How to Choose a Good Cordless Vacuum for Hardwood Floors

Last update January 16, 2020

If you’d like to get the best care for your hardwood floors, you’re in the right place. Our article tells how to choose a good cordless vacuum and how to prolong the beauty of your hardwood floors.

What Are Cordless Vacuum Cleaners for Hardwood Floors?

Today, vacuuming technologies have grown to become much better and useful than ever before. And cordless vacuums are no longer auxiliary cleaners for light jobs around the house but fully-fledged devices with a number of benefits.

If you ask experts, “What’s the best way to clean hardwood floors?”, they will likely answer you may get away with cordless stick vacuums. Their slimline, portable design makes stick vacuums light and convenient for whipping around your house.

What else makes them so special? In most cases, sticks have no rollers. While rollers are great to remove debris from carpets and rugs, they might cause scratches on hard flooring. That’s why manufacturers produce cordless stick vacuums either with no rollers at all or with an option to turn the brush-roll off. Also, a good cordless vacuum for hardwood should have strong suction to remove all dirt and dust from the crevices between the planks of wood.

However, choosing the most appropriate model for your needs may be a daunting task. That’s why we’ve lined up the cream of the crop, giving you a selection of the best cordless vacuums found anywhere online.

How to Choose a Cordless Vac for Hard Floors

Depending on your needs, you should take into account the following aspects:

Type

Basically, there are three major types of cordless cleaners - stick vacuums, upright vacuums, and cylinder vacuums. The most common is a stick cleaner that is very compact, lightweight, and maneuverable. In addition, it often comes with a handheld detachable unit you can use for above-the-floor areas. In terms of versatility, this option is considered to be the best, since it allows you to clean a wide variety of surfaces.

However, if you need an agile hoover for hardwood floors and stairs solely, an upright cleaner may be a more appealing option for you. This machine is usually more powerful and has a detachable canister for added flexibility. But the trade-off for that is a bit heavier construction.

A cylinder vacuum is an old-style vacuum on wheels that has a long cleaning tube. It performs well not only on bare floors but on carpets as well, making it suitable for cleaning an entire house. And just like traditional hoovers, it usually has many additional accessories. Still, they are quite clumsy to use owing to the bulky barrel.

Dust bin

If you’re going to clean all the floors in your house per one go, you should opt for models with large dirt containers that don’t need to be cleaned that often. Also, consider how easy it will be to clean. Most models have a quick-release button preventing your hands from contact with dust. Bear in mind, some models also let you completely remove the dust bin along with the filter from the base and run them under water for a thorough clean.

Filtration System

As we’ve already touched the topic of filters, it’s worth taking into account the type of the filters and the replacement costs. A filter is a very important part of any vacuum since it’s responsible for filtering dust when it enters the unit and for preventing it from escaping back into the air.

Models with HEPA filters are the most worthwhile investment. They can aid in the removal of dust and other air pollutants. To specify, they can neutralize all kinds of unpleasant odors, pollen, dust, smoke, pet dander, and almost any other pollutants lurking in the air. It goes without saying, vacs with HEPA filtration systems are especially useful for individuals suffering from asthma, some kinds of allergies, or respiratory conditions.

However, the replacement filters vary from model to model. So, if you’re not willing to spend much money in the long run, check how often a filter for that particular model should be replaced and how much it costs.

Running Time

This is one of the most important concerns when choosing a cordless vacuum. Basically, the running time varies from 15 to 60 minutes. Ideally, everyone wants a cleaner that would have a long-running time. Yet, longer doesn’t always mean better. Check the voltage and settings. Probably, if you have pets or heavily-soiled hard floors, you may want to go for more powerful units with shorter operation time. However, if that isn't the case, you can go for well-balanced models with average power and long running time. They are best suitable for large spaces and light jobs.

Accessories

The vast majority of handheld vacuum cleaners come with different attachments. So, if you’re planning to use the vac for multitasking, opt for machines that come with a rich set of accessories. Specialized pet hair models usually have a pet multi-tool for grabbing fur easier.

Benefits of Cordless Vacuums

If you're still on the fence about getting a corded or cordless vacuum for your hardwood floors, just consider the following benefits.

More Flexibility

Whereas corded vacuums are simply too cumbersome and heavy, cordless models are much more viable. They are highly portable and easy to carry, meaning you’ll get all the freedom to lift a cordless vac and clean the areas you need effortlessly. You can take it into spaces where corded models just can’t reach. And all that without searching for a power outlet or dragging out extension cords. You can just grab it and go.

Just like their corded counterparts, cordless vacs usually come with extension tubes allowing you to reach anywhere you want. They go in the hard-to-reach places and give users the liberty to remove dust and other debris from tight corners.

Cordless models are much more mobile and can be used just anywhere you feel like. And we’re speaking not only about your house - a wireless vac can be efficiently used outside as well. You can clean your patio, car interior, garden shed, or even take it for vacation or camping.

Better for High Traffic Spaces

Cordless vacuums are extremely handy for those moments when you need to make a quick clean up. Agree that pulling out a bulky, corded vacuum and finding an appropriate outlet to plug it in seems too inconvenient. And things get even worse in high traffic areas. That’s when a cordless vacuum can come at your rescue - it’ll help you address the issue quickly and with no fuss.

By the way, a cordless vacuum itself is very compact and doesn’t clutter your pantry or room. It is designed in a neat way and creates no mess or obstruction around the house.

Quieter Operation

If you typically vacuum your floors at late hours, probably, the last thing you want is to disturb your family members or neighbors. Cordless vacuums work super quietly, so you can safely clean your house, knowing your nearest and dearest will barely notice.

Safer!

We all know that safety comes first. And naturally, battery-powered hoovers tend to be much safer than their corded counterparts, which is particularly true for crowded areas. You and other people can accidentally trip over the wire. Plus, it can get entangled and lead to some electrical safety issues. But if you use a cordless vacuum, you do yourself a favor, eliminating that kind of risk.

Quicker

Generally, cordless vacuum cleaners should be mounted to the wall, meaning they occupy less space, are easier to store, and don’t create chaos. Instead of rifling through the cupboard in your pantry or under the stairs, you can quickly grab it. And since a cordless vac is much lighter, compact, and accordingly easier to maneuverer, you’ll be able to clean your whole house at a faster pace.

Top-Quality Vacuum Cleaner for Your Home

To let you enjoy all those benefits, we have narrowed down the choice to this model by Levoit. Of course, there’re many cordless hoovers on the market today, but we found this one particularly versatile and useful for cleaning hard floors.

The Levoit brand is praised worldwide for its top-quality range of household products for improving the quality of your life. The company has already won a vast variety of design awards including the famous "Oscar of Industry" Reddot award. But it doesn’t stand still and continues to advance. And what we have here is an extremely powerful, long-lasting, and agile 2-in-1 cleaner.

The unit is a real beast with its ability to efficiently clean bare floors, carpets, tiles, furniture, and car interior alike. It quickly picks up dust, pet hair, litter, and food crumbs. That’s largely achieved owing to the 150W motor and 10 kPa suction. Speaking of which, there are two suction settings you can choose from.

Long Running Time

As mentioned, the cleaner is very long-lasting. Actually, it can clean up to 40 minutes non-stop on the low suction speed. This is a quite impressive running time, allowing you to perform a thorough cleaning all around the house. With that, it requires only 5 hours to completely recover. Once the battery is fully charged, you’ll see five solid lights. At half capacity, there will be three solid lights. One blinking light informs you that the battery is almost empty.

All for Your Convenience

This vacuum really shines in its ability to clean hard floors. It has soft felt roller and soft rubber wheels that won’t scratch your floors. Also, the roller brush is equipped with bright led lights to illuminate everything on your way and ensure you’ll never miss a thing. And owing to the anti-clogging structure, you can be sure no clogs will form inside this vac. The brush has a serrated edge that cuts through loose strands and hairs. 

Once the dust gets inside this vac, it’ll be collected in a 2.1-cup dust bin. It doesn’t fill up quickly and is very hygienic to empty - you won’t even need to touch the dirt. And since the bin is completely removable, you can give it a quick rinse after emptying.

For Various Surfaces

To give you extra flexibility of cleaning, the manufacturer has made this cordless stick convertible to a handheld unit. The lightweight vacuum body can be quickly detached from the stick for handheld cleaning. After release, you can attach the vacuum body directly to the vacuum head, 2-in-1 brush, or crevice nozzle for versatile cleaning.

As you see, the Levoit stick handheld lightweight vacuum can tackle any surface and crevice. With a light mesh filter installed over the outflow vent, it also can effectively trap airborne particles and pollutants inside the dust bin, making sure not only your floors but also the air in your home is clean and improved. Easy to use yet powerful, it's a worthy investment for any household.