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Article Overview
Pet Vacuums vs Regular Vacuums
Why is a pet vacuum better than a regular vacuum? Pet hair vacuums boast enhanced features that make them more capable of handling a higher volume of hair and dander.
Three things that make them more suited for handling your household are:
- Enhanced suction.
- Tailored tools and accessories.
- High-performing filtration systems.
Best Vacuums For Pet Hair
Just like regular vacuums, there are different sizes, styles, and performing powers for pet hair picker-uppers. The style you choose will depend on the size of your living space, how much hair and dander you’re dealing with, and what you’re willing and able to pay.
We’ve broken down our best pics by vacuum type to help you narrow down your choices.
Canister | Stick | Upright| Robotic |Handheld
Best Canister Vacuum: Eureka 3684F Mighty Mite Review
The Eureka 3684F canister vacuum has a powerful brush roll to help deep clean your carpets and get every strand of pet hair. A set of tools is also provided for places like stairs and upholstery. This reasonably priced vacuum is great for cleaning your home and a deep clean inside of your car.
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Price & Specs
$108.69
- Weight: 9 lbs
- Cord length: 20 ft
- Size: 9″ x 17-1/2″ x 11-1/3″
Canister Honorable Mention: Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Plus Allergy
This Dyson vacuum not only helps with pet hair but is also great for those of you with allergies. It has a strong suction, and there is no filter to wash or replace. It has many adjustments to get pet hair out of corners and other difficult to reach places. The downside? The price is pretty hefty.
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Price & Specs
$659.00
- Weight: 19.2 lbs
- Cord length: 35 ft
- Size: 43.3″ x 13.4″ x 17.2″
Best Stick Vacuum: Bissell 1954 Bolt Lithium Ion Pet Review
This vacuum does a great job of sucking things up that normally you can only get with a broom and dustpan. And, like other stick vacs, this little guy is a grab and go convenient picker upper.
The vacuum includes attachments and even separates into a hand-vac option. The structure bends in the middle to make it easy to vacuum in between tables and chairs. It also has a two-way folding handle for compact storage.
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Price & Specs
$149.99
- Weight: 5.8 lbs
- Size: 6″ x 10″ x 44″
Stick Honorable Mention: Electrolux Ergorapido Lithium Ion Stick Vacuum
The Electrolux Ergorapido Lithium Ion is another one of the top vacuums for pet hair. This sleek, slim vac is both an upright and a hand-held, depending on how you choose to use it.
Also, it packs quite a punch for its size and is cordless so you can use it anywhere. Overall, this stick model is a steal for the price and performance. Just be prepared to replace the batteries sooner rather than later.
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Price & Specs
Check on Amazon
- Weight: 8.8 lbs
- Size: 10″ x 5.5″ x 4.3″
Best Upright Vacuum: Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 Review
For a vacuum that delivers on both price and performance, you can’t go wrong with the Shark Navigator Lift-Away. This upright is actually not designed as a pet-specific vacuum, yet its features put it right up there with some of the best for the hairiest jobs as well as the “normal” messes.
Portable, lightweight, and affordable, this vac is a serious contender for your pet-cleaning needs. The biggest complaints with this machine are mainly construction-based; when it comes to the Shark Rotator’s performance, however, the results are unquestionable.
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Price & Specs
$129.00
- Weight: 12.5 lbs
- Cord length: 25 ft
- Size: 15″ x 11.4″ x 45.5″
Best Robotic Vacuum: bObsweep PetHair Robotic Vacuum Cleaner and Mop Review
Looking for a robotic way to clean up unwanted pet hair? The bobsweet PetHair Robotic Vacuum is a sweeper and mop in one. In addition to sucking up debris and hair, it will also wipe paw prints and slobber from the floor.
It works on all floor types and comes with a 1-liter dustbin (which is relatively small compared to traditional vacuums but large for a robotic cleaner). You can even set it on a schedule to auto clean while you’re away — a bonus if your dog barks or plays with it.
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Price & Specs
Check on Amazon
- Weight: 7.7 lbs
- Size: 13.8″ x 13.8″ x 3.9″
Best Handheld: Black+Decker Lithium Pet Hand Vacuum Review
Need a quick and easy way to vacuum all the hair off your furniture or your car seats? The Black+Decker HLVA325JP07 Lithium Pet Hand Vac is a fantastic solution. Unlike other hand vacs, this model packs a surprisingly strong suction.
It comes with a pull-out crevice tool for hard to reach areas and a push-in brush for dusting and cleaning upholstery. It also includes a wall mount charger for space-saving storage.
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Price & Specs
$59.99
- Weight: 3 lbs
- Size: 15.88″ x 5.75″ x 7.5″
Bag vs Bagless Vacs
No matter which type you go with, with each of these vacuums you need to consider whether you want a vacuum that requires a bag, or one that is bagless. While bag vacs contain the dirt, hair, and dander more efficiently, they also add an increased expense and aggravation to the cleaning process. A few pros of most bagless vacuums include:
- Saving money: With bagless options there are no bags to buy.
- Eco-friendly: Bagless vacs are easier on the environment as they don’t put another unnecessary bag in the landfill.
- Easy to empty: Today’s canisters are so easy to empty that you won’t even miss the bag.
- Transparency: You’ll know when your vacuum isn’t doing its job because you can see what it’s picking up (or not capturing at all).
Need Some Vacuuming Tips?
Did you know there’s a proper way to vacuum? Watch this video to learn how to get your floors even cleaner, especially if you pair these tips with a pet hair cleaning machine like those we recommend above.
Need A Good Grooming Brush?
Regular grooming is another fantastic way to control pet hair around your house. Read our review about the Best Dog Shedding Brushes that can help you keep those troublesome tumbleweeds at bay.
What tips do you have for keeping your home fur free?
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Hoping to avoid the $1100 Miele. Anyone out there vacuum 2+” pet hair for a few years without failure?
1) Suction is strong
2) Canister looks bigger than you should use – dirt starts going into the area it should not be in.
3) The “sponge” filter does get dirty rather quickly. I have not found them in stores I can conveniently access so I usually clean them and found that I have to vacuum the filter after every vacuuming session … or risk literally smelling the outgoing air from there. I am not too happy about this – never had this problem with “bagged” vacuums I had before… starting to wonder whether there is any advantage to bagless considering the effort and energy going into maintaining the filters.
4) In a few years I had this the short hose connecting the bottom brush part to the main body of the vacuum literally broke TWICE. It can’t keep up with normal and to-be-expected twisting as it should. We vacuum about once a week, sometimes more…
Wondering if anyone could bring some light into whether Dyson would be any better in this respect…
I always tell people there are three categories that one needs to consider in order to reduce shedding:
1. Food – A proper diet will make a world of difference
2. Supplements – Proper supplements (which can be taken care of with a healthy diet) such as oils and fatty acids will improve the coat and reduce shedding.
3. Mechanical – This is most important during spring and fall, but brushes (like Furminators) and vacuums will help reduce the amount of hair during shedding seasons.
Great article Sara!