Good vacuum for hard floors and pet hair?

The only one that doesn't blow stuff around is a Rainbow, if you look on ebay, you may find one for that price. But, it is a great machine! It vaccuums thru water, & therefore doesn't blow dust out of the machine.

I know it may be a little more than $100, but the Eureka Smartboss 4800 series is great for pet hair and any other thing you have to suck up - it has great suction! At Walmart, it is around $138.00, but it is worth it - you get what you pay for! It also has a brushroll that you can turn off for the hardwood floors. On top of that, it was rated a Consumer Report Best Buy and carries the Good Housekeeping seal (something Dyson has neither of).

I own a housecleaning company and we just replaced ours with the new Bissell Healthy Home (Great vacuum for everything!). It was hard to find a replacement for such a good vacuum.

Also, if you have to stay in that $100 range, if you go to your local Target or any other department store, go and pick up the displays, play with the attachments - find the one that fits you. Some stores will even let you plug in the displays and test them. Shopping around is your best bet. If you do find one you like, before you buy it, check out Amazon.com. It was so helpful to me in trying to research vacuums because of the reviews given about people's personal experience with a particular vacuum.

As a note:

I noticed one answerer said to put Endust on a mop to clean hardwoods - I would not recommend that at all. It makes the floor so slippery! If someone has socks on and walks onto the floor, they could likely fall. I accidently got some Pledge on a hardwood floor one time and I was slipping and sliding everywhere! Plus, Endust or Pledge was never intended to clean hardwood floors - especially since both leave a waxy residue. Swiffers aren't that great either on the floor. They get the intitial dust or whatever else is on the floor, but it isn't really effective if you have a lot of pet hair. It needs to be vaccumed and then mopped with a hardwood floor cleaner like Bruce Floor Cleaner (for no wax floors) or Orange Glo Hardwood Floor Cleaner (Good Housekeeping found this product to be the best in removing the most dirt and residues from hardwood floors - Issue September 2007).

I have a dog and a cat and I use an Oreck vacuum cleaner, It works great on my carpet. It also works great on my hard wood floors but I prefer my Swiffer vacuum for that. TheSwiffer vacuum has soft cloths to help pick up the dust.

The Good Housekeeping Research Institute says that canister vacuums are generally more versatile. Like uprights, canisters handle carpets, but they're also great at cleaning bare floors, vacuuming stairs and sucking up dirt from corners.

For more vacuum FAQs, visit: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/products/vacu...

A broom and a dust pan. Then go over the floor with a cheap dry mop sprayed with endust or liquid gold. I have the same problem, 3 dogs long hair and fine dirt after they have been outside, it's like they are dust mops. I have found a broom and dust pan works butter cuz otherwise you have to dust everything including the walls. Or a shopvac, they have an attachment to suck up anything. I may try that myself!! If I can pry it out of my husbands cold dead hands. Men and their toys. Won't share. I hate swiffers.

Bissell Featherweight Vacuum

$19.99

I have laminate floors, 2 cats and a dog, this thing is awesome. I bought a long extension cord, keep it plugged in and ready to go, I use is daily. There are no bags to change, for the money it is wonderful, no more brooms for me.

I will tell you what, if you have hardwood floors or tile floors, get a swiffer from Wal-mart they work REALLY goodI know cause i use them my self! they work better than any vacuum on hardwood or tile floors

get a canister vacume shark makes a cheap 1 that works great look in walmart or sears i own a clenaing business and the canister vac's are great for tile floors and hardwoods..