Hardwood floors are easier for vacuums to clean than carpets, as they don't have shaggy surfaces to trap debris. Still, some vacuums do a better job of cleaning this surface than others, with the best excelling at sucking up all kinds of debris on bare floors or stairs. Cleaning performance isn't the only important thing when shopping for a vacuum to clean your hardwood floors. You'll want something that can clean flooring seams, and a retractable bristle brush is a nice bonus to keep you from scratching your floor. The filter should also prevent dust from escaping into the air and settling back down over the floors you just cleaned.
We've tested over 105 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best vacuum cleaners for hardwood floors to buy. These picks are selected based on their bare floor performance and feature set, design, and price. For more options, look at our lists of the best vacuums, the best vacuums for high-pile carpet, the best cordless vacuums, and the best cordless vacuums for hardwood floors.
Quick Look
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Best Vacuum For Hardwood Floors
Hard Floor Pickup8.0House8.9Small Apartment8.2Cracks8.5Air Quality7.7Bare Floor Pickup8.2Stairs6.7See all our test resultsPortability6.3The SEBO Airbelt D4 is the best vacuum for hardwood floors we tested. It provides a largely unparalleled level of power within the household vacuum market, enabling it to easily suck up heavy debris on hardwood floors, stairs, and seams in your flooring. The Premium variant comes with a parquet cleaner floorhead for hardwood floors. It features a removable front bristle strip, allowing it to pass over larger debris without "snowplowing" it forward. It does all its cleaning while having little impact on your home's air quality due to its capable filtration system, and emptying it keeps the dust well-contained, too.
This high-end canister vacuum is expensive and bulky, especially when compared to cordless vacuums. This is a consequence of its tank-like build quality, but it's worth keeping in mind for small spaces or limited budgets. Note that this vacuum is only available from specialized retailers or the manufacturer itself.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Vacuum For Hardwood Floors
Hard Floor Pickup8.0House7.4Small Apartment8.7Cracks8.0Air Quality8.1Bare Floor Pickup8.0Stairs8.5Battery7.3See all our test resultsPortability8.0The Dyson V15 Detect is the best upper mid-range vacuum for hardwood floors we've tested. Though it can't quite match the power or performance of the SEBO Airbelt D4, this cordless stick vacuum can easily handle a wide variety of debris on bare surfaces, such as hardwood floors or stairs. It comes with a soft roller for improved debris pickup on hardwood floors and in cracks and crevices. Using the soft roller reduces the chances of scratching delicate wooden floors. The V15 also features a particle counter to provide a rough estimate of allergen quantities inside your home, and its filter keeps these allergens contained just about perfectly.
Battery life varies depending on the setting used; it can last over 70 minutes in its most energy-efficient mode but under 10 minutes when using its Boost power level, making it tricky for large homes or heavy messes requiring long bursts of maximum suction. Unfortunately, it does feel fragile in places, which is disappointing for a vacuum at this price point. Unlike the SEBO, emptying this bagless vacuum will create a cloud of dust, so you should empty it outdoors if possible.
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Best Mid-Range Vacuum For Hardwood Floors
Hard Floor Pickup8.0Cracks8.0Bare Floor7.7Stairs8.4Battery7.0See all our test resultsPortability7.7The Shark Stratos Cordless IZ862H is our mid-range price pick. Its performance on bare floors and cracks is great; the vacuum won't have any trouble dealing with a wide range of debris types on floors or stairs. Like the Dyson V15 Detect, it has an automatic power adjustment system, but it works a little differently, as it increases the vacuum's suction setting based on the amount of debris being sucked up instead of responding to changes in surface type. The HEPA filter does a great job of keeping dust well-contained so that it won't negatively impact the air quality in your home or blow dust right back onto your floors.
However, compared to the Dyson, it's noticeably heavier and bulkier, and its twin roller floorhead can be a bit of a hassle to use in tighter spots. Like the Dyson, the vacuum's battery life will depend on the setting used, ranging from approximately 10 minutes to an hour, so you'll have to conserve it for large spaces and use its maximum power setting sparingly. Like almost all bagless vacuums, you'll negatively impact air quality when you empty it, so it's best to do this well away from any living space.
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Best Budget Vacuum For Hardwood Floors
Hard Floor Pickup7.5Cracks8.0Bare Floor7.5Stairs8.5Battery7.2See all our test resultsPortability8.2If you want to spend even less, the Tineco PURE ONE S11 is one of the best hardwood floor vacuums we've tested. Though it's not quite as powerful as the Shark, it offers good performance on hardwood floors and stairs, plus a great performance on cracks. Like the Shark Stratos Cordless IZ862H, this cordless stick vacuum features an onboard dirt sensor that automatically adjusts its suction power when passing over an area with a high concentration of debris. It also has a HEPA filter, a rarity at this price point, so it keeps dust and allergens well-contained, out of your air, and off of your hardwood floors.
Unfortunately, the Tineco feels noticeably less robust than the Shark, both in terms of build and its body, which is made of thinner-feeling plastic. It also has a lower-capacity battery than the Shark, resulting in a shorter maximum runtime of about 40 minutes. You'll have to rush to clean a large home on a single charge, and you won't be able to spend a long time cleaning up a big mess at maximum power. And like nearly every bagless vacuum, emptying this will expel dust out into the air and all around the area.
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Best Cheap Vacuum For Hardwood Floors
Hard Floor Pickup7.0House7.6Small Apartment6.5Cracks7.0Air Quality4.9Bare Floor Pickup7.0Stairs6.8See all our test resultsPortability8.4If you want to spend as little as possible on a new vacuum to clean hardwood floors, take a look at the Eureka Mighty Mite. Its powerful suction motor enables it to pick up a wide range of debris on hardwood floors and bare stair treads, as long as you lift its head to clean larger debris, as it can push around bigger material. Its short power cord makes it trickier to clean far-away areas than a cordless model like the Tineco PURE ONE S11, but its power and runtime aren't restrained by a battery. The vacuum's compact size and lightweight construction make it easy to stow away or carry around. Emptying a bagged vacuum like this is much cleaner than a bagless vacuum like the Tineco, since you just lift the bag containing the dust out of the canister and dispose of it.
However, this vacuum lacks a telescopic wand and instead utilizes a pair of tubes that can easily fall apart if not wedged together tightly enough. But the worst aspect of this vacuum is its terrible filtering performance. This bag filter allows large quantities of dust to escape out of its exhaust, creating poor air quality and leaving dust all over the floors you just cleaned.
Recent Updates
Jan 26, 2026:
We edited this article for conciseness: we removed the BISSELL CrossWave HydroSteam, moved the SEBO Airbelt D4 to the top position, moved the Dyson V15 to the upper mid-range, moved the Shark Stratos to the mid-range, replaced the Wyze Cordless S with the Tineco PURE ONE S11 as the budget recommendation, and moved the Eureka Mighty Mite to the cheap recommendation. Finally, we removed all Notable Mentions to provide clearer recommendations.
Nov 05, 2025:
We verified the availability and accuracy of all recommendations and Notable Mentions, and made small changes for clarity.
Mar 26, 2025:
We removed a mention of the discontinued Miele Complete C3 Alize and replaced it with the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog. We replaced the discontinued Wyze Cordless Vacuum with the replacement Wyze Cordless Vacuum S and edited the text. We replaced the Notable Mention Samsung Jet 75 with the Shark Rocket Pet Pro and did some minor rewording.
Jan 27, 2025:
No change in recommendations, as all picks are still valid and available. Small text changes for conciseness and clarity.
Nov 26, 2024:
Added the SEBO Airbelt D4 to our recommendations as the new 'Best Corded Vacuum For Hardwood Floors' pick. Added Miele Duoflex HX1 to the Notable Mentions section.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best 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 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.