I have mostly hardwood floors with some carpet. I have a cat. I get dustballs, hairballs, etc. I like to use a vacuum to really suck it up. My canister vacuum pooped out this weekend. Does anyone have a canister or other vacuum they would recommend for hardwood? I like the canister with brush attachements to really get into corners, etc. Any recommendations?
Vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors?
- Thread starter sln
- Start date
carolynjane
Cathlete
I got an Orek vacuum cleaner a few years ago and I love it. It was pretty pricy, but I was tired of buying one every few years when the cheap ones I was buying konked out. I have hardwood floors and rugs, and the thing I love most (besides the fact that it is quiet!) is that there is a switch on the handle that lets you change back and forth from hardwood to rugs/carpet without having to stop and change attachments. It also has HEPA filters which are great to get up the cat hair that my two cats are always shedding!
I went with the Oreck XL21 (The Hepa filter model). I was going to get the advertised model (because of the price) but when hubby checked them both out he wanted the more expensive model. Some friends of ours have this model also and they really like it. All of us actually like the cannister vac better than the upright. I did notice that the more expensive model was quieter. I had recently started having some respiratory problems that were causing me difficulty. I pulled up my bedroom carpet (I only have wall to wall carpeting in my guest room now) & installed wood flooring. I haven't had any respiratory problems since I changed flooring & started using this vacuum cleaner.
jordan
jordan
Pamela1635
Cathlete
I have a Shark, and I love it because it has strong suction, and it's lightweight. However, I don't have cats so I don't know if it would work as well for you.
HTH
Pamela
HTH
Pamela
lesliemarie
Cathlete
please NO swiffer! for some reason the ones that can vaccum and mop the floor emit some toxin known to kill animals, so if you have animals in the house I would not recomend that one. I am not sure about the oreck, I have the laminate and it says not to use the bar on the floor, but when upright the bar will not work and I use the hose after sweeping the floor.
We recently purchased a Sebo canister vac. It's a german brand with a very powerful motor. It comes with a powered brush head and many other attachments. I use the hard floor head for all my hard surfaces and when I need to vac the stair carpet.
We have cats also. And, we have adults and kids with asthma and other seasonal allergies. The Sebo has two filter systems to catch dust and doesn't exhaust hardly anything back into the room.
I recommend it highly. It's a little pricey. Ours was the floor model and it was about $750. I didn't want to spend that much but we had gone through 2 cheaper machines in 5 years. I also had a Dyson that I ended up returning because it was horrible. We decided to bite the bullet and just get a machine that did the job properly.
We have cats also. And, we have adults and kids with asthma and other seasonal allergies. The Sebo has two filter systems to catch dust and doesn't exhaust hardly anything back into the room.
I recommend it highly. It's a little pricey. Ours was the floor model and it was about $750. I didn't want to spend that much but we had gone through 2 cheaper machines in 5 years. I also had a Dyson that I ended up returning because it was horrible. We decided to bite the bullet and just get a machine that did the job properly.
pussycat
Cathlete
I have had a Rainbow sweeper for 10 years that works excellent. I have hardwood throughout with carpeting in the bathrooms and some area rugs. I also have a dog (at one time we had 2 dogs and a cat so lots of dust bunnies!) The sweeper comes with an additional carpet attachment that cleans really well.
I am always amazed at the amount of dirt that "appears" so fast. Can you imagine where it all goes in carpeting!;-)
A friend told me of an interesting way to wash hardwood floors that is quick & easy. Wrap a damp towel over a pushbroom and clean away! I use Murchy's Oil Soap and it's amazing how clean the floors are. And it sure beats scrubbing on your hands and knees. :-(
I am always amazed at the amount of dirt that "appears" so fast. Can you imagine where it all goes in carpeting!;-)
A friend told me of an interesting way to wash hardwood floors that is quick & easy. Wrap a damp towel over a pushbroom and clean away! I use Murchy's Oil Soap and it's amazing how clean the floors are. And it sure beats scrubbing on your hands and knees. :-(
I have heard good things about the rainbow brand before. I thought about buying one until I saw the price. Two or three vacuum cleaners later I went for the higher priced brand (in my case, the Orek) & I hope it works out better. The Orek comes with the 21 year service contract & I have a store about 15 min from where I live. I also like that it is light weight because it easier to transport up stairs. One thing that I hated with my other vacs is switching the vacuum to the hose attachments. Now I have both the upright and the cannister (but they take up a little more room for storage). I also checked out Dyson (only on the internet). I heard that it was heavy & I heard that the suction was good. The - for me, that was + for others was that it was bagless (I didn't want to clean the cannister).
You've got some good options to choose from,
good luck,
jordan
ETA: Susan I actually replied because of your where does all that dirt go comment. (Boy, did I get sidetracked). I was amazed at the same thing.
You've got some good options to choose from,
good luck,
jordan
ETA: Susan I actually replied because of your where does all that dirt go comment. (Boy, did I get sidetracked). I was amazed at the same thing.
carolynjane
Cathlete
RE: Thank you, everyone!
Sorry I just now saw your follow up question. My Orek is a DTX 1300. It's a canister style. Good luck with your purchase!
Sorry I just now saw your follow up question. My Orek is a DTX 1300. It's a canister style. Good luck with your purchase!
dogs2birds
Cathlete
Sorry I'm jumping in a little late here, but I had to boast about how much I love my Orek too. But...DH tells me you're not supposed to use it on hardwood, as it can scratch it. And we have A LOT of hardwood, 4 parrots (talk about dusty!) and 3 dogs. Anyone heard of this?
A tip - we went to our local Orek dealer and he had vacuums that he used as display models and let people take home to try. After a year of this, he sells them for less. He also has used ones that he sells. Just a thought.
And the Swiffer thing is a hoax. You can check it out at Hoaxbusters.com and I think Proctor and Gamble has something about it on their website as well since false information was being spread all over the place. I'm not a Proctor and Gamble fan b/c they do waaaaay too much animal testing for my taste (unless they've changed), but I know they make almost everything anymore.
Susan
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France
http://www.picturetrail.com/dogs2birds
A tip - we went to our local Orek dealer and he had vacuums that he used as display models and let people take home to try. After a year of this, he sells them for less. He also has used ones that he sells. Just a thought.
And the Swiffer thing is a hoax. You can check it out at Hoaxbusters.com and I think Proctor and Gamble has something about it on their website as well since false information was being spread all over the place. I'm not a Proctor and Gamble fan b/c they do waaaaay too much animal testing for my taste (unless they've changed), but I know they make almost everything anymore.
Susan
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France
http://www.picturetrail.com/dogs2birds
>Sorry I'm jumping in a little late here, but I had to boast
>about how much I love my Orek too. But...DH tells me you're
>not supposed to use it on hardwood, as it can scratch it. And
>we have A LOT of hardwood, 4 parrots (talk about dusty!) and 3
>dogs. Anyone heard of this?
>
>Susan
>
My Orek upright has a switch for hardwood/tile & carpeting. I asked specifically about use for hardwood flooring because I have hardwood and tile. The cannister vac that came with it has a floor attachment (very soft & fits under furniture). So I hope we are right over your hubby (I haven't read the manual), so far so good
. Good tips in your post. Remember use it a lot in the first 30 days. If you don't like it, you can take it back. One more thing that my DH likes, it dosen't smell of old pet odor when we turn it on.
jordan
>about how much I love my Orek too. But...DH tells me you're
>not supposed to use it on hardwood, as it can scratch it. And
>we have A LOT of hardwood, 4 parrots (talk about dusty!) and 3
>dogs. Anyone heard of this?
>
>Susan
>
My Orek upright has a switch for hardwood/tile & carpeting. I asked specifically about use for hardwood flooring because I have hardwood and tile. The cannister vac that came with it has a floor attachment (very soft & fits under furniture). So I hope we are right over your hubby (I haven't read the manual), so far so good
. Good tips in your post. Remember use it a lot in the first 30 days. If you don't like it, you can take it back. One more thing that my DH likes, it dosen't smell of old pet odor when we turn it on.jordan
Hi there -
I am an artist who works at home and has 11 cats - so we have a lot of dust and hair! We also have all hardwood floors for the entire house. I love my Eureka Boss, which i got a year ago based on Consumer Reports best buy recommendation. It wasn't terribly expensive, and it also has a hard floors/tiles setting. For the one giant wool rug we have it also does a great job of sucking all of the cat hair out of it.
Erica
I am an artist who works at home and has 11 cats - so we have a lot of dust and hair! We also have all hardwood floors for the entire house. I love my Eureka Boss, which i got a year ago based on Consumer Reports best buy recommendation. It wasn't terribly expensive, and it also has a hard floors/tiles setting. For the one giant wool rug we have it also does a great job of sucking all of the cat hair out of it.
Erica