8 Best Vacuums for Pet Hair 2024, Tested by Cleaning Experts

best rated pet hair vacuum

Vacuums with “HEPA-like” filters are less expensive but often are only able to trap airborne particles as small as 0.5 microns, which makes a big difference when it comes to reducing debris like pet dander. Sealed vacuums that don’t allow any particles to escape from side vents or any other part of the vacuum are helpful for allergies, as are bagged vacuums that minimize the release of dust when emptying the dust cup. The circular vacuum glides around a space heading to its plugged-in companion docking station to self-empty all the pet hair and debris it scooped up while it recharges for the next programmable mission you send it on. On its initial voyage, the Roomba J7 maps out the territory detecting obstacles and communicating with you via the app whether the object in question is temporarily in the way to learn where it should and should not venture. For temporary obstacles, the robotic cleaner can be deployed for a touch-up run once the objects have been cleared. We put all of the best vacuums for pet hair in this guide through several tests.

Kenmore Floorcare Upright Bagged Vacuum

Our best overall canister vacuum pick is the Kenmore Pet-Friendly Pop-N-Go Bagged Canister Vacuum because it is extremely effective at removing pet hair from carpet and upholstery. Plus, it comes with a wide variety of attachments for different cleaning tasks, all of which can be stored on board. And for those who suffer from allergies, the HEPA filter and bagged design prevent allergens from releasing into the air when emptying. Most vacuums come with a few attachments and brush types to help you get a more effective clean. According to Homer, which one you need depends on the surface you're vacuuming. For carpets and upholstery, she recommends a rotating brush head to "brush out woven in hairs."

The Best Vacuum Cleaners

”My favorite attachments are the hair screw tool and crevice tool -- without these, I couldn’t reach those teeny tiny corners that my fur babies track mess into,” says Brown. She recommends cleaning and air-drying the vacuum’s pieces at least once a month, especially if you use it often. “I’ve had my vacuum for years and I think upkeep is part of the reason it continues to perform so well,” says Brown. This corded Dirt Devil model is one of the most affordable vacuums we recommend. The vacuum also comes with a built-in cleaning wand that has a 10-foot reach, allowing you to remove hair, dirt and dust from hard-to-reach or elevated spaces like the tops of door frames and under furniture.

9 Best Vacuums on Amazon 2024, Tested & Reviewed - Good Housekeeping

9 Best Vacuums on Amazon 2024, Tested & Reviewed.

Posted: Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

A Robot Vac That Delivers Supreme Hands-Free Cleaning

The potential downsides were that the suction is strong enough to tug on some materials (like cushions), and the vacuum did spill a bit when we inverted it. Very few robot vacuums dip below $150, and even fewer are worthy of our recommendation. If you’ve always wanted the satisfaction of watching a disc-shaped robot cruise over your floor and do your cleaning for you, but you didn’t want to break the bank to do it, then today is your day. Both Shark upright vacuums (and the Hoover Complete Performance Vacuum, too) have 25-foot power cords, so you can expect to cover the same area without having to unplug or switch outlets. Some of our other favorite features are still here, too, including swivel steering and a HEPA filter.

To determine the best cordless vacuums for pet hair, we evaluated the models based on value, effectiveness, maneuverability, ease of emptying, portability, noise level, and ease of setup. To test each vacuum’s ability to remove pet hair from different surfaces, we sprinkled four ounces of hair on both floor types, making sure to push some of the hairs into the carpet fibers. We used each vacuum to clean the pet hair and weighed the final amount of hair collected. For vacuums with upholstery attachments, we cleaned two ounces of pet hair from an upholstered dog bed and weighed the final amount collected.

best rated pet hair vacuum

Testing Process

It’s important to allow it to air out before transitioning back to cleaning hardwood or carpet messes in a dry state. It also features a 12-foot extendable hose, perfect for tackling stairs and reaching between cushions with ease, along with the eighteen-inch crevice tool attachment and pet multi-tool. If I could make any improvements to the overall design, I’d make it so the head had enough suction power to get the crevices by the wall.

The filter opens and closes with a magnet and is constructed so hair won’t get easily tangled. A powerful motor creates strong suction on hard floors, which we noticed worked as well when tackling small messes as it did on hair. The vacuum also notably features LED lights that provide visibility in dark corners and other areas where debris might hide. Three suction modes are meant to switch between hardwood and carpet easily, and the powerful motor won’t lose suction as the battery goes down.

Connecting to the iRobot app was easy, and we found the j7+ to learn our floor plan with little difficulty. It features smart mapping technology, so you can control and schedule which rooms are cleaned and when. What’s more, it also comes with object avoidance technology that steers it away from common clutter like cords, socks, and even pet accidents. It will even take pictures of objects in its path and allow you to mark them as permanent or temporary in the app, helping it to better learn your space. This versatile stick vacuum comes with many attachments that add to its functionality, including a hair screw tool that proved very effective at removing pet hair from furniture and dog beds. This cordless pet vacuum comes with a freestanding charging base that keeps the vacuum standing upright—and it doesn’t require any installation.

Vacuum Cleaners

The vacuum’s handle has a button to switch between designated cleaning modes for carpet and hard floors, and its brush head cleans itself so you don’t have to worry about hair getting tangled. The appliance also converts into a handheld vacuum with a long wand so you can reach above doors, under furniture and stairs. Kenmore’s canister vacuum has a two-motor system to provide extra powerful suction, according to the brand.

It features a 15-foot power cord and comes with a convenient pivoting stair and upholstery tool, making it effortless to remove pet hair from both horizontal and vertical surfaces. This battery-powered vacuum can run for up to 25 minutes per charge—one of the longest runtimes among handheld models—and its whole-machine filtration system captures 99.99% of microscopic particles like dust and pet dander. The vacuum comes with a wall docking station for easy charging, but like most Dyson vacuums, it is on the higher end of the price spectrum. However, it’s a worthwhile investment for multi-pet households that require regular touch-ups. Pet hair can be particularly pesky to try to suck up, but there are plenty of vacuums that are tough on fur.

Brands often market specific vacuums as designed to clean up pet hair, but you don’t have to limit yourself to those models if you prioritize the following expert-recommended factors while shopping. While it does have a cord, it extends up to 30 feet so it's unlikely to limit your cleaning ability. It also has LED headlights that make it easy to see into crevices and corners so you don't miss a spot.

With powerful suction, a cordless feature and a reasonable price from such an uncompromised brand, this car vacuum seems like a steal. That means you don't have to see, touch, or smell what your robot vacuum picks up. As much as you love your cats, their hair can get gross, so keeping it sealed always is a huge boon. “Look for one that specifically says it works with pets and pet hair,” Rapinchuk recommends.

A dedicated pet hair vacuum can help to make your home hypoallergenic and freshen up those animal odors. Rachel Klein is a Senior Commerce Editor for Popular Mechanics, where she writes about everything from garden hose reels and patio furniture to mesh wifi systems and robot vacuums. She started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and was a travel editor for more than a decade before she started testing and reviewing luggage, noise-cancelling headphones, and other travel-related products. Fast-forward another five years and her area of expertise includes home decor, appliances, tech, and outdoor adventure gear. In her spare time, you'll find her planning her next trip, reading historical fiction, and seeing as much art as she can squeeze into a weekend.

The motorized brush and crevice tool were especially useful for helping us spot clean. We found the Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal so easy and functional it almost got us excited about vacuuming. If that’s not enough to convince you it’s one of the best cordless vacuums for pet hair, allow us to highlight some standout features.

As I set out at the beginning, the nature of this handheld model means that it has limited in capacity. The maximum battery life is just 20 minutes, which is very short for properly cleaning a car. What's more, your back will ache much sooner than that, because stooping down to use this is pretty uncomfortable. We tested this across a range of floor types (hard wood, linoleum and carpet) on a range of debris (cereal, flour, and hair) and this excelled generally. The one place it struggled was picking up fine flour on a carpet, but we found that it was more than up to the job once we attached extra accessories.

The best cordless vacuums for pet hair have specific tools and features that help them get all that tough-to-spot hair. You’ll want a model that can tackle both fine hairs and larger clumps equally. The Bissell works great for cleaning couch cushions and the cat tree that gathers lots of pet hair and dander.

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