The 5 Absolute Best Vacuums For Hardwood Floors
Growing up, my mom was a cleaning fanatic. In fact I don’t think she ever went one single week without vacuuming at least one room in the house. When I moved into my first apartment, I realized that the beautiful wood floors needed a little special treatment and that my mother’s old cleaning methods just wouldn’t do.
Wood flooring requires delicacy. No harsh chemicals, no scraping, no abrasives. Tools meant for carpets can seriously damage your wood floors. So do you have to abandon them altogether? No way! The focus of a hardwood floor vacuum should be finesse over power.
The good news is we have gone ahead and done some leg work for you. These are five absolutely top-notch choices that are purposely built to tackle your hard floors.
Top 5 Best Hardwood Floor Vacuum Comparison Table
| Image | Model | Type | Power | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Miele S2121 Olympus | Canister | Corded | $$$$$ | |
 |
Hoover Linx | Stick | Cordless | $$ | |
 |
Eureka 3670G Mighty Mite | Canister | Corded | $$ | |
 |
Shark Navigator Professional | Canister | Corded | $$$ | |
 |
iRobot 650 Roomba | Robot | Cordless | $$$$ |
1. Miele S2121 Olympus Canister Vac
In short, I love this dust sucker. It’s all-purpose, but it’s also light and most of its attachments work well with hardwood floors. You can check out our full review of the Miele here.
If you’re not familiar with canister-type machines, the canister (where the motor is housed) trails behind you on wheels while you maneuver the mouth of the vacuum, which is attached to the canister by a tube.
It looks a little awkward at first, but it is truly a great way to clean. The smaller parts make it easier to carry up and down stairs as well. The price is on the expensive side, but you won’t be needing a replacement for many years.
Who will love it? Everyone with a variety of flooring – low pile rugs and carpet, along with wood and tile floors, we highly recommend the Miele S2121. If you aren’t in need of the versatility the best vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors provides, then the purchase might not be worth it for you.
Who wouldn’t like it? Those with a lot of high pile carpeting (i.e. shag). The Miele doesn’t do its best on very fluffy carpeting. Also, those on a tighter budget might have a difficult time justifying paying over $300 when there are more affordable options available below.
2. Hoover Linx Cordless Stick
If you find canister vacs unappealing, then you might be very happy to use the Hoover Linx. It functions like a normal upright machine, but is lighter and is also a great product for wood flooring.
This stick is cordless with a rechargeable battery, and it is extremely lightweight and easy to use.
The Hoover Linx is bagless, which is not my personal preference, but I know some people hate buying vacuum bags.
One thing that can be said about the Linx is that it runs well, be it on smooth floor, carpet, rug or even pet hair. It has easy-to-clean bristles attached to the low-pro base that make scrubbing a breeze, allowing you to dislodge even the most caked down dirt or debris and suck it up.
The dust cup and filter are very easy to empty and clean, which is quite handy especially when the dust cup gets filled up quickly.
This is also a beautifully designed machine. It looks sleek and stand-out, which is probably one of the reasons it’s so popular (over 4000 reviews on Amazon alone). If you want to invest just over $100 in a vacuum that you can be proud of, this is it!
Who would love it? Anyone who has a smaller area of hard flooring to clean, such as a small apartment, or who will use it only in certain rooms in the house, like the kitchen and bathrooms.
Who wouldn’t like it? Those with a vast swath of flooring to clean, or those who want to frequently vacuum stairs. The base, while narrow, is a little awkward to maneuver on stair after stair.
Tip: You must not leave the battery in the charger, it will die out very soon. Remember to take it out once fully charged.
3. Eureka 3670G Mighty Mite Canister
Ok, friends. Here is a fantastic find for you: the Eureka Mighty Mite for well under $100. This product works extremely well and is offered at such a good price, it’s almost hard to believe.
It doesn’t look quite as sleek as the Miele, but it certainly sucks up anything on your wood or tile floor and does fairly well on carpets, rugs, and even pet hair.
The 12amp motor will suffice for all your cleaning needs efficiently and quickly.
It also comes with a crevice tool, upholstery nozzle/dusting brush and bare/carpet nozzle, which are essential to access and vacuum hard to reach areas and spots.
With that said, one necessary improvement Eureka should make is to increase the attached brush from 2″ to 4″ or 5″ wide. It would help considerably when cleaning large surfaces like walls.
What I really like about this vacuum, and canister vacs in general, is that it is really compact and lightweight. You don’t have to fight your way up the stairs like with most uprights and you will have more space to maneuver around especially in small/confined areas.
The generously long 20 foot cord makes vacuuming large areas really easy. When finished cleaning, you can wrap the cord neatly around the base. A rewindable cord would be a nice feature, but it’s definitely not a deal breaker for me considering the low price tag.
All in all, this is a really solid piece of equipment which deserves to be right up there with the other more expensive options.
Who is this best for? People in homes with lots of wood and tile who need a light and affordable vacuum.
Who might not like it? Households with carpeting. The Eureka Mighty Mite can do some light touching up on rugs and carpet, but it’s certainly not meant primarily for that use. You’ll need another vac to do carpet if you have it, or you could look into a carpet cleaning service.
| Image | Model | Type | Power | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Miele S2121 Olympus | Canister | Corded | $$$$$ | |
|
Hoover Linx | Stick | Cordless | $$ | |
|
Eureka 3670G Mighty Mite | Canister | Corded | $$ | |
|
Shark Navigator Professional | Canister | Corded | $$$ | |
|
iRobot 650 Roomba | Robot | Cordless | $$$$ |
4. Shark Navigator Professional Lift-Away
Although not quite the household name as the above brands, the Shark has been making some serious waves across the industry because of its high quality build and insane performance.
When it comes to hardwood floor vacuums, no other machine on this list is able to offer you the same kind of power that the Shark can.
With that said, it’s not a unit that has been specifically designed only for hard floors like the others on this list. This multipurpose vac can handle anything you throw at it with the same kind of cleaning ability.
I personally own this vacuum and I must say this is so far the one I’m most satisfied with. My carpet has never been cleaner! I even bought this for my mother-in-law as a Christmas gift and she loves it too.
At around $200, it can easily beat ones that are twice the price. The amount of dirt it can pull up is really amazing. The Premium version is the upgrade from the Shark Navigator NV350 with a larger dirt canister (0.55 gallon).
One happy customer noted that the pile of dirt that this tool can suck is 5 times more than her old one could. Well, a lot of people agree with her because as to date, it has received thousands of reviews and averages a stellar 4.5 star rating. If you really want your money’s worth, go for the Shark.
5. iRobot 650 Roomba
Now hear me out – the Roomba 650, or its big brother the Roomba 770, might be the new best tool for your household. If your floors get dirty on a daily basis from pets, kids, or foot traffic through the house, then this device is a great alternative to having to vacuum every day.
The Roomba does a decent job with carpet, but where it really shines is on hard floors, and it won’t damage your hardwood flooring.
So how does it work? You start the little robot and it goes to town zooming around and cleaning your floors without a thought from you. (The Roomba does require a little bit of maintenance every time it completes a cleaning cycle)
You should unload the tray that the dust and dirt collects in, and you should also clean out the brushes, which can become especially dirty if you have a pet with long hair.
But the whole process will take only a couple of minutes. Another possible downside is that it doesn’t avoid small objects too well, so you should really pick up any small toys in the area for best results.
Despite this, it still works very well and is definitely one of my top choices for tile floors!
Who is it best for? Families with mostly wood flooring and tile that requires daily cleaning. Also for anyone that would just rather push a button than have to hassle with conventional vacs and their cords.
Who should not purchase this? Anyone looking for a budget option. There are certainly lots of great cheaper choices available, like the Shark above.
Check out this handy video for tips on getting the best use of your new vacuum!
Make Your Pick, And Happy Vacuuming!
There you have it, the 5 best hardwood floor vacuums for every budget. We hope that this article has helped you make an informed decision. If you still haven’t decided yet, check out our Comparison Chart for even more options.
I know that it can be tough to choose your next appliance, but be assured that if you choose from one of the options above you will be in good hands :)
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