Best vaccuum for hardwood floors and rugs

[DevaMajka]

What's the best vaccuum/floor cleaner for hardwood floors and area rugs?

I don't mind using a broom, but it doesn't do a very good job on the rugs. The big vaccuum is heavy and bulky, and does a horrid job on the hard floors. I'm sure there's one that works well for both.

I saw an infomercial (lol) for one that I think vaccuumed hard floors, rugs, and steam cleaned hard floors. Does that ring a bell for anyone? I think it was sort of expensive, though.

What about Dysons?

[ellairiesmom]

My bridesmaids had bought me a Dyson a few years ago & I was a little overwhelmed by it at 1st, but then finally experimented with the different attachments & really like it for my hardwood & tile floors.  It is heavy & a little difficult to work with sometimes, and I have managed to knock myself pretty hard on the forehead a few times while maneuvering it which DH can't get over...it's the weirdest thing that I keep doing that...but that thing has some strong suction & does a good job.  The attachment for furniture is amazing...we have these 2 chairs that the cats lounge in all day & get coated in hair & the Dyson really gets it all up. 

I bought the ErgoRapido Orange 2 in 1 thinking it would be perfect for everyday/quick clean ups in the eating areas but after a month or 2, the main larger vac lost all power.  The dustbuster handheld part still works well but has to be emptied every time.  And even when its empty, cereal size pieces fall out if you don't flip it upright immediately after sucking them up.  It never really worked great & was a disappointment :(

I also bought a steam vac for our hardwood but it ruined them.  Left all kinds of grayish/white marks over them...

[Siennaflower]

I use my Dyson on everything.  Tile, wood, carpet, upholstery.  Cleaning up broken glass.  It has yet to let me down and is still going strong after 5 years.  It does have a bit of a learning curve at first but it's so easy to use once you get the hang of it.  I can't recommend it enough.

[dawncayden]

I would have loved a Dyson but couldn't afford one. We picked up a Bissel at London Drugs for $130 and it has been great for cat hair, carpet and hard floors. I LOVE that it's bag-less.

It might be the Power Groom one http://www.bissell.com:80/products-3/?id=1571 not sure

[mumkimum]

I know people who love the dysons with mainly wood floors & area rugs.

We ended up with a kenmore canister vac - and I will say it does pretty well on wood floors/area rugs (we only have carpet in 1 room and wood with area rugs elsewhere).  I think a big plus to the dysons is the bagless-ness, but I do like having the canister style for the types of vacuuming that we do (mainly getting dust in corners or spills of crumbs on the wood, smaller rugs, and furniture).  Great attachment for furniture/pet hair on the kenmore too (in case that's an issue at all OP).

[chel]

I love my Hoover. Not sure of the model, but one from target. Great for hard flooring as it has a bottom to turn off the spin brush. It replaced my last Hoover that went strong for ten yers

[MamaMunchkin]

I'm used to a broom myself - till very recently.  I didn't want to invest on anything costly, in case I don't like it, so went with this one instead - Dirt Devil Red Versa Power Stick - $18 from Target, highly rated at amazon.com too.  It doesn't steam clean.

I don't know how this compares with more costly vacuums, but it's definitely a nice upgrade over a broom.  Extremely light weight, doesn't suck too strongly that it pulls an area rug, but strong enough to pick up dirt etc from hard floors - though, sometimes you do have to go over dirtier spots several times.

It's not perfect and I don't know about durability, haven't used it long enough.  But for that price, completely fine.  

PS:  It's so lightweight and easy to use, I use it at least 2x/day, after breakfast and dinner, more on weekends - it really is a replacement for a broom, but works better.  With a regular vacuum, I probably use it once a week, hate the bulk, heavy etc.  Oh, and it's great for staircase too.