Clean The Bugs Tools Tier List

Tools decide how fast you empty a house in Clean The Bugs. This tier list ranks Hands, Two Hands, and the Vacuum across beginner clears, Chapter 2: Next Door, and Hard/Pro pushes. Use it after redeeming gems from the Codes Hub and before you chase Maxed Out on the badges checklist.

Clean The Bugs is a Retro Library co-op experience: up to 12 players squash bugs through Chapter 1 (including basement Down Under routes) and the larger Next Door map with attic secrets and Grandma’s Collection rares. Your tool choice shapes Speed Cleaner attempts, rare hunts, and whether Bare Hands / Two-Fisted / Suck It Up badges fit tonight’s plan.

Tier summary

Tier	Tool	Best use
S	Vacuum (invested upgrades)	Dense rooms, kitchens, multi-floor Next Door clears
A	Two Hands (invested upgrades)	High smash throughput, open rooms, Two-Fisted path
B	Hands (starter / challenge)	Onboarding, Bare Hands, gem-starved alts
C	Neglected mid-upgrade side tools	Anything you stopped funding halfway

Tiers assume you spend gems with intent. An unupgraded Vacuum can feel worse than upgraded Two Hands until breakpoints land.

S-tier — Vacuum

Vacuum shines when bugs cluster. Chapter 1 kitchens and basement corners, plus Chapter 2’s wider clutter, reward continuous suction over single smashes. Upgrading Vacuum improves how quickly you stabilize a room so teammates can rotate to rares instead of babysitting leftovers.

Why it ranks S

• Best density response for Speed Cleaner practice
• Natural fit for Suck It Up badge progression
• Scales into Hard and Pro where respawn pressure rises
• Strong in twelve-player chaos because missed bugs still get swept

Watch-outs

• Needs gem investment; do not judge it on the base unlock alone
• Narrow hallways may feel less flashy than Two Hands swings
• Players chasing Bare Hands must park Vacuum for dedicated runs

Spend advice: After launch gems, decide whether Vacuum is your main. If yes, funnel upgrades until Maxed Out before dabbling elsewhere. Partial Vacuum + partial Two Hands is the most common mid-game trap.

A-tier — Two Hands

Two Hands double down on smash fantasy. In open living rooms and when bugs scatter after furniture breaks, wide swings delete packs that a hesitant Vacuum user might chase one-by-one. It is the best “I want raw feedback” tool and the on-ramp for Two-Fisted.

Why it ranks A

• Excellent clear volume once upgraded
• Easy to understand for new co-op recruits
• Strong on Normal/Hard when rooms are wide
• Pairs well with callers who mark rares while you erase trash bugs

Watch-outs

• Dense carpet-style infestations can favor Vacuum
• Fatigue and mis-clicks matter more if you spam without routing
• Still wants Maxed Out focus; do not alternate every other gem with Vacuum

Spend advice: Pick Two Hands if your crew already has a Vacuum main and you want complementary smash coverage, or if you personally clear faster with swings than suction.

B-tier — Hands

Hands are the default starter and a deliberate challenge tool. They teach camera angles, bug hitboxes, and room order without hiding mistakes behind Vacuum reach. Several early badges and the Bare Hands trophy path expect you to live here longer than the meta screenshot suggests.

Why it ranks B for general clears

• Slowest full-house time once maps grow
• Punishing on Pro and on Next Door’s double-size layout
• Still mandatory knowledge for New Hire / First Squish style onboarding

Why it remains important

• Bare Hands badge hunting
• Teaching friends without skipping fundamentals
• Emergency play when you have not redeemed gems yet

Do not “main Hands forever” unless you are badge hunting. Clear a purposeful Bare Hands run, then graduate.

Upgrade philosophy and Maxed Out

Maxed Out rewards fully upgrading a tool. Treat that as a season goal on one weapon:

1. Choose Vacuum or Two Hands as your primary.
2. Spend launch gems and daily income only on that line.
3. Use how to redeem whenever new codes appear.
4. Finish Maxed Out, then start the secondary tool.
5. Keep Hands available for challenge nights without refunding your main.

Half-upgraded tools create a false sense of progress and collapse on Old School (Next Door Pro) attempts.

Chapter-specific notes

Chapter 1 — first house + basement

Learn loops with Hands on Easy, then introduce your funded tool before basement focus for Down Under. Vacuum is forgiving when you misread corners; Two Hands excel once you know spawn chairs and cabinets.

Chapter 2 — Next Door

The larger map punishes weak tools. Attic routes tied to Something in the Attic and rare circuits for Grandma’s Collection need faster trash clear so specialists can hunt the five rares. Bring your S/A tool fully warmed up—do not debut an unupgraded Vacuum here.

Difficulty climbing

Easy/Normal forgive B-tier loadouts. Hard/Pro expect S/A funding. Speed Cleaner (under 32 minutes) almost always wants Vacuum or highly upgraded Two Hands plus disciplined co-op roles from the Players Hub.

Co-op loadout drafting

Ideal four-to-twelve player mixes:

• 1–2 Vacuum mains for density
• 1–2 Two Hands for open smash lanes
• Optional Hands challenge runner on a separate badge night
• One rare specialist who is not stuck finishing trash rooms

Call roles in lobby chat. Overlapping six Vacuums in one kitchen while the attic idles is how crews lose time.

Common mistakes

• Spreading gems across every tool “for collection”
• Judging Vacuum before upgrades
• Attempting Pro with starter Hands “for fun” then blaming the map
• Ignoring codes and dailies that fund Maxed Out
• Buying tool upgrades during assist downtime instead of entering a house

Related pages

• Tier List Hub — criteria and class snapshot
• Getting Started — when to unlock each tool
• Codes — gem income
• Badges — Bare Hands, Two-Fisted, Suck It Up, Maxed Out
• Updates — patch notes that might retune tools
• Scripts Hub — why auto-upgrade cheats are a poor substitute

Fund one tool like a main weapon in an action game. Clean The Bugs rewards that discipline with faster houses, safer Pro attempts, and cleaner badge timelines.