Best vacuum for hardwood floors?

[GraysMom]

We just had solid maple hardwood flooring installed in our living room and family room last week but I'm having trouble finding a vacuum that will be safe for the floors. The installer showed me his vacuum which had a felt strip around the floor attachment and told me to make sure I get one with the felt strip, which is proving hard to find. Does anyone have any suggestions that won't cost a fortune?

 

[kehouse]

Miele. wonderful vacuums, they have many different models. there are a lot of attachments out there to fit almost any brand of vacuum cleaners. I own a vac shop, felt strips are not common, most of the better ones have horsehair floor brushes . find a local vacuum store, one that has several different brands, and tell them what you are looking for, most of them have both high end and value priced units. and most of them are mom and pop stores and can give extra warranties and take care of the product after the sale. Buy Local!

 

[aimeeinohio]

I use a Kirby

 

[Lehuaann]

I've always used an oversized, professional dust-mop (washable) on hardwoods, never a vacuum. I usually dust-mop the dust onto a carpeted/rugged area and vacuum over that.

If I had to use a vac it would definitely be something lightweight. I have a Hoover Platinum Upright and it is very light, yet powerful.

 

[RMAMom]

My Oreck canister Vac has the felt strip on the floor attachment. Mine is old but it is the equivalent to the Ironman they sell now.

 

[crisi]

Miele. wonderful vacuums, they have many different models. there are a lot of attachments out there to fit almost any brand of vacuum cleaners. I own a vac shop, felt strips are not common, most of the better ones have horsehair floor brushes . find a local vacuum store, one that has several different brands, and tell them what you are looking for, most of them have both high end and value priced units. and most of them are mom and pop stores and can give extra warranties and take care of the product after the sale. Buy Local!

I adore my Meile. Its very well built, does great on hardwood or carpet, its fairly light and compact (mine is an older Red Star - which has the additional fun of being a commie vac )

 

[JandJ]

We have hardwood floors throughout our house and we have a Miele - Love It! Like a PP commented, we bought from a local "mom and pop" vacuum store and were very pleased with their service and they gave us a discount. I do, however, buy the replacement bags and filters on Amazon because the price is so much better.

We also have an i.Robot vac that I'll run while walking the dog; by the time we get back one room is done. It doesn't get in the corners and doesn't do as good a job as the Miele, but it's perfect for light dirt removal when you just don't have time to vacuum.

For mopping, go with Bona. Our floor guys recommended it and it's been great - no buildup to damage the finish.

 

[bianca]

We have wood floors throughout the house. For at least 15 years now, we have been using the Swiffer rechargeable battery operated unit. It does an excellent job and gets in the tiniest places while at the same time, using the Swiffer cloth to catch the smaller stuff ..... and no scratching of the floors. They're super lightweight, cordless, cheap and last about 5 years before they need a new battery. I recommend them to everyone.

 

[Anthony1971]

We use a swiffer to get the dust as it is easy to go under things where most of the dust ends up.
Every few weeks we use a Hoover Floormate which is made for Hard wood floors and has a special cleaner... 10 years and the floors still look new.

 

[wiigirl]

I usually use a swiffer. Every once in a while I use my Dyson.

 

[GraysMom]

Thank you all for your suggestions I bought the Bona Hardwood Floor kit with the dust mop and cleaner a few days ago and we have the dry Swiffer, but I was looking for something reasonably priced that would be able to pick up things like little rocks and cat litter without scratching the wood. I will check out the Swiffer SweeperVac that bianca mentioned.

 

[southlakejr]

We have hardwood floors in most of the house, a long haired dog, and long haired cats! We see a slot of fur, dust, cat litter, etc. We bought the Bissel Lift Off at Bed Bath and Beyond for about 60 bucks with a coupon.

I'm in love. It's cordless, so I can use it all over the house in just a few minutes. The battery charge lasts long enough for me to do over 1000 square feet at a time. We haven't had any problems with it damaging our wood floors, and it even holds its own on our shaggy living room area rug. It picks up dust, pet hair, and litter pretty well. The only issue that I have with it is the canister is small, and if it gets filled up, it will drop the cat litter our of it when you pick up the vacuum.
It works better than our Dyson on hard surfaces, folds up for easy storage, and has a handheld vacuum built right in that snaps out for getting the couches, etc.

We love, love, love ours and how easy it makes it to "touch up" the house on a daily basis in just a matter of minutes.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I have an older upright Eureka vacuum with onboard tools. I went to our local vacuum repair store and he sold me a horsehair brush that I can use with our vacuum. It cost about $20 and works great.

 

[crisi]

Thank you all for your suggestions I bought the Bona Hardwood Floor kit with the dust mop and cleaner a few days ago and we have the dry Swiffer, but I was looking for something reasonably priced that would be able to pick up things like little rocks and cat litter without scratching the wood. I will check out the Swiffer SweeperVac that bianca mentioned.

The Meile is not reasonably priced.

 

[littlelitmr]

We just had solid maple hardwood flooring installed in our living room and family room last week but I'm having trouble finding a vacuum that will be safe for the floors. The installer showed me his vacuum which had a felt strip around the floor attachment and told me to make sure I get one with the felt strip, which is proving hard to find. Does anyone have any suggestions that won't cost a fortune?

Hello everyone. I am also here for the recommendations.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Geez I just use my Dyson. Dust mop in between and occassionally mop it.

 

[_19disnA]

Any vacuum with some sort of attachment that has soft bristles should be fine. I typically use a microfiber duster for daily light cleaning. Use the vacuum on the wood floors weekly. You can toss the pad in the washer when it gets dirty. I avoid the 'swiffer' type products which are mostly a trick to get you to keep buying those disposable pads. Washable microfiber pads work just as well and are much cheaper.

Those really expensive vacuums don't do any better at cleaning. Honestly, all vacuums use a motor to spin brushes and create some type of suction. Check out what type of filters/bags or other replacement parts they have. All filters tend to clog and if they aren't washable, it is another added cost to use that vacuum. I see those tiny robotic vacuums on TV and wonder if you have to empty the container after each use since they seem so small. Rechargeable batteries eventually need to be replaced when they no longer hold a charge.