If a recent survey by Kenmore has it right, there are a lot of dirty floors in America. One in 10 of those asked said they're only prompted to vacuum when company is coming. And when they do vacuum, 49 percent of respondents said they skip areas under and behind furniture and only suck up the dirt they see. All the more reason to have a capable vacuum that easily dispatches dust and dirt.

Kenmore also found that more than a quarter of Americans dislike the muss and fuss of emptying bagless dust canisters. That's not surprising since doing so often scatters the debris right back into the air. To combat that, Kenmore is promoting its own bagged Intuition Upright 31200 upright vacuum, which was an excellent performer in Consumer Reports emissions tests. A recommended model, the Intuition was excellent at cleaning bare floors and very good at carpet. That is unless the carpet was embedded with pet hair, which the Intuition 31200 didn't completely remove. Kenmore's top-rated canister, the Intuition 28014, aced that test.

Of the 34 upright vacuum cleaners recommended by Consumer Reports, five are made by Kenmore. Our top three uprights include the Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Edition U6485-900, $230, the Miele S 7210 Twist, $475, and the Kirby Sentria, $1,350, which were excellent performers overall.

Kirby is a classic brand but the vacuum is expensive. And does paying top dollar sweeten a chore that starts at the ground floor? Not according to the Kenmore survey. More respondents said they would rather cut corners than clean them.