We love our pets, but taking care of them is often a lot of work. This is particularly true during their shedding season, which usually happens around the springtime. They leave a trail of fur wherever they go, and cleaning all that hair up may be tedious without the right tool.
In this definitive guide, you’ll find the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair and a few other recommended products. You’ll also learn how to choose the right vacuum cleaner and accessories for the kind and number of pets that you have in the house. But, before any of that, here are some important features that you need to consider when choosing a vacuum cleaner.
Table of Contents
- 1 Best Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair Comparison Chart
- 2 Important Features To Consider
- 2.1 What Do You Need The Vacuum Cleaner For?
- 2.2 What Size Should You Go For?
- 2.3 Should Your Vacuum Cleaner Have A Cord Or Not?
- 2.4 Is Suction Power Important?
- 2.5 Should You Go With A Bag Or A Cup?
- 2.6 What Is The Ideal Capacity Of The Best Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair?
- 2.7 Why Do I Need To Consider Filtration?
- 2.8 Is A Lighter Vacuum Cleaner Less Efficient, And Vice Versa?
- 2.9 How Much Is The Best Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair?
- 3 Best Vacuum Cleaner for Pet Hair: Top 5 Picks
- 4 Must-Have Accessories for the Best Vacuum for Pet Hair
Best Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair Comparison Chart
Image | Model | Feature | Price | Our Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Dyson DC65 Animal Upright Vacuum | Radial Root Cylone Technology | $$$$ | ![]() |
![]() | Dyson V6 Absolute Cord-free Vacuum | Cord-Free | HEPA Filters | Extra Tools | $$$$ | ![]() |
![]() | Shark Rocket TruePet Ultra-Light Upright | Extensive Accessories | LED Headlights | TruePet Motorized Brush | $$ | ![]() |
![]() | Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional | Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology + HEPA | $$ | ![]() |
![]() | SEBO Onyx Upright Vacuum | Flat-to-the-floor 6-inch profile | $$$$$$$ | ![]() |
Important Features To Consider
Finding the right vacuum cleaner is often confusing. You want to invest your money on a tool that 1) will do the job properly, and 2) is sturdy enough to stand the test of time. However, are you even sure that you know exactly what you’re looking for? Before you start browsing for vacuum cleaner brands, you might want to consider these ten important features that we have listed for you. These guidelines will help you determine the right vacuum cleaner for your needs.
What Do You Need The Vacuum Cleaner For?
The first thing you have to ask yourself is: What do you need the vacuum cleaner for? It’s hard to determine what the right tool is for you if you don’t have a clear purpose for it.
Are you using it as an everyday cleaning tool? Also, where are you cleaning? Do you intend on using it inside the house, outside the house, or both? Do you have a big or small space? What type of surfaces are you planning to clean with it? Does the area accumulate a lot of dirt or just a little?
Different vacuum cleaners come with different settings, attachments and accessories that really focus on a certain type of usage. While some may clean up pet hair from hardwood floors better, others may work well on rugs and furniture.
The amount of work that you intend to use the vacuum cleaner for also matters. If you have a lot of pets, you’ll want to choose a sturdy heavy-duty vacuum cleaner instead of a handheld one.
What Size Should You Go For?
Speaking of handhelds, you should also consider the size of the model when choosing the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair. Having said this, the difference between an upright model and a handheld model comes down to two things: strength and portability.
A full-sized upright model of a vacuum cleaner comes with a wider range of settings than its handheld counterpart. In addition, it also has more power, meaning its suction is usually better than the handheld kind.
Meanwhile, a handheld model is the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair if you’re more concerned about portability. If you have a huge house, it will be easier to use a handheld vacuum cleaner when cleaning between different rooms. Storage is also not an issue. Handheld vacuum cleaners can be easily stored under big pieces of furniture, such as the bed or the couch.
Basically, the trade-off is between suction power and mobility. You can’t have the best from both worlds, so you have to choose which of the two is more important to you.
Should Your Vacuum Cleaner Have A Cord Or Not?
Unless your dogs and cats stay in bed all day, their fur are often found all throughout the house. Therefore, the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair must be mobile. It doesn’t necessarily have to be handheld; after all, there are upright vacuum cleaners that are also portable around the house. For example, there are cordless vacuum cleaners.
Cordless vacuum cleaners are more suitable for hard-to-reach areas.
Cordless vacuum cleaners utilize rechargeable batteries for their power. They work just like a regular upright vacuum cleaner, but you don’t have to worry about the length of the cord anymore. You can easily vacuum pet hair all throughout the house without plugging and unplugging it every time you move to the next room.
Using a cordless vacuum cleaner also adds convenience. It eliminates the possibility of tripping over the electrical cord, or having it in knots, or rolling over it with the device.
When buying a cordless vacuum cleaner, make sure to choose one that has a long battery life. You don’t want to spend hours charging the device, only to be able to use it in less than 20 minutes or so.
Cordless vacuum cleaners are a good middle ground between handheld and upright vacuum cleaners. However, they tend to lose suction power as the battery goes down, so you should also consider this when choosing a brand.
Is Suction Power Important?
Suction power is very important when it comes to vacuum cleaners. Not only does it ensure that you pick up your pet’s hair from the floor and other surfaces in your house; it also allows the hair to travel without problem through the nozzle and into the bag.
Therefore, when choosing the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair, you should look for a model that has great suction power. During this process, you don’t have to worry about energy consumption. Unlike what most people believe, suction power does not entirely rely on how much energy the device uses. Usually, it’s a combination of the type of nozzle and materials that were used to create the product.
Should You Go With A Bag Or A Cup?
Upright vacuum cleaners can either have a bag or a cup that collects and stores pet hair as you clean up. Canister vacuum cleaners are more convenient because you don’t have to replace it, unlike bags that need frequent disposal and renewal.
However, if someone in your home has allergies to animal hair, you might want to consider using a bagged vacuum cleaner. The bag keeps the hair inside more securely, and disposing of the collected hair does not require you to transfer it to another trash bag. Hence, anyone—even those who have allergies—can vacuum without worries around your house.
What Is The Ideal Capacity Of The Best Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair?
The answer to this question depends on how much cleaning you need to do. If you have a small pet that doesn’t shed often, you can get a small handheld canister device and that will do the job. However, if have you an entire pack of dogs or litter of cats to clean after, then you’ll definitely need a big upright device. You should also consider the size of your space. A bigger space needs a vacuum cleaner that has a larger capacity.
Why Do I Need To Consider Filtration?
If your household has a member that has pet-related allergies, you need to consider a vacuum cleaner’s filtration system to keep the air in your house pure and free from allergens.
The filtration system is important because it helps vacuum smaller impurities from the air, like your pet’s dead skin cells or dander. Asthma organizations recommend vacuum cleaners that have high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter system, which forces the air through a fine mesh and traps the impurities inside the bag or canister.
Is A Lighter Vacuum Cleaner Less Efficient, And Vice Versa?
The efficiency of the unit doesn’t necessarily depend on the weight of it. Again, the issue of efficiency rests on the amount of work that you intend your vacuum cleaner for. Obviously, smaller vacuum cleaners will clean smaller spaces and fewer pet hair, and at the same time weigh less. Meanwhile, bigger vacuum cleaners will clean bigger spaces and more pet hair, and at the same time weigh more.
How Much Is The Best Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair?
In an ideal world, the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair will be cheap. However, most quality vacuum cleaners cost a pretty penny.
Mainly because they provide the right quality of service for the price that they are asking for. In this definitive guide, you’ll find vacuum cleaners that range from around $200 and up. They are not cheap, but not too expensive either and their amazing features make them a great investment.
Best Vacuum Cleaner for Pet Hair: Top 5 Picks
There are a lot vacuum cleaners sold online and in stores, but not all of them can clean up your pet’s hair efficiently and effectively. Out of all the brands and models out there, it might be hard to find the one that suits your needs the best.
To help you out, we’ve narrowed down our top five favorites on the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair in the market: the Sebo Felix Premium, the Shark Navigator Vacuum, the Shark Rocket Deluxe Pro TruePet, the Dyson V6 Absolute, and the Dyson DC65 Animal Complete. Read below for their features and specs.
Dyson DC65 Animal Complete
Finally, the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair is the Dyson DC65 Animal Complete vacuum cleaner. It has a Radial Root Cyclone that, when paired with its reconfigured brush, will give your carpet and rugs the deep cleaning that they need.
Moreover, it has a self-adjusting cleaner head that adapts to different types of surfaces. You won’t have to change the setting manually anymore. With the Dyson DC65 Animal Complete vacuum cleaner, you can clean your pet’s hair without any interruptions.
In addition, the Dyson technology behind this product is engineered specifically for pet hair pick-up. It includes different tools and attachments that not only cleans your floor of pet hair but also penetrates the surface to remove any hard-to-reach dirt particles.
If you purchase the Dyson DC65 Animal Complete vacuum cleaner, you’ll get a stair tool, a soft-dusting brush, a tangle-free turbine tool, a multi-angle brush and a stiff bristle brush with the equipment. These accessories alone are enough to set the Dyson DC65 Animal Complete vacuum cleaner apart from its competitors.
Dyson V6 Absolute
The Dyson V6 Absolute vacuum cleaner is a cordless model that is priced mid-range (based on the other products on this list). Being the lightest vacuum cleaner on this list, this particular model is highly portable and maneuverable.
At only five pounds and without a cord to worry about, you can easily carry it up the stairs and around the house. Its sleek and easy-grip handle also allows you to clean high surfaces that you don’t usually reach, like vents and ceiling fans.
Moreover, this cordless vacuum cleaner has the HEPA filter system that was mentioned earlier. It traps allergens and impurities that can cause asthma and allergies to some people. With this feature and its amazing suction power (that remains stable for up to 20 minutes), the Dyson V6 Absolute will make the air in your house clean and pure.
Watch the video below and see how it handles mischievous pets!
Shark Rocket Deluxe Pro TruePet
One of the lightest amongst our top picks at only about 8 pounds, the Shark Rocket Deluxe Pro TruPet will clean all types of surfaces—from bare hardwood floors to heavy carpets and rugs.
It’s a full-sized upright vacuum cleaner that can be transformed to a handheld vacuum cleaner just by detaching the rod that attaches the nozzle to the main body of the product. Because of this feature, cleaning your furniture, stairs and other higher surfaces will be a lot easier. You can use its rolling brush attachment to gather hair, or stay with the regular brush that vacuums the floor well.
It was mentioned earlier that most handheld and upright devices are trading off portability and functionality. You can’t have the best of one with the best of the other; there’s always a sacrifice to be made when choosing a vacuum cleaner.
However, the Shark Rocket Deluxe Pro TruePet is able to combine exactly the best from these two aspects. Its highly portable without sacrificing its suction power. Even when you use it as a handheld device, it will maintain amazing suction capability to ensure the cleanliness of your house.
The Shark Navigator Vacuum is one of the cheapest models that you will find in this guide. However, don’t mistake its affordability with ineffectiveness. This upright vacuum cleaner has suction power that doesn’t waiver and, when partnered with its Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology, is able to trap 99.99% of allergens around the house.
The Shark Navigator Vacuum also comes with different attachments that will allow you to clean different types of surfaces. You can use its standard brush attachment for rugs and carpets and its gentle brush for hardwood floors. In addition, it has a pet power brush, a dusting brush, and a crevice tool that lets you clean even the tiniest of spaces within your house.
The Shark Navigator Vacuum is only fourteen pounds. You can carry it easily around the house. Moreover, its huge canister will let you clean for hours without having to stop. You don’t have to empty it every so often, which adds to the efficiency of this product.
Sebo Felix Premium
The Sebo Felix Premium vacuum cleaner is the most expensive model in this guide, but it also comes with a wide range of features. For one, it has an instant-use suction hose that allows you to clean the tightest corners and crevices in your home. It also has a three-level adjustable handle that will suit users of any height and make storage a lot easier. Maneuverability will not be an issue with the Sebo Felix Premium as well. It only weighs twenty-one pounds and has a 180°-turning swivel neck that allows you to cover more areas as you vacuum along.
Overall, the Sebo Felix Premium is a great investment for you and one of the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair. If you have a lot of cleaning to do, this vacuum cleaner will have no problem keeping up. The three removable attachments will let you customize the vacuum cleaner based on your needs. Aside from its functionality, its sleek and modern design also adds to the appeal of the product. The black and metallic hues of this vacuum cleaner will put more style into your house cleaning routine.
Must-Have Accessories for the Best Vacuum for Pet Hair
Our top five favorite vacuum cleaners will definitely deliver results beyond your wildest expectations. But, if you want to elevate your experience even further, here are some must-have accessories that will make your house cleaning routine even more convenient and hassle-free.
Adjustable Wands
Adjustable wands allow you to extend the height of the handle of your vacuum cleaner so you can clean spaces under big pieces of furniture—those corners and slivers that are hard to reach with the average vacuum cleaner wand.
Extension Hoses
You need extension hoses if your vacuum cleaner comes with a cord. This allows you to clean your house without having to plug and unplug every time you move to another room; therefore, your cleaning time will be a lot shorter and also uninterrupted. Extension hoses are good for places with big square footage.
Car Accessory Kit
You may bring your pets with you in the car when you travel, and they may be leaving dander and hair all over your vehicle as well. To clean any pet-related debris from your vehicle, you need a car accessory kit. This kit must include flexible attachments that will allow you to clean between the crevices of and underneath your seats.
Pet Accessory Kit
Lastly, a pet accessory kit will turn your normal vacuum cleaner to a pet hair vacuum cleaner. If you have an existing unit that you want to upgrade, this must-have accessory is for you.
A quality pet accessory kit will come with attachments that are made specifically for pet hair pick-up. You may find a rolling brush attachment in a pet accessory kit, which you can use when cleaning upholstered furniture, rugs and carpets, or a nozzle adapter that will help you clean hard-to-reach areas where your pets may like to hide from time to time.