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The 6 Best Cordless Vacuums For Hardwood Floors - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Cordless Vacuums For Hardwood Floors

Compared to most other floor types, hardwood is pretty low maintenance in cleaning requirements, with little room for debris to get worked into cracks and crevices. That said, you'll still need to give them a thorough cleaning now and then to ensure that there's no significant buildup of dirt and debris, which can abrade the surface if you leave it to get dragged around. A cordless vacuum is a great way to keep these surfaces clean, especially those with a soft roller brush, which won't leave behind the kind of micro-scratches that can accumulate over time when using a floorhead with stiff bristles.

We've tested over 140 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best cordless vacuum cleaners for hardwood floors. These picks are selected not only based on their performance on bare floors but also their feature set, design, and price. For more options, look at our lists of the best cordless vacuums and the best vacuums for hardwood floors. If you prefer a more hands-off approach to cleaning, check out our recommendations for the best robot vacuums for hardwood floors.


  1. Best Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors

    The best cordless vacuum for hardwood floors we've tested is the Dyson V15 Detect. This vacuum comes with two floorheads, one with a multi-surface bristled roller and the other with a soft nylon roller to avoid creating micro-scratches on delicate surfaces like hardwood. Its headlining feature is its automatic power adjustment feature; the V15 will automatically increase its suction power setting when passing onto a carpeted surface. It's great if you have any area rugs on your hardwood floors. The vacuum can run for more than an hour on a charge, which is good for a cordless vacuum, though its runtime does drop dramatically if you run it continuously in its high-power 'Boost' mode.

    Thanks to its powerful motor, it does a fantastic job of handling pet hair and solid debris on hard floors. Maneuverability is good, although its strong suction force can cause it to get caught on rug tassels or other loose obstructions. If you're looking for something more portable, the Dyson V12 Detect Slim is another good option with a similar range of features but in a smaller, lighter package. However, note that the V12 has a less powerful motor than the V15 and a smaller dustbin that you'll need to empty pretty often.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors

    Check out the Shark Stratos Cordless if you want something more affordable than the Dyson V15 Detect. It's less powerful than the Dyson and weighs a little more. That said, it's as effective at sucking up debris on hard floors and provides many convenience features; chief among them is its Clean Sense IQ automatic power adjustment system. The Stratos automatically adjusts its suction power in real-time, depending on how much debris you suck up. Its odor-neutralization feature uses a replaceable cartridge that emits a pleasant detergent-like scent as you clean. However, this scent can become somewhat overwhelming if you leave the cartridge at its maximum intensity and clean your home multiple times per week.

    While it weighs more than the Dyson and has a bulkier twin-roller floorhead, its flexible wand makes it easy to clean under the furniture. Build quality is also quite good, and the vacuum isn't especially difficult to clean. The sole exception to the latter is its non-removable primary brushroll, which, despite being advertised as self-cleaning, can still get tangled with pet hair.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors

    The best mid-range cordless vacuum for hardwood floors we've tested is the Shark Cordless Pro. This mid-range vacuum shares a lot with the pricier Shark Stratos Cordless, as it has the same odor-neutralizing cartridge and Clean Sense IQ system that allows it to increase its suction power when passing over an area with a lot of debris. However, there are a few minor tweaks to reflect its lower purchase price. These include a smaller-capacity battery that can only run the vacuum for about 40 minutes, a single roller floorhead, and a less powerful suction motor.

    Thankfully, neither of the last two cost-cutting measures seriously impacts performance, as it delivers superb debris pickup on hard surfaces like hardwood. Its primary brushroll has a fluffy texture to avoid scratching hard surfaces like vinyl or hardwood. Unlike the Stratos, and for that matter almost every other Shark vacuum, this brushroll can be easily removed from its floorhead, so you can quickly cut away any tangled hair or stuck-on debris.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors

    If you're on a budget and can do without convenience features like automatic power adjustment, the best cordless vacuum for hardwood floors we've tested is the Wyze Cordless Vacuum. This highly affordable stick vacuum feels less sturdily built than the pricier Shark Cordless Pro, and it doesn't have any features like an automatic power adjustment system or an odor-masking cartridge. That said, it still does a good job of handling most kinds of household debris on bare surfaces like hardwood floors, though it's worth noting that really large debris can get stuck at the entry to its dustbin. Unusual for a vacuum in this price range, it has an onboard HEPA filter that's fairly effective in trapping fine dust. Its weight of just over five pounds makes it easy to maneuver, even in cramped environments.

    Unlike the Shark's fluffy roller, the Wyze uses a more conventional multi-surface brushroll with bristles. Thankfully, they aren't stiff enough to create micro-scratches on wood floors and provide a greater degree of surface agitation on any rugs you might have in your living room.

    See our review

  5. Best Lightweight Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors

    The Dyson Omni-glide is a solid option for a cordless vacuum that weighs very little and is well-suited to cleaning hardwood floors. At a little over four pounds, this cordless stick weighs even less than other cordless stick vacuums like the Wyze Cordless Vacuum. Combined with its unique twin roller floorhead, which can pivot in almost any direction, it's a breeze to maneuver in tight spaces and features soft rollers that won't create scratches on hardwood floors. However, its highly compact design comes at the cost of a tiny dirt compartment that'll need emptying at the end of every cleaning session and a weak suction motor that struggles with lifting debris from crevices.

    Unfortunately, it's also completely useless for cleaning the occasional rug, as its twin nylon rollers provide almost no surface agitation on carpets. It also has a harder time dealing with bulkier debris, which can clog its narrow suction inlet, and it has a short battery life of only about half an hour in its default power setting.

    See our review

  6. Best Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum For Hardwood Floors

    Check out the BISSELL CrossWave Cordless Max if you're looking for an all-in-one machine for all kinds of messes on hardwood floors. This vacuum uses an absorbent fluffy roller and a detergent-dispersal function to wet and scrub away dried-on stains. The BISSELL is also fully capable of sucking up liquid spills. It doesn't exert as much raw suction power as a conventional cordless model like the Shark Stratos Cordless. Battery life is unremarkable, with a runtime of about 40 minutes.

    Unfortunately, maneuvering in tight spaces can be a hassle due to its heavy weight. It feels decently well-built but does have a few parts that need periodic washing. Thankfully, you can keep track of its maintenance schedule with the vacuum's smartphone companion app.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Samsung Bespoke Jet: The Samsung Bespoke Jet is the brand's flagship cordless stick vacuum. It comes bundled with a combination charging rack/automatic emptying station and a pair of batteries. That said, unlike the Dyson V15 Detect, it has no automatic power adjustment feature. See our review
  • Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away: The Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away is a cordless upright vacuum with a greater debris capacity than the Shark Stratos Cordless. However, it has a more limited set of convenience features, with no automatic power adjustment capability or odor-neutralization cartridge. Its upright configuration also makes maneuvering in tight spots more of a hassle. See our review
  • Dyson V8: The Dyson V8 is a mid-range cordless stick vacuum that's easier to maneuver than the Shark Cordless Pro. However, the latter does have a bigger dustbin and an automatic power adjustment system. See our review
  • Samsung Jet 60: The Samsung Jet 60 is a mid-range cordless stick vacuum with a relatively powerful 150 AW suction motor. That said, it does a worse job of dealing with large debris compared to the Shark Cordless Pro, as its floorhead can push around debris instead of passing over it and allowing the vacuum to suck it up. See our review
  • Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog: The Miele Triflex HX2 is a premium cordless stick vacuum that delivers good overall performance on hardwood floors. However, it has a smaller dirt compartment than the Dyson V15 Detect and a slightly less powerful motor. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Mar 06, 2024: Added the Miele Triflex HX2 to Notable Mentions.

  2. Jan 05, 2024: Added Samsung Jet 60 to Notable Mentions. Slight in-text adjustments to provide further information on product recommendations.

  3. Oct 31, 2023: Swapped the Shark Rocket Cordless (IX140H) with the Wyze Cordless Vacuum as the 'Best Budget Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors' pick.

  4. Aug 31, 2023: Replaced Samsung Jet 90 Complete with Dyson V15 Detect as 'Best Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors' pick due to current availability. Replaced Xiaomi Mi Vacuum Cleaner Light with Dyson Omni-Glide as 'Best Lightweight Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors' due to current availability.

  5. Jul 06, 2023: Replaced JASHEN V16 with Shark Rocket Cordless (IX140H) as 'Best Budget Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors' pick due to current availability. Replaced Tineco PURE ONE S11 with Shark Cordless Pro as 'Best Mid-Range Cordless Vacuum For Hardwood Floors' due to current availability.

All Reviews

Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best cordless vacuum cleaners for hardwood floors. We don't just base our results on overall performance, but also on factors like availability, price, and reader feedback.

If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our cordless vacuum reviews, ranked by their performance on bare floors. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no vacuum is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.