The Best Vacuum for Stairs and Hardwood Floors

Stairs and hardwood floors can be quite challenging to clean. They have hard-to-reach areas and can get scratches from the brushes and wheels. Now, advanced technology presents vacuums for these types of surfaces.

We’ve already put together a comprehensive buying guide for the best upright vacuums on the market, but in this article we’ll take a a closer look at the best vacuums for hardwood floors and ditto stairs.

So are you tired of breaking your back from sweeping the stairs and hardwood floors? Here is a quick guide to solving this:

About Stairs

Stairs are one of the high traffic areas of the house. Hence, it is one of the dirtiest sections of a home. Your vacuum’s robust suction power should pick up most of the dirt and dust. Second, the stairs are a series of elevation steps. You want a portable vacuum that is lightweight and easy to handle. Third, stairs comprise of nooks, treads, corners, and crannies. You want to clean all these hard-to-reach areas.

Factors to Consider

The Surface

Are your stairs tiled, carpeted, or comprising of hardwood? Each of these materials calls for a specialized vacuum cleaner. This article is mainly focused around stairs made of hardwood, tiles, concrete, and other hard materials.

Number of Stairs and Frequency of Cleaning

Do you vacuum a long set of stairs more often? Get a lightweight vacuum that is easy to use, store, and maintain. Opt for extended run time, potent suction power, and a longer life span worth your investment. Also, the cord length should be adequate to cover the distance. Otherwise, it is better to settle for a cordless vacuum for the stairs.

Ease of Maneuver

Stairs have daring corners and edges. Hence, use an adjustable vacuum to remove dust and dirt from these hard-to-reach areas.

Best Vacuums for Stairs

For proper cleaning of stairs, we recommend this particular vacuum:

The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E is an easy-to-use vacuum. It quickly detaches from the canister to clean stairs with ease.

The Features

• Dust cup capacity 2.2 quarts
• Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology with HEPA filters
• Weight 13.7 pounds
• Optional brush roll shutoff feature
• Power rating 10 amps
• Cord length 30 feet

What We Like

• Detaches from the canister to a portable size
• Its complete seal system gets rid of 99.9% allergens and germs
• The brush roll shutoff option ensures the vacuum does not damage your hardwood floors
• Extended power cord suitable for the stairs
• Ideal for pet hair, stairs, and hardwood floors

About Hardwood Floors

A house that features hardwood floors looks elegant and inviting. Plus, this floor tends to last long. Do you want to push the resale value of your house? Use this effortless home improvement technique. Yet, these floors can be delicate. For, they scratch easily from debris or dirt. But, a specialized vacuum will pick all the dirt and debris, without damaging the surface.

Factors to Consider

Keep off From Rolling Brushes

Typical vacuums have rolling brushes that will lift all the dirt and debris from the carpets. Yet, they tend to scratch and leave nasty marks on the hardwood floors as they move. Hence, opt for vacuum cleaners with no rolling brushes. Or, use those with a shutoff option as you alternate between carpets and hardwood floors.

Rubber Wheels and Ample Padding

The vacuum cleaner’s wheels are critical. For, vacuums that feature extra padding and rubber wheels are kind to hardwood floors. They will not dig into the surface, hence, keeping it intact for longer.

Adequate Suction Power

Opt for a vacuum cleaner that will pick most of the dirt and dust that can damage your hardwood floors. Hence, it needs to have enough suction power.

Lightweight and Compact

Finally, pick a vacuum cleaner that is portable and glides with ease. This way, you’ll use minimal pressure to move the appliance around the house as you clean. Hence, no more hand and back fatigue when cleaning hardwood floors.

Best Vacuums for Hardwood Floors

Not all vacuums are appropriate for hardwood floors. We believe this is one of the best vacuums for this:

The Bissell Deluxe 1161 is a canister vacuum that specializes on cleaning hardwood floors.

The Features

• Rubber wheels with felt treads
• Weight 9.1 pounds
• Power rating 7 amps
• 1.0 Liters dust capacity
• Telescopic extension wand

What We Like

• Uses extra soft bristles that are gentle on delicate surfaces and upholstery
• Compact and lightweight
• Easy to maneuver
• Automated cord rewind for effortless storage
• Has digital fingertip controls for adjusting the suction power
• Ample padding and rubberized wheels
• Dust can empties from the bottom

Vacuuming the Stairs and Hardwood Floors FAQs

Q. What happens if I use an ordinary vacuum on my stairs and hardwood floors?

A. You could be moving into a new house with stairs and hardwood floors. It can be tempting to stick to your old vacuum and not buy one specific for such platforms. Yet, you can have two shortcomings.

First, they use roller brushes and bristles that are too thick. Hence, they can leave scratch marks on your hardwood floor. And, if your current vacuum has beater brushes, they tend to scatter dirt and dust. In turn, it becomes cumbersome to clean the floor.

Second, is your current vacuum ideal for carpets? Chances are, it has plastic wheels. If so, you risk getting scratches on your hardwood floor. An ideal vacuum for hardwood floors should have ample padding to prevent damage. A specialized vacuum for hardwood floors does not have to be pricey. Hence, plan to get one and protect your floor.

Q. How many strokes should I make on my hardwood floor?  

A. When cleaning high traffic areas, opt for six to seven strokes at most. But, three to four strokes are enough to clean a low traffic hardwood floor area.

Q. Can I get a vacuum cleaner that is ideal for both stairs and hardwood floors?

A. Yes. This quick guide highlights key aspects when cleaning stairs or hardwood floors. If your home combines the two looks, here are our extra product suggestions:

• Eureka PowerSpeed Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner
• Bissell Hard Floor Expert Multi-Cyclonic Bagless Canister Vacuum, 1547
• ROOMIE TEC Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

We all love the aesthetic appeal of stairs and hardwood floors in our homes. Hence, preserve this attractiveness by taking good care of these areas. Start by getting the appropriate vacuum cleaner for the stairs and hardwood floors. Such a vacuum is sturdy enough on picking all the dirt and dust. Plus, it is gentle enough to preserve the surfaces. The above product suggestions have all the features you need for such surfaces.