The Best Vacuum For Pet Hair in 2018

Pet hair can be troublesome to remove from a home. When there are hardwood floors, the pet hair gets trapped in corners and underneath furniture like a giant dust bunny. On carpets, the pet hair works its way down into the very fibers of the pile and becomes a “fur blanket” that keeps the carpet warm. Both problems have one symptom: a home that smells musty and foul. The best vacuum for pet hair can solve that problem.

The Best Chart for Vacuums That Remove Pet Hair 

Maybe you’ve just got one cat who likes to roll around in a sunbeam. Maybe you’ve got three dogs that shed like crazy. No matter what how many pets you have or how they shed, the chart below will help you find the right tool to remove that pet hair for good.

PictureNameOur RatingPrice
PictureNameOur RatingPrice
Shark Rocket TruePet Ultra-Light Upright4.6$$$$
Hoover T-Series WindTunnel Pet Rewind Bagless Upright Vaccum3.9$
Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum4.4$
BISSELL PowerEdge Pet Hard Floor Corded Vacuum4.3$
BLACK+DECKER MAX Lithium Flex Vacuum with Stick Vacuum Floor Head and Pet Hair Brush4.2$$
Hoover WindTunnel 3 Pro Pet Bagless Upright Vacuum4.1$$
Eureka EasyClean Corded Hand-Held Vacuum4.4$
Eureka Mighty Mite Pet Lover4.0$
Dyson DC65 Animal Complete Upright Vacuum Cleaner4.4$$$$$+
Dyson V6 Animal Cord-free Vacuum4.6$$$$$

Could Pet Hair Be Causing Your Health Problems? 

Do members of your family have problems with allergies at times? Is it difficult to breathe when the pets are around? A pet allergy is often blamed for this, but it could actually be the pet hair in your carpet or on your floor that is causing the problem. Pet hair is like a magnet for all allergens and it stays trapped within its grasp until a vacuum cleaner removes it.

Pollens, dander, and other allergens all stay trapped in there until pressure releases them into the air. What causes that pressure? Every footstep that your family takes. If you come in from outside on a Spring day, the pollens from numerous sources will shed from your clothing and shoes. It gets trapped in the pet hair and lies in wait to cause an allergy attack. The best vacuum for pet hair can be used to prevent this issue.

It isn’t just allergens that pet hair can trap. Dirt and debris gets stuck in pet hair as well. If the “fur blanket” is thick enough, there might even be mold and mildew growing in it as well if your interior moisture levels are high enough. The bottom line is this: if you have any pets, then you need one of the best vacuums for pet hair today.

Why Are Pet Hair Vacuums Different Than Others? 

The technology behind a vacuum cleaner is actually quite simple. A motor is powered on and this creates a suction force of air into the tool. Dirt and debris are worked loose by this suction, brought into the vacuum, and then stored in a bag or a canister. There are filters in the vacuum that help to take allergens out of the air as dirt impacts them.

Pet hair vacuums are a little different. It wouldn’t take much pet hair to block a filter, right? So the air movement has to change a little bit. The motor should be bypassed and the filtration system should occur after the pet hair is removed from the incoming debris and deposited into the bag or canister. Without this structure, a vacuum can quickly overheat and damage itself if a governor has not been installed.

What Is the Best Vacuum For Pet Hair For My Home? 

There are three key features that a pet hair vacuum should have examined before purchase.

  1. The quality of the filters that are used. Does the vacuum cleaner use HEPA filtration to remove allergens? If not, are there HEPA filters that are available for separate purchase? Then those filters should be washable so that their lifespan can be prolonged.
  2. Disposal should be free of debris. Instead of having to reach in a pull out pet hair from a canister or have dust fly up into your face when changing a bag, the best vacuum cleaners today maintain a clean home by quickly releasing debris or locking dust away so users never have to touch it.
  3. It should have consistent suction. Traditional vacuum cleaners tend to lose suction after removing large amounts of pet hair because the filters get blocked or the tubing clogs up. Look for vacuums that offer cyclonic action to counter this problem when trying to clean up pet hair.

There are numerous sizes of vacuum cleaners that can effectively remove pet hair. Some of them are even handheld vacs. This means it is up to you to choose the correct size for your home. Stick vacuums are generally best for small homes and apartments. Uprights provide coverage for homes that are 3-4 bedrooms in size. Larger homes will typically benefit from a premium vacuum cleaner.

The best vacuum for pet hair should also be portable in at least some way. Pets will sneak up onto a couch, climb into bed, or go for a ride in the back seat of your vehicle just as often as they’ll roll around on a carpet or shed on a hardwood floor. A vacuum that can effectively clean these alternative surfaces can be worth its weight in gold.

What Are the Prices on the Best Vacuums For Pet Hair?

When shopping on Amazon for a pet hair vacuum cleaner, there are some good options that are priced for less than $100. These entry-level vacuums will effectively remove pet hair from upholstery, carpets, and bare floors for up to 2-3 years with regular use, but not daily use.

Homes that need a 3-5x per week vacuuming because of the number of pets will benefit from investing in a premium vacuum cleaner instead. Some vacuums that are priced above $300 have a 5 year warranty [or longer] that will help to protect the investment.

A word of warning. Pet hair vacuums usually require specific actions be taken for a warranty claim to be valid. This may require using certain filters, certain bags, and other user actions.

What Do Our Reviews Have To Say?

Shark Rocket TruePet

Pet fur can get into some really tricky places. Instead of reaching down to pick it up by hand, try converting the Shark Rocket TruePet into a handheld vacuum cleaner instead. The transformation is quick and easy to do and the floor gets a deep cleaning experience thanks to the ingenuity of the vacuum’s design. With the equipped hard floor genie, this pet vacuum cleaner offers a truly clean experience for all floors, including hardwood, concrete, or even linoleum. This vacuum cleaner is just as effective in the garage as it is on the carpeted stairs.

Click here to look at the price on Amazon and find a great deal.

Bissell PowerEdge

This vacuum cleaner is primarily designed for hard floors. It works well enough on thin carpets, but isn’t recommended for long-term carpet use. The design of the vacuum head has also incorporated a swiveling function so it’s easy to get around the furniture legs in each room. If you’re tired of sweeping out the edges and corners, this is the vacuum you’ll want to use. The advantage here is that there aren’t the typical bristles on this vacuum as other pet vacuums tend to have. This stops the pet fur from getting caught up in the collection mechanism and ultimately reducing the effectiveness of the vacuum. It will help you zip around the house to clean all of the bare floors with ease.

Click here to look at the price on Amazon and find a great deal.

Eureka EasyClean

The Eureka EasyClean weighs just 5 pounds. It also offers a 20 foot power cord that wraps up at the back for storage. Wrapping up the cord can sometimes be a little cumbersome and the cord can be easy to knot up accidentally, but overall the usage experience here is good. If you have kids, they’ll love to use this little handheld vacuum. The collection happens at the front of the unit, so users are always facing toward the debris that is being collected. There’s also an on-board crevice tool that makes it easier to get into tight spots. A riser visor helps to vacuum carpeted stairs effectively as well.

Click here to look at the price on Amazon and find a great deal.

Dyson DC65 Animal

If you have hardwood floors that collect dirt and debris, the Dyson DC65 will help to keep them clean. It is a monster on carpets of any thickness. There really isn’t a floor that won’t prevent this vacuum cleaner from maximizing dirt removal. There are two large attachments for the DC65 that must be stored off of the unit. Although not a dealbreaker by any means, it does mean that there is a larger storage profile for this vacuum cleaner. 

Click here to look at the price on Amazon and find a great deal.

Are you tired of pet hair complicating your life? Then it is time to make that pet hair disappear for good. Use our comprehensive reviews to find the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair today and you’ll be able to take a deep breath as you sigh with relief.