A vacuum cleaner includes an upright handle assembly, a foot assembly adapted to be moved along a surface to be cleaned and having a suction nozzle, a multi-axis joint swivelably mounting the upright handle assembly to the foot assembly and defining a first axis about which the upright handle assembly twists relative to the foot assembly and a second axis about which the upright handle assembly pivot relative to the foot assembly, and a detachable vacuum module supported on the upright handle assembly by the module platform.