Best Vacuums for Pet Hair: The Ultimate Buying Guide

Pet owners who share a house with a cat or a dog almost always run into a common problem: pet hair. If you are in luck, their fur does not stick to your floors or furniture. But in most cases, those lovely but furry creatures often leave a mess behind.

Even though most vacuum manufacturers these days all offer pet hair removal as one of their products' features, not every model creates the same results as most of them do an average or poor job when it comes to pet hair.

In this situation, you need a vacuum specially designed for sucking up the inevitable pet fur.

But how can one do that? We're here today to help you with all the information you need about choosing the right product for this task. And as a suggestion, we also include three best pet hair vacuums you can find on the market right now.

Should You Buy A Vacuum Cleaner for Pet Hair?

If you have any pets, then a vacuum for pet hair is definitely an investment you should consider, no matter the type of furry friend you have. Although there are some breeds of dog and cat that may shed less compared to the others, they all lose fur or hair. This can add up eventually and become annoying.

Vacuum models on the market are typically not designed with a powerful suction to deal with a large amount of pet hair. You will never remove all of them if your friend leaves a high level of hair around your house.

If any of your family members have a problem with allergic conditions, a vacuum for pet hair is also essential, even though there may not be much pet hair on the floor.

Better safe than sorry.

There is a fact you need to know – pet hair isn't the primary cause of allergies. Instead, most allergies can be triggered by the “dander shed”, which comes from the microparticles on your pet's skin. This can mount up quickly around your house, leading to allergic symptoms.

Luckily for you, most manufacturers of good vacuum cleaners also add filters that can stop dander.

Important Features of a Vacuum for Pet Hair

There are various characteristics of a household vacuum. But to pick out a model that can make both you and your pet happy, you should think about these features:

Suction power

This is, of course, the most crucial part of any vacuum. And the best vacuum for cat hair is no exception. It indicates how powerful your vacuum is and whether it can deliver good cleaning results. All other factors below will become useless if your vacuum has a mediocre suction power.

To do its job, a vacuum for pet hair typically has a stronger suction power compared to a regular version. This extra power will come in handy when you need to pick up pet fur out of your upholstery and carpets.

The best way to know this is by looking at the cubic feet per minute (CFM) and air watts (AW) numbers. The former measures how much air the machine can pull in each minute while the AW points out the raw suction power it has.

If possible, try to find a model with both high CFM and AW values.

Size

These dimensions affect how well the vacuum can pick up a piece of pet hair from a specific area, but they do when it comes to how effectively you can maneuver the machine.

A vacuum of big size will limit your ability to clean areas under the furniture and also cause a lot of headache when you need to store it. To work around this, manufacturers will add a wand or hose so you can deal with those places.

And to no one's surprise, cordless handheld models, the smallest vacuums you can find, do the best job when you need to maneuver around your house easily.

So, you need to look around your room first and see what furniture you have and which areas your pet mostly leaves fur. After that, you can determine which areas you need to clean and whether you need a big or small vacuum.

Weight

Another obvious value to consider.

Upright models are usually heavy and bulky, which implies capability and power for some people. But for the others, this means they must carry around a big machine for a long time to get the job done.

This is because the manufacturers design them not to be lifted often, but to be pushed and pulled around when cleaning. Though they often come with swivel heads and wheels that are easy to maneuver, they are still not ideal for moving around much between different floors.

But to be fair, upright vacuum cleaners nowadays are now much lighter. You will notice this if you have used one in the past. But on the other hand, upright vacuums beat the best stick vacuums for pet hair in terms of cleaning path and suction power.

Whether the weight affects the usability also depends on the person.

Many customers don't mind a sturdy and bulky design at all since they can handle it pretty well. But for some people, it may become a big issue. Many have no problem with picking up the vacuum when they clean carpeted stairs, but others may prefer a model that has an attached tool so that they don't need to lift the vacuum itself.

The recommended method is to try out as many different configurations as possible to find the one you're most comfortable with.

Design

For upright vacuums, the most important part is its cleaning head. To pick up pet hair effectively from carpets, it should have a spinning brush roll. This also improves the cleaning results of other types of debris.

If your house has hardwood floors, find a model that comes with adjustable speed, whether it's automatic or you need to change the speed manually. This will ensure that the vacuum will not damage your hard floors, especially when the brush roll is running at high speed.

Height adjustment is also important.

If you can change the height according to the type of surface you're cleaning, the results will improve tremendously. This is because the brush can now engage the surface in a better way to enable thorough cleaning without scratching or damaging your floors.

The bristles should also have the ability to tackle many types of debris, dust, and dirt, especially pet hair. You can easily notice this feature in the product's description. The safest way is to find a brush roll that is tangle-free. With that special feature, the pet hair won't prevent the brush from spinning by tangling around it.

On modern vacuum cleaners, there are many kinds of tools and attachments besides the above primary features. But for the purpose of cleaning pet hair from various types of floors in your house, you should opt for tools specifically designed for it.

First of all, you need basic tools to extend the machine's capabilities and enable you to clean different types of surfaces, such as the dusting brush or a crevice tool.

If you find that the pet hair is primarily on your furniture, you should find a model with an upholstery tool on the best vacuums for dog hair. The motorized brush rolls often provide the best results as they can lift pet hair, dander, and dust from upholstery fabrics.

Attachments and Tools for Pets

Bags and Filters

Picking up pet hair and other debris means little if it introduces other problems, especially making your air quality worse.

Traditionally vacuum cleaners have been mostly bagged. But recently, there have been more and more bagless models with washable debris containers. Combining with improved filtration systems, they can provide the best air quality for your house.

One of the most advanced filtering methods is cyclonic technology, which can bring an effective method to remove dirt from the air. It has a cyclonic system to clean the air before it goes through the filter. As a result, your filter won't get clogged, extending its lifetime.

You should also consider the materials of the filters, for example, whether they are washable. They can save you a lot of money in the long term since there is no need to replace the filters often anymore.

One of the most desired features in high-quality vacuum cleaners is the HEPA filtration system, especially for people with allergic conditions. It can prevent most allergens from staying in your room. But to push its capability further, you should pick a sealed HEPA system to trap the air before it goes through the filter

➜ Related Article: Best Robot Vacuums: We Name The Most Effective Cleaners

Type of Vacuums

There are various types of vacuum cleaners. Each of them can help you, depending on how you want to use it.

If your house has big floor areas that need to be cleaned regularly, buy an upright model. But if you want a stronger machine with higher maneuverability, choose a canister vacuum because of its longer hose. With it, you can clean the furniture and floors easily.

For other small spots and the upholstery, handheld models are an ideal choice. Most of them are cordless, suitable for car cleaning too. They are also a great solution if you worry about power cords while cleaning your house. With a full charge on the best cordless vacuums for pet hair, you may have up to 40 or 60 minutes of running time, enough for most households.

Top 3 Best Vacuums for Pet Hair

1. Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet (NV752)

2. Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal

This Dyson vacuum has one of the strongest suction powers on the market. Combining that and the special Cyclone technology, which produces strong circular air streams, you can have the best cleaning results when it comes to pet hair.

Another feature that makes it the best vacuum for pet hair is the self-adjusting cleaning head. As the name suggests, it can automatically adjust the height to maintain close contact with the floors and carpets, allowing the air movement to do its job effectively without leaking.

The tangle-free turbine is a special feature of the Cinetic Big Ball Animal. Its heads can rotate in many directions instead of just one to pick up most of the scattered hair on the surfaces. With this, you can pick up pet hair from chairs, couches, beds, and even clothing.

With the unique Big Ball technology, you can maneuver the vacuum around tight spaces easily with its round base.

In addition, the HEPA filters, which can last for a long time, can capture pollen and allergens before discharging the air. And the vacuum itself is also allergy and asthma friendly by AAFA, making it a perfect choice for those with allergic conditions.

Pros

Consistent suction power
Good fine debris performance
Powerful brush roll motor
Good bare floors and carpets cleaning results
Fully sealed HEPA filtration system for better air quality
Long warranty period (5 years)

Cons

Expensive
Heavy
May be loud in operation

3. Bissell Cleanview Swivel Rewind Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum

Another upright vacuum, this time from Bissell, is one of the most well-known brands on the market.

Though not having produced vacuums for a long time like other competitors, Bissell has so many quality products that receive excellent feedback from satisfied customers. And to help pet owners with their problems, Bissell has introduced a dedicated product for them, the Cleanview Swivel Rewind Pet vacuum cleaner.

This Cleanview vacuum is simple to use yet able to yield incredible cleaning results. It can lend you a hand in dealing with hair removal from your furry pets.

With the Triple Action Brushroll, it can remove, lift, and loosen the pet hair and other imprinted dirt. Using this sturdy brush roll, the Cleanview Rewind Pet can apply the strength and suction needed to remove even the most persistent, large or small, debris from your floors.

The cleaning head, which Bissell has integrated the Scatter-Free and edge-to-edge cleaning technology, can make sure that the vacuum will not damage your floors while cleaning them.

Pet hair will not block the suction and clog your machine thanks to the Multi-Cyclonic suction system, while the multi-level filtration system can make sure that all dirty particles stay inside your machine and do not get into your rooms.

We all know that you hate nasty odors your pets usually leave in your house. And Bissell has a solution for this.

The Cleanview vacuum has a two-stage filtration system, the first one made from foam and the latter being a carbon filter. Working together in a well-designed system, they can eliminate those annoying smells.

You don't need to worry about the maintenance of those filters, either. Normally washing them with warm water is enough, but you can use detergents as well.

Pros

Easy to maneuver
Good cleaning results on most surfaces
Automatic rewind power cord
Wide cleaning path
More covered area with edge-to-edge cleaning feature
Motorized brush and corner tool included for pet hair removal
Removes nasty pet smells
Washable filters

Cons

HEPA filter not available
Small dirt cup

Conclusion

Vacuums for pet hair operate on the same mechanisms as other products. But they also need some special features to make the job more effectively for you.

The best products above all have a good suction power to get rid of stubborn pet hair from your floors, carpets, and furniture, making them not only the best vacuum cleaners for dogs but also for other types of pets as well.

The filtration systems of these vacuums also can contain pet hair, preventing it from getting out. More advanced vacuum cleaners even have HEPA filters or the anti-smell feature to make your life as a pet owner as pleasant as possible.