Upright vacuum cleaner with a sound absorbing pad

An upright vacuum cleaner comprises a sound absorbing muffle, preferably in the form of an open-celled foam pad, and a throttle ring situated at the intake to the impeller end 78. The muffle may be combined with an accessory selection valve 134, which is rotated by a lever 136 between a position wherein a window 138 of the valve 134 provides communication between a channel 110 and the impeller on the one hand and between an accessory connecting port 140 and the impeller on the other hand. Further the vacuum cleaner includes a height adjustment mechanism 30 which eliminates positioning detents along the cam adjustment surface 54. Rotation of knob 50 causes cam 52 to move the carriage 32 about pivot connections 38 to raise and lower wheels 34 relative to base 22. The vacuum cleaner also includes a vacuum bag mounting arrangement (not shown) which ensures that the bag will not project above a handle parting plane, the handle being separable into two parts, reducing the size of the packaging box.