Best Vacuums For Pet Hair

Best Vacuums For Pet Hair In 2023/2024

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In addition to carpet cleaners, steam mops & powered mop cleaners, and wet dry vacuums, regular vacuums are another type of cleaning machine that can be used to clean areas trafficked by pets.

In this guide, we look at the best vacuums for pet hair.

We list the top vacuums across the upright and canister, cordless and stick, handheld, and robotic vacuum types.

We also link to review and comparison guides where you can check out their features and what they might be good for.

Let’s take a look!

 

(NOTE: this is a general information guide only, and is not professional advice, or a substitute for professional advice. A qualified vet or animal expert is the only person qualified to give you expert advice in regards to your pet/s)

(*Friendly Disclosure – links to retailers or brands on this page may include affiliate links, and we may receive a commission when you purchase through these links)

 

Best Vacuums For Pet Hair

If you prefer, you can go straight to viewing the top vacuums of different types here:

Upright & Canister Vacuums

 

Other good upright vacuum for pet hair worth considering might include the other Shark Navigator vacuums, Dyson Ball Animal 2, Shark APEX DuoClean & Vertex DuoClean Powerfins models, Shark Rotator TruePet & Professional Models, HOOVER MAXLife Pro Pet Swivel, BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Plus and Turbo Rewind models, and the Shark Navigator Pet Pro.

 

Cordless & Stick Vacuums

You may also like to look at the Shark Rocket stick vacs, Shark APEX and Vertex ranges of stick vacuums, or, you might like to look at one of the other Animal Dyson V Series models

 

Handheld Vacuums

 

Robotic Vacuums

And, some of the most popular or highly rated Roombas right now might include these models:

 

Best Vacuums For Pet Hair: Reviews

Below we’ve include review or comparison guides for the top rated vacuums, but also for other vacuums that are worth consideration.

We’ve also categorized them by vacuum type:

 

Upright & Canister Vacuums

BISSELL Cleanview Swivel Pet – BISSELL Cleanview Swivel Pet vs Shark vs Dyson Vacuum Comparison

Eureka PowerSpeed – Eureka (NEU182A) PowerSpeed Lightweight Upright Vacuum vs Airspeed: Comparison 

Shark Navigator Models – Shark Navigator Lift Away vs Deluxe vs Professional vs Speed Comparison Guide

Shark Rotator Models – Shark Rotator Powered Lift Away TruePet vs Professional

Dyson Ball Animal 2 –  Dyson Ball Animal 1 vs Dyson Ball Animal 2 Comparison Guide

Shark Navigator ‘Pet’ Models – Shark Navigator Pet Pro vs Pet Plus Comparison

All Shark Vacuum Ranges – Shark Vacuum Ranges Comparison Guide,

Shark APEX & Vertex Upright Models – Shark APEX DuoClean vs Vertex DuoClean Powerfins,

HOOVER MAXLife Pro Pet Swivel – HOOVER MAXLife Pro Pet Swivel vs Pet Max Complete Comparison

BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Upright Models – BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Plus and Turbo Rewind models

 

*Note that some upright vacuums are lift off vacuums that can also be used as carry around vacuums for above floor cleaning with an extension hose.

 

Cordless & Stick Vacuums

Dyson V Series Stick Vacuum Models – Dyson V6 vs V7 vs V8 vs V10 vs V11 Vacuum Comparison Guide

Shark Rocket Stick Vacuum Models – Shark Rocket Ultra Light vs Pet vs Pet Pro vs Deluxe Pro/Pet Plus vs DuoClean: Comparison Guide

Shark APEX & Vertex Stick Vacuum Models – Shark APEX Stick (DuoClean & UpLight) vs Shark Rocket vs Shark Vertex vs Dyson V Series: Stick Vacuum Comparison

 

*Note that some stick vacuums are 2 in 1, or 4 in 1 vacuums that can be converted into handheld vacuums.

 

Handheld Vacuums

BISSELL Handheld Models – BISSELL 33A1 vs Pet Hair Eraser Cordless vs Pet Hair Eraser Lithium Ion: Comparison

Shark WANDVAC – BISSEL AeroSlim vs Shark WANDVAC Comparison

Shark UltraCyclone Handheld Models – Shark UltraCyclone Pro vs Pet Pro Plus Comparison

 

Robotic Vacuum

eufy – eufy Robovac Reviews & Comparison: 11 vs 11+ vs 11S vs 30 vs 30C

Roomba – Roomba Robotic Vacuums Comparison Guide

 

*Note that some upright vacuums are lift off vacuums that can also be used as carry around vacuums for above floor cleaning with an extension hose.

 

Best Vacuums For Pet Hair: Buyer’s Guide

Why You Might Need A Vacuum For Pet Hair

You may find dog hair in your carpet, rugs, furniture and other surfaces in your home … and possibly your car too.

Using a vacuum can be a quick and effective way to clean up dog hair on some of these surface compared to using other cleaning tools.

 

Types Of Vacuums For Pet Hair

The main types are:

Upright and canister vacuums (which are usually corded)

Cordless vacuums (can be small handheld, or stick vacs)

Stick vacuums (usually cordless, and usually have 2 in 1 capabilities to be used as a full length stick vac, or a smaller hand vac with various attachments)

Handheld vacuums (usually small – can be corded or cordless)

Robotic vacuums

 

Which Type Of Vacuum To Get?

It really depends on your preferences.

Robotic and small handheld vacuums tend to have less power.

The larger upright and cordless/stick vacuums tend to have more power.

Corded upright vacuums with an above ground hose function, or lift off capability might be the best for the home because you don’t have to worry about a battery running out of charge, but you get some versatility with both ground level and above ground level cleaning.

Cordless vacuums might be better for the car.

Robot vacuums obviously have the benefit of being automatic – you can even leave the house or go to work and allow them to operate while you are gone.

So, consider the main pros and cons of each type of vacuum, and balance them with your cleaning preferences and where you want to be vacuuming (which rooms in the house, whether you want to vacuum in the car or away from a power source, whether you want automatic cleaning, and so on) 

 

Robot Vacuums vs Upright Vacuums For Pet Hair

– Robotic Vacuums 

Robotic vacuums are light cleaning vacuums. They are mainly only for light/fine hair, low quantity hair amounts, and loose fur on the surface of floors.

They have much lower suction power, smaller brushes, and smaller dust container capacities than upright vacs.

Because they are automatic vacuums, you can’t apply pressure to the spots with the hair with them like you can an upright vac.

 

– Upright Vacuums

For thick hair, high quantities of hair and deeper lodged hair – get a full size powerful upright vac.

They are more powerful, have bigger brushes, and bigger dust containers than robotic vacs.

An upright vac gives you more flexibility, power, control and range.

Many of them allow you to access furniture and above floor level surfaces with pet tools as well.

 

What To Consider With Pet Hair Vacuums Specifically

You may find robotic vacuums and small handheld vacuums aren’t as effective as the bigger more powerful vacuums with better suction and bigger thicker brush rolls.

If the vacuum does have a brush roll or power brush for deep carpets, upholstery and so on – make sure the brush is easy to clean clogged pet hair from, and make sure it’s actually removing pet hair from the areas you need.

Run over the areas with the most pet hair first, and see how much of the hair the vacuum picks up.

When you start using the vacuum, note how long the dust container takes to fill, and make sure it’s easy enough to empty and clean out.

But note, vacuums on their own aren’t the sole solution to removing and cleaning up pet hair. When there is a lot of hair, very thick hair, or very long hair to clean up, even the best vacuums may struggle to be effective.

If there is a lot of particular thick hair in your carpets or on your house surfaces, you may want to dislodge and brush up some of the hair yourself first to prevent it clogging the vac or so that you ensure it actually gets picked up.

You can then run over the remainder with a vac.

 

 

Specific features that can make a vacuum better for pet hair can include:

– A brush roll designed to pick up pet hair effectively

– A brush roll designed to deal with reducing pet hair wrap and tangling

– A filter that catches pet hair, or is easy to remove pet hairs from

– Cleaning tools such at pet cleaning tools that help with cleaning pet hair, and specifically cleaning pet hair on upholstery, and above floor level surfaces

 

Factors To Consider When Choosing Which Vacuum To Buy

Some of the main factors that you may consider in purchasing a vacuum are:

What type of vacuum it is

What range of surfaces it is intended for – low pile carpets, high pile carpets, hard floors, and so on

The price range

Whether it is a single vacuum, or a 2 in 1, or even 4 in 1 system

Whether it has ground level, and above ground level cleaning capabilities (like a lift off vacuum with an extendable hose for example)

Whether it’s corded or cordless

How long the cord is if it’s corded

What type of battery it has, how long it takes to charge, and how long it runs under the different cleaning modes. Does it come with a charger, battery, and charging dock?

How many cleaning modes it has, and what those cleaning modes are

What the controls are (buttons, or LCD screen), and where they are located on the vac (+ how they work)

How powerful the suction is (in comparison to other vacuums)

What type of motor it has (brushless?), it’s power, and it’s life time

What volume (in dB) does the vacuum run at

How big is the dust container, and how do you empty it

What type of brush or brush roll it has (and how easy it is to remove hair from the brush roll)

Whether it has rotating or swivel capabilities (both sideways, and up and down)

What the cleaning path is

Whether there are adjustable height settings, or whether the vacuum automatically adjusts it’s height

What filtration system it has

Whether the filters are washable

The allergen system it has

How much it weighs

What attachments and tools does it come with?

What is the warranty for and how long does it last. What are the conditions

What is the return policy and conditions

 

Note also that the different types of vacuums may have their own individual factors to consider apart from the above general ones.

For example, robotic vacuums may have additional factors to consider such as:

Whether it’s just a vacuum, or whether it’s a 2 in 1 vacuum and mop

What height of incline it can climb (for carpet and flooring surface edges)

How powerful the vacuum suction is 

Whether it is hand remote controlled, or smartphone app controlled

What sort of remote it has – standard, or advanced

What Wi-Fi Connectivity it has – 2.4 GHz only or 5 GHz as well

Whether it is Alexa voice compatible, or Google compatible

Whether is has touchscreen buttons

Whether the vac can be automatically scheduled

What sort of brush it has – single brush, double brush, pet bar beater brush

Whether it cleans a single room, or multiple rooms

What surfaces it is for – most robo vacs are for thin carpets and hard surfaces, but not thick/plush carpets

How many cleaning modes it has

What cleaning modes it has (auto, spot cleaning, turbo/max suction modes etc.)

Whether it has object, and cliff sensors

What sort of navigation system it has – laser navigation system, camera navigation system etc

Whether it has side brushes for walls and edges

What it’s clearance height is

What it’s cleaning speed is

Whether it automatically docks and charges

+ other factors

 

Robotic vacuum are automatic operating rechargeable battery vacuums.

They operate on a pre determined cleaning pattern with navigation, mapping and guidance systems, and are limited somewhat by their wheels and climbing inclines (like rug edges, stairs etc.).

Most robotic vacuums don’t handles thick or plush carpets well.

They are much better on thin carpet or hard surfaces.

Robotic vacuums are light cleaning vacuums.

They are mainly only for light/fine hair, low quantity hair amounts, and loose fur.

They aren’t for thick hair, high quantities of hair and deeply lodged hair.

Consider this in your purchasing decision.

An upright vac gives you more flexibility, power, control and range.

 

Always Check Warranty & Return Conditions Before You Buy Or Order

When ordering or purchasing any vacuum, you want to be aware of and be satisfied with the warranty and return conditions before you buy.

Get them in writing if possible. 

A few key things you’ll want to know are – which parts of the vacuum are under warranty and for how long, whether there is a full return policy and how long from date of purchase it is valid, and how shipping (and shipping costs) is managed.

A dedicated customer service line also helps (not just for warranty and return, but for any operation, set up or repair problems you might have with the vacuum).

The more money you spend on a vacuum, the more sure you want to be that your money is covered by both a good warranty and return policy.

 

Removing Pet Hair From Different Surfaces … Vacuums Alone Aren’t The Single Solution

We put together this guide on removing pet hair from different surfaces such as carpets, hard floors, clothes, furniture and home linen, washing machines, cars, and so on:

FAQ Guide – How To Remove Pet Hair From Different Surfaces

 

What we note is that vacuums alone often won’t help you completely remove or clean up pet hair (this is especially the case for less powerful or smaller vacuums like robotic vacuums and small handheld vacuums)

Reducing the amount of hair being dropped is an important step that will help – by regularly brushing your pet, or laying down covers and rugs that you don’t mind regularly brushing off and washing for example.

And, you may often need other tools and hair removal methods in addition to a vacuum to help you remove pet hair effectively (especially in thick carpets, or surfaces that absorb a lot of pet hair). 

 

Pet Hair, Different Dog Breeds & Shedding

There’s several general factors that can impact a dog’s coat – diet is one of those factors.

But, different dog breeds may also:

Have more or less, and thicker or thinner hair in total

Have a single or a double coat

Shed different amounts of hair throughout all months of the year

Shed different amounts of hair seasonally at the change of different seasons throughout the year (a dog that blows its coat usually does so twice a year)

 

One of the biggest factors that people can overlook when analyzing the amount and rate that different dogs shed at is genetics.

Even some dogs within the same breed may shed much more or less depending the on the genes they inherit.

 

Vacuums For The Home & Car

For the home, an upright or robotic vacuum might be more suitable.

For the car, something more portable that doesn’t need a power point might be more suitable – such as a cordless stick, or handheld vacuum.

 

Shedding Dogs, & Dogs With Long/Thick Hair

Heavy shedders might shed all year round, and also once or a few times a year seasonally when they blow their coat.

Although short hair dogs can shed and drop hair, it tends to be a problem particularly for dogs with thick and long hair, and dogs with double coats.

 

Vacuums For Jack Russell Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Jack Russell dog hair.

Jack Russells are a small sized dog breed, but can be moderate to high shedding breeds (depending on the individual dog).

 

Vacuums For Golden Retriever Dog Hair

A vacuum may be good for cleaning up Golden Retriever dog hair.

Golden Retrievers are moderate to heavy shedders.

They will drop hair year round, but may also drop hair more heavily seasonally at certain times of the year.

 

Vacuums For Labrador Dog Hair

A vacuum may be good for cleaning up Labrador dog hair.

Labs tend to shed moderately to heavily year round, but may also drop more hair seasonally when they moult.

 

Vacuums For Border Collie Dog Hair

A vacuum may be good for cleaning up Border Collie dog hair.

Border Collies typically are a double coat dog breed, that shed moderately to heavily year round.

 

Vacuums For Rottweiler Dog Hair

A vacuum may be good for cleaning up Rottweiler dog hair.

Rottweilers tend to have a short double coats., and some can shed a lot – especially seasonally when they shed the excess hair in their (double) coat.

 

Vacuums For Spaniel Dog Hair

A vacuum may be good for cleaning up Spaniel dog hair.

How much Cocker Spaniels and Springer Spaniels shed and drop their fur differs between individual dogs.

Some may shed moderately, whereas some may shed more heavily – especially seasonally.

 

Vacuums For Beagle Dog Hair

A vacuum may be good for cleaning up Beagle dog hair.

Beagles tend to have a short coat, and typically have a double coat as well.

Beagles are a lighter to moderate shedding dog breed year round compared to other breeds, but they will at least shed heavily twice a year on the change of certain seasons.

 

Vacuums For Chihuahua Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Chihuahua dog hair.

Chihuahuas come in different types – short and long hair, single and double coat, and so on.

Some Chihuahuas shed more than others, but most Chihuahuas will at least shed a little year round, and shed more heavily once or twice a year seasonally.

 

Vacuums For Pekingese Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Pekingese dog hair.

For a small breed, Pekingeses can be moderate to heavy shedders.

Those with a double coat will also shed more heavily once or twice a year at the change of seasons.

 

Vacuums For Boxer Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Boxer dog hair.

Boxers have a short coat, but, some can shed hair year round.

Almost all boxers shed seasonally once or twice a year, and will drop hair heavily at this time.

 

Vacuums For Husky Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Husky dog hair.

Huskies typically have a double coat, and are a moderate to heavy shedder.

They tend to shed year around, but also seasonally once or twice a year where they can heavily drop fur.

 

Vacuums For Belgian Malinois Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Belgian Malinois dog hair.

Belgian Malinois dogs tend to have a double coat, full of short to medium length hairs.

Belgian Malinois dogs will shed heavily at least twice a year at the change of specific seasons.

 

Vacuums For Belgian Shepherd Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Belgian Shepherd dog hair.

Belgian Shepherds tend to have a double coat, with a thicker outer coat, and finer under coat.

They shed year round, but also blow their coat once or twice a year as well.

 

Vacuums For American Eskimo Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up American Eskimo dog hair.

American Eskimo Dogs tend to have a fluffy and dense coat, and typically have a double coat as well.

Eskimo dogs tend to be one of the more heavy shedding dog breeds year round also.

 

Vacuums For Shiba Inu Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Shiba Inu dog hair.

Shiba Inus may shed mildly to moderately throughout the year.

But, they can shed much more heavily once or twice a year at the change of seasons.

 

Vacuums For Sheltie Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Sheltie dog hair.

Shelties can have a medium to long length fluffy coat.

Shelties tend to shed a lot throughout the year, and may drop a lot of hair at once when they blow their coat seasonally.

 

Vacuums For Leonberger Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Leonberger dog hair.

Leonbergers tend to have a golden, lush, medium to long, double coat.

They are moderate to high shedders year round, but will blow their coat once or twice a year very heavily at the change of specific seasons.

 

Vacuums For Finnish Lapphund Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Finnish Lapphund dog hair.

Finnish Lapphunds tend to have a double coat, and be moderate to heavy shedders.

They also usually shed their fur heavily once or twice a year seasonally.

 

Vacuums For Keeshond Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Keeshond dog hair.

Keeshonds typically have a thick fluffy, black and white/silver double coat. 

With their double coat, they also usually blow their coat once or twice a year seasonally.

 

Vacuums For Newfoundland Dog Hair

A vacuum may be suitable for cleaning up Newfoundland dog hair.

Newfoundlands are moderate to very heavy breeds.

They can shed daily, but also seasonally where they can drop a large amount of hair.

 

 

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