10 Vacuum Attachments You Should Own (and How to Use Them)
October 23rd, 2022
Those brushes and doohickeys that you hook up to your vac: What do they do, and how well do they work? These must-have accessories will get every nook and cranny clean.
Take Advantage of Vacuum Attachments
Vacuum attachments can turn a carpet-cleaning machine into an all-purpose dust and dander eliminator around the home. You probably have a few of these add-on gadgets lying around your home—do you really know what they’re supposed to do? Get the scoop on the real uses for the brushes that came with your machine, and discover some accessories you don’t have but should that will make home maintenance a heck of a lot easier.
1. Reach Farther
How it works: Standard versions of this telescopic wand to your upright’s hose, so you can reach high fan blades, light fixtures, air vents, door frames, or the top of a tall piece of furniture—no stepladder climbing (or countertop scaling) required. It allows you to keep your arms close to your body, preventing strain and fatigue.
Other uses: Dropped coins or jewelry between the couch cushions? Stretch a piece of nylon panty hose over the opening to suck up small items and retrieve them without getting them stuck in the machine.
RELATED: Should You Dust or Vacuum First?
Fit All Telescopic Wand With Quick Connect Ending Just $39.99
2. Mattress Refresher
How it works: Move this piece in short strokes, section by section, to pick up lint, dirt, and allergens from a mattress surface.
Other uses: It doubles as an upholstery tool for large pieces of furniture, like sofas and daybeds.
Miele SMD 10 Mattress Tool Just $16.99
3. Radiator Brush
How it works: This stiff-bristle piece fits over the crevice tool of Miele vacuums and is thin enough to wedge between home radiator fins for fast, effective cleaning. (Once a year is the pros’ recommendation.) If your machine isn’t a Miele, use a bottle brush to dislodge the debris, then suck it up with your vacuum’s dusting tool.
Other uses: Run it over refrigerator coils and vent slats. The bristles make quick work of stubborn buildup.
Miele SHB 30 Radiator Brush Just $16.99
4. A Brush for Dust
Identify a dust brush attachment by its circular or rectangular shape and long bristles. As the name suggests, this attachment is designed for dusting. Its long, soft hairs are gentle and won’t scratch surfaces. Use it on furniture, blinds, lampshades, workbenches, window screens or the dashboard of the car. Dirt and dust will cling to the bristles and get sucked into the open center of the brush.
Other uses: Dust air vents and refrigerator coils, chair and table legs, the inset panels of doors and cabinets, and small decorative pieces, like clocks and bookends.
Note that this attachment is suitable for workshop vacs, and has a larger diameter collar than most household vacuum wands.
Sebo Dusting Brush for D-Series – 8146ER Just 22.99
5. Corner Cleaner
This might be the most familiar vacuum attachment on the list. The narrow, angled crevice tool should be the go-to vacuum accessory for cleaning areas that the vacuum is too bulky to reach. Slide it along baseboards, between vents, and in other tight corners to pick up dust and debris. You can also use this attachment to clean under couch cushions.
How it works: Grab debris from tight spots, like baseboard edges and under the front of the oven, the washer, and other appliances.
Other uses: Suction out smaller spots, too. Clear dust from a doorjamb, dirt from a window track, cobwebs from corners, crumbs from car seats, and debris lodged in tufted upholstery.
Pro tip: For a more thorough room cleaning, run the crevice tool along the perimeter before your usual vacuuming routine on the rest of the floor.
Karcher 11.4″ Crevice Tool Just $15.9
6. Give High-Power Grooming
Have a furry friend with lots of hair to spare? Pet owners should consider adding this attachment kit to their collection of grooming tools. Brush your dog with a groom tool. It suctions up fur so the hair doesn’t gunk up your brush—or your sofa. The rubber-bristle brush is meant to help keep a pet’s hair soft and attach to a vacuum tube to suck hair directly from the brush to the vacuum canister.
Wessel-Werk Pet Vac-N-Groom Attachment JUST $14.99
7. Step It Up
The turbo brush attachment is perfect for when you need more power than a bare-floor attachment and less heft than a full-blown vacuum. With both a rotating head and rotating bristles, it can provide a deep clean for hardwood floors and many stairs without the need to lug the vacuum up every step.
Turbocat / Air Driven Power Head Just $179.95
8. Hard floor Sweeper
Make quick cleanup of big rooms with hard floors or other surfaces with a large brush attachment. Use the hardwood floor brush to clean smooth flooring without worrying about scratches or scuffs. Its soft bristles glide over hardwood, tile, and linoleum, sucking up dirt and dust as it goes along. Use the dusting brush to clean any surface from floor to ceiling. Whether it’s the windowsill, the baseboards, or the ceiling fan, the dusting brush has got you covered. You can even add it to the end of the wand for added height!
Other uses: Run it over low-pile rugs to clean them without the risk of the rug material getting sucked into the machine.
Electrolux Floor Brush Renaissance Just $64.95
9. Vacuum the Dryer Vent
If cleaning the clothes dryer’s vent never occurred to you, put this important home maintenance task on your to-do list right away—doing so will prevent fires and higher utility costs. With the right tool, cleaning the dryer vent can be a snap. This handy vent-cleaning kit has a flexible hose and guide wire to remove lint remaining in the machine’s vent filter and wall connection. It’s narrow enough to pull lint from nearly any part of the appliance and from clogged outdoor vents or even under furniture. The adapter fits vacuum wands up to nearly 2.5 inches in diameter. Just be sure to check the narrow tube every few minutes for clogs, then slide it back in.
10. Reach Under Low Furniture
Maybe it’s only when the sun hits just right that all the dust under the stove or refrigerator shows up, and moving the appliance to get to it is not a fun prospect. With a flat vacuum attachment, it’s much easier to reach under the fridge and back to the wall. At 36 inches long when straightened, this flat tool can get behind bedroom headboards and low furniture, too. It’s made to fit 1.25-inch vacuum wands and is an easy, sometimes-used tool to stow away between cleanings.
Under Fridge Cleaning Tool Flat Vacuum Attachment Just $48.06
