Contract cleaners often use a combination of cordless upright and cordless backpack vacuums, depending on their client and the facility's needs. However, cordless backpacks are more expensive than cordless upright vacuums, which can restrict their use.

FBG Service Corp. invested in cordless backpack units to service larger accounts. For smaller, budget-conscious clients, the contractor reverts to corded backpacks or uprights.

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Similarly, Lightning Cleaning uses corded backpacks for smaller accounts. In the hospital, Sierra's employees use cordless backpack vacuums mainly in the stairwells and smaller hallways, and the units remain on site.

Olon Hyde, head of operations for the Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services franchise locations in Pensacola and Tampa, Florida, admits that the upfront cost of cordless backpacks is high; however, he has seen tremendous productivity gains as a result of using them to clean stairwells in a client's call center.