Best Hardwood Floor Vacuum Cleaners – Vacuum Seek 2018

Best Canister Vacuum For Hardwood Floors Canisters are better suited than uprights in dealing with hardwood floors. They can efficiently remove dirt from the cracks and crevices of your hardwood floor using their long, oval floor brush attachments. In addition, canister models are also easier to carry up the stairs and use in cleaning awkward places such as behind furniture or inside the car. Furthermore, it’s best  to choose a rubber wheeled, or rubber-coated plastic wheeled canister vacuum, since plastic wheels alone might scratch the floor.If you prefer getting an upright model, make sure it has a feature to turn off its brush roll to prevent bristles from scratching your polished wooden floors. A rolling brush is designed to lift dirt and debris embedded inside carpets. But with hardwood floors, it might do more harm than good and damage smooth surfaces.


The Best Vacuums to Safely and Effectively Clean Hardwood Floors

1. Miele Complete C2 Limited Edition Vacuum, Bagged

Miele Complete C2 Limited Edition POSITIVES: The Miele Complete C2 is our best vacuum cleaner. It is designed for cleaning bare floors such as hardwood, tiles and other smooth surfaces. It is also great for vacuuming low to medium pile carpets and area rugs. The vacuum features both quality and performance for which the brand Miele is well renowned. The Miele C2 series is a versatile canister vacuum and a vacuum that can gently transition when cleaning, from smooth surfaces to rugs and carpeted floors. This vacuum also provides amazing suction power that many consumers are happy with. Its users were very happy that it delivered the best performance they ever had when cleaning hardwood floors. Even though it’s quite pricey, the machine is durable and will last for a long time.It does what it’s supposed to do, really well, So it is money well spent!

Consumers also liked the vacuum’s quiet operation, and its adjustable suction, together with the included attachments – which are very handy for cleaning curtains and other delicate furniture. They also loved that the Miele C2 is easy to maneuver, thanks to its three 360-degree rotating wheels. These make it easy to pull the canister without any dragging, and there were no complaints about its rubber caster wheels scratching any polished hardwood floors. Consumers will also benefit from Miele’s effective AirClean filter system, especially those with extreme dust allergies.

NEGATIVES: The Miele C2 series vacuum is more expensive than other vacuums in our list. For some, buying dust bags could be a disadvantage. Lastly, consumers don’t recommend using this canister vacuum on shaggy or high-pile carpets. Read more

Amazon’s Consumer Ratings:
4.5 stars (315 Reviews)

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MIELE’S COMPLETE C2 MAIN FEATURES:

  • Variable suction power
  • 6 stage suction control
  • Rug and Floor combination brush
  • Turbo Comfort Turbo-brush
  • Protected wheels, safe to use on smooth wooden floors
  • Air Clean filter
  • 33 ft. cleaning radius
  • Cord rewind
  • On-board accessories include dusting brush, crevice nozzle and upholstery tool.
  • 1-year warranty for parts
  • 7-year warranty for power head motors and body casing

The Best Vacuum for Laminated Floors and Pet Hair

 

2. Shark Rotator NR96 Powered Lift-Away Canister

Shark Rotator NR96 Powered Lift-Away Canister POSITIVES: Here is another awesome vacuum that stunned many consumers on how amazing it works in cleaning hardwood floors, tile floors, hair, and area rugs. The Shark NR96 is a 2-in-1 vacuum and it’s the only canister vacuum which features “Lift-Away” for an easy and versatile way of cleaning all around the house. You can use it as a canister vacuum or its lift-away mode where you can just leave the wheels behind to easily clean above the floor and stairs. It has a powerful suction which is brilliant on hard floors without the use of the roller brush, and with its motorized brush to deep clean carpets. Switching from hard floors to rugs is also at your fingertips to turn On/Off the brushroll.

Consumers also like that the vacuum can easily reach under bed, furniture and places they never thought possible. Plus with the help of its LED headlights, they can clearly see any hair, dirt and dust when vacuuming. Many consumers who have pets are also happy with its performance in sucking up pet hair. The vacuum includes a small pet power brush attachment which works effectively in cleaning pet hair from upholstery and carpeted stairs. They are also glad that Shark incorporates a complete sealed HEPA System (Anti-Allergen Seal Technology + HEPA Filter) which is good for people with allergy issues. The vacuum’s design is quite amazing too, that if only looks could kill, then taking it out of the box would be fatal.

NEGATIVES: While the cleaning head is easy to maneuver, the unit could be hard when turning around. Consumers also hoped that most attachments should be stored on board the canister, rather than in the storage bag.

Amazon’s Consumer Ratings:
4.3 stars (207 Reviews)

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SHARK’S CANISTER VACUUM MAIN FEATURES:

  • 2-in-1 vacuum (canister and Lift-Away pod)
  • Powerful suction for cleaning bare floors
  • Manual Suction Control
  • HEPA filter + Shark’s Anti-Allergen Seal Technology
  • Bagless
  • Fingertip controls for turning the brushroll on/off
  • LED headlights
  • Small pet brush attachment
  • Advanced Swivel Steering
  • Automatic Power Cord Rewind
  • 23 feet power cord
  • 5-Year Warranty

3. Bissell Hard Floor Expert Bagless Canister Vacuum 1547

Bissell Hard Floor Expert Multi-Cyclonic Bagless Canister Vacuum POSITIVES: We think this is Bissell’s best hardwood floor vacuum cleaner. This canister vacuum is compact, lightweight and comes with ample attachments for any cleaning job you need. The vacuum also feels very sturdy, especially the hose, that almost looks like a strong elephant’s nose. Consumers find this canister vacuum from Bissell to be exceptional in cleaning hardwood floors, tiles and low pile carpets. But not so suitable if your home consists mostly of carpeted floors. They find the suction power of the machine to be superior and also love its articulating wand,which goes almost flat on the floor to allow easy cleaning under beds or cabinets.

Using a canister vacuum such as the Bissell Hard Floor Expert is much quieter when compared to upright models. You can even vacuum your house at night and not wake up your kids. Emptying the dirt tank is also straight forward and very simple. Consumers also liked the self-retractable cord. Just a push of a button and off it goes inside the vacuum. A consumer even said it would be hard nowadays to expect more from a vacuum cleaner than the Bissell canister vacuum.

NEGATIVES: Consumers don’t recommend this vacuum for cleaning carpet floors, but it does a decent job on low-pile rugs or carpets. Storing the vacuum also takes up more space. Read more

Amazon’s Consumer Ratings:
4.0 stars (286 Reviews)

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BISSELL’S HARDFLOOR EXPERT MAIN FEATURES:

  • Multi-Cyclonic Technology for powerful suction
  • Multi-Surface Foot to easily pick up dirt around area rugs and carpets
  • Hard Floor Turbine Foot – tough on dirt but gentle on floors
  • Easy to empty dirt cup with no-mess disposal
  • Multi-level filtration system helps reduce allergens
  • It is compact and lightweight making it easy to carry and store
  • Rubber wheels leave no marks on floors, no worries
  • Includes crevice tool and dusting brush
  • Comes with a cleaning head rolling brush for carpets and a stationary hard floor head assembly
  • 2-Year Warranty

The Best Vacuum for Carpet and Hardwood floors

 

4. Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional (NV356E)

Shark Navigator NV356E Lift-Away Professional POSITIVES: The Shark Navigator Lift-Away is a master of versatility and it includes many attachments that pretty much guarantee consumers will have the right tool for any cleaning task. If your concerned if it’s safe to use for cleaning your polished wooden floor, the answer is yes, which is why we included it on our list. The vacuum has a switch to turn On/Off its brush-roll and also has a rubber coating around its plastic wheels. Consumers haven’t noticed any problem when using it on hardwood floors. The dust-away attachment with pad, works brilliantly on bare floors and caused a lot of its users to rate the vacuum’s cleaning performance very highly.

The Shark Navigator is also good for cleaning carpeted areas and switching from carpet to bare floors is easy. Consumers also like its large capacity dust cup that you don’t need to empty often, compared to other vacuums. This is the ideal vacuum cleaner to have if you have hardwood and carpet floors in your home.

NEGATIVES: For some, the lift away canister pod could be heavy to carry, especially when it accumulates a lot of dirt and dust inside the dust cup. The vacuum is a bit noisy to use, unlike other vacuums in our list, which are quieter to operate. Consumers also felt that the cleaning head is not wide enough and that it takes several passes when cleaning large areas of the house. Read more

Amazon’s Consumer Ratings:
4.4 stars (9,605 Reviews)

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SHARK’S NAVIGATOR LIFT-AWAY MAIN FEATURES:

  • Never Loses Suction
  • Anti-Allergen Complete Seal + HEPA filter
  • Lightweight, XL capacity portable canister
  • Detachable canister for convenient portable cleaning
  • Swivel steering makes it easy to maneuver
  • Includes Dust-Away attachments and two microfiber pads to pickup large particles and dust on bare floors on a single easy step
  • Adjustable Suction
  • Surface vacuum types: Carpets and bare floors
  • 30-feet cord length
  • 5 Year Warranty

5. Hoover CH30000 PortaPower Lightweight Commercial Canister Vacuum

Hoover CH30000 PortaPower Lightweight Commercial Canister Vacuum POSITIVES: If you love the idea of having a lift-away pod, then you should consider getting a backpack canister – the Hoover PortaPower Canister Vacuum. Consumers find the vacuum to be much easier to move around while vacuuming compared with other canister vacuums. You can carry or strap the vacuum with you and the power cord just stays behind you while you’re moving around and cleaning. This vacuum is lightweight (8.3 pounds) that you can easily carry it around. You also have the option of getting the carrying bag which holds the vacuum and all of its attachments. The power cord is also long enough (33 ft.) that there is less need to change the power source once it is plugged in an outlet. Consumers are also glad that the vacuum features a reusable bag which is large enough to vacuum several times without having to empty the bag.

There are many consumers that find the Hoover CH30000 PortaPower Vacuum to be very effective in cleaning hardwood, laminate, tile, carpeted stairs, upholstery and furniture. Consumers are also happy on how the vacuum picks up pet hair and some can’t believe how much suction this vacuum has. The vacuum has a powerful suction that’s almost twice the suction than with the old vacuums that some consumers have owned. They also find this vacuum to be a lot better on hardwood and bare floors, than cleaning with carpets. Fortunately, the parts would also fit together well and easily, the vacuum is made with good quality parts, and does not cost too much compared to most canister vacuums.

NEGATIVES: There are many consumers that would not consider this vacuum if you’re house is mostly composed of carpeted floors. It’s because it will be out performed by a vacuum cleaner with rotating brushes to efficiently clean high pile carpets and pile rugs.

Hoover Carrying Strap CH30000 Amazon’s Consumer Ratings:
4.3 stars (733 Reviews)

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HOOVER’S PORTAPOWER COMMERCIAL VACUUM MAIN FEATURES:

  • Compact and lightweight
  • With carrying strap (adjustable)
  • Long 33 feet power cord
  • Can easily clean hard to reach areas
  • Built-in blower for a more versatile way of cleaning
  • Comes with a reusable commercial bag and can use paper dust bag for dust clean up
  • Comes with cleaning accessory pack such as crevice tool, dusting brush, wand and rug/floor nozzle
  • 2 Year Warranty

The Best Affordable Vacuum for Hard Floors and Pet Hair

 

6. BISSELL PowerEdge 81L2A Pet Hard Floor Corded Vacuum

BISSELL PowerEdge 81L2A Pet POSITIVES: You can find a lot of positive ratings from its consumers, about how great this lightweight vacuum is for cleaning hardwood, tile floors and area rugs. The Bissell PowerEdge vacuum cleaner could easily pickup dust and dirt on your hard floors. Thanks to its powerful suction, and V-shaped design which pulls dust and dirt into the vacuum, rather than blowing or pushing it around. It’s swivel head also makes it much easier to maneuver around corners, chairs and furniture. Emptying the dust cup is straight forward, and does not leave a mess.

The Bissell PowerEdge Hard Floor Vacuum is affordable and durable. There are consumers who have been using the vacuum for 3 long years and are still very satisfied with its performance in sucking up dirt, dust and hairs. Certainly it is one of the best sweepers on hard floors of today.

NEGATIVES: The vacuum tends to require longer strokes to effectively pick up dirt and dust.This is due to its V-shaped design, that funnels dirt into certain areas of its cleaning head to be vacuumed up, making it less ideal for kids. Moreover, the vacuum sucks up dirt & dust efficiently in forward motion, but not when moving backwards. Read more

BISSELL PowerEdge Pet Hard Floor Corded Vacuum, 81L2A
Amazon’s Consumer Ratings:
4.2 stars (6,450 Reviews)

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BISSELL’S POWEREDGE MAIN FEATURES:

  • Easily captures debris around corners or edges, and tight spaces
  • V-shaped design directs large particles into its center suction, while the ends of the “V” picks up small and fine debris
  • Swivel head makes it easy to maneuver
  • Easy-to-empty dirt cup
  • 20-feet cord length
  • Weighs 7.5 lbs
  • Designed for hard floors
  • 1 Year Warranty

7. Eureka Mighty Mite Canister Bagged Vacuum, 3670G

Eureka Mighty Mite Canister Vacuum, 3670G POSITIVES: The Eureka 3670G is an affordable canister vacuum that offers consumers great value – cost versus performance, and consumers’ expectations have been exceeded. It features strong vacuum power which is excellent for cleaning hardwood floors. Consumers liked to use the crevice tool attachment for cleaning baseboards along the wall with no suction loss. Unlike the dusting brush that sometimes looses suction when attached.

Although the Eureka canister vacuum’s wheels are made of plastic, because it is so lightweight, it does not need much effort moving around, and it doesn’t scratch smooth floors. Many consumers attest to the fact that the machine is safe to use and did not notice any scratches on their hardwood floors. The canister vacuum is easy to use, it pulls nicely and many consumers would buy it again if ever it breaks.

NEGATIVES: Some consumers felt that it has an acceptable cord length, but others did not agree and wished it offered  greater cleaning radius. There are also some consumers complaining that it is too loud for a canister vacuum. While some felt that the canister feels cheap, at this price they mostly agree that it still offers great value, especially when cleaning hardwood floors. Read more

Using the Eureka Mighty Mite Canister Vacuum on Hardwood Floor
Amazon’s Consumer Ratings:
4.0 stars (3,351 Reviews)

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EUREKA’S MIGHTY MITE MAIN FEATURES:

  • Durable design
  • Power-Touch handle with fingertip controls for: bare-floor nozzle and deluxe floor brush
  • Features an additional blower port that allows airflow to shoot debris easily
  • Lightweight canister that weighs less than 9 pounds
  • 20-feet cord length
  • Convenient to use for home, cars and garage
  • Automatic shut-off to protect against overheating
  • Includes crevice tool, dusting brush and upholstery nozzle
  • Bagged Vacuum
  • 1 Year Warranty

The Best Performing Cordless Vacuums for Hardwood Floors

8. Dyson V6 Motor Head Cord-free Vacuum

Dyson V6 Motor Head Cord-free Vacuum If you are tired of tripping over the cord while vacuuming, then you should try using the Dyson V6 Cord-free Vacuum. There are a lot of consumers who are very impressed on how good it works on wood floors. They also find that the vacuum works equally well on carpets as on hardwood floors. The Dyson V6 cordless vacuum can clean edges and corners pretty well too. It is easy to set up for using it on stairs, cars, and furniture. You are able to take out the long tube for handheld cleaning mode, which most consumers find it to be very comfortable to use. Dyson is well known for its powerful suction, so you can expect that the Dyson V6 Cordless Vacuum has this intense feature as well.

A downside of this vacuum cleaner is you cannot interchange the battery, unlike other cordless vacuum that you can just buy an extra rechargeable battery for uninterrupted cleaning.

  • 75% more brush-roll power than other V6 cordless vacuums
  • Provides up to 20mins of fade-free suction
  • Direct-drive cleaning head drives bristles deeper into your carpet and removes more dirt
  • V6 motorhead removes dirt from carpets and fine dust from bare floors
  • Crevice tool attachment fits right into tight gaps & narrow spaces
  • Detachable wand for handheld cleaning mode
  • 2 Year Warranty

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Amazon’s Ratings: 4.3 stars (1,145 Reviews)

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9. Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner, BH50010

Hoover Linx Cordless Stick BH50010 Vacuum Cleaner If you want a reliable cordless vacuum cleaner which can effectively pick up dirt and dust with ease from your precious wood floors and one that isn’t too expensive, then the Hoover Linx BH50010 Cordless Stick Vacuum is what you’re looking for. Many consumers find this cordless vacuum quite well in removing dust and dirt on bare floors. It also has a brushroll on/off switch so users can easily transition from cleaning bare floors, to carpets or rugs. There are also a good number of consumers who are satisfied with how the vacuum deals with pet hair effectively. With the Hoover LINX consumer can change the battery, if they have bought a spare one, for a continuous cleaning even if the battery runs low. And most of time, even with the brushroll turned on, a fully charge battery could lasts for around 20 minutes. The consumers find the charge indicator to be accurate and quite handy as well. They are also glad that this stick vacuum can stand up straight for easy storing.

A big disadvantage of the vacuum is that it’s kind of awkward to use it when cleaning the stairs. It lacks the attachments and is not detachable for handheld cleaning mode. There are also some complaints that it doesn’t go flat enough to reach under the bed or dresser.

  • Bagless cyclonic & cordless stick vacuum cleaner with Windtunnel technology to remove embedded dirt
  • Edge cleaning bristles that efficiently remove dirt up against edges or corners
  • Interchangeable battery with a charger
  • 18V lithium ion battery ensures there is no drop of suction power while the battery drains
  • Non-marking wheels make it ideal for cleaning hardwood floors
  • One-touch control for activating its brush-roll
  • Great for cleaning carpets
  • Extreme recline handle for an easy-reach under furniture
  • 2 Year Warranty

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Hoover Linx BH50010 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner

Amazon’s Ratings: 4.1 stars (9,183 Reviews)

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10. ILIFE V5s Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Water Tank Mop

Charging Station of the ILIFE V5 The ILIFE V5 is our best robotic vacuum for cleaning hardwood floors. One of its key features is the innovative water tank inside the device which brings an automatic damp moping spa for bare floors such as tile, marble, wood and laminated floors. With its design or shape, the robot vacuum can easily go under furniture to clean where traditional vacuums have some trouble reaching. It also only takes a little amount of storage space. Consumers are glad that the ILIFE V5s is not as expensive as most robot vacuum which are commonly sold for more than $300. You can get this robotic vacuum from ILIFE for around $160 – $199.

A common problem with robot vacuum cleaners is that they could get stuck if they caught on an obstruction. So make sure to tidy your home floor (which can be an advantage) from clutters, wires, and any objects that could get the vacuum stuck, before running the vacuum to do its job.

  • Water tank offers an auto damp moping spa for your hardwood floors
  • Powerful motor with maximum mode & pet hair technology, removes fur, dust, debris and dirt easily
  • Programmable scheduling
  • Automatically docks to recharge
  • Smart sensors and slim-line design ensure the robot goes easily under beds, sofas, around furniture and in between chair legs
  • 1 Year Warranty

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Dust bin and Water Tank of ILIFE V5s Robot Vacuum

Amazon’s Ratings: 4.1 stars (1,109 Reviews)

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Looking for hardwood floor cleaner or steam mop? Don’t worry, we got it covered!

11. Bissell 1940 PowerFresh Steam Mop Hard Floor Steam Cleaner

  • Steam mop offers hard floors a shiny and sanitized clean without using chemicals (sanitizes with steam)
  • Can eliminate for up to 99.9% of germs and bacteria if used as directed
  • Features a built-in Easy Scrubber to tackle tough messes
  • Variable steam control to customize for light cleaning to heavy messes (low, medium, and high)
  • Tough on dirt and germs, but gentle and safe to use on sealed wood, tile, marble, stone and laminate floorings.
  • 2-Year Warranty

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Main Features of the BISSELL Powerfresh Steam Mop

Amazon’s Ratings: 4.2 stars (9,296 Reviews)

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12. Hoover Hardwood Floor Cleaner FloorMate SpinScrub

  • Features SpinsScrub Brushes which deliver the best clean while it’s gentle and safe scrubbing sealed wood, tile, vinyl or grout
  • You can set the dial for Stage-1 for vacuuming, Stage-2 for washing and Stage-3 for drying
  • With its Dual Tank Technology that keeps clean water and dirty water separately so that you will never worry about putting the dirty water back on the floor when cleaning
  • Thanks to its Clean Boost Control, the control is at your fingertips to apply extra detergent for tough stains or dirt
  • Includes 16 oz. bottle of Hard Floor Detergent and 30 Hard Floor Wipes
  • 1 Year Warranty

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Hoover FloorMate SpinScrub - Dual Tank Technology

Amazon’s Ratings: 3.8 stars (3,069 Reviews)

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Learn to Choose the Right Hardwood Floor Vacuum to Buy

How to Find the Best Hardwood Floor Vacuum

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The Problem With Your Present Vacuum

Chances are you already own a vacuum. It probably does a pretty good job of cleaning the carpet and rugs. However, it is probably designed just for those kinds of surfaces. Not all vacuums can clean hardwood floors and even ones with different settings are not always the most efficient at keeping hardwood flooring clean and dirt free.

A vacuum that is not designed for cleaning hardwood flooring will have carpet tools and attachments. One that will cause damage to your floor is a beater brush. This is a rotating brush inside a cleaning head. It is effective on carpeting as it contains stiff bristles that pull debris out of carpeted surfaces. The same tool would scatter debris that could scratch a hardwood floor.

Additional Things To Look For

Hardwood floor tools will contain a soft layer of bristles around the outer edge of a cleaning head. The soft bristles are made to glide over the surface of your floor to collect dirt and debris without marking it. Speaking of marking the floor, the kind of vacuum you choose will also have an impact on the hardwood floor. Canister models are lighter and easier to move around. Upright models tend to be heavier and sometimes harder to move. This can result in the hardwood floor receiving various marks from difficulty moving a heavy vacuum.

The vacuum you use to clean hardwood floors should also have rubber wheels. Hard wheels can scratch a wood floor. The surface of the vacuum should have a padded liner or wrap around it to further prevent scuffing, scratching or other marking of the hardwood floor. For much smaller cleaning jobs a handheld vacuum can do a quick clean up if needed along with a small whisk broom and a dust pan.

Final Thoughts

In addition to regular cleaning through mopping, sweeping and vacuuming, you can keep your hardwood floors looking their best by reducing the amount of dirt that gets onto the surface in many ways. Mats at each entrance from outside, boot and shoe racks in mud rooms and insisting on everyone wearing slippers or socks on the floor will all help to keep your hardwood floor in top condition. These steps will make cleaning even easier when combined with using a vacuum designed specifically for use on hardwood flooring.

4 Comments
  1. Do you think it’s best if I buy a vacuum cleaner online or in a store? I am worried about what I can do if the one that I choose does not work like it says it will. I am tempted by the cheap prices online rather than in the store but I do not know if it is a safe way to buy. I don’t use the Internet much and have never bought anything that way before. Do you think it is safe and worth the money I might save? Or do you think it is safest if I buy it in the usual way?

    • You can find many reviews online on a certain vacuum or product that people purchased online. Making it reliable that it will work like it says it will. I often buy things online as well, since I can get it at discount price.

  2. I’m searching for a vacuum that won’t scratch marble-travertine tile and wood floors. I am also searching for this vacuum to be low on noise and good on suction. Any recommendations?

    • I highly recommend the first 2 picks in our list. They don’t have a brushroll or rolling brush that is used to go deep into the carpet to lift out dirt. With hardwood floors, the brushroll tends to scratch wooden floors and we dont want that. The Miele has a very powerful suction which you can also adjust for the type of cleaning you want, for hardwood or marble to delicate furniture. Both are canister vacuums, which means they have less noise compared to upright vacuums.

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