What type of vacuum is best for hardwood floors

A high-quality vacuum can make quick work of hardwood floors, but what exactly is the best vacuum for hardwood floors? There are more variables than you might think for a vacuum cleaner.

A good, high-quality vacuum needs to be able to suck up debris efficiently and effectively, retain that debris inside, maneuver around corners and obstacles, keep working for years, and pick up everything from pet hair to dust to spilled food.

And there are so many types of vacuums that claim supremacy at hardwood floor cleaning! There are cordless stick vacuums, powerful canister vacuums , upright vacuums , vacuum-mop combos, and, lately, robot vacuum cleaners that zoom around all by themselves.

Which one is right for you? Our guide should help you decide. Deciding which vacuum works best for you relies on a few different factors. Do you live in a home with stairs? Do you have one or more pets? Pet hair can get everywhere, but there are specialized vacuums to cope with our shedding friends. Read on for the best of each category and how to clean your hardwood floors. Just a decade or so ago, the idea of an affordable robot vacuum cleaner would have seemed nuts.

But these days, robotic vacuums are both more effective and cheaper than ever before. Modern life has delivered robot cleaners that do our dirty house chores for us.

Robotic vacuums vary slightly in how they work but, generally, they will move back and forth across the house, sweeping dust and debris into internal containers without any help from us pitiful humans. More advanced and expensive robotic vacuums will map your home to more quickly avoid furniture, stairs, and other obstacles. They might automatically deposit swept-up debris in a docking station, or respond to voice commands.

More expensive than some other canister vacuums. Best Value Vacuum Cleaner for Hardwood. Swiffer amazon. Lightweight Easy to maneuver.

Need to buy Swiffer pad refills. Bissell amazon. Air-powered soft brush to help protect floors. Hoover amazon. Automatically detects the change in floor type Canister detaches Bright lights make dust easy to see. May be heavy for some. Dyson amazon. Suction automatically adjusts to floor type Cordless Displays run-time.

More expensive than other vacuums. Dispenses debris into the base Easy and not messy to empty. Picks up debris and cleans floor simultaneously. Cord is not retractable.

Black and Decker. Can remove canister and hose to vacuum hard-to-reach places Automatically adjusts suction for floor type. Some debris can get stuck in wheels. Dyson bedbathandbeyond. Moves in any direction Soft rollers do not scratch floor. More expensive than some other stick vacuums. Read Full Review. For quick cleanups on hardwood, some two-in-one handheld vacuums can be all you need.

And unlike most hand vacs, it does include a brush bar to grip onto debris better. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Staff, Courtesy of Bissell. How We Evaluated To select the best vacuums for hardwood floors, we started by reviewing our own previous testing of handheld and robot vacuums. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Most Versatile. Shark amazon. Two-in-one upright and canister vacuum design Brush roll turns off.

Great Value Upright. Hoover amazon. Affordable Large dirt capacity. No attachments. Best Canister Vacuum. And if your current vacuum isn't cutting it, see below for eight vacuums that knock it out of the park in our bare-floor test.

Place a doormat outside entrances to keep people from tracking dirt and grit indoors. Establishing a no-shoes policy indoors will go even further toward preserving floors. Use plastic or felt protectors under furniture legs to prevent scratches. When rearranging furniture, always lift pieces rather than sliding them. In the kitchen, place a mat in front of the sink and range to avoid wearing out sections of flooring. For more information, see our vacuum buying guide and flooring buying guide and ratings.

Miele Complete C3 Marin. The bagged Miele Complete C3 Marin is the best of the best, sucking up sand like a champ. It also earns a Very Good rating in our carpet-cleaning tests.