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Great little vacuum for hardwood - finally found one

16 years ago

Since getting my Brazilian Cherry installed in the dining room, kitchen, foyer and powder room, I have used a stick vac, rechargeable sweeper, Swiffer and a good old-fashion broom to try to keep the floors clean. The good old-fashioned broom actually worked the best out of all of them.

Canister vacs, though I generally don't like them, seem the best suited for hardwood floors. So, I bought a $50 Kenmore cannister vac. The floor attachment was a brush with bristels all the way around it. It worked ok but tended to push larger crumbs around instead of sucking them up. I ended up returning it because it started making a horrible noise when I used it.

Last week at Walmart I bought a Durabrand HEPA Cannister vac for $22.00. It was cheap so I thought I had nothing to lose. It works great. The floor attachment has two tiny rollers to glide across the floor but also has bristels in the back to catch crumbs and debris. The cannister part is so small and light you can actually carry it in your other hand while vacuuming.

Overall great value and very good results.

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Comments (6)

shambo
16 years ago
I was just about to post a question about an easier way to clean hardwood floors. I've been doing the broom followed by a swiffer, then using the hose attachment of my upright to get into corners & along edges. Thanks for the information. I've got a WalMart nearby,so I'll try to pick one up.
shambo
16 years ago
I spoke too soon. I just discovered that my WalMart does not have that vacuum in stock and it can't be ordered on line either. I did a Google search and I think the vacuum is discontinued. Any other ideas?
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I went through this selection process during the summer. Our house flooring is tile, pavers and cork, with a few area rugs. We have two shedding dogs and a cat. I wasn't going to go for one of the spendier vacuums, but I also know that I wanted something more than the $150 entry level models. I settled on a Sears Progressive canister and I love it. It is HEPA, and has a bag, and there are cloth bags available for those with allergy issues. It has a powered head and the cord runs INSIDE the wand rather than being simply clipped to the outside of the wand like some of the cheaper units I saw. It is easy to change from the power head to the hard floor attachment, and all attachments ride on the canister.
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We have over 2500 s.f. of hardwood in our home. I can't imagine the amount of Swiffer sheets I would need to use to clean my floor. For light dusting, I use a wide dust mop (sold in janitorial stores) -- it's probably about 3 feet wide and breezes through my floors. For more through cleaning, I use my central vac with the hardwood floor brush. Since we have a dog that loves to get little pawprints or water drips from her bowl all over the place, I periodically use a damp mop with only a couple drops of dish detergent in the bucket. I do a small area, then immediately dry thoroughly with large towel. I never use Murphy's. I would be very hesitant to use a vacuum because dirt gets embedded on the wheels and the weight of the vacuum along with that dirt may scratch the surface.
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I've been using a Kenmore canister for about five years now on our all hard surface (plus two area rugs) house. I remember thinking $200 was crazy to spend on a vacuum. Ha! I think our house would be a great place to test drive vacuums. We have two Newfoundland dogs (so that's about 270 pounds of dog ... most of it fur) and live 500 feet from the beach so there is always sand around. Frankly I'm impressed the Kenmore still even runs. But it's definitely slowing down. I can vacuum the rugs and still "scrape" off hair with the bottom of my shoe. Because I know a lot of people with Newfoundlands, vacuums are a big topic. I know several people with Dyson who have an unnatural love for them for the first year or so, but as they age (the vacuums, not the people) I'm hearing more complaints. I've definitely heard more complaints about the Dyson canisters than the uprights, but plenty of those too. The Rainbows are pretty much held to be the gold standard and most people I know bought them used. For me, I think a Miele is probably going to be my next vacuum.
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geguymw
16 years ago
I am not sure exactly which model you have, because there were two. The recent model was very small. These vacuum cleaners can usually be seen more around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Look in your Walmart circular. They usually come in different colors.

This vacuum cleaner is of the same, or less, quality as the Kenmore compact canister you had previously.

Make sure that you keep the filter clean on your vacuum cleaner. Look for replacement filter at Walmart.
geguymw
16 years ago
Using a vacuum cleaner is the better way of cleaning floors, because it will pick up all the dust,hair,lint,etc. that a broom may miss or push aside. A broom can push allergens in the air. There have been many times that I have been in a business and an employee is sweeping the floor. They sweep quickly, flicking the bristles, which then pushes allergens in the air. I know that within a few minutes I will start sneezing.
kellyleeann
16 years ago
I lucked up and found this little vacuume in my local craiglist. The vacuume was brand new and I purchased it for 45.00 which was a great deal. Because it only weighs 5 lbs its perfect, great suction and easy to carry since it has a strap to go over your shoulder. Comes with all the attachments and since I have wool rugs that constanly shed on my hardwoods, this is the best thing for me. I really love it and I am thinking about buying another for my Boat/Car.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oreck Canister Vac
meg711
16 years ago
I'm glad that you found something for your floors. I'm still searching for the answer for our house. Perhaps those small over-the-shoulder canisters will work for our stairs.

For your new hardwood vacuum, just be careful that you keep the rollers clean, otherwise grit that is caught in the rollers will scratch your floors.

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