Best Vacuum for Hardwood Floors, Area Rugs, and Short Pile Carpet!

By William | June 26, 2016
Quick Guide for Selecting the Best Vacuum for Hardwood Floors, Area Rugs, and Short Pile Carpet!
If you have hardwood floors and area rugs in your home a good Canister Vacuum with the right features is your best option.
A Canister Vacuum has several advantages over an Upright.
Most physically challenged people find it easier to pull a canister vacuum and maneuver the light wand compared to pushing and pulling a heavy upright vacuum that requires more arm strength.
A canister vacuum can easily clean difficult to reach areas, especially using appropriate attachments. But not only will it work great on hardwood floors, it can also do an excellent job cleaning area rugs as well as short-pile carpeting, including Berber Carpet.
The suction power of a top quality canister vacuum is often greater than that of an upright, so even without a motor-powered beater brush to agitate the short carpet pile the suction alone is sufficient.
RECOMMENDATIONS
There are certainly a lot of fine canister vacuums that work very well on hardwood floors, area rugs, and low pile carpet.
My intention here is to offer you some recommendations of canister vacuums I am familiar with and am confident you will have a good experience with.
I have included options that vary in price from under $100 up to $800.
The Canister vacuums listed BELOW have the features necessary to work best on hardwood and other bare floor surfaces as well as area rugs, Berber carpet, indoor/outdoor type carpet.
Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner
If you are not a vacuum cleaner connoisseur you might not be familiar with the Miele brand. Miele has been manufacturing premium floor care appliances for over a century now.
Based in Gütersloh, Germany and with facilities in the US, Miele creates vacuums that are renowned for their unsurpassed cleaning capabilities and lasting for decades.
Miele has long been recognized as the leading maker of canister vacuums and their new CX1 Series is one of the many reasons why. The Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction is a BAGLESS canister vacuum. Unlike other bagless vacuums, the Miele Blizzard CX1 has developed their Hygienic Click2open emptying system so you don’t have to worry about that nasty dust cloud coming at you every time you empty the dust bin. Instead, the fine dust is captured and emptied separately.
The Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction Canister Vacuum was especially designed for the homeowner who wants a serious high quality canister vacuum for cleaning their hardwood and smooth floors as well as delicate area rugs, and low-pile carpet such as Berber or area rugs.
Weighing only 15 lbs. the new Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction is proving to be one of the best performing canister vacuums for hardwood floors introduced since 2019.
This elegant cleaning machine packs the punch of a heavyweight with its High Performance 1200 Watt Vortex Motor that draws 140 cubic feet of air per minute. Amazing power and yet quiet as a whisper and you can adjust the suction by using the rotary dial for optimum performance.
Adjust the Motor Speed Control to the highest setting and deep down dirt doesn’t stand a chance on area rugs or low-pile carpeting. Throttle back and enjoy total hardwood floor cleaning. Or, adjust the suction to LOW and easily clean delicate window dressings. (NOTE: The Miele Blizzard CX1 is not recommended for medium to high pile carpeting because it does not have a motor-powered brush roll)
Use the SBD 285-3 Combo Rug and Floor Tool for cleaning hard smooth floors or your expensive area rugs as well as short-pile carpet including Berber. Its nylon bristles are specially designed to safely clean Hand-Knotted, Silk, or Wool Area Rugs.
Or, use the SBB 300-3 Swivel Parquet Floor Brush that has natural horse hair bristles for even greater performance on hardwood floors. The alternating long/short bristles sweep sticky dust while at the same time allows larger debris to pass into the suction zone.
When it comes to Filtration you don’t have to worry about dust allergies or respiratory ailments. The Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction Hard Floor Canister Vacuum is equipped with a Washable HEPA Air Clean Lifetime Filter that captures 99.999% of dangerous particulates as small as 0.3 Microns. The larger dust particles that typically cause a dust cloud when emptying the dirt bin are captured in the GORE CleanStream Fine Dust Filter.
Check Out this Cool Demo Video!
Accessories Include:
- SBB 300-3 Parquet Twister Floorhead for hardwood floors,
- SBD 285-3 Pure Suction Combination Floorhead for area rugs, low-pile carpet and hard floors,
- Upholstery Tool and Crevice Tool.
And, just in case there is a problem the Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction Hard Floor Canister Vacuum is backed with a 3 Year Warranty with a network of domestic authorized service centers.
Adorned in a Graphite Grey finish, this is a beautiful and intelligent looking vacuum cleaner you will enjoy using and take pride in owning. It offers the hygienic advantages of a bagged vacuum with the convenience of BAGLESS. And just in case you have additional requirements Miele offers the CX1 SERIES in different configurations to accommodate just about any need. I enthusiastically Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction Hard Floor Canister Vacuum!
Bissell 1161 Hard Floor Expert Deluxe Canister Vacuum
The Bissell 1161 Hard Floor Expert Deluxe Canister Vacuum is a modestly priced. Finally, a good looking BAGLESS Canister Vacuum that is designed specifically to work best on Hardwood Floors and other Smooth Floor surfaces! But it also will do an excellent job on short pile and Berber Carpet.
The Bissell 1161 features Digital fingertip controls on the wand to regulate the suction. It has convenient toe-operated buttons that regulate Power and Auto Cord Rewind.
The TELESCOPING Extension Wand along with an 8 ft. flexible hose allows you to easily clean above-floor areas such as curtains, blinds, etc. (NOTE: Contrary to an Incorrect customer review comment on Amazon Listing)
The Bissell 1161 Floor Expert Deluxe utilizes a Turbo-Powered (air or suction power) Hardwood Floor attachment with soft bristles to effectively remove stubborn dust and dirt from your bare floor without damaging it.
This Canister Vacuum will do a good job on short pile carpet (including Berber), area rugs, and mats (A Motor-Powered brush is necessary to deep clean med. to long pile carpeting.)
It comes with Non-Marking felt covered rubber wheels to protect your wood floors.
Dirt is collected in the EasyEmpty™ Dirt Cup that opens from the bottom for non-messy disposal. No replacement bags required!
On-board attachments include a Low-pile carpet tool, Telescoping Extension Wand, Crevice Tool, and a Dusting Tool.
The Bissell 1161 Hard Floor Expert Deluxe Canister Vacuum is an excellent choice for Hardwood Floors!
The price point is Amazingly Affordable enough to be a secondary vacuum if you have mostly carpet in your home. Or, a primary vacuum if you have mostly bare floors.
With a 2 Year Warranty this handy Bagless Canister Vacuum just might be your best bet for your Hardwood Flooring, area rugs, & short pile carpet!
Check Out this Cool VIDEO!
Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum Cleaner
This high-end German made Canister BAGGED Vacuum has excellent hardwood and bare floor cleaning capability.
It can also be used to vacuum area rugs, commercial or outdoor carpet, Berber Carpet, Medium to High Pile carpet because it does DOES have a motor powered brushroll.
The German people have a long-standing reputation for world-class engineering and Miele Vacuums are no exception.
Miele Canister vacuums are relatively expensive but they are designed to last for 20+ years. If you consider the Cost-per-Year to own it actually makes it one of the Lowest-Cost vacuum cleaners to own.
It comes with a Huge 7 Year Warranty!
The Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog may be the last vacuum cleaner you will ever have to buy!
NOTE: The filtration on this Miele model is Excellent for allergy suffers.
NOTE: Any of the excellent Miele Canister Vacuum Models will give outstanding vacuuming performance on smooth hardwood floor surfaces, Berber and other Short and High Pile Carpet as well as Area Rugs!
Check Out this Cool VIDEO!
Prolux Tritan Pet Turbo Canister Hard Floor Vacuum Cleaner
Not familiar with the Prolux brand? Prolux, LLC has been around for over 20 years manufacturing innovative high-quality home & floor care products.
Although not as familiar a name as Dyson, Hoover, Bissell, or Eureka, Prolux has been producing very well designed vacuum cleaners that typically receive top consumer and professional ratings.
The Prolux Tritan Pet Turbo Canister Hard Floor Vacuum Cleaner is quickly reaching Best Seller status as a Hardwood Floor vacuum.
The most notable feature is the powerful 12 amp motor that produces an incredible 140 CFM (per Prolux website) of air flow and a suction of 100 inches of water lift. That is the scale by which vacuum cleaner suction is measured and rated.
Equipped with the combo head it will easily suck up the most stubborn dust and dirt from hard floor surfaces or with a tap of the toe use it to vacuum area rugs and carpets.
The package version listed here includes a head with an Air Powered Brushroll to deep clean carpeting. Normally a turbo brush attachment is only effective on smooth floors or low pile carpet, but because of the industry-leading 140 CFM air flow this vacuum will dig out embedded dirt and hair from low and even medium pile carpeting (NOTE: If you have Berber Carpet, choose the WITHOUT TurboPowered Carpet Head Option for less.)
Special Features
- Suction Regulator: Equipped witha suction regulator so you don’t suck up the area rugs.
- HEPA-Level Filtration: If you suffer with allergies the Sealed HEPA Filtration System has 3 stages of filtration for maximum allergen removal.
- Cleanable Filters: The filters are cleanable to help save operating costs. Cleaning is recommend about every 6 months.
- Inexpensive Bags: The bags for the Prolux Titan are inexpensive and are model-specific for the Prolux Tritan Pet Turbo Canister, available at Amazon.
- Rubber Wheels: The Prolux Tritan Pet Turbo Canister Hard Floor Vacuum comes equipped with rubber wheels to protect hardwood floors.
- Light Weight: Weighing only 12.8 lbs., the Prolux Tritan is easy to maneuver and to carry up or down stairs.
- Auto Cord Rewind: The 23 foot Auto Retractable cord plus the 6 foot hose and the 36” Telescoping Wand give you a 32 foot cleaning range.
Prolux has excellent customer service and is very responsive in case you have any issues with your vacuum.
The NEW Prolux Tritan Pet Turbo Canister Hard Floor Vacuum made its way to the top of the list for Hardwood Floor, Area Rug, and Berber and Low Pile Carpet Vacuums for 2016.
Just check out the impressive Customer Reviews so far!
Contents at a Glance
- Quick Guide for Selecting the Best Vacuum for Hardwood Floors, Area Rugs, and Short Pile Carpet!
- RECOMMENDATIONS
- Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner
- Bissell 1161 Hard Floor Expert Deluxe Canister Vacuum
- Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum Cleaner
- Prolux Tritan Pet Turbo Canister Hard Floor Vacuum Cleaner
William • Post Author •
August 11, 2018 at 1:22 pmHi Anne, and thanks for your question. The answer is Yes! Its called the Miele Parquett Twister SBB 300-3. It is designed specifically to safely and effectively clean hardwood or any smooth floor safely. It has natural horse hair bristles which is the best material. According to Miele associate “This brush will fit all the Miele canister vacuums, even the old ones” such as your S247i. Hope this helps, Will
Anne Rothman-Hicks
August 10, 2018 at 3:14 pmWe own one the older model Miele S247i. Is there a specific Miele attachment that protects hardwood floors that will fit this model?
Please help! Thanks, Anne