Okay, so the first vacuum that’s best for hardwood floors that I’ve found is the Electrolux EL6985A. This is a fantastic vacuum that’s gotten nothing but rave reviews from most people who have used them on hardwood flooring. This is actually a canister type vacuum that is also an upright. While upright vacuums aren’t always the best to use on a hardwood floor, in this case it’s actually a solid choice. You can actually retract the cleaning brush so that it doesn’t scratch the floor, and with only 9 amps of power, it’s not going to cause any damage to the floor itself. It has a good assortment of attachments, including a 6 foot hose that has a 3 foot telescoping tube for easy cleaning of your hardwood floor. These attachments are important because even though the vacuum will work fine on hardwood, even the rolling motion over the floor can scratch it. Use these attachments as much as possible; your floor will thank you. This is a pretty expensive vacuum, coming in with a price tag of $299.99. It’s a little much, but if you really want to keep your floor clean it’s a good investment.

The next vacuum that’s best for hardwood floors is the Dirt Devil Breeze. Unlike the Electrolux this vacuum doesn’t actually have bags (nice not to keep having to buy those!). This features a 12 amp power system that’s slightly more powerful than the Electrolux, and also has rotating bristles that are designed not to damage your hardwood flooring. I would be a little careful with this, however.

While it’s supposed to not scratch your floor, you should really try it on a hidden area before using it on the rest of your floor. If nothing else, at least use the attachments that come with it instead of the bristles before you really know that it won’t do damage. This is much cheaper than the Electrolux as well, pricing in at $154. This is also a great budget vacuum that shouldn’t scratch your hardwood floors.

Shopping:

DELUXE HARD FLOOR BRUSH, fits MIELE and BOSCH canister vacuums.

Hoover H3000 Floor Mate Hard-Floor Cleaner

BonaKemi WM710013348 Hardwood-Floor Spray Mop with Replaceable Cleaner Cartridge

Dirt Devil F 3 (For BREEZE, JAGUAR and FEATHERLITE Canister) HEPA Filter.

Eureka/Electrolux Style OX Envirocare Vacuum Cleaner Bags / 4 packGeneric w/Dust Seal & Closure

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First, you’re going to need some tools: You’ll need a vacuum specifically made for hardwood floors a broom, and perhaps a mop. Sometimes you won’t need a mop if the vacuum you have is really high-end. Not everyone has this type, so it’s okay if you don’t. Those vacuums are really neat, though. They will actually wet the floor with soapy water before you get started, then will suck up a lot of that dirt and debris as you go safely. I’m usually an advocate of such hardwood vacuums if you can afford them, but if not, don’t wait for months saving up your money just for one. Just buy a mop. You’ll work a little harder but that’s not really a big deal!

The first thing you want to do is go ahead and start sweeping. What’s the point of sweeping if you’re just going to suck it up anyway? Well, that’s a good point, but I guarantee your vacuum won’t be able to get under the lower lips of your cabinets or into tight corners. The broom is handy for that. You don’t need to use a dust pan or anything at this point, as you’ll just use your hardwood floor vacuum to suck it up anyway. Sweep the dirt and grime into the center of the floor and then go ahead and suck it up with the vacuum. Go slowly here to make sure that you get it all picked up.

Also, ensure that your vacuum’s roller (if it’s an upright) is safely tucked up into the unit itself. You don’t want to scratch the floor. Make even lines just like you would if you were mowing your lawn.

Finally, once you have all that junk picked up, go ahead and finish up with your mopping job. Do a good job here if you really want your hardwood floor to shine. You can top it off with a little bit of wax if you wish, but only do that if you have the time to get your hands dirty!

I hope that this has really helped you learn how to clean and vacuum your hardwood floors. Please leave comments; see you next time!

Shopping:

Hoover H3000 Floor Mate Hard-Floor Cleaner

BonaKemi WM700058001 28-3/4-Ounce Hardwood Refill Cartridge

CNC Mirage Clean Hardwood Maintenance Kit

Bonakemi WM710013273 Hardwood Floor Care System

Hoover H3060 Floormate Spinscrub 800 Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner with Tools

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Alright, so what’s up with this? How can a vacuum actually scratch a hardwood or vinyl floor? Well, it’s simple really: The rotating brush on the bottom can be made of substances that don’t really work well with wood. Any of these brushes made out of plastic or vinyl will probably scratch the wood, so make sure before you do any vacuuming that you go ahead and take a feel first. If they feel rough to the touch, you may definitely consider getting a separate vacuum for your hardwood floor and keeping that one in the closet until it’s time to clean the carpets. You don’t want to take that risk on an expensive floor.

So, what should you look for in a vacuum that’s meant to be used on a hardwood floor? You should look for a couple things: First, you should look for a vacuum that has softer bristles. Sometimes you can find higher-end vacuum cleaners that will have brushes made out of a material that feels a little nicer to the touch. You can try using one of these on an unseen area of your hardwood floor (if you have such an area) before going ahead and using it on the rest of it. That’s probably the best “bandaid” fix to this. If you’re really serious about not causing your floor any damage, you should look for a vacuum cleaner that has a way to pull the brush roller up off the floor.

These are pretty common these days, and can be found in low- and high-end vacuums. If you’re going to use your vacuum cleaner on any sort of had surface such as wood or certain types of tile, you need to invest in one of these. We discussed the Eureka Boss vacuum in one of our last posts, if you remember. That vacuum does have that capability, so check it out if you want to save a lot of money on your repair costs. The Eureka costs $150, which is much less than what you’d spend on a new floor!

Hopefully this post has helped you decide whether or not your vacuum cleaner can be used on hardwood floors. If in doubt, consult the manual.

Shopping:

Bonakemi WM710013273 Hardwood Floor Care System

Hoover H3060 Floormate Spinscrub 800 Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner with Tools

BonaKemi WM700058001 28-3/4-Ounce Hardwood Refill Cartridge

BonaKemi WM710013348 Hardwood-Floor Spray Mop with Replaceable Cleaner Cartridge

Broan-NuTone CT156B Hardwood Floor Tool with Natural Brush

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So, we want the best combination hardwood and carpet vacuum. Looking at reviews online, the Oreck XL Classic comes with high reviews. This is a bit of an expensive vacuum, but it does its job both on hardwood and carpet. This is also considerably lighter than the Eureka we featured before. That Eureka Boss was 21 pounds; the Oreck weighs in at a nice handy 9 pounds. We like that better, and you will too. The 12 less pounds will really help you get up and down the stairs more quickly, and let’s face it, more safely. That’s good for both you and your family.

This vacuum also comes with a great type of filtration system that will really help cut down on the dust, mold, and other allergens that could plague your house and make you miserable. It features the XL Filter Knit filtration system, which is a revolutionary style system that really gets large particles out of the air. However, this is not a standard HEPA system that you might find with other vacuums. If you really want to remove large and small particulates, you should consider going HEPA. I did that, and I’ll never go back.

This vacuum may be $300 out the door, but it does come with a 1 year warranty to put your mind at ease. That’s a big plus in our eyes, particularly if you’ve never used this type of vacuum before. If anything breaks, you can just send it back and have it replaced for free. You’ll sleep better at night knowing this, especially right now with the economy the way it is. You don’t want to spend $300 on just anything, right?

So yes, this is the vacuum cleaner we think that’s best for hardwood flooring and carpeting. It’s an all-in-one system, so you get the best bang for your buck. Check it out in the stores or online…you won’t regret it.

Shopping:

Botticelli Dual -Blue-Powerful Vacuum (Blue) (10"H x 6"W x 12"D)

Oreck XL Signature Plus with Handheld

e-bo Automatic Cleaning System for Hard Flooring - Red Color

Koblenz Hardwood Flooring Kit

Botticelli HEPA Filter (1) (White) (4"H x 5"W x 2"D)

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Alright, so, where would you normally look if you were going to go out and buy a new vacuum? Sears? Wal-Mart? You probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that many of these same places are great for hardwood floor vacuums as well. You can just go to those stores and ask one of the attendants there to direct you toward a vacuum that’ll work for hardwood floors. It shouldn’t be a tough thing to find, really. If all you have are hardwood floors, you should look for vacuums that aren’t specifically made for carpeting as well. You’ll know those ones when you see them; they’re usually a lot bulkier and have a larger section made for housing the bag or the dust collecting bin. You probably don’t need something like that. A vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors should be basic. It should just contain a set of brushes, possibly a way to wet the surface you’re cleaning (check out wet/dry vacuums for that), and a place to collect the dirt. If you stick to that, you’ll get a pretty good deal out the door. Usually these basic designs can be bought for less than $50, so don’t go too all-out.

Looking online can be a great thing to do as well. Great deals on vacuums can be found at all sorts of sites, such as nextag.com or most of the normal department store sites. Sites such as sears.com can be great because they don’t always stock their stores with everything they have in their warehouses. You get a larger selection of hardwood vacuum cleaners online versus in the stores. Check it out and see what you think. Buying online is also nice because you can usually get some great deals that you wouldn’t usually see in stores. I’ve seen these hardwood vacuum cleaners go for 20-30% off online. Can’t get that in stores now can you?

Shopping:

Swiffer SweeperVac Starter Kit

5062 Sears/Kenmore Vacuum Cleaner Replacement Bags (3 Pack)

Model Q Royal Vacuum Replacement Bag (7 Pack)

Fireball Compact Canister Vacuum Cleaner SL-006. Perfect for Bare Floors / Hardwood Floors. 5-Layer Allergen Filtration System. Free Odor Eliminating Charcoal Filter

Sears/Kenmore Vacuum Cleaner Replacement Belts (2 Pack)

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Okay, so drumroll please. Based on online reviews, we think the best vacuum for the job is the Eureka Boss SmartVac 4870MZ. This is based on a survey done by consumersearch.com, which put to the test 36 different types of vacuums on both carpet and hard wood. This vacuum outperformed all of the other vacuums in its class and became the #1 finisher. That’s pretty good, right? Well, let’s talk about some of the pros and cons.

Some of the pros of the Eureka Boss SmartVac are pretty standard for any high-end vacuum. Its performance was impeccable in tests; it was quick to pick up dirt, grime, and pet hair without a hitch, which can’t be said about every other type of vacuum reviewed (most barely made it through the first round!). Especially noted was its ability to pick up pet hair and dander. If you’re allergic to animals (I know I am), a solid vacuum such as this is going to go a long way to ensuring that you’ll go allergy-free for the entire season. Another great thing reviewed about this Eureka is that it’s got a wide variety of on-board attachments. If you need to be able to get into a corner, suck up dirt on the ceiling (hey, things can get up there ), or just make sure your stairs are clean, this probably has just the attachment to make it happen. Most vacuums come with just one or two; this comes with more.

Another thing heralded about this hardwood and carpet vacuum is that it’s quiet. While most vacuums its size will scare the cat and make the dog turn into a crazy animal, this one probably won’t. This is important also if you have a small child in the house; while he or she is sleeping, you can still get some housework done. That helps out!

Even the best vacuum for hardwood floors has its down sides: It’s heavy. At 21 pounds it may be a bit difficult to take up and down the stairs. Have no fear, though: We think that even with this weight, its pros outweigh the cons.

Shopping:

Bissell 2100 Sweeper

Eureka 4870GZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright Vacuum

Eureka 4870MZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright HEPA Vacuum Cleaner

BonaKemi WM710013348 Hardwood-Floor Spray Mop with Replaceable Cleaner Cartridge

Bissell 5200 Flip-It Bare Floor Cleaner

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I want to get started on the right foot, so I want to start out with some of the vacuums I think will be best suited for your new hardwood floors (after all, if you’ve had these floors for quite some time you probably wouldn’t be reading this site ):

The Eureka 96D is a great hardwood vacuum from the reviews we’ve read on the subject. It’s an upright vacuum, so there’s no crawling around on the floor or lugging it around on your back. This is pretty common though for floor cleaning with household vacuums so that shouldn’t be any surprise. What people really love about this Eureka is that it’s very lightweight; it weighs in at less than five pounds so you don’t need to be worrying about hurting your back or having trouble making tight turns around in your kitchen or dining room. That’s probably one of the biggest concerns, so you know you’re covered there.

The other great thing about the 96D is that it’s more or less a rotating brush design. The motorized brushes at the bottom of the vacuum lift dirt and sediment up off the floor and move it into the vacuum itself. When it’s time to clean out the bag, you just toss out the old one and put in a new one. Simple as that. The only real downside to this vacuum is that it’s not a “wet/dry” system. Many hardwood floor vacuums have a wet mode that allow you to really scrub deep down before you sweep away the dirt. However, for $36 this isn’t such a bad deal. Before you get started you can usually just mop your floors to get the dirt up, let it dry, then use this Eureka vacuum. Either way, it’s still a solid buy.

Shopping:

Eureka Lightweight Easy Clean Upright Vacuum Cleaner

Eureka 61110B R Style Belt

Swiffer SweeperVac Starter Kit

Bona Hardwood Floor Mop Bundle Kit, 1 Replacement Microplus Pads, 1 Refill Cartridge Stone, Tile, and Laminate Floor Cleaning, Qualifies For !

Bonakemi WM710013273 Hardwood Floor Care System

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