Need good item for pet hair on hardwood floor
October 13, 2019 10:31 AM Subscribe
I have a house where the downstairs is entirely hardwood floors and I have two dogs who shed moderately. I am looking for your advice for either a cordless stick vacuum or a robot vac. I don't want to spend typical Dyson prices, but want something effective for just hardwood. I do not want canister or big vacuums.
Any pet owners with recommendations for what has worked well for you? Didn't work well?
Thanks!
I have two cats that shed a lot and a knock-off roomba.
How well it works depends on how many obstacles are in its way. Mine tends to get stuck on a particular chair, and since that's not something I can just pick up off the floor, I occasionally have to rescue it. It will also suck up shoelaces, blanket corners, and loose power cords - just like a regular vacuum would, if you weren't moving them out of the way as you vacuumed. Also, you want to check for pet messes before running it, AS I HAVE LEARNED TO MY COST.
But overall I love it. I can run it much more frequently than I can vacuum myself, and it really cuts down on the amount of hair. Every once in a while I get out the handheld to get the corners it can't. I haven't used my big vacuum hardly at all since I got it and yet there is less hair.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:47 AM on October 13, 2019
How well it works depends on how many obstacles are in its way. Mine tends to get stuck on a particular chair, and since that's not something I can just pick up off the floor, I occasionally have to rescue it. It will also suck up shoelaces, blanket corners, and loose power cords - just like a regular vacuum would, if you weren't moving them out of the way as you vacuumed. Also, you want to check for pet messes before running it, AS I HAVE LEARNED TO MY COST.
But overall I love it. I can run it much more frequently than I can vacuum myself, and it really cuts down on the amount of hair. Every once in a while I get out the handheld to get the corners it can't. I haven't used my big vacuum hardly at all since I got it and yet there is less hair.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:47 AM on October 13, 2019
Our dog's Akita-mix fur is 100% Roomba-resistant (the Roomba just pushes her fur around the floor). But we've had a great experience with this cordless stick vacuum.
We use it without any attachments, just using the opening at the bottom of the long pipe. It just sucks up all the tumbleweeds (tumblefurs?) and the loose strands, and is super easy to clean when full. The long length means we don't have to kneel to do the work, which makes our middle-aged knees happy. It comes with a bunch of attachments we don't really bother with, since the dog fur our Roomba misses is the only reason we got it, but which might come in handy for other stuff like curtains and whatnot.
Bonus, it's also great for cleaning out your car.
posted by invincible summer at 10:47 AM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
We use it without any attachments, just using the opening at the bottom of the long pipe. It just sucks up all the tumbleweeds (tumblefurs?) and the loose strands, and is super easy to clean when full. The long length means we don't have to kneel to do the work, which makes our middle-aged knees happy. It comes with a bunch of attachments we don't really bother with, since the dog fur our Roomba misses is the only reason we got it, but which might come in handy for other stuff like curtains and whatnot.
Bonus, it's also great for cleaning out your car.
posted by invincible summer at 10:47 AM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Our long haired cat sheds so we have a Miele vacuum that is designed for "Cat and dog" which works great on carpet and furniture but not so great on our white oak floors.
For the hardwood we use an "old fashioned" dust mop. Makes quick work of the hair and dust bunnies and then I vacuum it once the job is done.
posted by Zedcaster at 10:48 AM on October 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
For the hardwood we use an "old fashioned" dust mop. Makes quick work of the hair and dust bunnies and then I vacuum it once the job is done.
posted by Zedcaster at 10:48 AM on October 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
I find a broom with a long-handled dustpan to be faster, easier, and more effective than a stick vac for pet hair on hardwood.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:01 AM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:01 AM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
For hard floors I've had better luck with s dry Swiffer mop than with any kind of vacuum.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:10 AM on October 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:10 AM on October 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
swiffer vac
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 11:29 AM on October 13, 2019
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 11:29 AM on October 13, 2019
I use the Swiffer (or knock-off replacements) Duster to do stubborn baseboard areas, as part of my never-ending cobweb remediation routine. I have the one with the 6' telescoping handle, which is very comfortable to walk with along the baseboards, will reach behind and under furniture, and allllmost can reach the tippytop of our vaulted ceilings. You can get washable-reusable dusters, but I own both the fluffy and the hedgehoggy kinds and both are great for pushing fur around and making spiders/ceiling popcorn fall on your head but nothing is as sticky as those disposable Swiffer fluffers.
We do vacuum fairly routinely and have a Shark Ion, but we have too much furniture for it to really clean most of the baseboards. I do sometimes do my Swiffing with one hand and carry our generic little Dustbuster in the other to a) grab any tumbleweeds the swiffer knocks loose b) pull some of the accumulation off the duster as I go so it stays grabby.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:39 AM on October 13, 2019
We do vacuum fairly routinely and have a Shark Ion, but we have too much furniture for it to really clean most of the baseboards. I do sometimes do my Swiffing with one hand and carry our generic little Dustbuster in the other to a) grab any tumbleweeds the swiffer knocks loose b) pull some of the accumulation off the duster as I go so it stays grabby.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:39 AM on October 13, 2019
My Roomba (newish model, bought cheaply at Costco) works great on my large dog and small cat’s hair on hardwood and carpet. The new model with the silicon rollers is a lot better than the old model with the nylon brushes at pet hair.
The key point, though, is really that it vacuums far more often than anyone in my household would on their own so even if it’s marginally less effective, it does it frequently. If you keep your floors relatively tidy and have a consistent schedule you can set it to run every day while you’re at work.
posted by charmedimsure at 11:44 AM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
The key point, though, is really that it vacuums far more often than anyone in my household would on their own so even if it’s marginally less effective, it does it frequently. If you keep your floors relatively tidy and have a consistent schedule you can set it to run every day while you’re at work.
posted by charmedimsure at 11:44 AM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
A swiffer-type robot like the Braava 200 or 300 series (formerly known as Mint) will do well at snagging hair and also pick up all the dander and stuff pretty well from a hardwood floor. They start at $175 or so though, so maybe more than you're looking to spend.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:01 PM on October 13, 2019
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:01 PM on October 13, 2019
My Roomba (600 series, pretty old) works great for cat hair on hardwood floors. It’s biggest challenges are usb cords and cat toys. It does need to be emptied every week and more thoroughly cleaned out every month or two.
posted by aubilenon at 2:06 PM on October 13, 2019
posted by aubilenon at 2:06 PM on October 13, 2019
We have 5 cats and a lot of cleaning implements. A Miele is great on hardwood or carpets and we have an old school Kirby for rugs which is a little more aggressive than the Miele. We also have a stick vacuum for spot cleaning (Electrolux) which is better for larger particulate (pet food) but not great at picking up hair. Emptying/cleaning the stick vacuum also seems to double the usage time.
Of all the implements, my favorite tool is an old school broom. Specifically a fancy European broom that is honestly a delight to use. The broom seems to do a great job of attracting the fur and is the best at bits of particulate (hello cat litter). I honestly thing it may do a more thorough job of cleaning the floor than a vacuum.
Anything Redecker is amazing. Broom linked above is available in US & is a re-branded Redecker.
Bonus to broom - it's quiet, thorough, doesn't involve cords/wrangling, requires little cleaning, and doesn't need to charge.
posted by countrymod at 3:24 PM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Of all the implements, my favorite tool is an old school broom. Specifically a fancy European broom that is honestly a delight to use. The broom seems to do a great job of attracting the fur and is the best at bits of particulate (hello cat litter). I honestly thing it may do a more thorough job of cleaning the floor than a vacuum.
Anything Redecker is amazing. Broom linked above is available in US & is a re-branded Redecker.
Bonus to broom - it's quiet, thorough, doesn't involve cords/wrangling, requires little cleaning, and doesn't need to charge.
posted by countrymod at 3:24 PM on October 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
I love my cordless Tineco A10 Hero. Typing from a phone so apologies for not posting a link, but it’s great with pet hair and so so so convenient. Because it’s cordless and can be used as a hand vacuum, I find myself cleaning much more regularly than I used to. I don’t have first-hand experience with the Dyson, but online reviews suggest they’re quite similar—though the Tineco costs much less. If you have a larger home you might want to buy a second battery because its one fault is a short-ish battery life (I think 25 mins or so?), but I would buy the A10 first and see if it seems necessary. And yes, it’s great on hardwood floors.
posted by saltypup at 5:00 PM on October 13, 2019
posted by saltypup at 5:00 PM on October 13, 2019
I bought a Dyson V7 on the recommendation of Wirecutter, and because on Amazon the price was under $300, which I thought was decent enough for a highly rated brand. I LOVE IT. I use it wayyy more than any broom, Swiffer, or previous vacuum (including a previous Roomba) and it's great for cat fur, kitty litter, my own long hair, and anything else that it has come across so far. So just wanted to report in to say, don't discount Dyson without checking prices on slightly older models! Hope this helps.
posted by carlypennylane at 9:29 PM on October 13, 2019
posted by carlypennylane at 9:29 PM on October 13, 2019
Horsehair brushes are excellent for pet hair and won't damage wood floors. They get every little speck of dust and hair. We have a long and short haired cat and a double coated dog.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:51 AM on October 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by oneirodynia at 10:51 AM on October 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by coppermoss at 10:46 AM on October 13, 2019