5 Things to Know Before Buying Your Bare Floor Vacuum
The bare floors in your home, whether solid hardwoods, linoleum or anything in between, are one of the greatest investments made to your home. Investing in a great bare floor vacuum cleaner is the best way to protect them. Taking care of them without the proper tool can make a simple chore not very fun at all. Sweeping tends to stir up lots of dust and doesn't remove embedded soils and most vacuums are made for carpet causing the roller brush to scatter. Everett Vacuum Sales & Service understands your home is unique which is why we carry over forty different models of vacuum cleaners in stock ensuring that we have the best vacuum for your home and bare floors and well as your personal preferences.
For selecting the best bare floor vacuum for your home, here are five features to look for:
#1 Bare Floor Mode
"Bare Floor" mode is the ability to shut off the roller brush while still suctioning or as in the case with some like the Sebo Automatic X4 or Riccar Supralite, a squeegee behind the roller acts as an anti-scatter guard. This is the key feature for bare flooring to find in an upright vacuum.
#2 Variable Motor Speeds
The ability to increase suction/vacuum on hard floors or adjust the speed of the roller brush allows you to maximize the efficiency of your vacuum cleaner on bare floors.
#3 Sweep & Suck
Canister vacuums and a few crosses over uprights offer a special attachment appropriately named.....the Bare Floor Tool! This is a wide nozzle with bristles that will agitate settled debris from the smooth surface or out of cracks without being aggressive on your beautiful flooring. Many are nylon bristles, however, the best Bare Floor tools are natural bristle, primarily made from horse tail hair. Miele and Sebo make the best canisters however another popular model we carry is the Sanitaire Professional Canister. Cross over models like the Sebo Felix and Dart allows the power nozzle to not only shut off the roller brush but be completely removed so that the bare floor tool can be attached. This is by far the most effective vacuuming care for your flooring.
#4 Floor Finish
All bare floor is different and it's finished will dictate the vacuum cleaner that would work the best for your home. If the surface finish is rough like natural stone or travertine, a machine that simply shuts off the brush would not get in deep enough to the cracks and varied surfaces. Softwood floors like Fir, or any surface with a wax or polish, should only be vacuumed with a natural bristled "Bare Floor Tool". Also, very important is the wheels on the vacuum that will contact your flooring. Plastic wheels can mark, scrape, and gouge the surface, Non-marking rubber-coated wheels are a must.
#5 You Can Have It All In One
It is possible to have a vacuum cleaner that will work just as hard on your bare floors as it does your carpets. Some manufactures sell separate vacuums for carpet that you would then pair with a portable canister for bare floors....or a bunch of junk attachments that after no small hassle transform your carpet vac into a bare floor machine. It doesn't need to be this way. If you only have a bare floor and some area rugs there are many great vacuums, the Miele Compact Turbo Team come to mind, that would be perfect for your home. If your home is an even mix of bare floor and carpet or mostly bare floor with some wall to wall carpet, a canister with its bare floor attachment is ideal. Or if you prefer an upright, a cross over would do nicely. Bottom line, you can care for your flooring without having a dozen vacuums filling your closets and Everett Vacuum has the best German and American made vacuum cleaners to keep your home clean and healthy. Give us a call at (425) 252-4355 or stop in. Serving you since 1944, Everett Vacuum Sales & Service is your local bare floor vacuuming experts!