The 6 Best Vacuums For Hardwood Floors - Spring 2023 Reviews

The Samsung Jet 90 Complete is the best vacuum for hardwood floors we've tested. This cordless stick vacuum can easily handle a wide variety of debris on bare surfaces like hardwood floors with no significant loss in suction performance as its dustbin fills up. It comes with two floorheads, one with a bristled brushroll for carpets and the other using a soft roller for improved debris pickup on flat surfaces and in cracks and crevices. Using the soft roller also reduces the chances of scratching up delicate wooden floors. It's even compatible with Samsung's Spinning Sweeper attachment, a specially-designed floorhead with rotating pads that are impressively effective in scrubbing away stains, though it isn't meant for dealing with liquid spills. The vacuum's lightweight construction makes it easy to maneuver in tight spaces.

If you prefer using a corded model, the Miele Complete C3 is a fantastic option. Being a bagged canister vacuum, it's completely different from the Samsung vacuum in terms of intended use and design. It doesn't have the grab-and-go convenience of the Samsung, which is great for short clean-ups, but you also won't have to worry about running out of charge part way through a cleaning session. It also feels better built and offers remarkable debris pickup thanks to its powerful suction motor.

The Shark Stratos Cordless is the best vacuum for hardwood floors at an upper mid-range price point we've tested. This cordless stick vacuum sits at the top of Shark's lineup of cordless stick vacuums and is correspondingly loaded with a variety of convenience features. This includes its Clean Sense IQ automatic power adjustment system, which allows it to automatically raise its suction power when passing over an area with a high concentration of debris, which isn't a feature offered on the Samsung Jet 90 Complete. There's also a removable cartridge in its floorhead that masks unpleasant odors as you clean by emitting a detergent-like scent; it isn't too cloying if you vacuum two or three times per week, but it can be overwhelming if you use it more than that. Its twin roller head thankfully results in superb performance on bare floors.

However, unlike the Samsung vacuum, Shark doesn't currently offer a dedicated mopping floorhead for cleaning stains on hardwood floors. While its folding wand makes it easy to maneuver under tables and chairs, this vacuum is also considerably heavier and bulkier than the Samsung, so it isn't as easy to grab and use for quick clean-ups. It also tends to get bogged down on plusher rugs; if that's an issue, the Miele Triflex HX1 is a good alternative for maneuverability, though it has a much smaller dirt compartment and a shorter battery life.

If you don't want to spend quite as much, the Tineco PURE ONE S11 is among the best cordless vacuums for hardwood floors we've tested. Build quality falls short of the Shark Stratos Cordless and has considerably shorter battery life. However, it's also just as effective when clearing debris on bare surfaces like hardwood floors. It also has a broader range of attachments, including a soft roller for use on hard floors to avoid creating micro-scratches as well as a general-use floorhead with a bristled roller. Like the Shark's Clean Sense system, the Tineco's iLoop dirt sensor allows it to automatically ramp up suction in areas with a lot of debris.

If you don't mind using a corded vacuum and don't need a go-anywhere range, the Miele Classic C1 is an excellent option. The two vacuums aren't competitors; the Miele is a bagged canister vacuum that isn't as maneuverable and slower to set up, but it's substantially better built, easier to maintain, and is a better fit for cleaning bigger areas thanks to its unrestricted runtime. If you're looking for something better built but want to remain cordless, the Samsung Jet 75 is another great alternative, though you'll have to pay a premium for a variant with a soft-roller brush.

The Wyze Cordless Vacuum is the best cordless vacuum for hardwood floors at a mid-range price point that we've tested. Despite its relatively affordable price point, this cordless vacuum has much to offer. Unlike the top-range Tango variant of the Tineco PURE ONE S11, it doesn't come with a soft-roller head, but the bristles on the Wyze's head are still soft enough to not scratch your hardwood floors. While it also lacks the Tineco's automatic power adjustment system, it still delivers excellent overall debris pickup on hard surfaces, though very bulky material can clog the entry to its dustbin.

Unusually for a cordless vacuum in this price range, it features an onboard HEPA filter that's pretty effective in sealing allergens, though you'll still need to be careful when emptying its dustbin, which can release a cloud of dust and debris. Build quality is also a little on the flimsy side.

If you're looking to spend as little as possible on a new vacuum for cleaning hardwood floors, the Eureka Mighty Mite is a very good choice. Its short power cord makes it a little trickier to clean far-away areas than a cordless model like the Wyze Cordless Vacuum. However, it delivers fantastic performance hardwood floors at a remarkably affordable price point. Suction performance remains consistent as its large-capacity dirtbag fills up, so you won't have to swap bags very often. Its primary floorhead has retractable bristles for cleaning low-pile area rugs too. The vacuum's compact size and lightweight construction make it easy to stow away or carry around.

However, this vacuum doesn't have a telescopic wand, instead using a pair of tubes that can fall apart easily if they aren't wedged together tightly enough. Some versions of the Mighty Mite also have vents behind the rear wheels that bypass any post-motor filtration. This negates any benefit you'd get when using an aftermarket HEPA filter if you wanted to improve its air filtration performance.

If you want an all-in-one appliance for vacuuming and mopping, the BISSELL CrossWave Cordless Max is a solid choice. For suction power, it falls short of a comparably-priced conventional cordless model like the Tineco PURE ONE S11 and is consequently much less effective when cleaning the occasional rug. Thankfully, it can easily handle most lightweight household debris on hardwood floors. Its fluffy brushroll and detergent dispersal function result in good stain-cleaning performance, and it's also capable of sucking up liquid spills, though a small amount of residual moisture might be left behind. 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.

The appliance can run for about 40 minutes before needing a recharge, so if you need more time to clean your home, you could also consider the BISSELL CrossWave Pet Pro, effectively a corded version of this vacuum. It features a slightly more powerful suction motor, leading to improved deep-cleaning performance, but its mopping function isn't any different.