A handheld cleaning appliance includes a dirty air inlet, a clean air outlet and separating apparatus for separating dirt and dust from an airflow in an airflow path leading from the air inlet to the air outlet. The separating apparatus includes a cyclonic separator having at least one first cyclone and a plurality of second cyclones arranged in parallel with one another and located downstream of the first cyclone. By providing a cyclonic separator having a plurality of second cyclones in parallel, the handheld cleaning appliance is capable of separating fine dirt and dust particles without using barriers such as filters or bags which need maintenance to ensure that performance remains high over a period of time.