How to Choose the Best Hardwood Floor Vacuum

Hardwood floor vacuum cleaners are being marketed left and right, with new models and styles introduced to consumers each year. You need to know what features make for the best appliance to not only clean your home’s hardwood surfaces but also to make them as shiny as possible. The ideal vacuum cleaner is not necessarily the most expensive but you shouldn’t consider only the price point as the main basis for your decision.

Dyson Ball Multi Floor Upright	Our favorite for 2016
BISSELL Hard Floor Expert Bagless Canister	A great value option
Miele Classic C1 Olympus Canister	Brilliant for hardwood floors

This 2015 guide can help you make an informed purchase decision on the ideal wood floor cleaner with value for your money. Remember that not all vacuum cleaners are created equal and each one will differ from the other when it comes to function and quality. Yes, there is such a thing as the “hardwood vacuum” and five of the leading brands  are discussed here.

Reviews

Dyson Ball Multi Floor Upright – This is an upright model that uses an advanced technology known as the Radial Root Cyclone which captures not only regular dirt but even microscopic dust as well. It has a cleaner head that automatically self-adjusts to seal the suction in while it goes over your hardwood surfaces and carpets.

This model is equipped with a ball that can easily be steered even into hard-to-reach places. Additionally, this unit has been certified allergy- and asthma-friendly to expel the cleanest of air. It has HEPA (High Efficiency Particular Air) filtration that can trap the tiniest particles that other models will simply recirculate back.

Emptying the bin (made of transparent ABS polycarbonate material) is quick and hygienic. The user can see just how much dirt, dust or even pet hair the unit has captured through the transparent bin. You simply press a button and every particle in the bin is released.

BISSELL Hard Floor Expert Bagless Canister – Lightweight but specialized, the BISSELL Hard Floor Expert  has a powerful suction action that can clean low, high, and delicate surfaces with its felt treads and rubber wheels that have been specially designed not to mark or scratch hardwood floors. This automatic rewind-capable model can easily be maneuvered for curtains, stairs, auto interiors, curtains, and upholstery, among others.

This machine is air driven with the softest of bristles to pick up pet hair, cookie, cake, pie, and biscuit crumbs, and even fine debris off harder surfaces. It comes with a warranty of two years, swivels when steered around and under furniture, has an empty tank at the bottom for convenient emptying, a slim and compact design that will take up minimal storage space, and comes with the following onboard tools:

• A wand for telescoping extension.
• A dusting tool.
• A low pile tool for carpets.
• A crevice tool.

Miele S2121 Olympus Canister Cleaner – This model is a classic tool that combines high performance has canisters that care gently for all of your home’s types of flooring. From solid and smooth surfaces such as hardwood and tiles to deep-pile carpets and plush rugs, this model has six powerful settings displayed clearly on the unit’s rotary dial mounted on its front.

Exceptionally light, this model’s ergonomic handle provides convenient vacuuming experience while its FiberTeQ transitions easily from cleaning carpets to smooth surfaces with one flip of its toggle switch. It has a stainless steel, telescopic wand and an electrical cord that rewinds automatically to clean a 29.5-foot radius.

This Miele model has a VarioClip that holds three accessories – an upholstery tool, crevice nozzle, and dusting brush – firmly in place for optimal cleaning performance. Moreover, its filter bag will automatically seal itself for closure to lock in dust, dirt, and other allergens when removed for cleaning.

Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional Upright – The Shark Navigator’s cyclonic technology does not lose suction power while separating fine dirt from air and preventing it and other debris from clogging filters. This model has the Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology that combines with HEPA filtration in order to trap and hold more than 99.9% of allergens and dust inside it.

Its “Lift Away” Canister with “Dust-Away” Attachment is portable for convenient cleaning of upholstery, stairs, and difficult areas to reach in home and car. It uses sealed vacuum technology to suck debris you are unable to see and microfiber pads to capture embedded particles invisible to the eye.

It has tool attachments that lift pet hair and ground-in dirt easily off surfaces. Its 30-foot cord length, 9.5-inch cleaning path, and HEPA and foam filters — to keep allergens from going back into air that you breathe — all make this machine for wood floors a powerful appliance.

BISSELL PowerEdge Pet Hard Floor Corded – Here is a model that needs no broom or attachments because its V shape directs larger amounts of debris right to the suction path’s center while the V’s ends capture fine, small particles on baseboards and edges. Equipped with a swivel head, the PowerEdge cleans easily around legs of furniture and low-pile rugs.

Designed specifically for hard surfaces, this Bissell model has a 20-foot power and a dirt cup that is easy to empty and clean. This lightweight model – just seven pounds — has wipers made of strong rubber material that will leave any kind of debris behind including those underneath tables and other furniture.

The ‘killer’ feature of this machine is its design: the V shape ensures that optimum suction is readily available from its 5 AMP motor. Completely bag-less, this model can sit upright right in your broom closet for convenient storage, an appliance with true value for money.

Buyers Guide – Let Us Help You Find the Best Hard Floor Vacuum

What you probably don’t realize, like most people, is the fact that highly-rated cleaners obtained such ratings primarily because they perform reliably as general purpose cleaners and do a great job when it comes to cleaning carpets, rugs, and upholstery. But are you aware that the majority of these units have not been designed  for use on hard surfaces?

A vacuum cleaner – or any other appliance or machine, for that matter – which has not been designed specifically to clean hardwood and other similar surfaces – could very well damage your floors. You may want to consider the following criteria listed below before you go shopping for the best model for hard wood floors and pet hair. Don’t forget that what you want is a machine that is suitable for your surfaces.

No rotator or beater brushes: these are typically located in the machines’s head and covered with rough and thick bristles. This kind of option is excellent for digging into a carpet’s fibers but will cause damage to hard-wood. Some models come with dual cleaning modes for both hard surfaces and carpets; these are equipped with switches specifically to turn each mode on or off.

Compact and lightweight: when the cleaner has a compact design and is lightweight, it follows that it would be easier to maneuver even in hard-to-reach areas such as around furniture or baseboards. A model’s ease of maneuverability significantly reduces the risk of scratches or scuff marks; likewise, a unit that is lightweight will not take up too much space when in storage.

Suction power: this is one feature a top rated machine must have because it ensures that the smallest dirt particles are eliminated. Hardwood may sometimes have tiny cracks which are not visible to the eye and have debris engrained into them. A model that has a powerful motor will be capable of reliable and consistent suction whether it is dust, dried mud, grass or pet dander you want to get rid of.

Felt stripe pads or rubber wheels: either one is a great feature to have that can help prevent scratching, digs, scuff marks, and other accidental damage to your  floors. Make no mistake about this: machines designed for carpets will have plastic wheels that can easily scuff, scratch or dig into wood surfaces. Moreover, cleanerss for carpets, rugs, and upholstery will lack the necessary padding.

These are several important questions which you need to answer before you buy a new cleaner. Your answers will eventually determine which cleaner will be ideal for your needs and budget:

• Do you need a handheld type which can be conveniently carried around and outside the house for use in other areas such as the car’s upholstery?

• Will you need a unit that can clean your hardwood floors and get rid of pet hair as well?

• Would you need a model with a powerful canister or the light stick variety to clean narrower areas and smaller spaces?

• Is price a major deal breaker for you? You can always get a vacuum that meets your needs at the moment and upgrade later when you have more funds.