Which Model of Hardwood Floor Vacuum is the Best?

If you’ve invested the time and money into having hardwood floors installed in your house, then you obviously want to keep them looking their best. Sweeping often is very important, but hardwood floors also benefit from being vacuumed regularly. You might be tempted to just use any old vacuum, but there are specific types of vacuums that work best with hardwood floors and will keep them looking brand new.   A wet dry hardwood floor vacuum is our top choice for cleaning your wood flooring.

First of all, make sure that the vacuum you purchase is a wet dry vacuum. Most of these vacuums have separate compartments for wet and dry pickups. These are vacuums that will pick up liquids as well as solids. They are very handy for wood floors and are useful when things get spilled or knocked over. They will keep the liquid from soaking into the hardwood floor and warping the wood.

Secondly, make sure the vacuum that you choose is easy to use. It is no good having a quality vacuum if you just get frustrated every time you try to clean up a mess. Be sure that you can get to all of the attachments easily and that they all have dedicated storage spaces on the vacuum. Take the vacuum apart and make sure that it is easy to empty and clean without making a mess. Push the vacuum around a bit to make sure that it moves easily and is not too heavy. Keep in mind that it will weigh a bit more once you start using it.

If possible, try to test out the vacuum that you are considering purchasing. This will give you the opportunity to make sure the vacuum is easy to operate and that it actually cleans well. Trying out the vacuum in the store is a great option. However, you might even want to see if a friend will loan you their vacuum. This would let you actually take the machine home and try it out under “real” conditions. This is the best way to find out if the vacuum will meet your needs or not.

I did a little searching around at a few sites and found several good wet dry vacuum cleaners at Amazon.com. One Hoover model stood out really well in the reviewer ratings… much more than others listed there.    I haven’t tried this particular Hoover model personally, but its been reviewed by almost 200 people (as of today) and it still has 4 stars!  I think that speaks very well of the quality and function that this hardwood floor vacuum provides.  You can check out the product here:

Our Choice for The Best Hardwood Floor Vacuum

******Hoover FloorMate SpinScrub Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner******

Highs and Lows of Our Pick for the Best Hardwood Floor Vacuum On the Market

A few highlights from the reviews of the Hoover FloorMate H3004

Postives:

• Works very well at scrubbing tile and “crud” from floors.    It has soft bristles and may take a few times to really remove the dirt
• Seems to work best with Hoover’s own cleaning solution
• Does a decent (though not perfect) job of sucking up the water/cleaning solution when cleaning.
• Not extremely heavy like some of the popular carpet steam cleaning machines on the market.

Negatives:

• Almost everyone has said it already..but this think gets LOUD!   May be a problem around sensitive pets.
• Edge cleaning leaves a little to be desired, but nothing I’ve ever seen gets edges crystal clean.
• Some users have complained that the vacuum portion of the machine doesn’t pick up everything.  I don’t particularly see this as a problem if you sweep the floor beforehand.
• Some owners have stated that it leaves “more than expected” amounts of water on the floor.  However most do say that your floors are dry in about 10 minutes.

No matter which model you end up choosing, please remember that when you are considering buying a vacuum, don’t necessarily look for the one that is least expensive. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for, and a cheap hardwood floor vacuum may not last very long. Remember that it is generally more cost-effective to buy one quality machine that will last for years than to buy a cheap vacuum and replace it every year or two. You might consider getting a warranty for your vacuum if the manufacturer does not offer one. This will enable you to replace your vacuum at a low cost if something goes wrong and it stops working.

When it comes to cleaning and maintaining your hardwood floor, be sure to get a vacuum that will do the job well. Look for one that will clean up both wet and dry messes, make sure the machine is easy to use and empty, test it out if possible, and buy something that will stand the test of time. Following all of these guidelines will ensure that your hardwood floor vacuum will keep your hardwood floors looking like new.