A vacuum cleaner comprises a floor-engaging portion provided with a first air inlet (13), an upright portion pivotally connected at its lower end to the floor-engaging portion, a handle (12) upstanding from the upper end of the upright portion, a first or lower end of the handle being detachably engaged with an e.g. socket (16) on the upright portion of the cleaner, a rigid tubular duct extending along the handle from a second air inlet at the lower end of the handle to an outlet (25) disposed remote from that end of the handle, and a flexible hose (26) connected to the outlet (25) on the handle: the rigid tubular duct has, at the first end of the handle, an elongate portion which hay either a transverse dimension or a cross-sectional area which is substantially uniform over its length. |