Best Vacuums for Laminate Floors: All-Inclusive Review

Laminate plank flooring is becoming more and more popular and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

With simple installation, relatively low cost and low maintenance, laminate is a favorite for homeowners with one small caveat; how to clean laminate properly.

Laminate does have some restrictions and shows a susceptibility to scratching.

Using a vacuum may sound like a simple and quick solution, but there are a lot of factors to consider first.

Choosing the right vacuum for the job doesn’t have to be another chore, though.

Top 8 Vacuums for Laminate

The best options for laminate may be more feature rich than you think. These vacuums came to play.

1. Our Top Pick – Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor Canister Vacuum. Versatile and compact, the vacuum that offers more.
2. Best Vacuum for Laminate Floors and Carpet – Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead Cordless Stick Vacuum. Arguably the best vacuum for any floor, especially laminate.
3. Best Robot Vacuum for Laminate – Eufy RoboVac 11S with BoostIQ. A robot vacuum designed for hard flooring surfaces.
4. Best Value – Shark Navigator Freestyle Upright Stick Vacuum. A powerful stick vacuum for laminate planks.
5. Best Budget Vacuum for Laminate Floors – Hoover LiNX Cordless Stick Vacuum. A battery powered stick vacuum that doesn’t seem to lose power.
6. Eureka NES215A Blaze 3-in-1 Swivel Vacuum. Highly versatile for cleaning more than your laminate.
7. Dyson V8 Absolute Cordless Stick Vacuum. Dyson continues to impress with their stick vacuum line up on hard flooring.
8. Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner. A wet/Dry vacuum that doesn’t disappoint or break the bank.

Why Vacuum Laminate Flooring?

However, as most laminate owners know, it doesn’t take much to scratch the planks or the finish.

While vacuuming is possible, it needs to be done with care and with the right vacuum. This means you need a foam roller, no roller or the ability to turn your brush roll off.

You also need to pay attention to the wheels on your vacuum, some of the hard plastic or molded wheels can mar or scratch laminate.

There are a lot of consideration factors to think about before vacuuming your laminate floors. However, once you have, cleaning your laminate will become even easier.

Buyer’s Guide: What to Look for in a Vacuum for Laminate Flooring

The consideration points for your new vacuum need to work well for laminate floors. Understanding your floor type and the vacuum abilities is important.

Power Supply

Vacuums come with two basic power supplies. A corded vacuum generally (though not always) has more power to devote to suction and air flow. The drawback, though, is that you have to continuously search for new outlets to use to get all corners of your home.

A battery powered vacuum doesn’t have the restrictions of a corded model, but may have less power. The battery will also run out of power and need to be recharged. This may not be a bad thing, unless you have to wait a few hours before you can finish cleaning your home.

Filtration

The filters on upright vacuums are quite important. HEPA filtration is not the standard but it is an option on most models. With HEPA filtration you can help reduce the number of in-home pollutants such as pollen, dust mites and pet dander.

Non-HEPA filters aren’t worthless and do a great job of keeping dust out of the motor area and larger particles from reentering your home. 

Extraction Method

The extraction method of the vacuum is how it removes dirt from your floors. Most vacuums will utilize some kind of brush roller. The bristles on which, though, may be too stiff to use on laminate.

If the vacuums bristles are too stiff, you may find the option to turn the roller off. Doing this will use straight suction on the floor, which is fine, since there aren’t carpet fibers to agitate. Another option is to find a vacuum that doesn’t have a brush roller at all.

Still, if you want a versatile machine for your other floor types, you can look for models that use a foam or rubber roller. These won’t scratch any floor surface and keep your laminate clean and dirt free.

Smart Features

Features associated with vacuums are a lot better than they used to be. Still, some things you may not need. If you find a vacuum with too many features it may push it out of your price range.

However, there are some features that you should look for. Smart features are mostly found on robot vacuums with the ability to use wireless communications for scheduling or monitoring. However, standard vacuums can also have some of these features.

Monitoring the battery life, reporting when a filter needs to be changed or even if there is a problem with the motor or brush roller. These smart features may cost a little more, but can be worth it.

Bag or Canister

One of the bigger choices to make is if you want a bagged vacuum or a bagless model. Bagless models are more popular because they eliminate the need to consistently purchase new vacuum bags.

However, they also need to be cleaned and can spill contents when you try to empty them. Your choice basically boils down to more purchases over the life of your vacuum or higher maintenance levels.

Accessories

Like the smart features, many vacuums come with accessories that can add to your enjoyment or add to the price tag (many times they do both). Some of these accessories you can live without, but some are almost as essential as the vacuum’s motor.

Flex hoses allow you to clean over head or on higher surfaces, along with crevice and brush tools to get dust from baseboards or in hard to reach areas. You may also find items like pet tools, handheld motorized cleaning heads for couches and stairs and more.

Deciding on accessories is not that big of a deal, unless you specifically need a certain one.

Price and Warranty

Finally, the price and warranty are going to play a big role in your decision making process. You want to stay within your budget, of course. Though sometimes it may be worthwhile to save a bit longer to get a slightly better model.

Part of that choice is the warranty. With your investment you want to make sure it is covered. Knowing the coverage terms and claim process before you buy can make a huge difference, especially if you are trying to decide between two different vacuums.

10 Best Vacuums for Laminate Floors

1. Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead Cordless Stick Vacuum

Dyson is known the world over as creating some of the most impressive and innovative vacuums ever seen. The V-series is no different. Spearheaded by the V10, this line knows about power, versatility and ease of use.

Without a doubt the Dyson V10 is one of the most powerful vacuums on the market. With 16 cyclonic airflow chambers, it virtually never loses suction, even on the thickest carpet with a full collection bin.

There are three versions of the V10 and they are separated by the accessories that come with them. The Absolute, for example, comes with everything the V10 uses. The Animal comes with the Torque Drive cleaning head and the Motorhead (this model) gives you the Direct Drive cleaning head.

The beauty is that for laminate flooring, you can turn the cleaning head off and just use straight suction. While the Absolute may have a foam roller power head, you can save money knowing you really don’t need it. Just shut the power off while cleaning your laminate and you’re done.

In handheld mode you can clean stairs, overhead, furniture or even in your car. The battery does take a while to recharge (about 4 to 5 hours) but with the powered cleaning head turned off, you can get up to an hour of runtime from the vacuum.

2. Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor Canister Vacuum

Miele is a German company that has rivaled Dyson in the vacuum market for years. They don’t offer a lot of various models, but the ones they do have are worth being in your home. Particularly, the Miele Complete C2. Though bigger and heavier than the Compact C2, it packs quite a punch (and bargain) in a small package.

The 20 pound machine has a handle for carrying, castor wheels for pulling behind you or it can sit up on end. With a long flex hose and power cord, you get over 33 feet of cleaning radius. Perfect for stairs, above head cleaning and of course, laminate.

The Complete C2 comes with everything you need, including a crevice tool, upholstery brush and dusting brush. You also get the Pure Suction Parquet Twister XL Floorhead. This soft bristled, adjustable cleaning head is ideal for any floors.

If you are worried about scratches though, you can lift the roller and turn it off with a footswitch on the cleaning head. This vacuum has plenty of suction power to clean your laminate without the brush roller.

The wide cleaning path and edge to edge suction means you need less passes to clean your floors. This helps you get the job done quickly and efficiently. The best part is you can do your entire home without stopping, using the foot pedal to adjust the cleaning head as needed for the floor type underneath.

3. Eufy RoboVac 11S with BoostIQ

Robot vacuums are the new “it” thing in home cleaning. The more advanced they become the easier it is to see why. These little guys can handle a lot of dirt and a lot of different floor types. While the jury is still out on the top-end models replacing uprights, there is no doubt that on laminate and hard flooring, they are life savers.

The Eufy 11S model is just one of many, but is ideal for laminate for a lot of reasons. First, are the controls. There is a single power button on the top of the robot that makes it easy to press and send out to clean your home.

You also get a handheld remote control that allows you to select from the various cleaning modes (edge clean, spot clean, whole-home clean, etc.) and power options. You can also create a cleaning schedule that allows the robot to clean on a specific day and a certain time, whether you are home or not.

The 100 minutes of runtime are plenty to make it through most homes and it will return to the charging dock when the battery gets low to recharge for the next round. This ultra slim model is one of the thinnest on the market and will have little trouble getting under furniture for a thorough clean.

The soft-bristled and rubber paddled roller won’t scratch laminate and neither will the silicone side brushes. An all inclusive cleaner that will maintain your floors without worry or scratches all while you are off at work or cooking dinner. It’s a win-win.

4. Shark Navigator Freestyle Upright Stick Vacuum

If you are looking for speed and efficiency, look no further. The Shark Navigator line has the Freestyle model that is a stick vacuum with a lot of features. This bagless stick vacuum has a lot of power and an affordable price.

The canister vacuum saves you money by not needing replacement bags. It also features an easy-empty bin that can hold quite a bit of dirt and debris. And while it does have a bristle brush roller that makes short work of carpet dirt, it does have the possibility to scratch laminate surfaces.

Luckily, though, there is a foot switch that allows you to turn the brush roller off. When you are cleaning your laminate planks, turning the brush roller off allows you to maintain your sealant without scratches and keep all of your floors looking new.

The large caster wheels don’t leave marks, mars or scratches either, regardless of how many times you roll them back and forth.

The battery pack is pretty powerful, too. It provides enough power to create the suction needed to keep your floors clean while powering the vacuum long enough to clean your entire home. The recharge cycle isn’t the fastest, though, so if you do have to wait for the battery to finish, you may be waiting a while.

Beyond that, the lightweight vacuum steers easily and with the swivel head you can maneuver around furniture legs, or even your lazy dog. For an affordable, quick clean of all floor types, including laminate, there isn’t much better.

5. Hoover LiNX Cordless Stick Vacuum

Hoover has produced quality floor cleaners for decades. One of the oldest and most respected names in the business, they know a thing or two about cleaning laminate flooring. The LiNX cordless model is an affordable vacuum for all floor types.

The lithium-ion battery is powerful but doesn’t last very long. Most users enjoy the freedom the battery offers but dislike how quickly it drains. Some users claim it lasts long enough to clean their whole home. It will depend a lot on the size and how quickly you vacuum.

However, the good thing about the battery is that it is removable and has a separate charger. You don’t need to worry about mounting your vacuum near an outlet so it can charge while not in use.

The powerful suction the vacuum creates is due to the Hoover Windtunnel airflow design. This no-loss suction airflow keeps the power levels high and the dirt moving. The best part though is that you have full control over the cleaning head right from your fingertips.

The control dial allows you to use your thumb to switch between off, low and high power. You can also turn the brush roll off for suction only mode while you are cleaning your laminate floors.

The vacuum also comes with a battery level indicator so you know exactly how much power you have remaining. This can help you decide to keep going or stop to recharge.

Along with all of that you get a full-coverage 2-year limited warranty. This covers everything, including the battery (90 days) regardless of where you purchase.

6. Eureka NES215A Blaze 3-in-1 Swivel Vacuum

Eureka is no stranger to quality vacuums, either. Like Hoover, they have been in the game for a while. The Blaze 3-in-1 is a perfect example. This highly affordable, lightweight and versatile floor cleaner is much more than it looks.

The dust bin capacity is pretty small, so you will need to empty it fairly often. However, it is corded, so the power never fades. You can clean your entire home in a single go, even overhead.

For your hard floors, you don’t have to worry about scratches. There isn’t a brush roll at all to scratch your laminate or leave marks behind. The wide suction port even picks up large debris like cereal, without problem.

Because it is a 3-in-1 model, you can use it as a stick vacuum for cleaning your laminate floors or a hand held model for tackling the messes on your sofa, bookcases or overhead. You can also attach the cleaning head in handheld mode to get stairs and mattresses with ease.

7. Dyson V8 Absolute Cordless Stick Vacuum

If you liked the idea of the Dyson V10 mentioned in this review, but wanted more, the Absolute model is one option. With the Absolute versions you get every attachment and cleaning head made for the series in one package. However the V10 can get quite expensive.

The Dyson V8 Absolute, though, is lower priced due to the age of the model, but still comes with all the attachments and cleaning heads you need for your home. The fluffy roller is a soft, foam roller that won’t scratch any surface, even laminate.

Handheld options give you the freedom to clean anywhere, even overhead or in your car. The battery will power the unit for up to 40 minutes, depending on mode and attachments. However, with the powered cleaning heads attached and using Max mode, the battery will only last about 8 minutes.

While this will be plenty to get that stubborn mess or even clean an entire small to medium-sized room, it isn’t very efficient. Especially when you factor in the 4-hour recharge time.

8. Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner

What’s better than sweeping, vacuuming and mopping your laminate floors to leave them shiny and looking new? Doing all of those things at once. The Hoover FloorMate Deluxe is a powerful floor cleaner, scrubber and mop that has plenty of features to ease the mind of the laminate floor owner.

This floor cleaner features a dual tank design that keeps clean water and dirty water separated. Unlike some other models that can slosh or mix the clean and dirty, you don’t need to worry.

The cleaning head also features 4 counter-rotating scrubbing brushes that work to loosen, lift and clean all floor types. The extra soft bristles won’t scratch the sealants on your laminate planks.

The best part, though, is that you don’t even have to worry about water damage. The entire system is all-in-one. It will scrub the floors, mop the floors and vacuum up the mess, and it dries the floor as you move the cleaner over the surface.

The downfall to this design is that it doesn’t get into corners or along edges flush, and with the water being pushed out, you will need to mop up or dry these areas by hand so water doesn’t stand or soak into the edges of your floor.

However, with that one small detail aside, there isn’t a better machine equipped to clean your entire floor in a single pass, leaving it swept, vacuumed and mopped (as well as dried) than the Hoover FloorMate Deluxe.

9. VonHaus 2 in 1 Stick Vacuum

VonHaus is a name you may or may not be familiar with. However, it is a name you will come to know in good time. The 2-in-1 stick vacuum is among the first from the company and it is something to be excited about.

This model features a removable stick handle that locks in place or comes out completely. If you want to clean floors, the handle will keep your back straight and your floors clean. For stairs, hard to reach areas or even cleaning overhead, the handheld cleaner is ideal.

The brush roller in the cleaning head doesn’t spin very fast, which is great because it doesn’t scratch laminate flooring or sealed surfaces. It also produces enough suction power to get in the little cracks and crevices where finer particles can hide.

With HEPA filtration you can breathe easier. However, the filter is small, it is 2-part and gets clogged easily. You will need to replace them a lot sooner than some other similar models.

With the power cord you don’t have to fret about charging times or wondering if there is enough battery left to finish the job. The cord is also 20 feet long, which should be enough for most needs.

10. Tineco A10 Hero Cordless Stick 2-in1 Vacuum

What if I told you that you could have the look, feel and power of the Dyson V-series vacuums without the Dyson price tag? That is precisely what Tineco offers with their A10 Hero vacuum.

This model has the same look, cyclonic airflow and suction power as the Dyson V8 but at half the cost. There are some notable differences, though, of course. For instance there aren’t different versions with more attachments or cleaning heads.

In fact, the only other version is the Hero+ model that only features a wall mount bracket for the vacuum.

However, for cleaning laminate flooring (or any flooring for that matter) the Hero stick vacuum is ideal. It will work as a handheld with a crevice tool, brush tool and powered upholstery cleaner. It also functions as a floor vacuum with a powerful, high-torque cleaning head.

The bristles on the cleaning head are soft and won’t scratch your laminate, but keep in mind they cannot be turned off. While this isn’t much of an issue since the brush is soft, it may still cause some owners pause.

The battery charges in about 3 hours and the entire kit sits in the charging dock with all pieces having their own spot. When in use, the battery can run for up to 25 minutes, which should offer enough time to clean multiple rooms, but may not be enough for the entire home.

Care and Maintenance for Vacuums

Keeping your vacuum in top working order isn’t something you often think about. However, a little forethought and a basic maintenance routine will go a long way, adding years to your vacuum’s life.

• Empty the collection bin or replace the bag before they get over full. Full collection bins decrease airflow and overheat the motor.
• Check the filter and clean or replace as needed. Clogged filters can reduce air flow and force the vacuum to lose suction power.
• Check the rollers for tangles, debris and damage. Getting rid of the debris will allow the rollers to perform as expected.
• Check the wheels and axles for string, hair or carpet tangles. The wheels can lock up, break or scratch the floors if they aren’t allowed to roll freely.
• Keep the vacuum, accessories and tools clean. Dust build up can work its way into the motor area causing a shortened life.
• Inspect the power cord, battery or charging station for damage, knots, frays or other signs of problems. Being preventative will keep the unit running strong for years to come.

Care for Laminate Flooring

Caring for your vacuum is only half the process. Care and maintenance of your laminate floor is the other half. Laminate planks are relatively low maintenance after the install.

Primarily, you will need to regularly clean the floors. Sweeping is advised, though even a stiff bristle broom can eventually cause small scratches to appear in the finish if you aren’t careful. Instead a dust mop is preferred.

With a dust mop you can protect your finish while collecting hair, dirt and debris. For textured laminate, or planks with grooves, a dust mop may not be good enough. In these cases a vacuum is the only option for proper cleaning.

Since steam mops are not advised, damp mops are the most trusted option. Swiffer, Turbo Microfiber and other mopping options are well known and highly rated.

Keeping your floors clean and your vacuums in high working order will make your chore days easier and more enjoyable.

FAQ for Best Vacuum Cleaners for Laminate

Now we will answer some of the more common questions about vacuums and laminate floors in general.

Q. Can vacuums cause other damage to laminate than scratches?

1. Almost anything can cause damage to laminate flooring, including scratches from vacuums. However, heavy weights can also cause denting, bowing or cracks.

While vacuums generally aren’t heavy enough to cause this, there are some floor installs that may buckle under repeated movement of vacuums, furniture or even the owners walking over the floors.

Usually, though, you only need worry about scratches from stiff bristles moving over the sealant at high speeds.

Q. Are foam rollers better than straight suction vacuums?

1. Foam rollers, such as those found on Dyson stick vacuums force the debris into the roller so it doesn’t scratch the surface dragging the debris along the floor before it is collected.

Straight suction doesn’t do anything other than lift the debris, preventing scratches altogether. However, one is not necessarily better than the other, though straight suction has a slight advantage in preventing scratches.

Q. Are bagged vacuums more efficient than bagless vacuums?

1. The efficiency of the vacuum relies more on airflow than what the dirt is collected in. However, both bagged and bagless models, when full, can impede the airflow, reducing suction and overworking the motor. However, in most cases bagless vacuums don’t block as much airflow as bagged models can.

Q. How often should I vacuum laminate floors?

1. Vacuuming laminate floors doesn’t have a minimum or maximum schedule like mopping does. As long as your vacuum doesn’t promote scratching, you can vacuum daily, if you need to. Though once a week or more is sufficient.

Conclusion

Finding the right vacuum for laminate floors doesn’t need to be a challenge. Once you know what features and factors you need the choices diminish and you can focus more on the models that meet your needs.

With laminate flooring susceptible to scratching, the right vacuum must be thoroughly vetted. If you are in doubt or undecided, take another look at our top pick. The Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead Cordless Stick Vacuum wont’ scratch laminate, is powerful and versatile. Choosing this model will only increase your ability to maintain the cleanliness of your home.