Hardwood floors get dirty every day from dust, pet hair, and other particles. These dirt and particles can ruin the sheen of your floors if left to sit with people walking on it.  But, if you love your hardwood floors you won’t use your standard carpet vacuum on them.

The problem is that vacuums have traditionally been designed for carpets. Thankfully, in the last few years there’s been new technology – vacuum cleaners that give great suction on hard surfaces and are specifically designed not to scratch or damage wood floors.

A hardwood floor vacuum needs soft bristles, and has none of the features meant to dig in and deep clean carpets. These would damage any hardwood flooring. But what vacuums are specially made for that?

To help you select the right one we’ve compiled a list of hard floor vacuums designed to include soft rollers and suction settings. These top vacuums were also chosen based on price, how heavy (therefore easy for quick use), and suction between the grooves in your flooring.  

Full disclosure: Floor Sellers is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. However, this does not influence our evaluations. 

Best Overall: Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner

Dyson Cyclone V10

Cordless, light vacuums are the ultimate in convenience for hardwood flooring vacuums. But you also want to avoid hard bristles that will dull the finish of your floors. Problem is the typical cordless lightweight vacuums don’t always have good suction. But, this Dyson Cyclone V10 combines superior suction and a soft roller head meant to effortlessly clean bare floors at a moment’s notice. A separate head with is included for carpets and deeper cleaning for rugs and carpets, but it’s not necessary for cleaning your hardwood floors.

Engineered with soft woven nylon and anti-static carbon fiber, for hard floors. Soft roller cleaner head provides up to 40 minutes of fade-free run time (in Suction mode I).

The main issue some have is the higher than average price. However, once you use it you’ll know its money well spent. Dyson vacuums are very durable, and besides being convenient this vacuum is capable of handling any and all surfaces in the house, with a 0.2 gallon dust bin and a 40-minute run time.

Best Upright:  Shark Navigator Lift-Away DLX Vacuum

This upright vacuum is one of the most versitile we’ve found for hardwoods. At 15 lbs. it’s light, offers plenty of suction, and has a bagless design for easy dirt disposal. The Shark Navigator also has the option for brush roll shut-off to preserve the finish and feel of your hardwood floors. As with any standard upright you’ll easily be able to cover plenty of square footage. Uprights are not always good for stairs but this one offers a lift-away canister vacuum option.

The advantage of the Shark Navigator Lift-Away for hardwood floors is the fact that it’s gentle enough for vacuuming hardwood floors while offering substantial suction for between cracks or when using it on carpet. You have to remember to turn the brush roller off when vacuuming bare floors, but it’s an easy switch. It’s dust cup is also larger than many other uprights – great convenience.

Best For Pets: BISSELL ICONpet Cordless Lightweight Stick Hand Vacuum Cleaner

  • Dust cup capacity 2.2 quarts; Press a button to lift the canister away and easily clean hard to reach areas
  • Anti-allergen complete seal technology plus a HEPA filter; Traps 99.9 percent of dust and allergens inside the vacuum
  • Powerful and lightweight

When there are pets you’re on constant alert for fur, and dirt around the house. Luckily, Bissell’s ICONPet cordless vacuum is designed with shedders in mind and capable of removing hair wherever it might turn up. Simply switch between the “Everyday Cleaning” and “Max Cleaning” settings when transitioning between hard floors and carpets—and convert it into a handheld model when the time comes to tidy up the car.

Our choice for best pet vacuum was the Bissell ICONpet due not only to its strong suction, but also it’s convenience to have a cordless vacuum at the ready. Also, if you’re just purchasing this to suck the dog and cat hair off your hardwood floors you’ll be looking for one that’s not too overpriced. At around $200 this is fairly painless purchass.

Best high end vacuum: Miele Complete C3 Marin Canister Vacuum Cleaner

  • FilterBag volume – 4.5 litres
  • Power source type: Corded Electric
  • Wattage: 1200 watts
  • Integrated accessories

This vacuum is likely the best overall for hardwoods and carpets as well. In general, canister vacuums do a better job on bare floors than upright or stick vacuums because they’re less likely to disperse dust and debris while vacuuming it up. The Miele Complete C3 Marin is the best of the best, with incredibly strong suction for dirt and sand that will wear away the sheen on your floors. It features a brush on/off switch, which minimizes the dispersal of dirt and protects the finish on hardwood floors.  Without the cord, and the higher price, this would be our top pick.

Best Budget Vacuum: Bissell FeatherWeight Lightweight Stick Vacuum – $29.99!

  • Powerful, convenient, and easy to use
  • Powerful suction makes it great for quick pick ups with multipurpose versatility
  • Versatile cleaning three machines in one: A stick vacuum, handle vacuum, and stair vacuum
  • With a crevice tool for furniture and a floor nozzle for stairs

Not the best, but I’m a sucker for the budget vacuums. For hardwood flooring, you want light, convenient, and cheap – just throw it away after its run its course. But this vacuum actually has game.

Whether you’re cleaning your floors, stairs, or rugs this very affordable vacuum converts to suit your needs. For wood floors, and rugs as well,  the hand vacuum insert works on above-floor surfaces and furniture; and the hand vacuum attaches directly to the floor nozzle to dust off steps (at 3 pounds, it’s light enough to carry up and down multiple flights). The crevice tool helps clean nooks and crannies.

It’s a feather weight vacuum that surpasses all expectations for performance.

Best Robotic Vacuum: Samsung POWERbot R7040 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with WiFi

  • 20X More Powerful Suction
  • Visionary Mapping Plus and FullView Sensor 2.0 – avoids obstacles
  • Wi-Fi Connectivity – Works with Amazon Alexa
  • Easy-to-Clean
  • Intelligent Power Control – Automatically detects surface types to optimize suction power
  • Washable Filter – Easy and cost-effective maintenance

While the Roomba is the most popular, we went with this Samsung Powerbot. The Samsung Powerbot has a much lower cost, and also has the ability to roll over (and vacuum) rugs in its way.

Its powerful suction delivers optimal cleaning results to save you time and effort. This robot vacuum is designed with Edge Clean Master technology, featuring an innovative shutter that extends out to capture any debris trapped in corners or wall edges. Control your POWERbot from your smartphone or Amazon Echo with the Wi-Fi connectivity option.