Linoleum can last you a lifetime, and it’s small wonder that it’s often the flooring of choice when it comes to high-traffic areas like office buildings, hospitals, schools and so on. Not only is it cheaper than hardwood or tile alternatives, but is also anti-bacterial and non-allergenic because of its organic composition, making linoleum ideal for healthcare institutions. But linoleum also needs to be properly maintained to enhance its durability – you don’t want your floors looking dinged up and scratched from a none-too-gentle scrubbing down. And part of this routine involves getting rid of any loose dust or dirt lying about before going at it with some mop action – water and loose dirt can leave a cloudy film over floors you want to look spotless, not muddy. The trick, now, is to pick a vacuum cleaner that takes care of this crucial first step without scuffing up your floors instead – here are our top picks.
KEN’S PICK
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E
This vacuum cleaner comes with a ton of attractive features pegging it a cut above much of the competition, but the part that qualifies it for the top spot on this list is its patented Dust Away hard floor attachment. This guy does double-time when it comes to sucking anything from chunky bits of debris – think cereal pieces and large crumbs – to the finest of dust straight off not only linoleum, but also hardwood, vinyl and tile. The microfiber pads can capture and trap anything from pet-hair to loose dirt to larger pieces of debris, leaving your floors spotless without any risk of scratches or dings. It’s also the perfect option if you’re looking for a versatile, all-round vacuum cleaner, with its motorized brush set-up you can switch on when you’re planning to deep-clean your carpets and rugs, and a crevice tool to let you access hard to reach corners and surfaces. The canister can also be detached to slide under furniture and into narrow nooks and crannies so you can get at all the dust building up there.
The HEPA filtration of this vacuum also means the Shark is capable of sucking up nearly 99.9% particles of size 0.3 microns – including allergens, which is great news for anyone prone to dust- or pollen-related allergies or asthma. The filters are removable, washable and re-usable, while the dust chamber has a capacity of 2.2 dry quarts with a maximum fill line indicating when you ought to empty the chamber out, and a 25 feet long cord giving you the optimum reach to get an entire room vacuumed without needing to switch power outlets.
KEN’S BUDGET PICK
BISSELL Zing Bagged Canister Vacuum
Don’t let the price fool you – this budget canister vacuum delivers great value for money, and then some. Built for multi-surface cleaning, you can go from vacuuming your carpets – remember to attach the carpet brush attachment to the floor nozzle first – to sucking all the dirt off your floors with the push of a button. Compact and portable, the device comes with a carry-handle that lets you easily deposit it where you need it, while the hose comes with a telescoping wand that lets you clean up not only your floors but also the upholstery of your furniture and drapes, with an upholstery tool included to make the job easier and more thorough. The swivel head also lets you get in between those hard to reach corners and crevices without needing to haul around any furniture.
Another great feature of this vacuum is that it’s a bagged one – all the dirt and debris the device sucks up with its strong, adjustable suctioning power gets sealed up in disposable bags you can simply remove and throw away when the device indicates the bag is full. This does away with the inconvenience of removing a dust chamber or cup and having to manually empty it out, as you sometimes risk the collected dirt and allergens spilling out and re-polluting your home, while the indicator ensures you don’t waste any of the bags by throwing one away before it was completely full.
The vacuum also comes with a rewindable cord – 17 feet at its longest, the press of a button will have the cable automatically slip back once you’re done with your vacuuming rounds.
RUNNER-UP
Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Upright Vacuum Cleaner
This upright vacuum cleaner proves itself a worthy contender on this list with its impressive résumé of features, at the top of which is the patented WindTunnel Technology, the cyclonic suction action of which pulls up debris and dirt straight off the ground with impeccable efficiency. Add to this the HEPA filtration system it’s fitted out with, capturing even the minutest of dust particles and allergens, and this easily makes it into our top three of best vacuum cleaners not just for linoleum, but for any type of hardwood flooring. The machine comes with a handy indicator that alerts you when the HEPA filter needs to be cleaned out, taking the guesswork out of your vacuum cleaner maintenance.
Aside from leaving you with sparkly floors, you can also knuckle down on your furniture and curtains using attachments such as the included crevice and upholstery tools, with plenty of reach thanks to the rewindable 25 feet cord, extension wand and stretchable hose.
RUNNER-UP
iRobot Roomba 614 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner
If you’re willing to fork out a little more of your budget, or simply find yourself having little to no time for doing the vacuuming yourself, why not go for a device which intuitively does it all for you? The compact, ingenious design of the Roomba lets it slip right into corners bigger vacuum cleaners might find hard to reach, using a 3-step cleaning process to leave your floors pristine. Rotating side brushes let it get at the accumulating dust and dirt at those all-but-inaccessible corners and wall-edges, while the agitate-brush-suction formula ensures you get the most thorough clean. You can schedule your Roomba to go on a cleaning round either of the whole house or a specific room up to seven times a week, its smart technology meaning it automatically detects what type of surface its on – whether carpet, linoleum, hardwood etc. – and adjusts its cleaning procedure accordingly. It also docks itself when it’s in need of a recharge, and has in-built sensors to help it avoid bumping into walls, furniture or off the stairs. All you really need to do is press the “Clean” button, and empty out the dust chamber from time to time.