The Best Vacuum Cleaners for Hardwood Floors

UPDATED: Jan 01, 2020.

A hardwood floor is a beautiful upgrade that raises a house market value. Like all home investments, you should maintain the floor’s integrity and appearance.  This means keeping your hardwood floor free of dirt, hair, and dust that create micro-scratches in the long run.

Since wood is a sensitive material, you need to choose your cleaning tool wisely to avoid any damage. A vacuum can do a great job of keeping your floor clean; however, you shouldn’t just pick any old model you see out there.

If you are looking for the best vacuum cleaners for hardwood floors then you have come to the right place.

At a Glance: The 10 Best Vacuum Cleaners for Hardwood Floors Discussed in Our Roundup:

• Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional (Top Pick)
• Bissell 9595A CleanView Bagless Vacuum (Top Rated)
• Bissell PowerEdge Pet Harwood Floor Cleaner (Editor Choice)
• Eureka Mighty Mite Canister Vacuum Cleaner
• Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
• Dyson V8 Absolute Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
• Miele Complete C3 Marin Canister Vacuum Cleaner
• Shark Rotator TruePet Upright Bagless Vacuum
• iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum
• Kenmore Canister Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner

Reviews of Top 10 Vacuum Cleaners for Hardwood Floors 2020

Not every cleaner will be ideal for hardwood but the following 10 models will do wonders to your floor.

1. Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E

The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional is an affordable cleaner with superb suction power and is perfect for most flooring. It boats of dozens of built-in features that enable it to clean multiple surfaces including hardwood surfaces.

It might not be the most effective vacuum cleaner on the market today but it sure does a good job of cleaning all stains and messes on your floor. Furthermore, it is a versatile product that comes with tools for cleaning drapes, furniture, and other above-ground surfaces.

Additionally, this model is pretty light; you can even operate it using just a single hand. It also comes with a flexible and long hose, a crevice tool, and a dusting brush. It is a model that will offer the service you want and this at just a small price.

2. Bissell 9595A CleanView Bagless Vacuum

Yet another affordable product that comes with great tools to help compensate for its limited mobility. It is an upright unit that does a superb job of cleaning hardwood floors and cleans around the corner easily.

It is effective at vacuuming your pets’ hair and mess and comes with a suction control for cleaning different types of surfaces. While it is a great product for people with pets and it won’t let you down when you need it.

Another feature of this unit is the wide cleaning bath of 12 inches, meaning that you won’t take a lot of time when cleaning your floor. Also, you only need to make one or two passes over an area and all the debris and dust will be vacuumed.

The cleaner also comes with a wide selection of accessories including an extension wand, a dusting brush, a crevice tool, and an upholstery tool.

3. Bissell PowerEdge Pet Harwood Floor Bagless Cleaner

The Bissel PowerEdge Pet is among the most prolific cleaners and comes with high-velocity performance. With that said, it is still one of the most affordable units today. It comes with a V-shape design, which is a great design for capturing dirt and debris easily.

Its suction doesn’t feature lots of complicated variables and commands, allowing for stress-free and easy cleaning on hardwood floors.  Furthermore, the unit comes with a 20 feet long power cord that is perfect for medium- to large-sized rooms that covers about 400 sq. ft.

Although it doesn’t have a hose, the v-shape, swivel steering, low-profile stature, and powerful suction power make the vacuum cleaner a great bet to have at home. The model is able to clean all kinds of mess from your house including stains, dust, pet hair, and dirt.

That’s not all since the vacuum cleaner comes with a warranty that covers against manufacturer defects. So, you can rest assured that you have a 100 percent functioning model.

4. Eureka Mighty Mite 3670G Corded Canister Vacuum Cleaner

If your home has a combination of bare floor, tiled surface, linoleum, and hardwood, this is the vacuum cleaner for you. This unit comes in handy when picking dust bunnies, dust, and cobwebs that pile up on your floor.

The product is a great option for home use since it is lightweight, weighing just 8.6 lbs. and comes with a long extension cord that reaches the furthest of corners. This cord also enables the cleaner to reach the ceiling with ease.

So, you don’t need a separate vacuum cleaner for cleaning the walls and ceiling and another one for vacuuming the floor. It is a bagged model, hence, you will need to buy additional bags but due to its price, it is worth every penny.

The unit also features a blower function that can allow you to blow away leaves from other areas. It also comes with other attachments that will enable it to clean all parts of your home.

5. Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner

This vacuum cleaner resembles an upright vacuum cleaner than most models out there, and this is great in many ways. It has more suction power than most models on this list and a wider cleaning path. This makes it worth your pennies although it is heavier than most vacuum cleaners.

In fact, this is more of a hybrid product with the cleaning power of an upright model and the conveniences of a stick vacuum. It is also a cord-free product that functions using a durable battery. So, it is a good model for taking up and down the stairs cleaning all dirt and dust.

Another feature of this cleaner is the brush roll that you can easily switch on and off to help clean your hardwood surface better. There is also a convenient power gauge that allows you to know the juice left in the battery.

6. Dyson V8 Absolute Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner

If you want a leader in the cordless vacuum cleaning technology then you need to try out the Dyson V8. It represents the latest design of progression in terms of digital motor development and battery.

It is a great grab-and-go model that picks up dirt and is perfect for small homes – it’s that advanced. And it boasts of an increase suction power of 115 air watts, which is an increase of 15 air watts from the V6.

The model combines airflow and the power produced to provide the ideal cleaning system. And don’t worry about the noise, it only produces 70 decibels.  Furthermore, it has a better dirt cup capacity of 148 gallons, an increase from 11 gallons of the previous model.

In addition, the dirt cup has better emptying design and the vacuum cleaner has a sealed HEPA-level filter. Hence, the cleaner is perfect not only for hardwood floor but also for asthma and allergy sufferers.

7. Miele Complete C3 Marin Canister Vacuum Cleaner

This model comes with an electro comfort brush which comes in handy when cleaning smooth flooring. The brush is driven electrically and has a floating head as well as swivel neck design that facilities easy movement.

It cleaner also comes with the parquet twister tech that enables it to rotate up to 180 degrees in order to cover every corner of your floor. As you move from cleaning the hardwood floor to carpeting, the vacuum cleaner automatically reduces its suction power.

It then increases suction when you start to vacuum smooth, solid surfaces. This will save your time and energy that you would use setting the suction power. Also, the cleaner has a telescopic long, stainless steel electrical cord.

With a one-touch auto rewind, this cleaner also cleans a wide radius of 36 ft. wide.

8. Shark Rotator TruePet Upright Corded Bagless Vacuum

The Shark Rotator comes with the shark’s original full-size powdered lift-away. It is able to detach to deep clean all hard-to-reach surfaces while still proving power to spin the brush roll. The vacuum cleaner is provided great performance over a wide number of cleaning chores.

Its suction power is on a level with the best vacuum cleaners around and it comes with a suction regulator that prevents you from sucking up throw rugs and light mats. The model is quite versatile, thanks to the lift-away feature and its cleaning head are also powered.

The brush roll is powered by the same motor as the one used to run upright vacuum cleaners. It is a huge model for cleaning things, either lush or low pile, and the stairs. In fact, it is perfect for vacuuming under your bed.

The model comes with the HEPA filter that cleans particles of about 0.3 microns and it has the seal of approval of the British Allergy Foundation.

9. iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum

The first thing you will notice about this cleaner is that it feels and looks like other robot vacuum cleaners from iRobot. It comes with a round shape and black color that isn’t found in the firm’s other cleaners. It has a clean button on the top of the center that provides easy to use control of the cleaner.

Furthermore, it has a lift-up handle situated on the top that allows you to carry the cleaner from one area to the other. Its front part is protected with a bumper which also protects your hardwood floor from getting damaged.

And you can easily access its dustbin, which is conveniently located in the inside part of the cleaner. It also comes with a latch that opens easily to enable you to dump out all collected debris and dirt and also change the filter. The model also comes with other great features that will make your work easier.

10. Kenmore 22614 Bagless Canister Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner

You will be surprised at how this cleaner sucks the dirt in an effective way. Rated the best bagless vacuum cleaner for 2020 by the Consumer Magazine, the product provides suction with improved cleaning functionality.

The canister comes with dust cup, onboard tools, and a 2-motor system to become a great product for transitioning between floors. It also boasts of a retractable power cord which comes at a great length of 24 ft.

It was designed to be easy to use and lightweight in order to allow you to vacuum your hardwood floor with ease and quickly. Moreover, it comes with lower and upper quick releases that let you detach and attach on-board tools with just a simple button.

Because the canister is small and compact, you might need to empty it regularly. Luckily, it is transparent – meaning that you can easily see when it is full.

Buying Vacuum Cleaners for Hardwood Floor Tips

Not all rooms will be covered in hardwoods. Some rooms might be covered with carpet, especially rec rooms, nurseries, and bedrooms. Plus, hardwood is costly to install in every room. Hence, if you have hardwood and carpet floors, you might consider buying a vacuum cleaner that will clean these surfaces without leaving dirt behind.

So, consider getting a versatile unit. This means getting a cleaner with multiple brush rolls – the rotating should be perfect for cleaning carpet while the other might be perfect for sweeping dirt from hardwood surface. Sufficient suction should also be a key feature of both types of floors.

Furthermore, a cleaner that will maintain suction as it moves from one surface to the other will make sure that dirt doesn’t get transferred across the surfaces.  A sealed filtration machine will prevent the gathered dirt from being released on the next floor.

Vacuum Cleaners for Hardwood Floors FAQs

Q: Upright or canister – which style is better for my hardwood floor?
A:  Both the canisters and uprights models have their own merits. The upright model is known for its overall robust suction power since it has the size to support a huge motor.  As well, this model comes with brush rolls.

This model might marine your hardwood surface due to this brush – but there are models that come with a soft and smooth brush.

The canister model is a better alternative for cleaning hardwood surfaces since it comes with more tools that are suited for cleaning different surfaces. It is also lightweight.

Q: How can I know if a vacuum cleaner will be safe for cleaning my hardwood floor?
A: Hardwood floor vacuum cleaners should have rubber-type tires to ensure that they don’t scratch your floor while cleaning. Also, they shouldn’t have pointed objects near the nozzles.

Q: Can I use my carpet vacuum cleaner to clean hardwood?

A: It is clear that hardwood and carpet covering are two different things. The velocity and techniques required to effectively extra dirt from the two materials are different.

Q: Bagged system vs. bagless system, what is the difference?

A: Bagged vacuum cleaners feature a bag that you can dispose of once it is full. Bagless vacuum cleaners don’t have a bag but depend on filters to when cleaning the surfaces.

Q: Which upgrade or features are useful for hardwood vacuum cleaners?
A: Microfiber pads and soft rollers are some nice features that come with hardwood vacuum cleaners. They help to collect microscopic particles while buffering the floor.

Q: I have pets. What feature should my hardwood vacuum cleaner have?
A: Adjustable suction levels might be necessary when sucking the different sizes of food pieces and litter, while soft roller might be effective in collecting hair and dander. HEPA filtration is also worth being in vacuum cleaners.

In Conclusion

The best vacuum cleaners for hardwood floors should clean your floor without damaging it. These products should also be clean other places without needing to change their settings when transitioning from one surface to the other.