Vaccum for Wood Floors

Hi T.,

We have a cleaning business and use whatever vacuum cleaner the homeowner has, so we've used a lot of different types. We like the Dysons (expensive) and also the Hoover Windtunnel.

Good luck!

Windstar. It is a cannister vacuum which is what you want for a wood floor so you don't scratch them. We have all wood floors with some area rugs & a carpet runner on the stairs. It has excellent attachments for the carpets also.

I hear Dyson is great for this. I don't have one, but am very happy with the Bissell Pet Vac. It has great suction, a carpet and hard floor setting, and does a great job rounding up pesky pet hair, and is way cheaper than the Dyson...about $300 cheaper. You can find them at most Target stores. If you suffer from allergies, Bissell makes a sister vac to the Pet version called "healthy home). Best of all, with both, you have the option of either canister or upright, as it is convertible so you can do stairs.

I too have about 1000 sq feet of wood floors. I use the mystic maid cloud duster instead of vacuuming. And then I use the oreck hand canister to get the detailing in corners and perimeter. I find this works great and it's so much easier than dragging a big vacuum out. It's like a big fluffy mop that is made of microfiber so any dust and dirt will cling to it. And then you can throw it in the wash with all your other work towels.

You can get them at Amazon, here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=mystic+mop&...

I have the Kenmore Canister Vac from Sears. Granted I do not have wood floors but it works awesome on my tile floors! It runs around $300 and I have had it for almost 4 years.

The Miele canisters are supposed to be wonderful, but expensive. I have a Miele washing machine and love it. I almost got a Miele canister after looking into a lot of different vacuums, but we ended up installing a central vac.

I love love love my Oreck vaccuums. They are expensive (I think I paid $300 for both an upright for carpet/rugs and a carrier for wood floors and smaller spaces) but my mother in law had them and recommended them. They last a long time. They might be the lightest vaccuums out there. I have heard they are the choice of many hotels/maids. I bought mine online but there are Oreck stores around.

I have a Kenmore Canister that I love for use on hard floors and also on carpet.

You could try the Swivel Sweeper- I know Kohl's carries them...

I would use the Dyson. We have the DC 17 for pets, and it has great suction. We too have lots of wood floors, and this really does the trick. There is a new slimmer model for ease of storage. i would check it out. They are on the pricier side, but well worth the money. It works great onthe carpet as well, and never loses suction.

Hi T.-
I clean a couple houses to give me a break from the kids and I have fallen in love with the Dyson. It has settings for carpet and wood floors and in my experience works awesome! Just an fyi- the house that has the dyson has had it for years without problems but there are also no pets in the home. It's also very expensive- thus I haven't splurged yet either. Instead I bought the cheapest Hoover and totally regret it. It's the Mach 3 I think, not the floor vac mentioned in a previous post. I used to swear by Hoover as well, they're very affordable but like your doing- study up! Good luck with your decision.

T. - if you live anywhere near the Bloomington area, I would highly recommend Al's Vacuum on Lyndale in Bloomington. They carry all types of vacuums and they are very, very knowledgeable. I purchased my vacuum from them almost 20 years ago. Every time it needs a little help, broken parts, etc. I bring it back there and they keep it in good repair.

Good luck,

D.

I have the Shark compact vaccum. It's 2 in 1 - a stick and hand vac. I use it all the time on my hard wood and I love it. It's bagless and easy to use and empty.

I love our Eureka Optima Lightweight bageless for our wood floors as well as the carpets!

T. - My husband bought me the Hoover Floor Vac. We don't have much carpet in our home (mainly hard wood floors and tile), so I use it more than our regular vacuum. I love it! You can wash your floors with it, too. It comes with a solution that you mix with warm water. It has 3 settings: a dry vac setting (just suction), a wash setting, and a water pick up setting,(after the floors are washed, you can go back over and suck up the remaining water). It is so nice! It's easy to manuver, it's bagless (I just dump the dirty solution down the toliet), and it folds up when you're ready to store it. I sound like a commercial, don't I? Ha! (I swear, I don't have stock in Hoover!) Anyway, hope this helps.
-C.

My Bissell Lift-off has a switch to turn off the brush so it just suctions and doesn't damage floors or brush dust around. I love it for my laminate floor.

We have a Dyson for our hardwood and it works great!

We have a friend who owns an organic cleaning business in Minneapolis. She turned me on to Miele vacuums, and I am so glad she did! They have awesome suction, don't clog, and are very easy to use. Ours has automatic cord rewind, adjustable suction (great for small rugs), adjustable handle lengths, and various attachment. Thay are a bit pricey. We found a floor model on sale, but they work SOOOO well. Our home is almost entirely wood and tile floors. I use it all over, and have had our vacuum for nearly 6 years with no problems at all. We own 3 retail stores, and I've gone through a lot of vacuums over the years. This is by far my favorite. They are a German canister vacuum, and a bit hard to find. I would also highly recommend Boma swivel brooms with the microfiber heads. I know you can order them through Gaiam...not sure where else. They are quick and work very well for small jobs, and can be used with wood floor spray to polish and pick-up spills. Hope this helps!

When we had hard wood floors, we purchased a panasonic vacuum that could vacuum carpet and not carpet. About 10 years ago it was around $300. I hope that helps.

I have an oreck that self adjusts from carpet to wood. I've used it (2-3 times a week) for 8 years and have had no complaints. Also, we have a roomba (check it out online). We LOVE it. his name is fred, we pick up the floor of toys, loose rugs, etc...leave, come home and the floor is CLEAN. So worth every penny. I can even vac then run the roomba and he fills the canister, even though I think we're a fairly clean family (only eating in specified areas, shoes off in the house...) Good luck with your search.

I hate my Dyson! In my opinion it does a poor job on hardwood floors and that is the majority of my floor space.
I love the Rainbow vac that my mom has. It does beautifully with hardwood. My sister has the Shark steam vac and loves it! I am definitely going to get one!
A vaccum is a long term relationship, make sure you get one that you love! If you can borrow a vac that you are considering from a friend that would be ideal.
I vaccum all the time with my Dyson and when I borrow my mom's Rainbow system it picks up massive amounts of dirt! It's as if I never cleaned! Yuck!
Good luck in your quest!

I lOVE my Dyson. It switches from hardwood/ceramic tile floors to carpet in a flash. Plus all the tools are on board and the hose goes all the way up the stairs so I don't have to hold the vacuum while I'm going up the stairs. The one bummer about it is that it doesn't quite go under the countertops. I always go back with the hose after and get under the counters. It empties very easily and I think it's pretty light. Good luck!

T.,

I work for a hardwood flooring company and we use back pack vacuums. They're sort of awkward at first, but have great suction and work on carpet (although they're harder to use on carpet that's not "flat"). Let me know if you want more info!