You love your furry friend, but not a furry carpet.
Pets add joy to our lives, but also a lot of extra cleaning.
Most dogs and cats shed, and it ends up on your floors and furniture. Static makes it hard to get rid of pet hair, because it clings to everything.
If you want to get rid of pet hair for good, you’ll need the right vacuum. A pet vacuum cleaner will not only pick up loose fur, but also help reduce allergens.
Here, we’ve narrowed down the seven best vacuums to help you say goodbye to hair. The only furry thing left in your house will be your pet!
Our Top Picks
The HouseWire earns a commission through the following independently chosen links at no additional cost to you.| Best Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Best Overall Dyson Ball Animal 2 |
| ||
 | Best Handheld BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser |
| ||
 | Best Cordless Shark SV1106 |
| ||
 | Best Robot iRobot Roomba E5 |
| ||
 | Best for Small Spaces BLACK+DECKER |
| ||
 | Best for Stains Bissell ProHeat 2X |
| ||
 | Best for Floors Hoover MAXLife Pet |
|
Reviews
Dyson is a brand known for reliability, and this Animal Ball 2 is a go-to for pet owners.
It holds quite a few advantages over your standard vacuum. The extremely strong suction is not only excellent for picking up pet hair. It can also reach dirt and dander deeply embedded in your carpets.
The dust bin is an oversized 3.15 fluid ounces. That’s large enough that you won’t ever have to empty it in the middle of vacuuming.
If you have allergies, this Dyson Ball animal vacuum boasts whole-machine filtration. That means allergens like pet dander are trapped inside the machine, and won’t blow back into the air.cleaner.
What We Like
Long Reaching Vacuum Hose
An upright vacuum is great for easy maneuverability, but a hose lets you reach even the toughest spots. This vacuum conveniently has both. The instant-release hose and wand help clean under sofas and other tricky spots with ease.
Easy to Empty Dust Bin
Nothing is worse than sucking up all that dirt, only to have a mess when you empty the bin. The dust bin on this Dyson pulls out and is released with the push of a button. No spills, no sneezing.
Self Adjusts for Different Surfaces
The smart vacuum cleaner head adjusts depending on the type of surface you’re cleaning. This helps seal in the suction and truly deep-clean your floors.
What We Don’t Like
Suction Sometimes Too Strong
It’s hard to believe but some reviewers actually found the suction was too strong at times. Strong suction makes a vacuum hard to push around. Shag or high pile carpet would not be an option for this Dyson.
Technical Specs
| Type | upright |
| Weight | 17.35 pounds |
| Included Accessories | tangle-free turbine tool, stair tool, combination tool |
| Bin Volume | 3.15 fluid ounces |
| Floor Surfaces | hard floors, carpet |
| Usage | floors, upholstery |
This Bissell Pet Hair Eraser proves that sometimes great things do come in small packages. Handheld and cordless means this vacuum goes wherever the mess is.
The small size is perfect for vacuuming pet hair from upholstery and carpeted stairs. A generous sized dust bin keeps you going until the job is done.
Three different attachments cover all your home’s surfaces, from carpet to hardwood to upholstery. Since this is specifically a vacuum for pet hair these attachments are designed with the intention of removing pet hair.
What We Like
Battery Lasts 17 Minutes
Thanks to the 14v lithium ion battery, this cordless vacuum holds a charge for up to 17 minutes. That’s enough battery life to clean your entire sofa, or for daily spot cleaning around the house.
Motorized Brush Cleans Carpet
Reviewers love the motorized brush attachment for picking up stubborn cat and dog hair. The rotating brush lifts hair from upholstery and lets the vacuum suck it up. It can even pick up cat litter.
Triple Filtration for Allergens
Pet hair is unsightly, but what actually causes allergic reactions is breathing in pet dander. The triple filtration system in this vacuum for pet hair traps dander and keeps it from entering the air in your house.
What We Don’t Like
Takes Long to Charge
Even though the lithium battery lasts long, it takes a while to charge up after cleaning. This little vacuum is best for short jobs, not a full house clean.
Technical Specs
| Type | handheld |
| Weight | 3 pounds |
| Included Accessories | crevice tool, upholstery brush, motorized brush |
| Bin Volume | 0.7 liters |
| Floor Surfaces | NA |
| Usage | upholstery |
It’s not common to find an upright vacuum that is also cordless and rechargeable. This Shark Navigator gives you the power of an upright vacuum that you can take anywhere.
The spinning brush is designed to pick up pet hair from carpets, as well as hard floors. Unlike many upright vacuums, it can lay flat to reach under your sofas and chairs.
The charging station also doubles as a stand for your vacuum and fully charges in only four hours.
Read Next: Best Cordless Vacuums for Pet Hair in 2023
What We Like
Advanced Swivel Steering
The advanced swivel steering on this vacuum for pet hair lets you have full control. You won’t miss any spots going around furniture.
Extra Large Dust Cup
This Shark cordless stick vacuum boasts an “XL” dust cup with a capacity of 0.64 quarts. Perfect for collecting stubborn pet hair along with all the other dirt that makes its way into your home.
Lightweight
Most upright vacuums are well over 10 pounds, but this model (recommended in our list of Shark Pet Vacuums) is only 7.5 pounds. This makes it easier to clean all your floors without getting tired.
What We Don’t Like
Doesn’t Come With Attachments
This vacuum does a great job cleaning pet hair, but be aware that it doesn’t come with attachments. This means you’ll need another tool to reach the fur on your upholstery, or in crevices.
Technical Specs
| Type | upright |
| Weight | 7.5 pounds |
| Included Accessories | charging base |
| Bin Volume | 0.64 quarts |
| Floor Surfaces | hard flooring, carpet |
| Usage | floors |
Life with dogs and cats means accepting that they will shed constantly. Not everyone has time to vacuum everyday, making robot vacuums perfect for homes with pets!
This Roomba operates from the sound of your voice, or through the app. You can schedule daily cleaning from anywhere to keep on top of pet hair and dander. It works on carpet and hard surfaces, so you can be sure your whole house gets cleaned.
Compared to other Roomba models, this pet-focused design provides 5x more suction power. This powerful suction can reach dander, mud, and hair from deep within your carpets for a better overall clean.
What We Like
Rubber Brushes Attract Hair
The rubber brushes are designed to attract pet fur and pull it from your carpets. Since there are no fine fibers, pet hair doesn’t get tangled in any bristles.
High Efficiency Filter Traps Pet Dander
The high-efficiency filter traps 99% of pet dander allergens in your vacuum. Dander is one of the top allergens, so households with pets need a vacuum with a good filter.
Senses High Traffic Areas
The Roomba E5 has sensors that track where high traffic areas are in your home. It knows to clean these areas more thoroughly every time. It even tracks when your pet is shedding or when there’s a high pollen count, and offers extra cleaning!
What We Don’t Like
Cannot Reach Tight Spaces
Because of its round design, the Roomba cannot reach small spaces or floor edges. You may need a vacuum with a pet hair corner tool to reach edges where pet hair gathers.
Technical Specs
| Type | robot vacuum |
| Weight | 7.23 pounds |
| Included Accessories | charging station |
| Bin Volume | 0.5 liters |
| Floor Surfaces | hard flooring, carpet |
| Usage | floors |
Your floors are one story, but what about the pet hair that gathers on your sofas? Or on pet beds? This handheld vacuum for pet hair is designed to keep your cushions fur free on the daily.
With three different attachments, you can clean fabric surfaces, in between the cushions, and even in your car. Battery-operated cleaning means this cordless vacuum travels wherever you need it to go.
The washable dirt bowl and filter can also be cleaned in the sink. Pet dander will never linger in your home, and you won’t ever have to fuss with disposable vacuum bags.
Read Next: The Best Vacuums for Small Apartments
What We Like
Pet Hair Attachment for Upholstery
The special motorized pet hair attachment is designed with rubber bristles to cling onto pet hair. A turning vacuum head gives you the ultimate suction you need to get chairs and sofas fully cleaned.
See Through Dust Bowl
A see through dust bowl helps you keep track of how much pet hair you suck up. You’ll know when it’s time to empty, in order to get the best vacuum suction.
Cordless for Quick Clean Up
If you’re trying to clean uneven surfaces like a sofa or car seat, a cord will only get in the way. This cordless vacuum can just be plucked from the wall mount and is ready to go.
What We Don’t Like
Loses Suction When Battery Life is Low
Users found that the suction became weaker once the battery life began to run low. This vacuum, along with most other handheld cordless vacuums, does best at small cleaning jobs.
Technical Specs
| Type | handheld |
| Weight | 2.94 pounds |
| Included Accessories | motorized pet head, crevice tool, brush tool, wall mount, charger |
| Bin Volume | 500ml |
| Floor Surfaces | carpet, hard floors |
| Usage | upholstery, floors |
6. Best for Stains : Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Carpet Cleaner
Cleaning up after pets doesn’t always mean cleaning up hair. Muddy paws and pet accidents require a proper carpet cleaner to do the job.
This all-in-one carpet cleaning machine has a CleanShot pretreater to lift stains before sucking them away. The shampooing system uses a special Oxy Pet Pro formula to remove deeply embedded pet hair, dirt, and stains.
This vacuum not only cleans stains, it removes pet odors too and leaves your carpets clean and refreshed.
Read Next: The Best Carpet Cleaner for Pets in 2023
What We Like
12 Rows of Brushes to Scrub Stains
When put into MAX Clean Mode, this vacuum for pet hair has 12 rows of brushes that rotate to scrub stains. You can remove deeply embedded stains like mud and urine with one pass.
Two Stain Tools for Pet Accidents
This vacuum comes with two different stain tool attachments to clean messes on upholstery or hard-to-reach places. They work both wet and dry to pick up pet hair and remove stains and odors.
Express Clean Mode Dries Floors in 30 Minutes
Regular carpet shampooing can take hours to dry. The Express Clean Modes allows your carpets to dry in only 30 minutes. A carpet clean won’t have to disrupt your whole day.
What We Don’t Like
Tank Could Be Bigger
Reviewers wished the dirty tank on this carpet cleaner was bigger. A full carpet clean will require you to empty the tank more than once.
Technical Specs
| Type | upright |
| Weight | 17.5 pounds |
| Included Accessories | EZ Clean brush roll cover, 2-in-1 pet upholstery tool, tough stain tool, nozzle clean out tool, accessory bag, hose, BISSELL Pet Stain & Odor + Antibacterial Formula, BISSELL Professional Pet Urine Eliminator + Oxy |
| Bin Volume | 1 gallon |
| Floor Surfaces | carpet |
| Usage | floors, upholstery |
The Hoover MaxLife combines the power of an upright vacuum with the versatility of handheld attachments. What you get is the perfect tool for a top to bottom clean of your home.
It comes with four different pet hair cleaning attachments, including a flexible dusting brush. It’s great for reaching pet hair that has settled on top of furniture surfaces.
Pet hair and dander is hard on your vacuum’s motor. The MAXLife system delivers long lasting suction, even with a dirty filter.
What We Like
AllergenBlock Technology Traps Dander
The AllergenBlock filtration system is designed to prevent 99.7% of particles from re-entering your home’s air. You can breathe easier knowing dust and pet hair is gone for good.
Height Adjustment for Any Flooring
The intelligent floorhead has four levels of adjustment to suit any type of flooring. You’ll get great suction no matter what surface you’re vacuuming.
Quick Release Cleaning Wand
Pet hair likes to scoot to the corners of your home, and this cleaning wand is perfect for sucking it up. The quick release wand and hose easily detaches to vacuum narrow areas on your floors and upholstery.
What We Don’t Like
Heavier Than Other Vacuums
The tradeoff for all that suction power and efficiency is that this vacuum is heavy. This makes it hard to maneuver, and tiring to use if you’re doing a lot of cleaning.
Technical Specs
| Type | upright |
| Weight | 17.1 pounds |
| Included Accessories | crevice tool, pet turbo tool, flexible dusting brush, pivoting dusting brush |
| Bin Volume | 2.5 liters |
| Floor Surfaces | hard floors, carpet |
| Usage | floors, upholstery |
What to Look for in a Pet Vacuum
Types
Upright Vacuum Cleaner
These are one of the most common types of household vacuums. They stand upright, can be pushed around easily, and have a large dust cup to hold dirt.
Upright vacuums are a great choice for cleaning pet hair, as they generally have good suction. They’re appropriate for hardwood or carpet, and most models come with attachments to clean upholstery.
One downside is that they are heavy and bulky, and can’t reach small areas.
Stick Vacuum Cleaner
Stick vacuums are number one for versatility, since they can be used upright or handheld.
They often come with a floorhead that is suitable for sucking up pet hair from carpets or hard surfaces. Attachments designed for the handheld can help clean pet hair from furniture or tight corners.
While versatile, they suffer from a top-heavy design that makes big cleaning jobs tiring. Compared to an upright vacuum, a stick vacuum also has a much smaller dust cup.
Handheld Vacuum
If you need a vacuum that can go anywhere, a handheld vacuum is a great option. They are light, portable, and often come with different attachments to tackle different areas of your house.
A handheld vacuum is small enough to reach the pet hair that falls between your sofa cushions. Keep in mind that this small size also means it has a small dustbin. Their average capacity is only 15 ounces.
While they may not be practical for a full house clean, handheld vacuums are great for spot cleaning.
Canister Vacuum
A canister vacuum has a body that is separated from the wand by a flexible hose. This is great when you want to reach underneath furniture, or in small spaces.
Canister vacuums work great for picking up dog hair or cat hair from any surfaces—carpets included. They’re built with powerful suction, and have the largest capacity of any vacuum on this list. That means they can suck up a lot of pet hair!
While the hose is flexible and versatile, the canister is a bit clunky. You have to pull it behind you while you clean, and it’s easy to bump into furniture and walls.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner
A robot vacuum cleaner is one of the newest additions to the vacuum cleaner lineup. They do the vacuuming for you when you schedule them to. Many models even allow you to control your robot vacuum from a smartphone app.
For a household with pets, they are a great option because your house can be vacuumed daily. This lets you keep on top of pet hair before it can start to build up.
Keep in mind these vacuums can only be used on floors. Also, their size means they have a limited bin capacity, so you have to remember to empty it frequently.
Suction Power
When you’re looking for the best vacuum, the first thing you probably think of is suction power. A household with pets needs a vacuum with good suction, since pet hair sticks to everything.
Suction is measured many different ways, and not every manufacturer uses the same method. This makes things difficult when trying to compare suction power while shopping around.
Some pet vacuums measure suction in PA (pascals, a unit of pressure). Other models might describe suction power in RPM (revolutions per minute) of the motor.
Keep this in mind when you read reviews and manufacturer specs of different vacuum cleaners.
Capacity
If suction is the number one feature for pet owners, capacity is definitely number two. Dog and cat hair takes up way more space in your vacuum than regular dirt. If it’s shedding season, that’s a lot of trips to empty your vacuum’s dust bin!
If you have pets, you’ll likely want to opt for a larger capacity vacuum. However, also keep in mind the size of space you’re cleaning.
Small homes don’t necessarily benefit from a large capacity vacuum, since there’s less square footage. If your home has a large footprint, consider a larger dust bin capacity when you choose a vacuum.
Filters
When vacuums circulate air in the tank, many fine particles actually get pushed back into your home. One way to avoid this is with a good vacuum filter, like a HEPA filter.
If you’re in the market for a vacuum for pet hair, definitely look for models with a HEPA filter. HEPA filters are excellent at trapping fine particles, and actually filter 99.7% of particles sized at 0.3 microns. (1) These fine particles include common allergens like mold, pollen and most importantly, pet dander.
When looking at pet vacuum filters, be sure you are buying a true HEPA filter. Many products claim to have a HEPA-like filter, which can’t guarantee the same effectiveness. Look for a certification number to be sure you’re buying the real deal.
We know you love time-saving hacks, so our tip is to look for a washable filter. They are easy to clean, and reusable. No need to go shopping for filters every few months.
Attachments
Pet hair settles into every little area of your home. Some of these areas, a regular vacuum floorhead just can’t reach. That’s why if you have dogs or cats, it’s important to buy a vacuum with different pet hair tool attachments.
Some of the most useful attachments for tackling pet hair include:
- Crevice tools
- Dust brushes
- Mini motorized brush bar
A crevice tool is useful for cleaning hard to reach spots, like between sofa cushions. Brush attachments are great for lifting hair off upholstery or carpets, and capturing pet dander at the same time.
Look for vacuums with roller brushes on the floorhead. These rollers help dislodge hair from your carpets. Be aware that hair can also stick to these rollers, and can cause clogs or jams.
Many manufacturers know this, and design tangle free brush rolls for their pet vacuums. Keep this in mind if you’re buying a vacuum with a brush roller.
Other Alternative Tools to Clean Pet Hair
Any of the above vacuum cleaners will make your pet cleaning routine faster and more efficient.
But, many cats and dogs are scared of the sound and movement of a vacuum. If you have nervous pets, check out a silent tool like this Chomchom Roller Dog Hair Remover.
Rather than using suction, you just roll the device back and forth over your upholstery to pick up fur. No noise, no disruption, and you can keep on top of hair before it builds up on your sofa.
If you have carpets, a great alternative option is the FURemover Broom. This broom is made from rubber bristles that attract and pull hair out from deep within your carpet. A great option for heavy shedders, and if you want to avoid clogging your regular vacuum cleaner.
Vacuums for Pet Hair Comparison Chart
| Product | Type | Weight | Bin Volume | Floor Surfaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dyson Ball Animal 2 | Upright | 17.35 pounds | tangle-free turbine tool, stair tool, combination tool | hard floors, carpet |
| BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser | handheld | 3 pounds | 0.7 liters | NA |
| Shark SV1106 | Upright | 7.5 pounds | 0.64 quarts | hard flooring, carpet |
| iRobot Roomba E5 | robot vacuum | 7.23 pounds | 0.5 liters | hard flooring, carpet |
| BLACK+DECKER | handheld | 2.94 pounds | 500ml | carpet, hard floors |
| Bissell ProHeat 2X | Upright | 17.5 pounds | 1 gallon | carpet |
| Hoover MAXLife Pet | Upright | 17.1 pounds | 2.5 liters | hard floors, carpet |
