Best electric vacuum for Hardwood floors
Choosing the best electric vacuum for hardwood floors can be a huge pain. Hardwood floors are after all delicate and get damaged easily. Electric vacuums for hardwood floors must come with features that remove all the dirt and debris without running the floor.
The pain of getting the best electric vacuum for hardwood floors comes down to knowing what works and what doesn’t. Even veteran users can find it daunting to get it right with so many vacuums promising to deliver the best cleaning for your hardwood floor.
This guide, though, takes away that pain with 10 products that have been rigorously tested for compatibility with hardwood. Many days were dedicated to researching several dozen electric vacuums and the products reviewed here is the result of all that painstaking research.
Things to Consider when Buying the Best Electric Vacuum for Hardwood Floors
At first glance, most electric vacuums look alike. But there are some fundamental features that render one unsuitable for hardwood floors while a second one is just perfect.
Some of these features and functions include the following:
Suction power – Generally, you don’t need an electric vacuum with strong suction power for your hardwood floor. Low to medium suction would be enough to remove sand, dust, debris and pet hair.
However, it is likely you have rugs and carpets either on your hardwood or in other parts of your home. The vacuum you choose must also be suitable for these floor types or you’ll have to purchase more than one vacuum.
So if you have different floor types, a vacuum with adjustable suction power is the best for you. Some of the best models adjust the suction power automatically to fit the floor type; in other models, you’d have to do it manually.
Soft brushrolls – the ideal vacuum for a hardwood floor should be without a brushroll as they can leave scratch marks on the floor.
Then again, you likely have different floor types in your apartment and some of them like rugs need roller or beater brush to effectively clean them.
To clean variable surfaces, a feature to either on/off or adjust the roller/beater brushes must be part of the design.
To be clear though, for your hardwood floor, make sure the brushes are made of soft bristles. Soft bristles don’t leave scratch marks.
Attachments – To get the cleanest apartment possible, the vacuum must include some important attachments. The attachments you need here include:
- Slim edging wand to clean edges and narrow crevices
- Soft suction brush heads for above floor cleaning like upholstery and drapes
- Small-sized suction head for narrow areas
Long extension hoses – A vacuum with long extension hose ensures you can easily clean hard-to-reach areas such as under furniture without putting too much strain on your back.
And of course, cleaning the ceiling and other high up areas are easier with long extension hose.
Padding – Padding on the underside of the vacuum to avoid damaging your floor as you drag and push it. The common paddings found are either soft rubber or felt material.
These also apply to the wheels. Ensure the wheels are made of soft rubber or padded with rubber so your floor for is not damaged.
Lightweight – If you have a large space covered with hardwood, the weight of the vacuum would become an issue since you’d have to carry it around for long periods.
Besides, heavy vacuums tend to leave dents on the floor given enough time especially when they fall down frequently.
Top 10 Best Electric Vacuum For Hardwood Floors
1. VonHaus 2 in 1 Stick and Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
This excellent 2-in-1 vacuum cleaner weighs just under 6 lbs putting it up there with some of the lightest 2-in-1 vacuums. It has an exceptional suction power that makes it suitable for hardwood and other floor types.
The machine comes with HEPA and sponge filtration systems that, combined, are able to trap even the smallest particles keeping the home free of dust and allergens.
It features a 19-foot power cord, crevice tool, small brush attachment, hose adaptor, and shoulder straps. Other features include the 1.3-liter dust container and high-efficiency brush with wheels making it a joy to work with as it practically glides across surfaces.
2. Dirt Devil SD20505 Power
This Dirt Devil vacuum didn’t just make the list based on the budget price tag. It packs enough features, that pound for pound, makes it easily the best budget electric vacuum for hardwood floors. And it is quite easy to use as all you need to get it going is to touch a button.
At about 7 lbs, cleaning the floor with it is a breeze since it is optimized for quick and efficient cleanups. It comes with a 10 amp motor that provides the right suction to power through the cleaner head on the floor.
It comes with a 20-feet power cord which is long enough to clean a large space using just one power outlet. Users also love the bagless convenience, 11-inch cleaning path, and cyclonic filtration system.
3. Shark Rocket DeluxePro Ultra-Light Stick Vacuum
Like most Shark Rockets, this vacuum is a brilliantly designed, lightweight unit with extra soft brushes making it a superb option for hardwood floors. And with the adjustable roller brushes, you are assured that all other floor types in your home would get a good cleaning from it.
Moving from one floor-type to another is just a matter of flicking the switch at the top. In dark spaces like under furniture, seeing what you are doing would not be a problem with the LED lights.
More versatility is found in the easy conversion to a hand vacuum and wand vacuum. Above floor cleaning doesn’t get any better. It also features a multi-stage filtration that efficiently traps everything from specks of dust to allergens.
4. Fuller Brush Spiffy Maid Bagless Broom Vacuum Cleaner
The Fuller Brush Spiffy Maid is an affirmative answer to folks wondering if they can get a vacuum with premium features including an anti-allergen filtration system at a modest price.
At 4 lbs, it is definitely lightweight enough for hardwood floors. It also packs a HEPA filtration system, 30-foot power cord; and all the right accessories and attachments for cleaning upholstery, drapes, crevices, carpets, and car seats.
It is powered by a 9 amp motor ensuring the suction is strong enough to remove dirt and debris from the floor. However, it is probably too strong for high pile rugs.
5. Bissell 1161 Deluxe Canister Vacuum
If you have hardwood floor and would prefer a small, light canister vacuum for cleaning purposes, this Bissell unit might just be what you are looking for.
The combination of rubber wheels and soft bristles on the brushes ensure no marks or scratches are left on the wood floor while efficiently loosening and removing dirt and debris from the floor.
It also comes with an auto-retract/rewind power cord, easy-to-empty dirt tank, fingertip suction control and a hose that is 8-foot long.
Other features that make this an awesome all-purpose vacuum include the dusting tool, crevice tool, extension wand, and a tool for cleaning low-pile carpets.
6. Shark Flex HV391 DuoClean Upright Vacuum
The Shark Flex HV391 DuoClean vacuum has blown users’ mind with its innovative design, features, and functionalities for such a modest-sized for cleaner.
The standout feature is the DuoClean technology that added a second brushroll to the traditional brushroll found in many vacuums.
The second brushroll, which is very soft, serves as a duster specific for hardwood floors. And the fact there are two brush rolls, cleaning requires just one pass ensuring too much time isn’t wasted on this chore.
With the expected strong suction normally found in Shark vacuums, this unit would astonish you with the way it cleans up messes easily. Together with the attachments and accessories, it has everything you’d want in a multi-surface cleaner.
7. Hoover SH20030 Linx Stick Vacuum Cleaner
This Hoover unit has all the basic features that made people fall in love stick vacuums: it is light and it is easy to handle. Add the modest price to the mix and you get a fantastic little electric vacuum for hardwood floors.
With a handle that tilts downward and a swivel steering, this is designed with crowded spaces in mind as it is easy to maneuver the unit. Under-the-furniture cleaning is also very easy.
The Cyclonic technology ensures the brushes deep-clean floors without causing any damage. There are also side brushes to clean edges; the brushes are also able to adjust automatically when transitioning from hard floors to carpets and rugs.
Other excellent features include the 20-foot power cord, attachments, and tools for other surfaces, and much more.
8. Bissell PowerEdge 81L2A Hardwood Floor Stick Vacuum
The first thing you’d notice about this unit is the novel design of the nozzle. You might want to get it for the novelty but don’t let that detract from its spectacular features.
Firstly, the V-shaped nozzle ensures debris, dirt, dust and pet hair on the floor are funneled towards the center where they are sucked in by the vacuum. Another benefit if this V-shaped design is that you can clean edges with it better compared to other vacuums.
The lightweight cleaner comes with a swivel head for easy maneuverability, 20-foot power cord, easy-to-empty dirt cup, and an impressive cleaning path of about 12 inches.
However, you might not like that though it is excellent for all hard floors, it is not suitable for rugs.
9. Kenmore Elite 31150 Beltless Vacuum
The Kenmore Elite 31150 is truly an elite multi-surface vacuum that packs lots of extremely useful features to justify the relatively high price tag.
The upright unit comes with a HEPA filter ensuring that sneezes and coughing are out of the question while using it. It is no surprise that the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America saw it fit to recognize it with a certification.
Other remarkable features found on this vacuum include the LED lights for illuminating dark spaces; telescopic wand; 4-position height adjustment enhancing its flexibility for all floor types; easy on/off brush switch; and pet hair attachment.
However, at about 20 lbs, the weight might take getting used.
10. Bissell Zing 2156A Bagless Canister Vacuum
This Bissell vacuum bucks the general design of canister vacuums. Unlike most canister units, it is very lightweight and compact giving it a comparative advantage over other canisters when it comes to cleaning hardwood floors.
You would love the versatility of the cleaning head. It is able to adjust effortlessly when transitioning from hard floor to carpet and vice versa. The switch for adjusting the cleaner head is a floor pedal on the vacuum.
The suction is quite impressive with the aid of the cyclonic technology ensuring that dirt, debris, dust and pet hair are evacuated from any surface without fuss. The cleaning efficiency is combined with a 3-stage filtration system that traps dust and spores to leave the air really clean.
The machine also comes with accessories such as a crevice tool and dusting brush.
Frequently asked questions and answers
Are Bagless vacuums better?
Vacuums with bags and bagless vacuums all have pros and cons.
The major advantage of a bagless vacuum is the savings you make buying bags. But you would have to contend with messy emptying, cleaning of dust containers and filters.
When is it advisable to change vacuum bags?
It is not advisable to change bags only when they are full. Three-quarters full is the best time to change them.
If you have pets, change the bags more frequently.
How often should I change filters?
Unlike bags, filters don’t need regular replacement. Change them only when they look dirty or worn.
With HEPA filters, you only need to replace them every 6 months give or take a month.
Conclusion
From this guide, it is obvious that there are several things to look at before you can successfully purchase a vacuum you’d consider the best electric vacuum for hardwood floors.
The hope here is that you are now sufficiently educated to make an informed choice when purchasing a suitable vacuum for your hardwood floor. The ten products in this review come from a variety of models with one common feature: they are the best in what they do.
Feel free to purchase any one. You would forever be thankful for the decision you made as your hardwood floor and the entire apartment would get the benefits of the excellent cleaning these vacuums are capable of.
Electric vacuum for Hardwood floors in action
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