The term "upright" vacuum cleaners came into existence when the Hoover Company attached the bag where the debris from the carpet was deposited onto the handle of the vacuum cleaner in the late 1940's and put the motor on wheels. Prior to this innovation the sucking handle and delivery tube of most vacuum cleaners was a separate part leading into some sort of device, or canister, that held the carpet debris and the motor.

When it was first introduced, it was marketed on TV to housewives all across America as the greatest labor-saving device in history; sales soared. No longer would housewives have to lug heavy machinery around the house to clean their carpets. No longer would their vacuum cleaners require extensive storage space in the house. And while they are extremely efficient machines that clean large areas in record time, they are also easy to operate for that spilled ashtray or other debris that needs to be picked up quickly. Upright vacuum cleaners have become the best selling machines on the market.

However, there are some drawbacks to the upright versions. They are extremely difficult to use on stairs and, since they house the entire mechanical workings of the machine, they are often heavier. Even when made with today's lightweight, heavy-duty plastics and space age metals, the overall weight of the upright vacuum cleaner exceeds that of its canister counterpart. They are also more difficult to use underneath furniture and in smaller spots around the house.

Some users say they have less suction than the canister vacuums but the manufacturers disagree with that assertion. It has been noted that when comparing the attachments for both types of vacuums, the upright attachments are smaller. Finally, the uprights usually require the owner to wrap the power cord around two latches on the side of the machine, unlike the canister vacuums which have always had retractable power cords.