7 On Your Side: Tips vacuuming ultraplush carpets

New carpeting marketed as ultraplush or ultrasoft is posing an ultra problem for many vacuums. Consumer Reports experts give tips on how to fix it.

Luxury carpets are marketed as ultraplush and ultrasoft. They feel great underfoot, but these super cushy carpets can really challenge your vacuum.

Consumer Reports' Dave Trezza says carpets like the Caress from Shaw or a Karastan from Mohawk are so thick that vacuums can't move freely back and forth.

"The vacuum creates such a tight seal, it sucks to the carpet and you're unable to move it," Trezza said.

And some vacuums are nearly impossible to move. Even leaning with all his body weight, Trezza couldn't get the vacuum to budge.

Carpet manufacturers actually recommend specific vacuums they say will work on plush carpets. Consumer Reports tried some out.

"We did find vacuums that are easier to move on these types of carpets, but you also want a vacuum that performed well in our regular cleaning tests," Trezza said.

For plush carpets, Consumer Reports recommends a $400 Kenmore Elite Canister, with its ultraplush system. It cleans up on both regular carpet and bare floors very well.

If an upright is more your speed, a Hoover Wind Tunnel handles the carpets just fine, and at $180 is a Consumer Reports best buy.

Before buying a new vacuum, Consumer Reports says another solution is to try raising the powerhead to a higher setting. If that's not an option, try adjusting the airflow on the suction control dial. That might be enough to get your vacuum moving.

Consumer Reports says raising the power-head and reducing the airflow might also reduce cleaning power.

Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union. Both Consumer Reports and Consumers Union are not-for-profit organizations that accept no advertising. Neither has any commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site.

(All Consumer Reports Material Copyright 2014. Consumers Union of U.S. Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)