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So: you need a new hardwood floor vacuum, but you're not sure where to start ? Read-on, we have got you covered !
That's perfectly understandable; it can be hard to separate the truly great models from those that just have a great sales pitch. We're here to help - we've done the heavy lifting for you and compiled a list of the best vacuums for hardwood floors, depending on a variety of needs and specifications of course.
But first, you're probably wondering: What's the difference between a regular vacuum and one designed for hardwood floors? Isn't my regular vacuum enough to get the job done?
The short answer is: probably not. Hardwood floors can be notoriously difficult to keep clean between dust, grime, stains, and pet hair. Regular vacuums pull up dirt by providing a close seal to the surface of the carpet, allowing for optimal suction. The problem is that regular vacuums often leave a small gap when moving over hard flooring, which means you'll often have to do several passes, only to find there's still some dirt left behind due to poor suction.
Certain flooring types are also more delicate and have special cleaning needs. Hardwood, laminate, and other synthetic floors are often prone to scuffing or scratching from a vacuum's wheels and spinning brush. Thus, a good hardwood floor vacuum needs to be tough on dirt and debris, while staying gentle enough so as not to damage your floors.
Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick Vacuum (SH20030)
BISSELL PowerEdge Pet Hard Floor Corded Vacuum (81L2A)
Dyson DC65 Multi Floor Upright Vacuum Cleaner
Bissel 1161 Hard Floor Expert Deluxe Canister Vacuum
Shark Rocket TruePet Ultra-Light Upright (HV322)
We've waded through the top contenders and come up with a list of five great hardwood floor vacuums, ranging from best value, to best cleaning ability, to most versatility, and most useful overall.
Don't let its tiny appearance fool you: the Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick Vacuum is packing a ton of cleaning power under the hood. The beauty of the Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick is that it specializes in not-specializing. It isn't packing too many special features, but instead focuses on streamlining the basic features every multi-floor vacuum needs into a tight, compact package.
The first thing you'll notice about the Cyclonic Stick is the slim profile. True to its name, the cyclonic canister is barely over 6 inches wide which makes it easy to reach into tight spaces, and even easier to store. The swivel steering and low-reclining handle ensure you can get around and underneath heavy furniture, which saves you time by avoiding furniture Tetris every time you go to vacuum.
Beyond being lightweight and easy to use, this vacuum is also great with a wide variety of messes on any floor type. The powered brushroll is great in standard high pile carpeting, but also gets deep down to pick up dirt and debris from your low pile rugs and mats. In addition, the powerful suction and wide cleaning mouth helps keep hard floors dust and dirt-free, and excels at cleaning up powders and dry spills.
The Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick is our choice for best all-around value. It may not have all the advanced features of the Dyson Multi-Floor or the Shark Rocket, but you can't beat the Cyclonic Stick's price point. All in all, a great everyday vacuum for cleaning all kinds of dirt from all kinds of floors.
Bissell is known for some of their top-end, high-priced machines. That said, a vacuum doesn't have to cost hundreds of dollars to get a great clean. As its name implies, the PowerEdge Pet was designed for pet owners in mind. This makes it not only a great option for those on a budget, but also a great choice for pet owners shopping in any price range.
Let's address the elephant in the room: the PowerEdge looks a bit, well... strange.
The V-shaped head seems a bit unnatural, but the shape of the head is the brilliance of Bissell's design. The V-shape helps funnel larger particles to the center of the vacuum's path, allowing the smaller motor to still achieve excellent suction and pick up litter that other compact vacuums would roll right over. The downside of the V design is that it is a bit clumsy to move around. While it does a great job getting around furniture, reaching into tight corners can require a bit of finesse depending on the surrounding room layout.
Another feature that keeps the PowerEdge light and affordable is the lack of a brush roll to agitate dirt and floor debris. This may seem like a downside, but is actually part of what makes this vacuum great for pet owners.
Anyone who's had to vacuum up after pets knows that hairs often get rolled up in the brush bristles, resulting in the need for frequent disassembly to clean the brush roll. Going brushless ensures you can pull up tons of pet hair without clogging your machine. The brushless design also makes it easier to pick up large debris like kibble or torn up chew toys.
Overall, the Bissell PowerEdge Hard Floor Corded is a great budget buy for anyone who needs a multi-surface vacuum that can handle dust, pet hair, and larger debris alike. Its V-shaped head and lack of a roller brush may initially seem like downsides, but actually provide unique benefits, particularly for pet owners.
Similar to the Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick, this vacuum is great for a wide range of flat surfaces from hardwood floors to rugs to low/high pile carpeting. But whereas the Hoover is lightweight and flexible, the Dyson multi-floor upright is solid and powerful. Featuring a redesigned brush bar and Dyson's powerful Radial Root Cyclone technology, this vacuum packs a powerful cleaning punch inside a sleek, well-designed body.
Weighting in at almost 23 pounds, the Dyson is somewhat of a behemoth compared to the other vacuums on this list. But that isn't just idle weight: The Dyson has the biggest motor and strongest suction of all the hardwood floor cleaners we looked at, meaning you get an unparalleled clean on all your surfaces.
As mentioned above, the brush bar has been redesigned from older models to sit closer to the floor and have shorter bristles. This ensures the bristles still get deep into your carpets and rugs, while providing a stronger scrubbing action than before. The shorter bristles are also gentle on your hard surfaces, ensuring you pick up the most dust without scratching or scuffing your floors.
Perhaps the most useful benefit on the DC65 is how easily it transitions across a variety of floor types. Many multi-floor cleaners have adjustable settings optimized to different floor types, but it's up to you to know how to configure them and to actually switch between them for each section of flooring. The Dyson multi-floor upright makes this quick and easy by automatically adjusting the base plate to ensure maximal contact with all floors types, resulting in the best possible suction.
The Dyson DC65 is our choice of best hardwood floor vacuum for its cleaning power across a variety of floor types. It's a bit pricey compared to the rest of our top picks, but you can rest assured that additional money is paying for top-notch engineering, construction, and overall cleaning performance. It's a serious machine for households that need the strongest cleaning power.
These days, canister-style vacuums might seem a little old-fashioned as many users gravitate towards compact upright models. luckily, the Bissell Hard Floor Expert Deluxe is anything but old-fashioned, with a variety of features that make cleaning both floors and hard-to-reach surfaces as fast and easy.
At their core, canister vacuums sacrifice mobility for flexibility; the separate canister can be difficult to move around, while the lightweight vacuum head is easier to navigate into tight spots and reach elevated surfaces, like curtains or stairs. Add in the Bissell's extra long hose and telescoping handle, and you've got a cleaner that can reach any surface in your home, no matter how high or low.
The Bissell Hard Floor Deluxe is also fairly lightweight - only 9 pounds - and has soft, non-marking wheels to keep it mobile and easy to move around. The vacuum also has fingertip controls that allow you to easily switch modes and suction so you can be tough on hard floors, but gentle on delicate surfaces like upholstery.
While this canister vac excels at cleaning uneven and delicate surfaces, don't let that distract you from its ability to clean up hard and solid surfaces. The Hard Floor Deluxe comes with a powerful rotating brush, with soft bristles specially designed to loosen up dirt while staying gentle on your floors. The felt wheels are also 100% safe for surfaces that scuff easily like linoleum or vinyl. It also comes with a dedicated attachment for deep pile carpets and rugs, ensuring you have the right tool for the job no matter which surface you're cleaning.
If you need a hard-working, versatile cleaner for both your hardwood floors and upholstered surfaces, the Bissell Hard Wood Deluxe Canister Vacuum is a top choice. It excels at reaching places traditional upright vacuums can't reach, without sacrificing any suction or efficiency when it comes to keeping your solid surfaces spotless. Great suction, great variety, great price - what's not to like?
It's difficult to review the Shark Rocket Ultralight Upright because, quite frankly, it does so many things so well. Between its sleek design, excellent suction power, and multitude of uses, this hardwood floor vacuum can handle pretty much any mess thrown at it with relative ease.
For starters, the Rocket TruePet Ultralight Upright really is ultra-light and ultra-flexible. By placing the main motor at the top of the handle, Shark has built an incredibly compact vacuum that can reach under any and all furniture or appliances. And, at only 8 pounds it's incredibly easy to operate and a breeze to use.
Not versatile enough?
The motor placement also allows you to detach the main vacuum head, effectively turning the machine into a portable handheld cleaner. The Shark TruePet also comes with a variety of specialized attachments to help with a variety of situations. Between the crevice duster tool, an upholstery tool, the TruePet motorized brush, and the dust-away hard floor attachment, you're guaranteed to find the right tool for any situation.
The TruePet is also a great fit for large households with multiple pets. The powerful motor gives strong suction to lift hairs and dander from any surface - deep pile carpets, rugs, hardwood floors, stone - you name it. Equally important is the double large capacity dustbin - many users report being able to clean large 4-bedroom homes of multiple pets without ever having to stop and empty the dustbin. Combined with an extra long 30 foot power cord, and you'll be able to vacuum huge areas faster than you thought was possible.
Perhaps the only downside to the Shark Rocket TruePet is the cost - it's fairly expensive compared to other hardwood floor vacuums. But, like the Dyson Multi-Floor Upright, you get what you pay for. The build is solid, it's well-engineered from top to bottom, and it delivers top-notch cleaning quality with its powerful multi-surface suction. If you need a hard floor vacuum that rises to any challenge, give the Shark Rocket TruePet a try - you won't be disappointed.
That might feel like a lot of information to take in at once, but hopefully we've managed to provide some direction as to the best vacuum for hardwood floors on the market.
Remember this:
While price is often an indicator of overall quality, you don't necessarily have to spend a lot to get a great quality vacuum. The Hoover Cyclonic Stick and Bissel PowerEdge Pet are fantastic budget options that will always provide a reliable clean.
If you have a lot of small crevices, upholstery, or high places to clean, the Bissell Hard Floor Deluxe Canister does a fantastic job on hard-to-reach spots and surfaces.
And if you just need raw cleaning power with quality construction, we recommend either the Dyson Multi-Floor Upright or the Shark TruePet Ultralight Upright, with the Dyson being more powerful while the Shark is more versatile.