I have a Dyson DC24. It is... well... Awkward? The "pole" that attaches to the cleaning head is just, weird! We used it a lot when I first bought it but now it's in my vacuum museum (I collect vacuums, I know, nuts!). Anyway, if I had to advise you, I would suggest checking out something else. I'm sure someone will chime in here and suggest a Miele or a Bosch but those aren't my cup of tea either.

So, my $0.02 is to get yourself a water filtration vacuum. Don't buy from the door to door salesmen, unless like me you just have an urge to be a sucker like me (I know, I need help!) Check out E-bay and look at used Ocean Blue's, Rainbow's, Delphins, or Big Power vacuums. All filter with water (and I promise you that it will mean you will dust less). I would stay away from Thermax machines though, they are HUGE beasts to lug around and don't even think about cleaning a stair case with one of those puppies!

HTH,
Justin

Forgot to mention, Hyla makes a great water filtration vacuum too. You can usually have a decent used one of them on E-bay for the $399 + Shipping range.

Justin

Thanks for the suggestion, justjustin.

I remember Rainbow was a big fad in my area a few years ago but now I don't know anyone who still has it. Are these water filtration vacuums still popular?

Why would you need a water filtration vacuum at all, let alone for hardwood floors in an apartment? It is overkill, as is a Dyson 24.

By the way, Dyson makes a canister model, but it costs $500. As much as I love my Dysons, that's too much for the relatively easy cleaning task you have.

Sophie,
A suction-only canister is a good choice, since you will not have to worry about the deeply-embedded dirt, in carpeting. Also, an upright takes alittle more time to push around compared to pushing a floor brush around. I will run down some Midsize and compact canisters for you, from most expensive to cheapest.

Take a look at Simplicity Jack or its sister, the Riccar Moonlight. These two Tacony Corporation brands are only available through vac shops.

Also take a look at Walmart's GE canister with power nozzle. The vacuum cleaner comes with alot of attachments including a natural hair floor brush. The power nozzle does not need to be used until you get some carpeting. It comes at a really good price of approximately $155. It is a really good vacuum cleaner for what you want it for. Look at your local Walmarts. They may not be in every store. The model number is 169072.

Another suggestion would be the Sanitaire Commercial 3683. This will be the smallest of the compact canisters, but powerful for you. The only drawback is that this might not do well for you in your carpetless apt.--loud. You should find this vacuum for around $100.

Lastly, the Kenmore Magic Blue is a very good compact canister from Sears, made by LG. The MB will have the smallest bag capacity, but it will hold alot.

All of these will do well at filtration.

Thanks for the suggestions, geguymw. I'll check these models out.

I have a Rainbow vacuum and have loved it for years but recently we put in new hardwood floors and all I use now to vacuum is a Erueka Boss cordless vac. I have two of them and keep one on the charger while the other is in use. They're soo light and no cord and picks up every bit of dirt on a wood floor. I bought mine at Target but you can buy them online. Under 40.00
Last year I gave one to each of my married kids and they use theirs daily.

Thanks for the suggestion, yayagal. I tried the cordless vacs and they're good but the battery stops holding the charge after about 1 year so I stopped buying them.

Cordless stick vacs are not going to do as well as a canister. Cordless is good for those inbetween times of thorough vacuuming. Also, those small cordless are just that, small. Their cleaning heads are very small and require more of your time when cleaning an apartment.

With a canister vacuum cleaner, and the right attachments, you can clean the floors, furniture, lampshades, walls, and so on.

Has anyone heard of the Bissell Versus? It is new and kind of expensive but is a stick vac just for base floors

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/180-0608678-9681030?asin=B001DEXAA4&afid=yahoossplp&lnm=B001DEXAA4:Bissell_Versus_Bare_Floor_Vacuum&ref=tgt_adv_XSMG1060