By the Numbers: When it comes to vacuuming, it's not a man's world

February 4, 2010 1:21 PM

74 percent

Women say they do most of the vacuuming.

Number of women who said they were the primary vacuum user in their home, according to a survey of about 5,000 ConsumerReports.org subscribers on vacuum buying and use. The survey was conducted in November 2009 by the Consumer Reports National Research Center and is featured in our March 2010 report on vacuums (story and ratings available to subscribers; when you're ready to shop, find the best place to buy a vacuum).

Not all guys out there are vacuum slackers—44 percent of male respondents said they were the main vacuum user at home. Among some of the other findings from our vacuum survey

• Eighty-nine percent of the respondents who purchased an upright vacuum and 75 percent of those who bought a canister model in the past three years said carpet cleaning ability was very important in their buying decision.

• Reliability was very important to 81 percent of upright shoppers and 87 percent of canister shoppers.

• Overall, one-third said price was paramount.

• Vacuum use varied widely. Nine percent of respondents used their vacuum every day; 47 percent, once or twice a week; 27 percent, several times a week; and 17 percent, one or two times per month or less often.

• More than 60 percent of respondents had at least one complaint about their vacuum. Dirt escaping from bagless vacuums when emptying was the biggest gripe, followed by cumbersome tools, weight, and noise. And while 61 percent of respondents rated their vacuum's carpet cleaning as excellent, only 39 percent said the same for ease of use.

However, 72 percent of respondents were completely or very satisfied with their machines. If you're a vacuum fanatic and want to details the pros and cons of your cleaner, join in on the discussion in our active, engaging vacuum forums.

Comared to respondents bought uprights, those who bought canisters rated them as better when cleaning hardwood floors and gave higher ratings to their powerful tools, although canister owners gave lower ratings for ease of use.

—Gian Trotta

Essential information: If you have an early case of spring fever and are looking for things to do around the house, get an early start on spring cleaning, a chore where the products in our brand-new report on carpet cleaners and carpet-stain removers might come in handy.