Generally, when people think of car vacuum cleaners an image of a small handheld such as the H-Handy or an industrial size vacuum cleaner comes to mind.
This is likely because the car is away from the house or you're getting the car cleaned at a car washing and valeting centre, so this makes sense.
But, an upright with long reach can be an excellent corded vacuum cleaner for cars and can often surpass a handheld and save you a trip to the car wash.
Our range of Hoover uprights have a detachable hose to use instead of the floor head, which is nimble enough to get into all sorts of nooks and crannies in your vehicle. Couple this with powerful corded suction, crevice and upholstery tools, HEPA filters and a large capacity bin and you've got a fantastic car cleaning solution that will give a deep clean.
You may already have one and never considered using it or may be in the market for a car vacuum and looking at options.
How to use an upright Hoover as a car vacuum cleaner
Measuring the distance
The biggest obstacle to using a corded upright for car cleaning is reaching the car in the first place. Hoover uprights have a surprisingly long reach both through the cord and the hose. Here are the reaches of our upright models:
- Upright 300 - Cord length - 8.1m, hose length 2m, total reach 10.6m (with accessories)
- H-Upright 500 - Cord length - 10m, hose length 4.5m, total reach 15m (with accessories)
- Upright 700 Lift-Out - Cord length - 8, hose length 1.5m, total reach 10m (with accessories)
With these measurements on hand, you can measure the distance from the closest power outlet to your car to see if the upright can reach. Be sure to leave some wiggle room for the hose to reach every part of the vehicle for a deep clean.
Another reason to allow some wiggle room is to ensure there's enough slack in the cord or hose so that the upright doesn't topple over when it's in situ from being pulled. Always ensure it is safely positioned and on a flat surface.
15 meters is the same length of a large transport truck, the length of 3 average SUVs or 5 parking spaces for scale.
If you have a driveway at your home or park on the street within distance then an upright vacuum cleaner can surprise you with its ability to deep clean a car.
Benefits of using an upright on your car are:
- Never run out of battery power
- Superior suction power (in most cases)
- Large capacity bin
- HEPA filter to trap allergens
- Plenty of tools for hard to reach places and upholstery
Using the tools
The floor head of an upright can't be used as it's impractical but the hose can be detached which is perfect for a vehicle's tight spaces, the handiest tool for the hose is the crevice tool which can clean the foot wells, seats and tight gaps. The dusting tool can be used to clean up the upholstery and hard surfaces.
Thanks to the strong suction power and the fact that it's corded you can take as long as you need.
Lastly, for anyone who regularly takes their pets in the car with them, take a look at an upright that has a turbo pets brush which can help pick up pet hairs before sucking them into the bin. Pet hairs are notoriously stubborn to pick up with suction alone.