The market has been flooded with all kinds of products claiming to be the best vacuum for hardwood floors. Because of the myriad options available, picking out a favorite can be tough.
In this article, we will take a longer look at some of the 2020’s top vacuums. By the end of it, you should be able to identify that will be able to work best for you and your family.
Before we start to deal with the main topic, and thus the aim of this article – the best vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors.
let’s clarify what implies the term hardwood floor. It may sound unnecessary, but I think it’s important to know what we clean, as well as how to clean (what device is used to clean).
Therefore, we will first give a brief insight into the types of hardwood floors.
Wood was and still is a very important material in the construction industry, from the period of the first human shelters and houses.
Today, in use is a very wide range of wooden products, including wooden constructions, walls, doors, floors.
What we are interested in is the use of wood, both raw and processed, in the interior design – in this case, in particular: floors.
Hardwood floors, in professional terminology, involves many kinds of different materials, but here we will mention only a few basic ones.
We can single out five main types of hardwood flooring:
Each type of floor is in some way challenging to maintain.
If you are faced with the decision ‘buying a new vacuum’, and you are confused about the great offer on the market.
The possibilities of various models, the needs of your household and you are still thinking how to solve all the problems related to this topic by buying a new vacuum cleaner, we are here to help you.
In the era of such well-developed technology, particularly household appliances, with such rapid innovation changes, one who needs to buy a vacuum cleaner for example, can really be at pains. We are convinced that this is your experience too.
What we consider as first needed to clarify is:
10 Best Vacuums for Hardwood Floors
# | Image | Model | Price |
| Bag or Bagless | Brush | Weight | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Shark NV356E | Corded | Bagless | Yes | 14 lbs. | Best Overall | |
| 2 |  | Hoover BH50010 | Cordless | Bagless | Yes | 10 lbs. | Best Cordless Vacuum | |
| 3 |  | Miele C1 | Corded | Uses bag | Yes | 13 lbs. | Best Anti-Allergy | |
| 4 |  | Hoover FH40010B | Corded | Bagless | No | 4.2 lbs. | Best 3-in-1 Vacuum | |
| 5 |  | Bissell 81L2A | Corded | Bagless | No | 7.1 lbs. | Best Cleaning Head | |
| 6 |  | Shark Rocket HV302 | Corded | Bagless | Yes | 7.6 lbs. | Best Shark Vacuum for Hardwood Floors | |
| 7 |  | Bissell 1831 | Corded | Bagless | Yes | 15.4 lbs. | Best Vacuum for Hardwood Floors and Pet Hair | |
| 8 |  | iRobot Roomba 675 | Cordless | Bagless | Yes | 6.77 lbs. | Best Robot Vacuum for Hardwood Floors | |
| 10 |  | Eureka 3670G | Corded | Uses bag | Yes | 11 lbs. | Best Canister Vacuum | |
| 9 |  | Hoover SH20030 | Corded | Bagless | Yes | 9.5 lbs. | Best Price |
Full Review of 9 Best Vacuums for Hardwood Floors
Shark DuoClean NV356E – Best Overall Vacuum Cleaner
The Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Speed hardwood floor vacuum rightfully takes the first place among a number of very good vacuum cleaner models.
Its main advantage is that it does an amazing job on all floor surfaces.
Equipped with two types of rolling brushes, it cleans both bigger debris and finer particles from even the barest floors.
These brushes work together: a soft one right out front and a bristled brush behind it. At any given time you have control over this function.
There is a switch on the handle which allows you to adjust a few settings – to optimize for thick carpet, low carpet or bare floors.
There is not a special button to adjust how the cleaning head is far away from the flooring, but the adjustments are more than enough.
Shark NV356E works well on all surfaces even when you forget to switch the settings.
The suction is great, even on the bare floor. The Duo Clean is pretty quiet in its operation.
It also has a very long cord, which we consider as important when you have to clean a bigger area.
Compared to similar models, which, however, have fewer advantages, we think it is a bit more expensive.
Features at a Glance:
- The canister can be lifted by just pressing a button
- Equipped with a HEPA filter
- Weight: 13.7 pounds
- Dust cup capacity: 2.2 quarts
- Brush roll useful for deep cleaning carpets and bare floors
- Felt filters can last for up to three months before washing is needed
- Arguably the best canister vacuum for hardwood floors
Hoover BH50010CA – Best Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
It is a cordless stick vacuum cleaner, and Hoover did its best to achieve an overall improved exceptional performance.
Although this is an appliance designed to successfully suction all types of floors, it is far superior on hardwood floors.
Its features make it powerful enough to clean carpets, and at the same time gentle and safe to use on hardwood floors.
You can turn off the brush roll when you are vacuuming delicate surfaces.
You cannot adjust the suction, but the vacuum automatically adjusts its height from the floor to match the most effective distance for the surface you are vacuuming.
This vacuum does not use bags. It is equipped with a 32-ounce dirt cup and its design allows you to empty it without exposing yourself to the dust and allergens.
The vacuum has a washable filter that you can clean and reuse after every session.
This cordless hardwood floor vacuum uses an 18-volt lithium-ion battery. The battery powers the vacuum for 15 minutes and requires only a three-hour charge time.
With its lightweight of just a bit more than 7 pounds, it cleans wooden floors without adding pressure to them.
Another advantage in this regard is that it has rubber wheels.
While the Hoover vacuum effectively cleans tile, wooden floors, as well as carpets, it lacks a hose and additional cleaning tools. Thus, you cannot vacuum hard-to-reach edges, crevices or furniture.
Features at a Glance:
- Makes use of interchangeable batteries
- Utilizes WindTunnel Technology to remove dirt and debris
- Extreme Recline Handle can help with cleaning under pieces of furniture
- Tidies up edges using the Edge Cleaning Bristles
- Features an easily readable fuel gauge
- Dirt cup can be quickly removed by pressing a button
- Weight: 10 pounds
- Has a case for being the best cordless vacuum for hardwood floors
- Also in the running to be considered as the best stick vacuum for hardwood floors
Miele Compact C1 – Best Anti-Allergy Vacuum Cleaner
If you don’t like the upright models of vacuums, Miele Compact C1 could be a good choice. By its performances, it significantly stands out among other canister vacuums.
All the tests we have studied showed that it is equally good for suctioning all surfaces of floors.
When it is about hardwood floors, it proved to be one of the best for suction of flour, oatmeal, rice, and cereal collection as well as pet hair and other animal messes.
Given that fine particulate matter, especially dust, as well as everything that remains behind pets, cause allergies in sensitive people, a vacuum cleaner can become our enemy instead of a friend.
C1s have the airflow filtered by the Air Clean system. It means that it retains 94% of particles less than 0.3 microns in diameter.
This filter can be upgraded with the optional HEPA filters that are certified to retain 99% of particles less than 0.3 microns in diameter.
This vacuum uses the bags which can hold as much as 1.2 gallons. They have a great self-sealing mechanism, based on a spring-loaded collar.
The bags are created from 9-ply construction and fibers spun randomly for increased durability and charged electrostatically to retain even the smallest airborne particles.
So, if you suffer from allergies or asthma, you should consider this model. It’s a bit harder switching between hard and soft floors.
It requires you to switch out manual the brush heads. The vacuum head for hardwood does not have a spinning brush.
In vacuuming the edges on hard floors, it leaves a bit of debris behind.
Features at a Glance:
- Utilizes the Air Clean Sealed System
- 6-stage variable speed selection for specific cleaning needs
- Comes with 360-degree swivel wheels
- Air clean filter installed
- Dustbag capacity: 3.5 liters
- Has a stainless steel telescopic tube
- Cleaning radius: 29.5 feet
- Weight: 14.8 pounds
Hoover FH40010B – Best 3-in-1 Vacuum Cleaner
It seems that the Hoover FH40010B in the analysis of the hardwood vacuums reaffirms itself again as the best 3-in-1 cleaners.
This vacuum is designed to vacuuming, mop, and dry-clean – everything in one.
It means that one machine can deal with all your needs and to eliminate the need for mops and scrub brushes. It even dries your hardwood floor.
This SpinScrub model combines together vacuuming and mopping. It works as a strong floor vacuum, picking up food and dirt, and after that its mopping function washes and drying the floors.
This vacuum is equipped with a bit less powerful motor compared to other models, but the brushes compensate it by the capability to pull particles from the floor.
It has two containers that can be used in holding clean and dirty water. The washing function may be used for all hardwood floors.
The vacuum has a motor that runs on 6 amps. While it has less power than most vacuums, the brushes help pull particles off the floor.
The small tank for the water needs to be filled often, and the tank for the dirty water frequently emptied.
Given that this model works on hardwood floors, we have to say that it is pretty heavy, but the rubber wheels help offset the weight.
While this vacuum helps you to perform three actions in one, it does not come with any cleaning attachments or tools.
It does not have a detachable hose, nor any brushes or wands. This can limit your needs in areas you want to clean.
Features at a Glance:
- SpinScrub Brushes allow for thorough cleaning without surface scratching
- Clean and dirty water separated by Dual Tank Technology
- Multiple cleaning modes available
- Fingertip controls enable owners to use extra detergent
- Cleaning path width: 13 inches
- 27-foot power cord
- Tank capacity: 32 ounces
- Weight: 16 pounds
- Handle can be folded
Bissell 81L2A – Vacuum with the Best Cleaning Head
While most of the vacuums struggle to reach the edges, the Bissell PowerEdge Hard Floor Vacuum with its arrow-shaped cleaning head has no such problem.
It is impossible not to notice its remarkable effectiveness at cleaning the edges on any hardwood floor.
It sounds like an urban legend, but customers say that in the daily maintenance of hard floors it makes wonders.
The unique head of this vacuum allows vacuuming around the furniture, so the moving is needless. It means also that there is less of a chance to damage your floor by moving the furniture.
Its design offers you edge-to-edge cleaning. What this vacuum makes even more impressive, it is able to pick up pet hair better than most other vacuum cleaners, especially on hard floors.
It does a good job of picking up pet hair (this is also one of the best Bissell pet hair vacuum cleaner) and it also picks up grass tracked in by pets. Very good! Its dust cup is of high capacity.
This vacuum cleans the flour and fine dust a bit weaker. It is necessary to pass through with other appliances, but it is excellent for cleaning of larger debris. any kind.
Bissell 81L2A is a bit louder for its size, also has no hose or accessories of
Features at a Glance:
- Dirt cup can be quickly removed
- Cleaning path width: 11.35 inches
- Unique shape helps gather debris and place them directly in the suction path
- Cord length: 20 feet
- Rubber squeegees are useful for cleaning pet hair
- Cyclonic filtration
- Weight: 7.5 pounds
Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright HV302 – Best Shark Vacuum for Hardwood Floors
Shark’s Rocket Ultra-Light Upright HV302 Vacuum may not be capable of cleaning everything up, but it can still take care of a lot of tasks.
The beauty of this vacuum is that it can easily be transformed into a hand vacuum and vice versa.
If you’re cleaning inside your home, you can keep it in its conventional form.
If it’s time to tidy up the interior of your car, you can switch things up in a hurry.
The fingertip controls featured on this vacuum make the transition from cleaning hardwood floors and carpets as smooth as can be.
When you are using the vacuum to clean your car, you can utilize the micro tools included in the Car Detail Set.
They are specifically designed for the purposes of getting into the nooks and crannies of your vehicles and lifting any dirt and dust particles that may be present.
That versatility gives this item a chance to be considered the best Shark vacuum for hardwood floors and carpets.
At just 7.6 pounds, this is one of the lightest vacuums you’ll see. However, the manufacturers have designed it in such a way that it is top-heavy. Because of the way it’s constructed, some folks may have a hard time moving it around.
Features at a Glance:
- Easily convertible.
- Weight: 7.6 pounds.
- 25-foot cord.
- Dust cup capacity: .42 dry quarts.
- Micro cleaning tools included.
- Swivel Steering allows for greater maneuverability.
- Dual storage options included.
- Cleaning path width: 10 inches.
Bissell 1831 Cleanview Upright Bagless Cleaner – Best Vacuum for Hardwood Floors and Pet Hair
Truthfully, the only real downside to having a large home is that cleaning it can be very tiring.
The 1831 Cleanview Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner from Bissell is here to address that problem.
Included with this vacuum cleaner is a power cord that can extend all the way up to 25 feet. That alone would already make this a vacuum cleaner rangier than most alternatives.
Add on top of that a six-foot hose and you have a cleaner that can work its way through a large room without you having to move around a lot.
You won’t have to constantly empty out this vacuum even while it’s being used to clean a larger room.
It comes equipped with a 2-liter tank that can hold a good amount of debris.
This vacuum also excels at cleaning out carpets. The vacuum’s brush is designed in such a way that it effectively combs through and removes any hairs that may be stuck in your carpet.
The Bissell 1831 Cleanview Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner comes bundled together with a Crevice Tool, Dusting Brush, Extension Wand, and TurboBrush Tool.
While these attachments do their jobs fairly well, they are still not as well made as to the vacuum itself.
Features at a Glance:
- Can feature a reach that extends all the way up to 32 feet.
- 25-foot power cord.
- 6-foot hose.
- Cleaning path width: 13.5 inches.
- OnePass design aids with carpet cleaning.
- The suction system prevents debris-filled air from escaping.
- Multi-level filtration.
- Dirt bin capacity: two liters.
- Weight: 15.4 pounds.
- Attachments: crevice tool, dust brush, extension wand, TurboBrush Tool.
iRobot Roomba 675 – Best Robot Vacuum for Hardwood Floors
Upon being asked that question, many of us tend to answer with the name of a more conventional stick or canister vacuum.
Some may even go with a cordless or bagless variant.
The Roomba 675 from iRobot shows that robot vacuums warrant entry into that conversation as well.
Convenience is the main selling point of just about every robot vacuum and that is also the case with this particular item.
You can connect this robot vacuum either to Alexa or Google Assistant and issue voice commands through those programs to get this cleaner going.
If you’re heading out for the day but still want some cleaning done, you can also schedule sessions by using the companion app.
There’s no need for you to closely monitor where this Robo-vacuum goes because its sensors will guide it correctly along the corners and pathways of your home.
The Dirt Detect sensors installed on this robot vacuum will also let it know if certain spots in your home require extra attention during cleaning time.
The Roomba 675 is not just notable for how convenient it is though. Its performance is quite remarkable as well.
Using its Multi-Surface Brushes, this vacuum can easily pick up pieces of debris both big and small. It will also automatically adjust itself depending on the surface it has to clean.
This particular robot vacuum will be able to work exceptionally well even when it has to sweep around corners and edges because of its angled brush.
Compared to other Roombas, the 675 does lack a bit of power. It can still be an effective cleaner, but it may struggle a bit with those deep stains.
Features at a Glance:
- Equipped with dual Multi-Surface Brushes.
- Dirt Detect sensors alert the Roomba to areas that require additional cleaning.
- Edge-Sweeping Brush is angled at 27 degrees.
- Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant.
- Scheduled cleanups are possible using iRobot’s Home app.
- Expected run time of 90 minutes.
- The cleaning head automatically adjusts to the surface being cleaned.
- Features iAdapt Navigation.
- Will charge itself automatically.
Eureka Mighty Mite 3670: Best Canister Vacuum for Hardwood
With the Eureka Mighty Mite Canister Vacuum Cleaner, you can bring home one that weighs less than 12 pounds and one that you can use in a two-story home.
A good review will point out the 2.5-liter dust bin that holds more of the pet hair and other debris that you pick up around the house.
That bin is easy to empty and lets you do as much cleaning as you want between trips to the trashcan.
Using the Mighty Max is easy because you simply attach the tool or hose that you want to use to the front of the canister and hit the power switch.
The hose handle has a slip ring that you can adjust to select the cleaning level or setting that you want. If you want to use the blower port, you can move the hose from the front of the vacuum to the back.
This turns it into the perfect machine for clearing out a workshop or garage.
The blower can push out sawdust and other debris that you produce when working. It also functions as a leaf blower when used outside too.
A nice feature of the Mighty Max vac is the filter that grabs the fine particles you pass and moves them away from the motor. When you change the bag, you can wipe down the filter to keep it clean.
With a cord wind on the side, this vacuum makes it easy to keep track of the 20-foot-long cord.
You simply wrap the cord around this piece when you finish cleaning and push the wind attachment down to release the cord. Eureka also gives you a 10-amp motor and a nozzle that works on all types of bare floors.
Features at a Glance:
- 2.5-liter dust bin capacity
- 10-amp motor
- Power-Touch handle
- Bare-floor nozzle
- 20-foot-cord
- Extension cleaning wand
- Combination tool and other attachments included
- Built-in cord wind
Why buy a Vacuum Cleaner Specifically for Hardwood Floor?
It is not the same, cleaning of hardwood or some other floor.
In this video you can see why for example it’s beneficial to vacuum a hardwood floor with a vacuum that has plastic wheels, with help from a member of the National Wood Floor Association:
It’s most likely that the floors at your home are not only hardwood, any kind. You probably have tile floors, as well as carpets.
When it is about the tile floors, the most of vacuums for hardwood floors is good enough for cleaning tile floors.
Their features are pretty common. But when is about carpets, there are some very important differences.
In reviews of separate models, we will look back at these issues.
So, we want to answer the question of why is useful and in your case perhaps necessary to have a good vacuum for the hardwood floor.
If your home is mostly hardwood flooring, you will need a vacuum designed for that flooring.
There are many great models that very well clean the carpets, and you can think that when you have already paid a very high-quality vacuum cleaner, so … it will be quite good for your hardwood floor. And – you could make a mistake here because many of them simply are not designed for hardwood floors.
To make things worse, you could seriously damage your floor.
So it’s important that you know the following when choosing:
Features to look for in a Hardwood Vacuum
Among a lot of options, many of them depend on your home and your needs, but we will highlight the most important.
- Gentle cleaning brushes that won’t scrape or damage your floor. You don’t want a vacuum with beater brushes.
- They are designed to dig into the carpet fibers, so they can pick up dirt and debris from carpet, but they can make a real disaster on your hardwood floor. However, there are models with an on/off switch. If you are confident in your memory, that you will always remember to turn beater brush off – then it may be a good choice for you. If not… think about it.
- Strong or low-medium suction power: vacuums for carpets, especially the larger ones have to have very strong suction power, to pick up effectively all the dirt and debris.
- When it is about hardwood floors vacuum, a very few require so strong suction. For most of the hardwood floors low to medium suction power is the better choice.
- Rubber or felt stripe padding is a good attachment, to ensure that the vacuum cleaner will not cause accidental scratching on the floors.
- Lightweight and compact: for delicate wood surfaces, a vacuum should be lightweight and compact, because it does make it easier to handle and reduces the risk of causing scratches.
- Attachments should be appropriate, to help you to reach those areas where the dirt and debris are collected.
- A few more things to look for are:
- The vacuum that is bagless, or with a disposable bag
- Vacuum with powerful canister, or rather a light stick for smaller areas
- Full-sized upright vacuum, or handheld vacuum
- Vacuum designed specifically for cleaning home/areas where pets live
- Robotic – more automated vacuum
Regardless of which vacuum model you choose, the most important is that it meets your needs.
Let’s help you to choose the best one for you, so you can say: “Knock on wood, I made the right decision.”
Final word
While cleaning of the home can be a really painful experience, we, fortunately, have so many ways to overcome and make of it a work satisfaction.
In addition to the fact that you may begin to enjoy more in your living space, your shelter under the sky, you also have a wide range of auxiliaries for it. Vacuum cleaners are a very important auxiliary tool.
In this article, we dealt with the vacuums for hardwood floors. In this great range, why are we chose Shark DuoClean as the Overall Best Vacuum Cleaner for Hardwood Floors?
Apart from that it is one of the best selling vacuums in this category and has many thousands of reviews within the general very good rating, we choose it because:
- It has one of the biggest dust containers in the range at 2.2 dry quarts.
- With this extra-large dust cup, it is well suited to high traffic areas where you have lots of dirt and debris to suck up.
- The power cord is 30 feet long which means that you don’t have to change electric outlets too often while cleaning.
- It also features an excellent array of accessories and tools such as a dusting brush, 8″ crevice tool, pet power brush, dust-away hard floor attachment with 2 microfiber pads.
Related to the price, which is our only major complaint, however, we have to say that this Shark DuoClean features and possibilities justify the cost.
