobe). They still re-inflate by themselves occasionally though.

x-posted - those Tesco ones sound good!

slightly weird description but these are the ones I mean. I have different sizes but that one is all that's showing on the website as far as I can see.

My parents have the dyson handheld and while it is expensive and on the large side, it is excellent. I have a dustbuster and it isn't worth bothering with compared to the dyson. I secretly hope somebody will buy me the dyson dc35 for Christmas [needtogetoutmoreemoticon]

under bed size

travel size

JML ones that WhoKnows mentions which I think are the ones I have found to be crap too!

Ps I have tried, but can't actually make fart noises from the tesco ones, sorry. Just in case you / DH / kids were looking forward to that

I've got the dyson hand held and I love it, it means I no longer freak out about my 15mo making mess as I can clean it up in no time. Wasn't cheap though, i think 130 or close to

Is this the dyson handheld?

www.johnlewis.com/231253633/Product.aspx

Quite pricy! Would have to start saving up for it. I think I need those Tesco vacuum storage bags too. I'm running out of space for my winter stuff too!

I have an Oreck Handheld (it came as an 'extra' with my Oreck upright but retails about £90 ish).
It's the one where the demonstator lifts a bowling ball (with a special adaptor).

I use it on stairs, corners where the dust bunnies gather and I took it on holiday (caravan) to clean mucky children debris and use on my vacuum bags.

WRT the bags- I bought from QVC .Can't remember the brand but check QVCuk.com.
The really jumbo ones are good for duvets,pillows and if you have lots of coats to store.

Thanks for the responses. That's more like it!

£100, £130?!

Unirapido does indeed look very sexy, however I think a hand-held cleaner is vital in case I will be never getting a car.

Hmmmm, the Tesco bags look good but I'm somehow disappointed that they will be no air sucking with a hoover. In regards to the farting sounds, I can see how such feature might appeal to some, we are a female only household and my DD is not amused by bodily sounds and neither am I .

But the vacuums' prices . I was hoping not to spend more than £60.

What about this one?

Hi OP
I have the VAX you linked to.
It?s ok and would be fine for crumbs and such.
It doesn't have a lot of suction though, just manages pet hairs.

Think it does what you would expect for the money. It's also not too heavy and easy to carry around.

I think the Dyson would be quite heavy and a pain to store, as it's big for a handheld. Not to mention the price difference.

The Unirapido is light as a feather and can be found for about £75 if you shop around. You're right about the cars though, our main hoover is a cylinder though and I park right by the front door which has a plug socket just inside so the main vac is fine for the cars in our case.

As for the bags, I normally use them upstairs, but the hoover lives downstairs, so you either have to lug the full (and heavy) bags down to the hoover and back up again, or lug the hoover up to the bags, unless you remember to do it while you are hoovering upstairs (and since I bought the unirapido the main hoover hasn't been upstairs) so I will definitely look out for farty bags next time I want some new ones

Are the Tesco ones a one use only? What if I wanted to put the clothes away for the summer and then take them out in the winter and out the summer clothes in the bag? Are the under the bed and travel size one a different product?

multi use, all diff sizes. the under bed one is sort of cube-like, and has a whoopee valve as well as a round vaccuumy valve too! I have just recently got four very fluffy feather pillows in it. The travel ones are flattish and will do a pile of tshirts for example. Or I think I got a set and a half of king size bedding in one of this.

i got my vacuum bags from john Lewis - still have not let any air in, moved to usa two yrs ago. Brilliant. Have bought Space vacuum bags in the USA and they are rubbish. I'm storing baby / toddler clothes until next baby.

I have the orange Vax one and is so much better than a Black and Decker one I had which was much more expensive. It sucks up crumbs etc no problem at all. The only thing I don't like about it is the cleaning out of the filter, you have to get your fingers right in there!