A vacuum cleaner includes: a vacuum motor; one or more sensors configured to generate sensor signals associated with the vacuum cleaner; and a controller configured to: process the generated sensor signals using a surface type model defining a mapping between generated sensor signals and surface types to determine a type of surface on which the vacuum cleaner is being operated; control the power of the vacuum motor in dependence on the determined type of surface; and update the surface type model based on the generated sensor signals and/or the determined type of surface.