The 9 Best Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2024, Tested & Reviewed

Table Of Content

• How we tested vacuums for pet hair
• Best self-emptying vacuum for pet hair: Shark Wandvac Cordless Self-Empty System + HEPA
• The Best Time to Buy a Vacuum
• What's the best vacuum for picking up pet hair on carpets?
• More Vacuums for Pet Hair to Consider
• How To Pick A Vacuum For Pet Hair
• Best Handheld Car Vacuum For Pet Hair

All products go through the same rigorous process, whether they are purchased or sent by the company. You'll also want to make sure that you have enough space to store your vacuum. If you don't have any spare closets but don't want to keep your vacuum out in the open, then a large upright model might not be as good of an option as a stick or robot model. If you live in a home with more than one level, then you want to choose a vacuum that isn't too bulky or heavy for you to carry up and down the stairs. "Most people who own vacuums don't know there's a filter in their vacuum, let alone how well it performs, so having a high-quality filtration system when you have a pet is very important," Toogood says.

How we tested vacuums for pet hair

If you or someone in your home has allergies, bagged vacuums contain the dirt and grime you’ve collected, so you don’t have to come in contact with it as you empty your machine. Bagless vacuums instead will have a canister or container where dirt is collected, that you’ll empty or pour directly into your trash. We have just one bagged vacuum on our list, the Hoover Complete Performance Vacuum. If you zero in on the exact settings that are important to you, you’ll be able to more easily rule out pricier models. The Kenmore Compact Bagless Canister Vacuum 10701, in particular, proved exceptionally agile and powerful when we tested it in the lab against machines three and four times its cost.

Best self-emptying vacuum for pet hair: Shark Wandvac Cordless Self-Empty System + HEPA

In the test centre, we test each vacuum on carpet, linoleum and wood flooring. Because it’s self-emptying, this robot vacuum doesn’t need to be emptied after every cycle. The only downside is that its filtration system isn’t the best for fine particles, but we don’t think it’s a dealbreaker since it’s a supplementary cleaning tool. If you have pet hair or dander on your window screens or baseboards, a dusting brush is equipped with long, soft bristles that pick up dust and fine particles without scratching surfaces. Unlike many bagged vacuums, the brand claims it’s allergen sealed, which means the air path is completely sealed so it won’t erupt in a puff of dust when you need to change the bag.

The Best Time to Buy a Vacuum

It’s also easy to carry, and it’s outstandingly quiet, issuing a hum that didn’t rattle my bunnies. She has tested hundreds of tech, home and beauty products over the course of her eight years as a journalist. She’s currently a full-time freelance journalist who contributes to GQ, Architectural Digest and The New York Times. Before moving into freelance, Brittany was a staff writer at TODAY.com and CBS News. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in consumer journalism from the University of Georgia. And while he says that pets tend to shed all year round due to the regulated temperatures indoors, you can also manage their shedding by making sure you’re taking care of their coat in terms of nutrition.

The hose and wand come off the back, so you can use the crevice tool and small turbo brush for smaller areas. There’s a 29ft cleaning radius with this model, so you won’t need to keep swapping power sockets as you make your way around the house. When we tested this on larger debris, we found that it is poor at taking on bigger crumbs, so it might not be great if you have young kids causing lots of mess. Dyson's Ball Animal 2 is an older release than the Ball Animal 3, but we actually think it's better than its successor.

More Vacuums for Pet Hair to Consider

All debris is collected in a removable bin, so there is no need to deal with replacement bags. When emptying the canister, most particles and pieces easily slide out, save for a few strands of pet hair which we had to clear by hand. The internal bin where the contents of dust and pet hair are collected must be handled with care to prevent unintentional spilling. We love our pets, and there's almost nothing we wouldn't do for them or their well-being. Fortunately, the best vacuums for pet hair make it easy to keep floors tidy and can stand up to pet hair, tracked-in debris, and spilled kibble while handling other messes.

Suction Power

The best vacuum cleaner 2024: top dust-busters, tried and tested - TechRadar

The best vacuum cleaner 2024: top dust-busters, tried and tested.

Posted: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 17:04:32 GMT [source]

Best budget pet hair vacuumAn effective cordless vacuum that won't break the bank. Best pet hair vacuum for allergiesSamsung's Bespoke Jet combines HEPA filtration and a unique bagged base to protect you from fur and allergies. To help you pick the best choice that fits your needs, we spoke to cleaning and vacuum experts to figure out what key features should be in a car vacuum. In households with kids or pets, the MessMaster Portable vacuum seamlessly transitions from tackling dry to wet messes. You can place a small garbage bag inside the bin for dry messes for quick and easy cleanup.

How To Pick A Vacuum For Pet Hair

If you have pets, you’re going to have to vacuum more frequently than you would otherwise—although most pet owners will tell you their furry friends are well worth the trade-off. Brown recommends vacuuming daily and keeping a vacuum on each floor of the home for easy access. The vacuums on our list include everything from handheld to canister models, and each type comes at a different price point. We tested models ranging from under $40 to nearly $1,000, but the median price of all the vacuums we tested is $240. We were more inclined to vacuum than usual due to the lightweight feel and easy portability of the Bissell. It's amazing for cleaning couch cushions and the cat tree that our kitty uses.

Best Handheld Car Vacuum For Pet Hair

But because we don’t expect them to accomplish the deep cleaning of a full-sized vacuum, we use a bit less cat hair in our tests. In other words, we design our tests to challenge the cleaning capabilities of each type of vacuum we rate. In addition to performance testing, each vacuum must also undergo ease-of-use evaluations that include assessing the weight, battery runtime, maneuverability and ease of emptying and using the controls of the devices. Models that are tested in consideration for our annual Cleaning and Organizing Awards are also sent to consumer testers who rate and provide feedback on the vacuum’s maneuverability, ease of use and more. Our picks are the vacuums that performed best on in-Lab pet hair tests, plus ones with features perfectly suited to tackle stubborn fur.

The attachment is cushioned yet flat, so it stays flush against the ground and easily cleans up hairs. The cushioning on the attachment head helps prevent any scratching and gave my floors a buffed, shiny look. In addition to the strong motor head, all of the attachments worked exceptionally well, too. The specially designed pet hair attachment is a smaller, motorized brush roll, which is designed to resist tangling and clogging. When testing, I noticed that the artificial dog hair got a bit tangled in the standard brush head, but when I switched to the pet hair attachment, it sucked it up with no issue whatsoever.

In our Lab tests, we first timed how long it took to get the vacuum up and running from the moment the box was opened, taking note of how easy or difficult the assembly was. In fact, Dr. Johnson says allergen particles can linger in the air for days or even weeks after being disturbed. That’s why it’s important to look for a vacuum cleaner that won’t release particles back into the air. To empty it, you’ll need to use two hands to hold each side of the vacuum, remove the filter lid, and dump out the debris inside. We also loved its dustbin, which has a one-push lever tool that will sweep debris straight into the garbage. This helps to avoid clogging inside the bin, so you won’t ever have to come in contact with the dirt from your floors.

But, you can expect to get through multiple rooms or even multiple cleaning sessions, before needing to make a swap. Another upright vacuum, the Hoover Complete Performance Vacuum is practically the complete package, pun intended. We like it for many of the same reasons we like the Shark Navigator; it’s powerful, durable, and packs a cleaning punch.

Once we leaned it against the wall in the bathroom and it fell into the shower. While the impact was hard enough to dislodge the dust cup, nothing on the vacuum was damaged. We found the vacuum a little bulky to carry one-handed, especially if you need to go up and down the stairs often. It’s only 16 pounds, which doesn’t seem like much, but because of its boxy shape and slim handle, it was quite cumbersome. We wholeheartedly stand by our recommendation after using the iRobot at home for several months. In fact, we actually want to buy a second one to use on the upper floor of the house.