Best Vacuum for Hardwood Floors in 2025

Pros

• Powerful suction and excellent cleaning performance on hardwood, removing 97.5% of sand
• Five-year warranty is much longer than competitors
• Half the price of most top competitors
• Supports HEPA filter and has built-in LED light

Cons

• No self-emptying dock
• Odor neautralizing cartridges need replacement and cost extra

Best for:

The Shark Stratos is a champ at tackling everything you can throw at it. In our testing, it did excellent on hard flooring and carpet alike, picking up 97.2% of sand from hardwood flooring. It earns our pick for best overall due to its 60-minute runtime, five-year warranty, replaceable batteries and anti-allergen HEPA filter. It's normally around $500 at full price, but you can frequently find it on sale for less than $400, which makes it a steal. Unsurprisingly, it also earns our Editors' Choice award.

Why we recommend it:

As mentioned, the Stratos did excellent on hard flooring, picking up 97.2% of sand from hardwood. It performs so well that until recently, we even used it to clean the floors at CNET's testing lab between tests. There are also some smart chops under the hood. Shark's Clean Sense IQ detects dirt and automatically boosts suction power for better cleaning, although you can also manually change the cleaning modes if you prefer.

If you have carpeting or area rugs, the Stratos can tackle them, too. It has the DuoClean PowerFins HairPro brush head, a brush roll system that can dig deeper into the carpet to remove dust and pet hair. It was able to remove 94% of sand from low-pile carpet and 94.4% from mid-pile carpet. On average, it was able to pick up 95% of sand during our testing, doing significantly better than the LG CordZero A949, which scored 89.8% and was our previous pick for best overall cordless vacuum.

You also get plenty of features. There are LED illumination lights for highlighting dust in dim areas, an LED display that shows you the remaining runtime and a multi-flex wand attachment to help you get the vacuum under furniture and other tight spaces. It also folds up so you can easily put it away, a blessing if you live in a cramped apartment like I do. The Stratos also comes with a washable anti-allergen HEPA filter and has odor neutralizing cartridges that can minimize bad smells in your home.

Usually around $500 at full price, you can often find the Stratos on sale for less than $400, putting it at half the price of comparably performing Dyson vacuums.

Who shouldn't buy it:

While the Stratos can tackle both hard flooring and carpet, there are a few things it can't do. It doesn't support mopping, for that you'll need a wet dry vacuum like the Dyson Submarine V15. It also doesn't come with a self-emptying dock, a feature we're seeing increasingly on top cordless vacuum models. Finally, the odor-neutralizing feature requires cartridge replacements every 6 months, which will cost you an extra $26.99, and we didn't consider it particularly game-changing during our testing.

Pros

• 96.5% sand pickup on hardwood flooring
• Usually priced at $400 on sale
• Removed nearly all pet hair from all flooring types
• Excellent navigation

Cons

• Some users complain about the app and setup process
• Low-pile carpet performance average at 54.6%

Best for:

The Yeedi M12 Pro+ may not be a household robot vacuum name, but it's a sister company of Ecovacs and has earned a number of spots on our various lists over the years. The M12 Pro+ is the best overall robot vacuum for hardwood floors, with 96.5% sand pickup. As an added bonus, it's also capable of mopping, boasts strong navigation and is loaded with features including a self-empty dock. Normally $900 at full price, you can often find the Yeedi M12 Pro+ on sale for as little as $400, making it a steal for the performance.

Why we recommend it:

The Yeedi M12 Pro+ offered impressive results in our testing. As mentioned, it scored 96.5% sand removal from hardwood floors, even higher than Deebot T30S Combo (85%). In fact, this is the highest score on hardwood of any robot vacuum we've tested, putting it in a dead heat with the Shark PowerDetect Never Touch Pro, which also managed close to 96%. It's better than average at carpet, too, with 54.6% pickup from low-pile carpet and 64% from mid-pile carpet, so it should be able to tackle area rugs and carpeted surfaces without a problem.

Navigation was also a strong point. To test navigation, we attached a light to the robot and tested the light path in a darkened room. The M12 Pro+ did great at this, keeping a very tight path around our complicated table set up, making sure it got corners, and generally missing very few spots. It also supports multi-level mopping, so it can map and navigate different mops if you have multiple stories. Pet hair was not a problem, with the M12 Pro+ picking up nearly all the pet hair from both hardwood and carpet.

It's not light on features, either. The base station self-empties and includes a water tank to refill during mopping. It also has built-in hot air drying to sanitize the mopping pad between cleanings. The mopping pad is even pressurized for more downward pressure, making it better at tackling stubborn stains. Finally, if you have area rugs, the M12 Pro+ will accommodate them by lifting up its mopping pad if it encounters carpet so it doesn't drag wet and dirty mopping pads across your clean carpeting.

Who shouldn't buy it:

We recommend the Yeedi M12 Pro+ for most people since it has very few downsides and a very reasonable price. However, if you have a more challenging home with lots of obstacles or thresholds between rooms, the Dreame X50 Ultra is better able to scale obstacles, though it'll cost significantly more than the M12 Pro+. If you'd also like to limit yourself to just one device that does it all, we're also partial to the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo, which still holds our title for best overall robot vacuum and includes a self-emptying robot vacuum and cordless stick vacuum in one device.

Pros

• Great sand pickup on hardwood floors at 91.4%
• Very capable on carpet at 84.8% low-pile and 74.02% midpile
• Can do both vacuuming and wet mopping for hard flooring
• 10 included cleaning attachments

Cons

• One of the most expensive vacuums at $950 full price
• Two-year warranty not as long as Shark's
• No self-emptying dock, an increasingly common premium feature

Best for:

Sometimes, you don't just need your hard floors vacuumed; you also need them mopped to remove dirt and stains. For that, we like the Dyston Detect Submarine V15S. It's a powerful cordless stick vacuum that can also double as a mop to wet clean your hard floors. During our testing, it showed strong performance on hardwood floors, sucking up 91.4% of sand, and was capable of tackling carpet quite well, too. It also comes with a variety of cleaner heads and flexible attachments.

Why we recommend it:

The Detect Submarine was a high performer, though it didn't score quite as high as the Shark Stratos in vacuuming. It did great at sucking up sand from hardwood, removing 91.4% of the sand. If you have some carpeting, it'll be able to handle it as well. The Submarine was able to remove 84.8% of sand from low-pile carpet and 74% from mid-pile. Pet hair on both hardwood and carpet was also no problem.

The 10 included attachments are the big selling point here. True to its name, it comes with the Submarine Wet Roller Head, a brushed attachment that lets you wet mop hard flooring using water and floor cleaning solution. You also get the Digital Motorbar cleaner head for standard vacuuming and the same Fluffy Optic cleaner head that illuminates dust with a green light that comes with the Dyson V15 Detect.

Runtime is excellent at 60 minutes and the battery is also user-replaceable, which is something we look for when recommending a cordless vacuum. It's also worth mentioning that replacement parts and third-party accessories are usually easier to find for Dyson vacuums than for most competitors.

Who shouldn't buy it

At $950 full price, the Dyson Detect Submarine V15S is one of the most expensive cordless vacuums we recommend, especially since Dyson sales are few and far between. If you don't need a jack of all trades that can tackle wet messes and just need an excellent vacuum, we like the Shark Stratos for most people or the Levoit LVAC-200 if you need something that can tackle hardwood floors at a lower price.

If you're a Dyson loyalist, the V15 Detect has dust illumination and even better hardwood floor performance at 96.93% sand pickup, but it can't mop. While the Submarine comes with a wall-mounted charging dock and tool storage, it won't self-empty, so we recommend the Shark Clean & Empty if that's a vital feature for you.

Pros

• Strong 85% sand pickup on hardwood floors
• Useful all-in-one that works as self-emptying robot vac and cordless vac
• Great navigation capabilities
• Supports mopping and hot air drying

Cons

• Very expensive at $1,400 MSRP
• Outperformed by dedicated cordless vacuums

Best for:

Sometimes, you want just one product that can do it all, including vacuuming, mopping and being a cordless vacuum. In that case, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo is what you should get. It's a capable robot vacuum, a solid cordless vacuum and it can even mop to help keep your floor clean. For hardwood, especially, it does well, scoring 85%, which isn't as high as some top competitors like the Yeedi M12 Pro+ or Shark Stratos, but being a jack-of-all-trades helps make up for it.

Why we recommend it:

The T30S Combo has strong hardwood performance, scoring 85% sand pickup. It also does well on carpet, removing 64.44% from low-pile carpet and 66.67% from midpile. That's quite good for a robot vacuum, where we consider anything above 50% to be good. It did well on pet hair, removing it easily from both hard and soft surfaces by using the V-shaped roller to physically scrape hair from the brush and direct it to the dust bin.

Like many other top-tier robot vacuums, there's a sizable base station that self-empties and includes a water tank for mopping. It can also dry the mop between uses, and it's smart enough to lift up the mop if it recognizes carpets. Navigation is quite sophisticated, with TrueDetect 3D 3.0 for obstacle avoidance, cliff sensors so it won't take a tumble and TrueMapping 2.0 for faster mapping.

It comes with the Yiko voice assistant built-in and supports controls through iPhone's Dynamic Island and the Apple Watch.

Who shouldn't buy it:
The T30S Combo is one of the more expensive robot vacuums we recommend, at $1,400 full price, though it can sometimes be found on sale for closer to $1,000 or less. In fact, it's currently on sale through Amazon for $750, and at that price, we don't hesitate to recommend it. If you don't need the all-in-one capabilities, you can get an excellent vacuuming and mopping robot from Yeedi with the M12 Pro+ for a quarter of the price. And if all you need is a dedicated cordless vacuum, the Shark Stratos remains our top choice due to its excellent performance and reasonable price.

Pros

• Excellent hardwood performance with 98.7% sand pickup
• Comes with 5-stage filtration for particles
• Usually less than $200

Cons

• 25 minute runtime on the shorter side
• Could use more attachments
• No self-emptying dock

Best for:

The Levoit LVAC-200 is the best cheap vacuum for cleaning hardwood floors (and carpet too for that matter). It scored an impressive 98.7% sand pickup from hardwood, putting it more or less on par with our best overall, the Shark Stratos. Usually $200 at full price, it's often available on sale for less, including as of this writing, where you can get it on sale directly from Levoit for $170.

Why we recommend it:

As we already mentioned, the LVAC-200 managed to pick up 98.7% of sand, putting it second only to the Dust Devil BD5700V and on par with our best overall, the Shark Stratos. It can also handle low-pile carpet with ease if you have area rugs or runners, suctioning 80.2% of sand. Mid-pile is also quite good, with 74% of sand removed, putting the LVAC-200 on par with much more expensive vacuums like the Dyson Submarine V15S.

You also get some useful features, including LED lights on the motorhead to help illuminate dust and dark spaces, a two-in-one crevice tool and a two-in-one pet tool. The only attachments it's missing is one for cleaning upholstery or digging deeper into carpets.

This unit doesn't have a HEPA filter, but it does use a five-stage filtration system, capturing 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. The battery is also user-replaceable, and additional packs can be purchased from Levoit for $70, which is a feature we look for in cordless vacuums.

Who shouldn't buy it:

The Levoit LVAC-200 is a great option if you need to clean hardwood floors, but if you have a big space, it may not be the best option. It only lasted 25 minutes during our testing when we ran it three times on medium suction and took the average. This is despite the claim that it lasts up to 50 minutes. If battery life is important to you, the Shark Stratos will last a full hour, though it'll also cost you double the price of the LVAC-200 at full price. If you're also keen on a self-emptying dock, the Shark Clean & Empty is a good option.

Pros

• Great sand pickup from hardwood floors with 96% removal
• Included dock with charge and empty for up to 30 days
• Five-year warranty, longer than competitors

Cons

• Runtime on the shorter side at 26 minutes
• No mopping capabilities

Best for:

The Shark Stratos is a great cordless vacuum for hardwood floors and carpeting alike, but if you want bells and whistles like a self-emptying dock, the Shark Clean & Empty offers similar performance, scoring 96% of sand pickup from hardwood. The included dock will automatically charge and empty the dustbin after every use. Normally around $400 at full price, it's about the same price as the Stratos and usually can be found on sale for less than $300 (as of this writing). You also get Shark's exceptional five-year warranty.

Why we recommend it:

The Shark Clean & Empty is more or less an equal of the Shark Stratos, give or take a few percentage points. As mentioned, it removed 96% of sand from a hardwood floor in our testing, just a little less than the 97.2% of the Stratos. If you have area rugs, fear not. It managed to remove 90% of sand from low-pile carpet and 88% from mid-pile carpet, resulting in an average performance of 91% sand removal. The Clean & Empty also automatically adjusts the brush roll speed depending on flooring type, although it doesn't have the same intelligent dirt detection feature as the Shark Stratos.

Removing pet hair from hardwood or carpet wasn't a problem. The Clean & Empty removed it without much difficulty, and the self-cleaning brush roll is designed to minimize the hair that wraps around it.

The biggest selling point of getting the Clean & Empty over the Stratos is the included charging dock with the auto-empty base. The base station lets you dock the vacuum and it'll automatically charge and empty the dustbin. You can go up to 30 days without needing to empty the dock's bin. The vacuum and dock both have a HEPA filter so that's another nice touch for those sensitive to allergies.

The Clean & Empty comes with Shark's generous five-year warranty and several accessories, including a dust crevice tool and pet multitool.

Who shouldn't buy it:

For those with a bigger space, the Clean & Empty doesn't last as long as the Stratos. We tested it to 26 minutes of cleaning on medium suction, rather than the 40 minutes claimed by Shark. The Stratos, by contrast, lasted for 60 minutes of cleaning. On the plus side, the fact that there's a charging dock means that it'll always be charged for every use.

Pros

• 99% sand pickup from hardwood floors
• Low price of $150
• Weighs just 7 pounds

Cons

• Small dustbin size
• No self-emptying dock
• Battery isn't user replaceable

Best for:

If you need to clean primarily hardwood flooring but you don't want to tote around a heavy vacuum, the Dirt Devil BD5700V is the one for you. It removed nearly all the sand from a hardwood floor. Weighing just 7 pounds, it's easy to carry and stands upright on its own, which is something you don't always get. Last, but not least, the $150 MSRP makes it one of the cheapest cordless vacuums we recommend.

Why we recommend it:

As mentioned, the 7-pound Dirt Devil BD5700V is easy to use around the home, but it also doesn't compromise on performance. It got one of our highest scores on hardwood, removing 99% of sand from the floor. Carpet performance was better than average, managing 69% from low-pile and 70.1% from mid-pile. It also did quite well removing pet hair from hardwood, leaving no traces, but it struggled more with carpet, leaving traces of fur.

The Dirt Devil is also freestanding, has eye-catching bright red accents and has LED headlights on its primary cleaning head. These are all nice touches you wouldn't typically expect with a "cheap" cordless vacuum. It doesn't have a HEPA filter, but the filter is washable.

Without any sales or discounts, the DirtDevil starts at $150, which is $50 cheaper than the LVAC-200 when it's not on sale, making it quite the steal. The only vacuum that's likely to be any cheaper than this is the Moosoo XL-618A.

Who shouldn't buy it:

If you need stronger carpet performance, the Levoit LVAC-200 outperforms the DirtDevil on low-pile and mid-pile carpet and manages a 98.7% score on hardwood. Another significant downside is the dustbin size, which is only 0.48 liters, meaning more frequent emptying during cleaning sessions (at this price, you won't get a self-empty dock). Lastly, the battery isn't user-replaceable, which is a little disappointing since it is on the even cheaper XL-618A.

Pros

• 96% sand pickup from hardwood floors
• Self-emptying dock can go 60 days between emptying
• Can navigate obstacles up to 1.5 inches

Cons

• Nearly $1,000 when not on sale
• Takes 21 minutes to clean a small room

Best for:

Shark earns many spots on this list for its cordless vacuums, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the PowerDetect Never Touch Pro earns a spot for robot vacuums. Specifically, it does an excellent job at tackling hardwood floors, removing 96% of sand. This is one of our highest sand removal scores for a robot vacuum, so that's quite impressive. It also comes with a self-emptying dock, supports mopping, has great navigation chops and gives you the ability to cross thresholds up to 1.5 inches without having to spend as much as the Dreame X50 Ultra.

Why we recommend it:

The PowerDetect Never Touch Pro has all the key features you want in a top-tier robot vacuum, including vacuuming and mopping functionality, a self-emptying dock, improved navigation with 3D mapping, 360-degree lidar and dirt detection sensors. It did a great job of picking up sand from hardwood floors in lab testing, removing nearly 96% of sand. It can also handle carpet, removing 54.5% of sand from low-pile carpet and 53% from mid-pile carpet. Pet hair on hardwood and carpet also wasn't much trouble.

Navigation was impressive, with the robot taking 21 minutes to clean our test room. During the light path test, where we attach a light to the robot and track its coverage, it was quite comprehensive, hitting most of the edges and corners. It also managed to navigate under a complicated multi-legged table, missing just a few spots.
Like the much more expensive Dreame X50 Ultra, the PowerDetect can lift itself over thresholds and obstacles up to 1.5 inches, although it can't go as high as the 2.36 inches you get with the X50 Ultra. The mopping pads also lift up so they won't drag across the carpet, and the base station will self-clean and dry the mop between uses. You can go 60 days before needing to empty the base station.

Who shouldn't buy it:

At full price, Shark's robot vacuum will cost close to $1,000, making it one of the more expensive ones on our list. However, it is currently on sale for $700 to $800, depending on the retailer, making it a better buy and a good option over the Dreame X50 Ultra. If you don't want to spend as much, we like the Yeedi M12 Pro+. It offers excellent performance on both hardwood and carpet, has great navigation, comes with a dock and usually costs around half the price.

Pros

• 99% sand pickup from hardwood floors
• Usually less than $100
• Solid 35-minute runtime
• Built-in LED light
• Lightweight at less than 5 pounds

Cons

• No docking station
• Carpet performance is average at 41% low-pile and 52% mid-pile
• Takes 5 hours to charge