Having a stick vacuum is so much easier than a standard in a small flat but the loud noise is still such a barrier to using it. (And the non-retractable cord that’s long enough to be awkward but somehow just too short to easily finish the last bit.) The cat and I both hate the sound of the vacuum so much it that it barely gets used. Even if I wear earplugs she gets agitated. There’s a 2 in 1 cordless stick vac at Kmart with reviews that say it’s really quiet. The handheld part looks like it lifts out easily. It looks perfect, the only thing is it doesn’t have a HEPA filter. And Melbcat is asthmatic. Another cheaper stick vac does have a HEPA filter but that one has 2 features that I really hate. (The cord, especially those awkward length ones you have to hold out of the way during use and wind up manually. Also needing to press a button to remove the handle for converting it into the little handheld. That button broke off on my current one so it’s too much of a pain in the arse to actually use as a portable handheld.) Brands names aren’t something I can justify so my options are very much Kmart budget, especially the lowish end if possible. So maybe actually vacuuming > perfect vacuuming that never happens and I should just buy the non-HEPA one I’m more likely to use. Another issue with the Kmarget vacs is that there are no replacement parts, including the filters. But I’ve been manually cleaning the filter of this Big W one for years (tapping off dirt and hair into the bin and cleaning the grooves out with a toothpick) and it still works - I haven’t even gone onto using the spare yet.