A vacuum cleaner handle lock assembly having a base with an air inlet, a handle, a dirt container, an air passage joining the inlet and the dirt container, an intermediate member connected to the base and handle providing relative movement between the intermediate member and the base and handle, and a handle lock. The handle lock includes a key, a protrusion extending from the base, and a detent in the handle. The key slides against the protrusion to generate a force that biases the key towards the handle as the base is moved towards a parked base position, and the detent is positioned such that the force moves the key into the detent when the handle is positioned in a parked handle position. The intermediate member may have a pair of arms straddling a central portion of the base, in which case the protrusion may be between the arms.