BRACE yourself for minor tremors as people across the nation switch on their vacuums and commence the annual purge of their abodes, known throughout the ages as spring cleaning.

By Peter Jenkinson

PERHAPS the spring clean is not so much an overhaul of the house as it once might have been but it is a good time to bust that dust from places that you've perhaps passed by throughout the winter.

It's also a good time, perhaps, to look at an alternative to your outdated machine that has the suction of a straw and makes the noise of a small power plant. Here's a few to consider.

Manoeuvrable Machine - Dyson DC24 - £239.99 from www.dyson.co.uk

It's a kind of mini-me version of the brand's larger machines. It's both lightweight and easy to use, making the chore less of a bore.

The ball wheel at the centre makes sure this machine can take tight turns.

Couture Cleaner - Issey Miyake DC16 - £99.99 see www.dyson.co.uk

At first a seemingly bizarre coming together of a vacuum company and high-fashion designer but if Issey's happy to put his name on a machine, who are we mere mortals to argue?

The result is a rather fine looking handheld machine, possibly one of the more powerful in this class, for searching out coins down the back of sofas.

Handsfree Cleaning - Vacdroid - £149.99 see www.vacdroid.com

Sceptics of these robotic machines rejoice, this one is almost as cheap as the chips used to guide it around your abode, all whilst you're out.

Set up is simple and you can just press and go, letting it give your place a mighty fine sweep before returning to base for a recharge.

Best of all, it has a remote control unit so you can sit on the sofa and play if you wish.

Bust more Dust - LG Compressor - £199.97 see www.tesco.com

This bagless dust-buster uses a RotaBlade which is attached to another motor and moves from side to side, therefore compacting dust into solid cubes. It results in four times less dust escaping when you're emptying but, more importantly, collecting up to four times more too.

Back to Basics - Henry Numatic HVR200-22 - £89.99 at www.amazon.co.uk

An icon across the UK, championed by professional cleaners and workmen alike, Henry is only happy when he's hard at work.

This no-frills vacuum has a powerful motor and even though its bagging system for dust collection might seem a little dated, it works an absolute wonder.

Ridiculous and Random - Robomop - £29.95 at www.paramountzone.com

Ideal for wooden and laminate floors, the Robomop manages a surprising 98 per cent accuracy by blindly bouncing around your room.

Static dust pads on the bottom attract plenty of the yucky stuff as your machine scoots around the room reaching under low-level objects where others would be stopped in their tracks.