Today, we keep our floors clean with vacuum cleaners and they may be found in nearly every household, and indeed, are generally taken for granted... A wide variety of them are available to us today of different types for different uses.

Most vacuum cleaners are supplied with various specialized attachments, tools, brushes and extension wands to allow them to reach otherwise inaccessible areas or to be used for cleaning a variety of surfaces.

Some examples of the type of vacuums available today:

• Upright vacuum cleaners have the pump mounted directly above the suction intake, with the bag mounted on the handle, which rises to about waist height. Upright designs usually employ mechanical beaters, often rotating brushes, to help disturb dust to be vacuumed up. There are two types of upright vacuums. On a single-motor upright, the beater brush is driven by the vacuum motor via belt which is more commonly used in homes, while on a dual motor upright, the vacuum and beater brush are driven by separate motors. The dual motor upright is very commonly used in commercial/industrial offices.
• Canister (or cylinder) designs have the motor and bag in a separate canister unit (usually mounted on wheels) connected to the vacuum head by a flexible hose. Although upright units have been tested as more effective (mainly because of the beaters), the lighter, more maneuverable heads of canister models are popular. Some up market canister models have "power heads", which contain the same sort of mechanical beaters as in upright units, although such beaters are driven by a separate electric motor.
• Wet vacuums or wet/dry vacuums—a specialized form of the canister vacuum—can be used to clean up wet or liquid spills. They commonly can accommodate both wet and dry spoilage; some are also equipped with a switch or exhaust port for reversing the airflow, a useful function scorner for easy collection.
• Back-pack vacuums are commonly used for commercial cleaning: they allow the user to move rapidly in large areas. They are essentially canister vacuum cleaners, except that straps are used to carry the canister unit on the user's back.
• Small hand-held vacuum cleaners, either battery-operated or electric, are also popular for cleaning up smaller spills.