The Best Hardwood Vacuums for Dog Fur

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Ben Murray
Published on
August 8th, 2019

Expert BioExpert Bio

Ben’s formal training and certifications in cleaning include the ASD (Advanced Structural Drying), AMRT (Applied Microbial Remediation Technician),
WRT (Water restoration technician), CCT (Carpet Cleaning technician), and bio hazard cleanup, as well as several other certifications from the IICRC. Ben has managed teams involved in cleaning projects around the United States. Ben’s passion for cleaning dates all the way back to keeping his rugby gear tidy while a young lad. Ben holds an undergraduate degree from Oxford, a Master’s degree from Oxford, and a mountain of hands on experience at the school of hard knocks.

The Cleaning Institute

Hardwood floors never fail to add a touch of warmth and elegance to any home. Unlike other floor finishes, though, hardwood floors can be difficult to maintain. Aside from trying to avoid scratches, other things you’ll want to keep away from when you have this kind of floor at home are water stains, warping, discoloration, and dirt and pet dander buildup.

There are tons of vacuums out there that are designed and marketed especially for cleaning dog messes off of hardwood floors. Unfortunately, they’re not all made the same. Some hardwood floor vacuums are better than others, so we took it upon ourselves to test out the most popular and most highly recommended ones and find out which one would reign supreme.

The Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Corded Bagless Vacuum came out on top. We love that it’s cordless and lightweight, allowing us to bring it to any room in the house that needs cleaning. We were also impressed by how powerful it is despite being smaller and more compact than the other vacuums we’ve tested. The Shark Navigator Freestyle Upright Stick Cordless Bagless Vacuum also caught our attention. We think this vacuum is well worth the honorable mention because it’s versatile, powerful, and easy to maneuver. Last but not least on our list is the Bissell PowerEdge Pet Hardwood Floor Bagless Cleaner. This vacuum cleaner is a monster at picking up dirt and dust from your floors but we love that it’s still gentle enough to leave hardwood floors unscratched.

Testing Categories

To simplify the review process, we split our product criteria for finding the best hardwood vacuum for cleaning up dog fur into three different categories: power, durability, and ease of use.

Power: In terms of power, our concern was whether the vacuum would be able to quickly pick up dog fur. Because we feel strongly about recommding efficient products, we weighed this category more heavily than the other two.

Durability: A vacuum that isn’t durable and dies after a few months of use is not worth the money paid for it. If we felt like the product was poorly constructed or stopped working after a few trials, we made note of it in our review.

Ease of Use: Vacuuming is enough work already as it is – the last thing people need is to be lugging around a 40-pound machine from room to room. If the vacuum was bulky or otherwise not ergonomic, we lowered the score for the product in this category.

Top Pick

Shark Rocket
Ultra-Light Corded
Bagless Vacuum

Taking the top spot for the best hardwood floor vacuum is the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Corded Bagless Vacuum. True to its name, this vacuum cleaner only weighs 8.2 lbs yet it’s one of the most powerful ones out of the bunch and will quickly clean up any pet dander. It converts to a handheld vacuum as well for more thorough yet still gentle cleaning.

Price Check

Most notable upside: This vacuum has amazing suction power. It lifts and sucks dirt and fur from the floor with just one pass. Despite its power, the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Corded Bagless Vacuum is still gentle enough and left our hardwood floors free from damage.

Biggest downsides: It’s top-heavy and it keeps falling which we feel could affect its durability.

Honorable Mention

Shark Navigator Freestyle
Upright Stick Cordless
Bagless Vacuum

Need an all-around vacuum that’s not just good for carpets but for bare and hardwood floors as well? The Shark Navigator Freestyle Upright Stick Cordless Bagless Vacuum might just be what you need. This vacuum makes clean-up quick and convenient so you don’t have to spend all day vacuuming the house.

Price Check

Most notable upside: We love how vacuuming has become so much easier and more convenient with the Shark Navigator Freestyle Upright Stick Cordless Bagless Vacuum. Its dust bin is noticeably larger than other stick vacuums so you don’t have to keep dumping the dog fur out of the bin out while cleaning your home.

Biggest downsides: We would have loved to see this vacuum last longer but doesn’t seem to hold its charge for very long.

No Product Found For This Category

All Our Picks

Top Pick

Shark Rocket
Ultra-Light Corded
Bagless Vacuum

Taking the top spot for the best hardwood floor vacuum is the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Corded Bagless Vacuum. True to its name, this vacuum cleaner only weighs 8.2 lbs yet it’s one of the most powerful ones out of the bunch and will quickly clean up any pet dander. It converts to a handheld vacuum as well for more thorough yet still gentle cleaning.

Price Check

Honorable Mention

Shark Navigator Freestyle
Upright Stick Cordless
Bagless Vacuum

Need an all-around vacuum that’s not just good for carpets but for bare and hardwood floors as well? The Shark Navigator Freestyle Upright Stick Cordless Bagless Vacuum might just be what you need. This vacuum makes clean-up quick and convenient so you don’t have to spend all day vacuuming the house.

Price Check

Things to consider before buying hardwood vacuum cleaners

Hardwood flooring has gained much popularity due to its versatility and sheek look. Aside from its warm and cozy design, hardwood floors notably last much longer and is easier to maintain as a dog owner. However, in order to keep the pristine condition of wood flooring for a long time, proper maintenance should be followed. Hardwood vacuums are designed to do that exactly. Hardwood vacuums are built similarly to standard cleaners, but are designed to take certain necessary precautions not to damage you wood flooring.

Choosing the best type of vacuum for your home

There are several factors to consider when choosing a vacuum cleaner specifically to the needs and features of your house. Taking into consideration the variant of wood flooring you have, the space or area you need to cover, and the amount of mess you typically clean up, each certain type of vacuum cleaner will possibly cater to all your needs.

Canister Vacuum Cleaner

Often used on hard surfaces or simply small carpeted areas, canister vacuum cleaners practically a type built between the upright model and the stick variant. Canister vacuums consist of a separate unit attached to a long wand and is often used on flat surfaces and carpets.

Upright Vacuum Cleaner

Commonly used on large, carpeted areas, upright vacuum cleaners are arguably the most popular variant for vacuum cleaners. Upright cleaners notably provides the most powerful suction and is often provided with a wide array of tools and attachments to allow the model to be used not only on carpets but on hard surfaces as well.

Stick Vacuum Cleaner

Considered as the least powerful type of vacuum cleaner, stick vacuums however are known for being helpful in getting into narrow spaces as well as doing a great job on hardwood floors, area rugs, and light carpeting.

Robot Vacuum

One of the latest innovations in the world of vacuum cleaners, robot vacuum provides the most hassle-free cleaning services as it does its job while freely roaming your home. Despite its price, robot vacuums have gained much popularity since its programmed to get as close to every furniture and clean as much mess it could.

Different type of hardwood floors

Oak

Known as one of the most abundant and cheaper options in hardwood flooring, Oak is recognized as the most common hardwood in the United States. Renowned for its strong graining, oak is the most common hardwood used in homes and is notable for its ability to hide scratches and dents better compared to other hardwood variants.

Hickory

Hickory wood is like an upgraded version of oak. Compared to oak wood, Hickory is much harder yet it also has strong graining that allows it to hide scratches and dents well. Suitable for busy households and those with pets, Hickory is notable for its wide color variation and durability.

Bamboo

Bamboo flooring could be the most varied among these choices in terms of quality. At times it would characterized with the hardness of actual hardwood but it could also be very low-quality and dent easily. Known for its exotic look and cheaper price, bamboo flooring has increased in popularity and has been developed throughout to further improve its quality.

What to look for on your hardwood vacuum?

Versatility

A very important feature of hardwood vacuum cleaners should be versatility as different types of hardwood might require a variety of cleaning processes. One important thing to keep in mind is to choose a vacuum cleaner that has a fairly large suction head without a spinning or beater brush. Beater brushes are used primarily to untangle dirt and debris on carpeted areas and can make deep scratches on hardwood floors. Opt for a vacuum unit that does not have a beater brush or allows the feature to be turned off.

Adequate Suction Power

Hardwood flooring are generally easy to clean and powerful suction is typically unnecessary. However, some floor types are characterized by deep lines or grooves that will require stronger suction power to get through. Taking this into consideration, the type of vacuum cleaner you would acquire would primarily depend on the hardwood floors you have.

Padding

In order to avoid damage or scratches on you precious wooden floors, padding is necessary for hardwood vacuums as to prevent the unit’s plastic body from damaging the floor as it gets dragged throughout the house. Some models such as those marketed specifically for carpets or rugged areas may not feature padded bottoms so keep this in mind as you choose the vacuum you want.

Furthermore, some models use plastic or metal wheels that could damage the floor as you move from one place to another. So make sure to opt for one with rubber wheels in order to prevent your wooden floors from getting marred forever.

What should you look for in a hardwood vacuum?

Versatility

A very important feature of hardwood vacuum cleaners should be versatility as different types of hardwood might require a variety of cleaning processes. One important thing to keep in mind is to choose a vacuum cleaner that has a fairly large suction head without a spinning or beater brush. Beater brushes are used primarily to untangle dirt and debris on carpeted areas and can make deep scratches on hardwood floors. Opt for a vacuum unit that does not have a beater brush or allows the feature to be turned off.

Adequate Suction Power

Hardwood flooring are generally easy to clean and powerful suction is typically unnecessary. However, some floor types are characterized by deep lines or grooves that will require stronger suction power to get through. Taking this into consideration, the type of vacuum cleaner you would acquire would primarily depend on the hardwood floors you have.

Padding

In order to avoid damage or scratches on you precious wooden floors, padding is necessary for hardwood vacuums as to prevent the unit’s plastic body from damaging the floor as it gets dragged throughout the house. Some models such as those marketed specifically for carpets or rugged areas may not feature padded bottoms so keep this in mind as you choose the vacuum you want.

Furthermore, some models use plastic or metal wheels that could damage the floor as you move from one place to another. So make sure to opt for one with rubber wheels in order to prevent your wooden floors from getting marred forever.

The Best Hardwood Vacuums for Dog Fur

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Ben Murray

The Cleaning Institute

Testing Categories

Shark Rocket
Ultra-Light Corded
Bagless Vacuum

Shark Navigator Freestyle
Upright Stick Cordless
Bagless Vacuum

All Our Picks

Shark Rocket
Ultra-Light Corded
Bagless Vacuum

Shark Navigator Freestyle
Upright Stick Cordless
Bagless Vacuum

Things to consider before buying hardwood vacuum cleaners

Choosing the best type of vacuum for your home

Different type of hardwood floors

What should you look for in a hardwood vacuum?

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The Best Hardwood Vacuums for Dog Fur

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Ben Murray

The Cleaning Institute

Testing Categories

Shark Rocket Ultra-Light CordedBagless Vacuum

Shark Navigator FreestyleUpright Stick CordlessBagless Vacuum

All Our Picks

Shark Rocket Ultra-Light CordedBagless Vacuum

Shark Navigator FreestyleUpright Stick CordlessBagless Vacuum

Things to consider before buying hardwood vacuum cleaners

Choosing the best type of vacuum for your home

Different type of hardwood floors

What should you look for in a hardwood vacuum?

Quick Links

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Shark Rocket
Ultra-Light Corded
Bagless Vacuum

Shark Navigator Freestyle
Upright Stick Cordless
Bagless Vacuum

Shark Rocket
Ultra-Light Corded
Bagless Vacuum

Shark Navigator Freestyle
Upright Stick Cordless
Bagless Vacuum