No matter how often I clean and try different ways to reduce dust in my home, it’s not uncommon to still find the rogue dustball hiding somewhere. Which is why the idea of a mini, handheld vacuum cleaner sounds appealing to quickly tackle those light, dust-busting tasks — and there’s a dime a dozen on the market.
Since I test the best vacuum cleaners for a living, I’d become skeptical of such mini alternatives that claim to do a good job at cleaning. And in my experience, they’ve either lacked the suction or pick-up power to do an adequate job, or they were so small and poorly made that they would inevitably break in no time.
But that was until I tried the HOTO 4-in-1 Portable Mini Vacuum Cleaner in my home. Equipped with a 96,000 RPM brushless motor, the HOTO cleaner promises to deliver a strong 20000Pa suction power, which is almost equivalent to a standard vacuum cleaner. Sounds impressive? Here’s what happened when I put it to the test.
First impressions
Right off the bat, the HOTO mini vacuum looks more like a child’s toy than a powerful dust-buster. Still, its motor and handle feel surprisingly durable despite its lightweight (0.78 lbs) size. It also comes with three adjustable power levels that can be changed at the touch of one button.
Although this miniature vacuum is marketed for car cleaning, it has four functions: vacuums, blows dust/debris away, vacuum seals and also inflates and deflates, which is convenient for road trips.
It also comes with all the necessary (mini) attachments for each task, a USB charging cable and a nice carry bag to store them all in and easily carry. Its dust canister is also minuscule, but can easily be emptied via its ‘Pop-to-Open’ buckle design.
But while it has the tools you need, I was intrigued to see if this pocket-sized cleaner could actually do the job.
How well did it clean
First, I tried the 2-in-1 brush head for my grey sofa, and I was actually surprised at how powerful the suction was. It was able to suck up surface dust and hair strands from the surface without missing any spots. Plus, I didn’t even have to use the highest power setting much. So far, so good.
I then swapped out the heads for the crevice and brush tool to see how well it handled edges and baseboards. Again, it removed light dust from my mantelpiece with ease, and around my fireplace.
If, like me, you end up with rogue crumbs or general dust ingrained in your laptop or keyboard, it can often be a nightmare to clean. This is where the air nozzle really came in handy to quickly suck up any debris, and had my laptop looking clean again.
Emptying the dust bin was a breeze, although I did have to pry out a few strands of hair with my tweezers. One caveat is that it’s incredibly loud on full power and can easily drown out a conversation. Still, you’ll probably be using it for only quick bursts, rather than a full-on cleaning session anyway.
Overall, this HOTO mini vacuum cleaner is pretty neat and convenient, with an impressive suction power out of all the mini handhelds I’ve tested.
Verdict
Of course, it won't replace your trusted vacuum cleaner by any means, and I wouldn’t recommend this for deep cleaning tasks. Bear in mind that the tiny dust canister can only hold so much, so it won’t be able to cope with larger debris.
However, if you’re traveling and need something portable, or simply want a handheld, mini vacuum to focus on the light touch-ups, the HOTO mini vacuum cleaner is a mighty tool.
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