Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly Bagged Upright Vacuum with Inducer Motor (BU1018)

A bagged upright with a HEPA exhaust filter you replace, not wash. Consumer Reports gives this model a top-notch clean-emissions rating; the sealed and 99.97% claims are the maker’s, the warranty is one year and it costs about $370.

Best for A home with carpet and hard floors and a pet or dust allergies that wants a bag, a replaceable HEPA exhaust filter and a lab-tested model at a mid price, and can handle about 20 lb.

Our rating: Good (3.7 of 5)
Price range: Mid-range
Size: Bagged upright; 30 ft cord; wand reaches 10 ft; 3.3 L dust bag; five height settings; about 20 lb (Home Depot’s listing)
Made in: Kenmore Elite-brand vacuum made and sold by Cleva North America (Greenville, South Carolina) under license; country of manufacture not stated

approx. $370 at the maker ($320 at Home Depot)

See it on Kenmore’s site → (opens in a new tab)

We are not affiliated with Kenmore. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.

Also sold at Home Depot ($320), Walmart ($330), Kohl's ($330) .

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How we evaluated it

How it scores Our rating, metric by metric Good, 3.7 of 5

Sealed filtration 35% of the rating 4 of 5

A bagged machine whose maker calls the system completely sealed with a HEPA exhaust filter you replace, and Consumer Reports gives it a top-notch clean-emissions rating; the 99.97% figure is the maker’s and no allergy certifier lists it.
Independent testing 20% of the rating 4 of 5

Consumer Reports, an independent nonprofit, names this exact model and gives it a top-notch clean-emissions rating in a wood-flour and laser-spectrometer test, but its free article gives no numbers and no allergy certificate exists.
Durability 20% of the rating 3 of 5

Bags, filters, hose and tools are sold at stated prices and the maker runs a support line, but the warranty is one year and excludes filters.
Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5

No recall or Prop 65 notice found and the maker names itself; points off for sealed and 99.97% claims with no report behind them, a licensed brand name and listings that disagree on whether it has two motors or three.
Value 15% of the rating 4 of 5

About $485 to $555 over five years with bags and filters ($320 to $370 to buy, a $24.99 pack of six bags a year and a $19.99 exhaust filter every year or two), against $600 to $950 to buy the other vacuums here.

The rating, 3.7 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank vacuums and our standard.

Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw 3 stores

Home Depot (opens in a new tab) approx. $320. Sold by The Home Depot, model BU1018, $50 below the maker’s price; free ship to store. The listing gives the weight as 20 lb; its description says a 2-motor system while its bullet list says 3-motor direct drive, as the maker’s page does.
Walmart (opens in a new tab) approx. $330. Sold by a third-party seller, Acme Tools, on Walmart’s marketplace, not by Walmart; model BU1018 and the same UPC as the maker’s listing.
Kohl's (opens in a new tab) approx. $330. Sold by Kohl’s as the Kenmore Pet Friendly Bagged Upright Vacuum, model no. BU1018, 20 lb, 1-year limited warranty; $329.99 with home shipping when we looked.

Prices as we saw them on November 3, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

What it’s made of What touches your food, water, skin or air 3 materials

Dust bag (3.3 L; Kenmore type O HEPA bag, part 53294 in a pack of six; the bag material is not stated)
HEPA media exhaust filter (style EF-9, part 53296) and a washable motor safety filter (what the filter media are made of is not stated)
Plastic body, hose, wand and tools (resin types not stated); no scent cartridge or odor-neutralizing feature

Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it 2 tests

Independent Consumer Reports (independent nonprofit member organization; earns affiliate fees from some links) May 19, 2026

Names the Kenmore BU1018 among its “Bagged Upright Vacuums With the Lowest Emissions”: excellent on bare floors, top-notch at pet hair, and a HEPA filter that it calls “a big reason” the model earns a top-notch clean-emissions rating. The method fills each vacuum with wood flour and measures what comes out with a laser spectrometer. The free article gives no numbers. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Maker’s own test Kenmore Floor Care (Cleva North America; the maker)

Says its “completely sealed” AllergenSeal system with HEPA filtration keeps dust and debris inside the vacuum and filters 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns; a footnote says it filters “dirt, dust and non-living matter such as pet dander”. It cites no test report or method, and AllergenSeal is the maker’s own name, not a certificate. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Who paid, and why it matters

Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.

A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.

What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found 8 questions

Is it really sealed, and is the 99.97% claim backed?: Kenmore calls the system “completely sealed” and says it filters 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns, with no test report. Consumer Reports’ emissions test (opens in a new tab) measures what leaves the whole machine and gives the BU1018 a top-notch rating, which is independent evidence that the dust stays in. The Asthma & Allergy Friendly certified list has no Kenmore vacuum (checked 2026-11-03).
Is the model Consumer Reports tested the one on sale?: The BU1018 name matches, the model number matches on Kenmore’s page, Home Depot, Kohl’s and Walmart, and the UPC (814953015628) matches on Kenmore’s page and Walmart. The manual file on Kenmore’s site is named “BU1018 (31150)” and dated December 2019, so the machine has been sold for several years, and the maker’s current page describes an inducer motor and three motors where Home Depot’s description says two (its bullet list says three). We could not tell which build CR tested.
Can the HEPA filter be washed?: No, and that is a point in its favor. Kenmore’s manual (opens in a new tab) says the exhaust filter (style EF-9) must be replaced when it is dirty and “cannot be washed” because it would lose its dust-trapping ability. A new one is $19.99. The manual’s separate motor safety filter, at the bottom of the dust container, is the one you wash.
Is it heavy?: Home Depot lists 20 lb, against under 15 lb for Kenmore’s BU4050 upright. On Kenmore’s own site one reviewer calls it “very hard to handle if you don’t weigh 150lbs” and another says it “may be on the heavier side for some”. Consumer Reports does not mention its weight in its allergy article.
Will it last?: The warranty is one year from the date of sale: a defective machine is replaced free with proof of sale, and filters and belts are excluded. Bags (about $4 each in a pack of six) and filters are sold with part numbers. We found no independent reliability data for this model; the maker’s own site shows 4.7 of 5 from 344 ratings and Home Depot 4.3 of 5 from 340, neither independent.
Does it add a scent to your air?: No. Its page lists no odor-neutralizing cartridge or fragrance feature, which some other brands add to their vacuums.
Do the bags or filters contain PFAS?: Kenmore does not say what its bags or filter media are made of, and we found no published PFAS test of vacuum bags or filters from any maker. We could not confirm either way.
Any recalls, Prop 65 notices or lawsuits?: None found. CPSC’s recall list has two 1987 notices for Sears Kenmore vacuums (a canister recall and a repair program) and nothing since; its other Kenmore recalls are for ovens, ranges, dehumidifiers and similar, and it has nothing under Cleva’s name. California’s Prop 65 notice list (opens in a new tab) held no notice naming Kenmore or Cleva, searched 2026-11-03. We could not search court dockets.

Why we chose it What put it on our list 4 points

Consumer Reports names this exact model and gives it a top-notch clean-emissions rating, crediting its HEPA filter, in a test that measures what leaves the whole machine.
The maker describes a completely sealed system, a HEPA media exhaust filter and a bag with a bag-safety stop, and its manual says the exhaust filter is replaced, not washed.
Parts are sold at stated prices on the maker’s site: six bags for $24.99, the exhaust filter for $19.99 and a compatible hose for $12.99; the $3.99 secondary filter showed out of stock.
It has an inducer motor, a 30 ft cord, a 10 ft reach for stairs and above-floor cleaning, and costs $320 to $370, well under the other vacuums we list.

Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy 5 points

The sealed system and the 99.97% figure are the maker’s claims. No report and no allergy certificate back them; Consumer Reports’ free article gives no emissions numbers.
The warranty is one year and excludes filters. The Kenmore name is licensed, and Cleva makes and services the machine.
It is heavier than Kenmore’s BU4050, about 20 lb by Home Depot’s listing.
The listings disagree on the motors (Home Depot’s description says two and its bullet list three; the maker’s page says three), and the manual we read is from 2019.
Bags and filters are running costs: about $25 a year for bags plus a $19.99 exhaust filter every so often.

What to know Details worth knowing first

The BU1018 is a bagged upright with a HEPA filter on the exhaust, and its maker says the whole system is sealed. What lifts it above most vacuums we looked at is an outside result: Consumer Reports names this model and gives it a top-notch clean-emissions rating, crediting the HEPA filter. Its test fills each machine with wood flour and measures what comes out of it with a laser spectrometer, so it is a measure of the whole vacuum and not only the filter. The article gives no numbers, and the “completely sealed” and 99.97% claims remain Kenmore’s own.

Kenmore’s manual also says the exhaust filter must be replaced, not washed, which is how HEPA media is normally handled; a new one is $19.99 and bags are $24.99 for six. The costs are a one-year warranty, a licensed brand name and about 20 lb of weight. At about $320 to $370 it is well under the other vacuums we list.

Our house dust guide explains why dust that a vacuum blows back out matters. In the one trial where home cleaning cut toddlers’ blood lead, a high-efficiency vacuum (opens in a new tab) was used together with wet mopping and damp sponging, so pair any vacuum with damp cleaning.

What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it 6 checks

How Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly Bagged Upright Vacuum with Inducer Motor (BU1018) measures up against our vacuums criteria
What we checked	What we found
A sealed system Maker’s claim	The maker’s page: “completely sealed” AllergenSeal system with HEPA filtration. No test report or certificate; Consumer Reports’ emissions test, which measures what leaves the whole machine, gives the BU1018 a top-notch rating.
HEPA where it counts Maker’s claim	HEPA media exhaust filter (style EF-9) on the exhaust; the maker says 99.97% down to 0.3 microns, with no test report. The manual says it cannot be washed and must be replaced when dirty.
Mess-free emptying Maker’s claim	Bagged: a 3.3 L bag with a bag safety stop that stops the door closing if no bag is fitted. Consumer Reports says emptying a bagless vacuum can create a dust cloud, so a bagged one may suit allergies better.
Parts you can buy Maker’s claim	Maker’s store: bags $24.99 for six (53294) or $14.99 for two (53293), exhaust filter $19.99 (53296), hose $12.99; the $3.99 secondary filter was out of stock. One-year warranty that excludes filters. Prices seen 2026-11-03.
Independent emissions test Verified	Consumer Reports’ lab names the BU1018 among the lowest-emission bagged uprights and gives it a top-notch clean-emissions rating (May 2026 article). The free page gives no numbers.
Recalls and Prop 65 notices Verified	None found in CPSC’s recall list (two 1987 notices for Sears Kenmore vacuums only) or California’s Prop 65 notice list for Kenmore or Cleva, searched 2026-11-03. Court dockets were not searched.

What the labels mean

Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.

Sources Where our facts come from 10 sources

Kenmore Floor Care: Elite Pet Friendly Bagged Upright with Inducer Motor (BU1018) product page. Maker’s page. Price, features, filtration claims, UPC and ratings as seen on 2026-11-03. Replacement bags and filters were priced from the same store’s search. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Kenmore BU1018 (31150) use and care guide (PDF). Maker’s page. File name dated 2019-12-11. One-year Kenmore Elite limited warranty, filters and belts excluded; Kenmore brand used under license by Cleva North America; parts list; the HEPA exhaust filter cannot be washed. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Home Depot listing for the Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly Bagged Upright Vacuum BU1018. Independent source. $320.09 on 2026-11-03; model BU1018, 20 lb, 4.3 of 5 from 340 ratings. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Walmart marketplace listing for the Kenmore BU1018 (seller Acme Tools). Independent source. $329.99 on 2026-11-03 from a third-party seller; UPC 814953015628. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Consumer Reports: best vacuums of 2026 for allergy sufferers. Test report. Updated 2026-05-19. Names the Kenmore BU1018 under bagged uprights with the lowest emissions and explains the wood flour and laser spectrometer test. CR is a nonprofit that earns affiliate fees from some links. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Asthma & Allergy Friendly certified vacuum cleaners. Certifier or regulator listing. Its certified vacuum list held products from LG, eufy and Rainbow and none from Kenmore when we checked on 2026-11-03 (the site’s product list loads by script; we read it through its public data feed). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
California Attorney General: Prop 65 60-day notice search for “Kenmore”. Certifier or regulator listing. No notice names the brand; a search for “Cleva” also found none. Searched 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Kohl’s listing for the Kenmore Pet Friendly Bagged Upright Vacuum (BU1018). Independent source. $329.99 on 2026-11-03, sold by Kohl’s; model no. BU1018, 20 lb, 1-year limited warranty; 4.3 of 5 from 183 reviews. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
CPSC recall list search for “Kenmore”. Certifier or regulator listing. 18 recalls under the Kenmore name, mostly ovens, ranges and dehumidifiers. The only vacuum cleaner notices are from 1987: a canister vacuum recall by Sears and a repair program with Whirlpool. A search for “Cleva” returned nothing. Searched 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Rhoads et al., 1999, Pediatrics: The effect of dust lead control on blood lead in toddlers, a randomized trial. Independent source. 113 children; cleaning by wet mopping, damp sponging and a high-efficiency vacuum, with maternal education, cut blood lead 17%. We read the abstract only. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Alternatives Other options to compare 2 options

Kenmore Intuition Bagged Upright (BU4050) Same maker, lighter at under 15 lb and about $180 to $220; Consumer Reports lists it among the lowest-emission bagged uprights without rating it as highly, and its HEPA filter is meant to be rinsed.
Miele Guard L1 Allergy About $749, bagged, with a HEPA exhaust filter and a three-year warranty; Consumer Reports rates the Guard L1 excellent for filtration, without naming the version.

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