They are thicker and fluffier than normal, alternative carpets. This can be a challenge for a mainstream vacuum.
Why? Because high pile carpets and their fibers trap a lot more dust, a lot more dirt, and a lot more debris.
Thick carpet is also more sensitive and there’s more of it to maintain than a low pile or with hardwood floors. They can become damaged by dirt build-up and flattened down by unsuitable vacuum cleaners.
So it’s probably a good thing that there are vacuum cleaners specifically suited to cleaning high pile carpet.
And it’s an even better thing that the best vacuums for high pile carpets are right here in a handy list.
High Pile Carpets VS Low Pile Carpets: An Overview
When we talk about carpet pile, we mean the material of the carpet.
Low pile carpets have shorter loops of thread and typically feel rougher underfoot.
High pile carpets have longer loops of thread and are softer and stereotypically fluffier. They are thick carpets, which have their upsides but also their downsides.
High pile carpet threads measure in at just over half of an inch. Low pile carpet threads measure just above or below a quarter of an inch.
Low pile carpets are definitely easier to clean and vacuum than high pile carpets.
The Eureka NEU182A is an upright vacuum cleaner, but it is also exceptionally lightweight for this type of model.
It has a large dust cup and five different height adjustments for the brush roll, making it perfect for a variety of floor types.
Why it’s Great for High Pile Carpets
Upright Vacuum Cleaner
The upright allows you to maneuver easily over the high pile carpet with the brush roll. It is easier to use, and you can reach a deeper clean on that stubborn dirt.
Five Height Adjustment
You can adjust the height for the perfect cleaning power on a high pile carpet. There are also four other settings that aren’t relevant to this guide.
4.1 Liter Dust Cup
A 4.1-liter dust cup is what you’d expect from an upright vacuum cleaner. It is an outstanding capacity and big enough to vacuum several high pile carpets without having to empty them.
Pros
Lightweight- You may expect an upright vacuum cleaner to be heavyset. Well, you will be pleasantly surprised by how light this one feels. It manages to be heavy-duty enough to deep clean high pile carpets, while only weighing a surprising 10 lbs.
Plenty of Accessories- You get a crevice tool, an upholstery tool, and a dusting brush. They are all stored on the upright vacuum body, so easy access whenever you need them.
Cons
The Filter-The filter is a foam filter and is washable. However, there’s nothing that beats a HEPA air clean filter and, therefore, the Eureka comes up short.
Hoover windtunnel3 is an upright vacuum with pets in mind. It has a 40-inch cord that can be plugged into any mainstream power source.
Hoover WindTunnel max capacity for the dust cup is just under 2 liters, and the brush can be adjusted to four different height settings.
Why it’s Great for High Pile Carpets
Pet Turbo Tool
A pet turbo tool draws out pet hairs, specifically stubborn long pet hairs that may become entrenched in your carpet fibers.
High pile carpets have a lot of these fibers, so naturally, there is more chance of accumulating more pet hair in the loops and weaves.
Dust Tool
A dusting tool picks up the dust that your vacuum cleaner might otherwise miss, especially on a high pile carpet where there is more space for dust to gather. A dusting tool is always useful for thick carpets.
HEPA Filter
A HEPA filter is considered to be the best vacuum filter. They enable the vacuum cleaner to maintain suction power for longer and pick up more from the air and the floor than other filters would.
Pros
Windchannel 3 Technology- Windchannel3 technology describes the three different suction settings of the vacuum cleaner. Three different suction power settings allow for a more bespoke clean.
Easy to Move- Every single bit of this vacuum is easy to move around. You can reach up high with the super long suction hose, and you can dust in corners with a pivoting dust brush tool. The long cord also adds to the picture, making it so that you don’t have to unplug and re-plug between rooms.
Cons
Dust Cup Capacity- The dust cup, in our opinion, could be bigger. It seems a bit contradictory to make a vacuum with such a long cord designed for multiroom cleaning in one go, to then have a contrastingly small dust cup which would need emptying more often.
A really powerful upright vacuum cleaner with a self-cleaning brush roll and plenty of attachments. The powerful suction can handle a lot of dirt before needing emptied and a long power cord. It deals really well with pet hair as well.
Overall, it is one of the best vacuums for high pile carpets and thick carpets around.
Why it’s Great for High Pile Carpets
HEPA Filter
The HEPA filter combined with the anti-allergen seal makes this is a very worth vacuum cleaner. It targets dust like no other and provides a deep clean for a high pile carpet.
It’s also nice to see a HEPA filter on an upright vacuum.
Self-Cleaning Brush Roll
The self-cleaning brush roll is always a bonus. It means that pet hair and similar won’t get tangled and caught up leading to blockages and slowing down the cleaning process.
Pros
Detachable Cleaning- You can remove the canister of the upright vacuum to make it a detachable independent cleaning device. This is great for cleaning smaller areas, such as the stairs.
It Glides- We’ve all had tough pushing vacuum cleaners. This is not the case with the Shark AZ2002. It is built with technology to make it glide across all types of floor including, in our interest, thick carpet. You can focus on the deep cleaning rather than putting your energy into dragging the vacuum around the room.
Cons
Attachment Storage- This is a little picky, but we found it annoying that you can’t store all of the provided attachments on the vacuum itself. It makes it a little inconvenient.
Great for Allergies-There is an allergen seal on the bag of the vacuum. This is designed to keep allergen dust, dirt, pollen, and other things that may cause allergies to flare up inside the bag and therefore inside the vacuum. Not every canister vacuum has this feature, and it is actually desirable for high pile carpets as there is so much more that can be trapped in them.
Whole Package- Miele C3 canister vacuum comes with its own brand, great quality, dust bags, filter protectors, HEPA filter, and five accessories.
Cons
A Little Heavy- Vacuuming is a workout in its own right. So you don’t want to feel like you have pulled a muscle by the time you’ve finished a cleaning session. The heaviness of this vacuum is the only thing that marks it down.
A cordless stick vacuum powered by a lithium-ion battery, which gives better suction power than other alternative batteries. It is very lightweight and can be stored away really easily, making it all in all very convenient.
Why it’s Great for High Pile Carpets
Flexible
The stick can rotate, dip and swirl. Those hard-to-reach areas, such as under the sofa, don’t have to be missed out because Bissel just slips right under and cleans with the same power as the floor area.
Brush Roll
The brush roll is designed to cope with a variety of flooring, including high pile carpet and hard floors. Not many stick vacuums can cope with high pile carpets so, it’s great to find one that caters to thicker threads.
Pros
Long Cleaning- This particular vacuum cleaner can last for around 40 minutes on a fully charged battery. That is more than the average time a person spends vacuuming their rooms.
LED- Another great feature that we come across rarely. LED lights highlight all the dirt and small particles that your eyes might miss without them. They help you get a deeper clean and make sure you don’t miss anything that may damage the air quality.
Cons
Hard to Clean- The vacuum is hard to empty of hair and dirt. The dust cup is quite straightforward, but removing pet hair and other debris from the brush roll can be a pain.
Best Vacuums For High Pile Carpet Buying Guide
The Different Types of Vacuum Cleaner
Upright Vacuum Cleaner
Upright vacuum cleaners are vacuums that stand, you guessed it, upright. They are normally corded but can be cordless, and similarly, they can be either bagged or bagless.
Upright vacuum cleaners tend to have the best suction power and last the longest out of the other types of vacuum cleaners.
They often come with accessories that attach to the detachable hose, such as a crevice tool and dusting brush.
Upright cleaners are great for high pile carpets.
Canister Vacuum Cleaner
A canister vacuum is a medium-sized, floor-bound machine. It has a canister-style body with a long and flexible hose.
Everything that makes the vacuum go is inside the canister including the bag, filter, and motor.
Canister vacuums are usually bagged, but you can get cylinder vacuums which are the same design with a transparent cylinder instead of the opaque bagged body.
They have decent suction power, which can rival that of the upright vacuum. They also have a good capacity for dirt extraction.
These vacuums can do a good job of cleaning high pile carpets.
Pet Vacuum Cleaner
Thick carpets are hotbeds for pet hair. Vacuuming thick carpets full of pet hair can be an arduous task. Enter, the pet vacuum cleaner.
These types of vacuum cleaners are designed with enough suction power to successfully remove pet hair otherwise resistant to other cleaners.
Pet vacuums are typically upright models but can be in stick vacuum form and canister as well. Though you may not get as powerful of a clean with other designs.
Pet vacuums are well suited to high pile carpets.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner
A robot vacuum takes care of the vacuuming for you. It is a small-ish, normally circular AI device. You can program cleaning paths and cleaning schedules and leave them to their work.
The newer, more modern devices have decent suction power for a big of a higher price. Given their size, they don’t have the biggest storage capacity for the things they pick up.
Most models of robotic vacuum cleaners aren’t suited to a high pile carpet.
Handheld Vacuums
Handheld vacuums are small vacuums that you can grip in your hand. They are used to clean cars, stairs, furniture, and small messes such as a few biscuit crumbs on the carpet.
They are cordless and therefore battery powered and require charging. Because they are small, they are not as powerful as other vacuum cleaners.
They are extremely portable and convenient, even if they don’t have the same suction power as alternate models.
Handheld vacuums won’t give an overall clean to a high pile carpet, but they will do just fine for little messes in thick thread.
Cordless Stick Vacuum
Cordless stick vacuums are upright vacuums that are extremely lightweight. They are battery-powered with a smaller capacity for dirt than other traditional vacuum cleaners.
They look like a long tube-like stick with a dirt canister attached. This can often be removed to use as a handheld vacuum.
The suction power depends on how much charge the battery has, i.e. a full battery will yield a stronger suction than one that is only half charged.
Cordless stick vacuums might not be the best choice for high pile carpets. Though they are great for smaller messes and a lighter clean.
Cord and Cordless Vacuum Cleaners
Vacuum cleaners come either with a cord and therefore require a power source, or cordless and require battery charging instead.
Cordless Vacuum Cleaner PRO List
Lightweight
Easy to Move
Go anywhere
Cordless Vacuum Cleaner CON List
Low Battery = Low Suction
Weaker Suction Overall
Smaller Dust Bin
Corded Vacuum Cleaner PRO List
Big Dust Bin Capacity
Strong Suction Power
No need to Charge
Corded Vacuum Cleaner CON List
The Cord gets in the Cleaning Path
Can be Heavy
Corded vacuums tend to be canister vacuums, upright vacuums, and some pet vacuums.
Cordless vacuums tend to be robotic vacuums, stick vacuums, and handheld vacuum cleaners.
Bagged and Bagless Vacuum Cleaners
Bagged VS Bagless Vacuum Cleaners – Which To Pick?
The bag, or absence of bag, is where everything that the vacuum sucks up goes to rest. In bagless models, this is known as a dust cup or a cylinder.
Well, the truth is that there are advantages to both bagged and bagless vacuums. That being said, bagless vacuums seem to be gaining popularity over bagged vacuum cleaners. These are the types we see more and more of.
Bagged Vacuum Cleaner PRO List
Less Mess when Emptying
Less Effort
Last Longer between Emptying
Bagged Vacuum Cleaner CON List
Bag Changes
Bag Purchases
Bagless Vacuum Cleaner PRO List
No Extras to Buy
Clear ‘Full’ Indication
Simple Emptying
Better for the Environment
Bagless Vacuum Cleaner CON List
Mess Potential while Emptying
More Contact with Dirt
Vacuum Cleaner Suction Power
Suction power can be measured by air watts or AW, or it can be measured by Pa or Pascal Pressure Unit.
The figure varies from vacuum to vacuum.
For high pile carpet, you need a vacuum that describes a powerful suction. This is any number above 100 AW and 900 Pa.
Best Filter for High Pile Carpet Vacuum Cleaner
We thought we should dedicate a little informational section to the HEPA filter, and all its wonders.
The HEPA filter is top of the list when it comes to picking a filter.
Why We Love it for High Pile Carpet
Long-Lasting – 2 to 3 years life span.
Washable
Traps Allergens as well as dust
More powerful
Vacuum Cleaner Accessories
Vacuum cleaner accessories are things like a crevice tool, a dusting brush, a pet power brush tool, and an upholstery tool.
Crevice Tool
A crevice tool is great for reaching all the small places you would struggle to get the vacuum hose. They are normally flexible enough to bend and weave and go wherever you need them to go.
Things you can clean with a crevice tool include behind the radiator, deep down into the couch cushions, and forgotten dust-filled corners.
Dusting Brush
Dusting brushes are for reaching the dust that your vacuum can’t reach. They are typically circle brushes with soft brush fibers.
You can use these on ceiling corners, baseboards, tricky corners, curtains, behind the bed, anywhere you can think of where dust may build up.
Pet Power Brush Tool
A pet power brush tool comes with anti-wrap technology and thicker bristles.
The anti-wrap technology eliminates the risk of pet hair tangling up in the tool and clogging it to dysfunction. Thicker bristles can handle tougher pet hair, especially in thick carpets.
Upholstery Tool
Upholstery tools are there to provide an in-depth clean for upholstery. They can get rid of lint, dust, and other forms of debris that may be hiding in the upholstery fibers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is A Specific Vacuum Necessary for a High Pile Carpet?
You can clean your high pile carpet with a normal vacuum cleaner, but the results won’t be anywhere near as thorough.
You will get a deeper and more efficient clean with a vacuum cleaner that is equipped for high pile carpet. Deep carpets with thick threads need soft brush rolls that won’t chew and destroy the loops of material.
