A flexible hose with a nozzle is attached to the canister. Different removable nozzles are available to vacuum carpets, bare floors, furniture, and draperies. The upright vacuum cleaner has a long handle and is pushed on wheels. The motor, fan, and a rotating cylindrical brush are located in one compartment. When the vacuum cleaner is switched on, the brush rotates by a belt, and air is drawn over it by the fan to carry dirt from the carpet and into a bag suspended from the handle.
Some upright cleaners have attachments for other types of vacuuming.
Rug and carpet cleaners, powered by electricity, use concentrated liquid detergents added to water in a small tank. The detergents are applied to the rug and scrubbed with a brush until the lather has disappeared. When the rug is dry it is vacuumed to remove leftover dirt and detergent. Floor polishers look like upright vacuum cleaners. Instead of a rotating cylindrical brush, a floor polisher has from one to three disk-shaped brushes that have long, stiff bristles and spin at a high speed.