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It's easier to overlook the constant clean-up that stems from our beloved cats and dogs when you're equipped with one of the best vacuums for pet hair. The best pet vacuums can stand up to hair, debris, and food bits while handling other everyday messes. Keeping up with characteristics we like in the best vacuums, pet vacuums will have powerful suction, advanced filtration, brushrolls that resist tangling with hair, and even accessories targeted specifically for cleaning hair.
The Business Insider Reviews team tested over 30 of the best vacuums for pet hair to evaluate how they clean an assortment of cat and dog hair, cat litter, flour, coffee grounds, and Cheerios on carpeting, hardwood floors, and furniture. The best vacuum for dealing with pet hair is the Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum, an overall solid performer with a unique dual-brushroll construction that easily suctions up debris large and small with up to 60 minutes of runtime. For those on a budget, the Bissell CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum is a powerful and reliable upright with easy swivel steering and special pet tools for cleaning upholstery.
Read more about how Insider Reviews tests and research home products here.
Our top picks for the best vacuums for pet hair
Best overall: Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum - See at Amazon
Best budget: Bissell CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Vacuum Cleaner - See at Amazon
Most powerful: Dyson Ball Animal 3 Upright Vacuum Cleaner- See at Amazon
Best for large spaces: Dyson Outsize Cordless Vacuum - See at Amazon
Best robot vacuum: Shark Detect Pro Self Empty Robot Vacuum - See at Amazon
Best canister: Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Vacuum - See at Amazon
Best handheld: Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean Cordless Handheld Vacuum (model CHV1410L) - See at Amazon
Best overall
The Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum gets the cleaning job done with strong, automatically adjusting suction and easy maneuverability. This is a great vacuum for households with everyday vacuuming needs.
- Fantastic suction power
- Functional and easy to maneuver
- Three cleaning modes
- Battery life varies based on flooring type
- Struggles to pick up fine materials
- Hard-to-clean dustbin
It's no surprise that our best vacuum overall, and our favorite cordless, too, is also our top pick for tackling pet hair. The Shark Stratos cordless vacuum offers tremendous suction power with three cleaning modes, easy maneuverability, and won't leave hair wrapped around the brush roll — thanks to Shark's anti-hair wrap technology.
In our standardized tests on hardwood and carpet, the Shark Stratos easily picked up kibble, ground coffee, lentils, dog hair, and everyday household dirt. The Stratos incorporates a dual brushroll design: a soft front brushroll captures fine particles and stops larger debris from spitting out, and a back brushroll with rigid bristles that gets deep into carpeting and pulls up dirt. For larger particles, it quickly and efficiently suctions them right up, while very fine substances like flour did require a few extra passes.
The Shark Stratos has three cleaning modes: eco, boost, and CleanSense IQ. The latter uses an infrared sensor to automatically increase or decrease power depending on the amount of debris it's picking up and distinguish between floor types. It also features LED headlights to gently light up the cleaning path ahead of you and a digital display with a battery life indicator.
Thanks to its bendable stick and swivel head design, the Shark Stratos is very easy to maneuver and easily slides underneath low spots like the bed or sofa.
The Stratos incorporates Shark's odor-neutralizing technology, which adds a scent to mask odors and leave floors smelling fresher. Two testers of Shark products with the feature did not particularly love this extra or expressed a plan to purchase the replacements once the cartridges lost their scent.
For accessories, the Stratos comes with a Duster Crevice Tool and Anti-Allergen Brush for removing dust from sensitive surfaces, but it surprisingly does not come with the pet-multi tool, which is available separately for cleaning upholstery.
Read our Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum review for more details and our full guide to the best cordless vacuums for more recommendations.
Best budget
Have pets? The Bissell CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Vacuum Cleaner is the perfect budget-friendly option to get pet hair in the home under control. It's also one of our top picks among the best cheap vacuums.
- Picked up all of the pet hair in all of our tests
- Great on hardwood
- Features a retractable cord
- Powerful suction
- Messy debris disposal
The CleanView Swivel Rewind was one of three of the best vacuums for pet hair that picked up all the pet hair on all of the surfaces in our tests. Also, the hair didn't get tangled in the brush.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the four vacuums I tested that cost less than the Bissell CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Vacuum Cleaner (model 2254) performed poorly. I can't recommend any of them. For around $150, the Bissell has powerful suction and good performance at a value price.
While its ability to pick up other debris was just average on carpeting and furniture, it did exceptionally well on hardwood. It picked up all of the cat litter and Cheerios on every surface. It struggled with the coffee grounds on carpeting and only did a so-so job of collecting flour in all of the tests.
I appreciated how simple the Bissell CleanView Swivel Rewind was to use. The swivel head makes it easy to maneuver with one hand. The cord never got in my way thanks to the easy retraction feature (the "Rewind" in the name), and since it's upright, I didn't have to support the weight of the vac. I just guided it as it made quick work of messes. And the hose detached effortlessly to reach elevated areas.
However, I had difficulty emptying the dust bin without getting my hands dirty or inadvertently sending gunk flying outside the trash can. Your best bet is to release the trap-door mechanism with the bottom inside your trash receptacle.
Read our full guide to the best cheap vacuum cleaners.
Most powerful
Thanks to the Dyson Ball Animal 3's powerful motor and brush roll featuring stiff bristles, this vacuum can get deep into thick carpeting, pulling up more dirt, dust, and pet hair than other upright models.
- Powerful suction
- Especially effective on thick carpeting
- Large Dustbin
- Detangling vanes on brushroll
- Wide variety of compatible accessories
- Easy to manuever
- Heavy
- Stiff hose
For cleaning up after constantly shedding fur or kitty litter tracked around the house, a blast of powerful suction is what you need to keep your home dust and dander-free. The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is particularly effective on thick carpeting, with stiff bristles that dig deep into the fibers to pull out hair and dirt and resist hair wrap around the brush roll. It also performed well on hard floors, picking up both large pieces of debris like cereal and fine particles of flour.
At 17 pounds, this upright vacuum isn't necessarily lightweight for carrying up and down stairs, but its unique ball design at the base swivels to help facilitate maneuverability. It has three suction settings that you can adjust via a slider on the floorhead. If you have trouble pushing the vacuum, adjusting the suction settings will typically get you on your way again. The spacious 0.45-gallon dust bin can handle large amounts of pet hair and empties via a button on the handle. The Dyson's washable post-motor filter traps allergens as small as 0.3 microns and should be cleaned once a month.
The basic version of this vacuum comes with two tools: a combo crevice and dusting brush and a stair tool. Models like Extra and Complete offer a more comprehensive accessories package with pet-specific options like a no-tangle motorized upholstery tool, carbon fiber dusting brush, and even a pet grooming brush. These accessories connect with the hose, which stretches to 15 feet. However, our reviewer found it stiff, requiring extra effort to keep it extended while the vacuum was running.
Read our guide to the best upright vacuums.
Best for large spaces
The powerful Dyson Outsize Cordless Vacuum excels at picking up pet hair, has up to 60 minutes of run time, and features a large dustbin for longer, uninterrupted cleans.
- Performed well on carpeting and hardwood
- Removed all pet hair in our tests
- Large 0.5-gallon dustbin with contactless disposal
- Gets heavy during long cleans
- Must keep power button pressed during operation
The Dyson Outsize vacuum is well-suited for cleaning large areas: it is the only cordless vacuum on the market with a half-gallon dust bin, meaning you can cover more ground and pick up copious amounts of fluffy pet hair without pausing to empty it. The Outsize boasts up to 60-minute battery life for uninterrupted cleaning and a larger 11.5-inch-wide cleaner head to pick up more debris in a single pass.
This Dyson vacuum was the best vacuum for pet hair on every surface in our tests without getting tangled. This is in part due to the Digital Motorbar cleaner head (found on many of the best Dyson vacuums) that has plastic detangling vanes to keep hair from wrapping. It also did great on hardwood and carpeting, picking up all debris except a trace of coffee grounds on carpets and nominal amounts of flour on both surfaces. The Outsize is easy to maneuver thanks to a spherical wheel on the cleaner head. I could move it from side to side by gently rotating my wrist. The non-Dyson vacuums I tested required more effort to turn.
The Outsize was less impressive but still good in handheld mode on furniture, leaving behind about 5% of the cat litter and flour with the mini-motorized tool. At about 8 pounds, it's heavy in the handheld configuration, and I didn't like that you had to keep the power button depressed to run the vacuum. This limited the positions I could hold, and it could start to feel heavy during above-floor cleaning tasks.
The Dyson has a trapdoor mechanism for emptying the dust bin, so you can avoid coming in contact with debris. However, you have to remove the attachments before emptying the bin, and you may miss your trash receptacle if you don't position the dust bin just right.
Recently, the Outsize has been sold as the Outsize Plus, which refers to the number of attachments, but the specs and performance are effectively the same if there's any confusion over which to choose. Stock has also been volatile as of late, but I continue to recommend it because there's really nothing comparable in capacity from competitors who want a cordless that can clean for extended periods of time without pausing to empty the bin.
Best robot vacuum
The Shark Detect Pro Self-Empty Robot vacuum has an auto-empty dust bin that holds up to 60 days of debris. It expertly adjusts suction according to floor type and the amount of dirt present and navigates around obstacles.
- Runs itself and doesn't get stuck
- Air quality options
- Control with an app
- Great on pet hair
- High price
- Needs replacement filters for tower
While a robot vacuum won't likely eliminate all your vacuum responsibilities, it helps maintain your space and can help sweep up daily dust and accumulated pet hair.
For households with pets, features like obstacle avoidance and no-go zones become must-haves for avoiding dog toys, food bowls, and even accidents. That's why we like the Shark Detect Pro Self-Empty Robot vacuum, which also has an auto-empty dust bin to automate your cleaning further.
The Shark Detect Pro features a number of technologies dubbed "DirtDetect Technology, FloorDetect Technology, EdgeDetect Technology, NeverStuck Technology," which are designed to flag and clean dirty areas, identify changes in flooring, master edge cleaning and cliffs, and not get stuck on obstacles or thresholds. For instance, when identifying a mess and DirtDetect is activated, the indicator on the top of the device changes from green to blue to reflect that it has found a mess. Giving this spot special attention, it cleans in a figure-eight maneuver before changing back to green and continuing on.
The cleaning performance was right on par with what we expected and didn't require any babysitting as it journeyed across a landscape of hard floors, carpets, and doorways, though it did struggle a bit on shag carpeting. The Shark Detect Pro was also able to navigate around and avoid an obstacle course of toys without getting stuck or suctioning up something it shouldn't. When the onboard dust bin is full, the Detect Pro returns to its docking station to unload into the auto-empty dock, which can hold up to 60 days of dirt, though that figure depends on how often you run your vacuum and how dirty your floors are.
The Detect Pro uses lidar and 3D mapping technology to create a floorplan of your space and efficiently clean it. In the Shark app, you can edit your floor plan, create no-go zones, set schedules, and change settings.
For a more budget-friendly robot vacuum option, we previously recommended the Bissell Spinwave Robot Vacuum and Mop. It can consistently be found on sale for under $200, works quietly, and has swappable tanks to switch between vacuum and mopping. However, it offers no mapping or obstacle avoidance features, has limited app use, and frequently gets stuck.
Read our Shark Detect Pro Self-Empty Robot Vacuum review for more details, and our recommendations of all the best robot vacuums for more options.
Best canister
The pricey Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Vacuum picked up messes better than any other vac in our tests, and the disposable vacuum bag keeps you out of contact with the debris.
- Did an impressive job of collecting all debris on all surfaces
- Disposal bags keep debris contained
- Runs quietly
- Not particularly user-friendly
- Have to buy replacement bags
- Heavy
- Expensive
For those who can afford them, canister vacuums provide a powerful yet quiet and mess-free way to clean up after your pet. The benefits of a canister vacuum were exemplified in our testing of the Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Vacuum.
The Classic C1 was the best overall at picking up debris. In addition to picking up all of the pet hair on all of the surfaces we tested — while remaining free of pet hair tangles — the vacuum picked up almost all of the other materials on carpeting, hardwood, and furniture. The only substance it seemed to have any difficulty with was flour, but it still picked up at least 90% of the flour on each surface.
My main gripes with the Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum have to do with how user-unfriendly it can be. At over 20 pounds, it's the heaviest vacuum we tested. Fortunately, you don't have to support the weight. The motor and debris collect in the wheeled canister, which is connected by a hose to the handle and vacuum head.
However, I didn't like the feel of dragging the canister behind me as I cleaned. While the hard plastic handle felt durable, it wasn't comfortable in my hand. Also, the bulky power brushhead didn't lend itself to easy maneuverability.
I have mixed feelings about the disposable dust bag. The Classic C1 was the only vacuum we tested that used bags. On the one hand, I don't like the idea of producing more garbage, and replacement bags are an added expense ($22 for four replacement bags and two filters). (Miele also makes a bagless version of its pet vacuum, the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog.)
On the other hand, the 4.5-liter bag holds an impressive amount of debris, and it did a great job of keeping particles contained, which makes it a smart solution for allergy sufferers. How often you need to change the bag depends on a variety of factors, but I didn't come close to filling it despite sucking up more than two pounds of debris in my tests.
Best handheld
The Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean Cordless Handheld Vacuum (model CHV1410L) was the only vacuum we tested that picked up all of the pet hair on every surface, and it did a good job with other materials as well.
- Easy-to-access brush attachment
- Large dustbin for a handheld
- Performed well on all surfaces
- Convenient charging base
- Lightweight
- User friendly
- Picked up all pet hair during testing
- Hard to put back together after emptying
- Takes 4 hours to recharge battery
- Noisy
The only vacuum to clean up all pet hair on every surface — hardwood, carpet, and the car — in our tests for best handheld vacuums was the user-friendly Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean Cordless Handheld Vacuum (model CHV1410L).
Well-balanced and weighing just 2.6 pounds, I didn't experience arm fatigue when cleaning with the Dustbuster AdvancedClean. You can quickly flip the brush in place as it's attached to the head, a feature I liked because I tend to lose attachments when they aren't connected.
The charging station is also simple and intuitive: Just place the Dustbuster on it. The charging indicator light turns off once the vacuum is charged, and the vacuum will then run for 14 minutes.
Emptying the big dust bin without getting dirty is simple. You remove the forward section and shake the debris out or remove the entire dust bin and pull out the filter. Regardless of how you empty it, the vacuum takes some finessing to snap back together.
The Dustbuster AdvancedClean vacuum is about as loud as a hairdryer, making it louder than most. If you live in an apartment with thin walls, you might want to choose a different handheld vacuum for pet hair, like the Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner.
What to look for in a vacuum for pet hair
Anti-hair tangle technology: Whether dealing with clumps of fur or long strands of hair, the last thing you want is for the vacuum to clog or stop working because hair got wrapped around the brushroll. Not to forget how gross it can be to have to cut hair out of the brushroll. Brands like Dyson and Shark have pioneered technology to combat hair wrap and direct it straight to the dust bin, where it belongs.
Attachments: Most vacuums will come with a crevice tool and dusting brush, but when it comes to vacuums for pet hair, a pet tool or upholstery tool, which typically have a bristled or motorized design, are incredibly useful for cleaning sofas, pet beds, or other surfaces that need a close clean.
Weight: Like any vacuum, the best vacuum for pet hair needs to be comfortable to hold for extended cleaning sessions and easy enough to push around your floors. If weight is a concern, be sure to consider size and opt for something lighter and smaller.
Noise: Some animals may be sensitive to the noise emitted from a vacuum. If you have a skittish animal in your household, a vacuum that operates on the quiet side will minimize disruptions.
Dust bin: Though light in weight, pet hair can definitely take up its fair share of space in the dust bin. We like bins around 0.2 gallons, though our top pick, the Stratos, is just slightly smaller. They also need to be easy to open and direct into the trashcan and don't require too much reaching up into the bin to cull out collected hair and dust.
Filter: All vacuums will feature a filtration system, but the golden standard is HEPA, which stands for "High-Efficiency Particulate Air" and, as defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency, will trap and remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns. Know that models marketed as HEPA-style or HEPA-like, or anti-allergen are not True HEPA, and may not have been put through the same standards as those labeled as HEPA. Most filters are washable, though some designs may require replacements.
Warranty: Vacuums typically have a warranty of one to five years, which gives peace of mind should anything go wrong within the first few months or years of ownership.
How we tested vacuums for pet hair
We put all of the best vacuums for pet hair in this guide through several tests. The most important factors to consider when buying a vacuum are how well it picks up pet hair on a variety of surfaces and how easy it is to use, empty, and maintain.
Here's a breakdown of how much of each material (in grams) the top picks cleaned up on each surface in our tests:
| Surface - Material | Dyson Outsize | Bissell CleanView | Miele Classic C1 | Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean |
| Carpet - Cheerios | 50 | 50 | 50 | 44 |
| Carpet - Litter | 100 | 100 | 100 | 85 |
| Carpet - Coffee | 98 | 77 | 96 | 90 |
| Carpet - Hair | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Carpet - Flour | 94 | 88 | 92 | 45 |
| Hardwood - Cheerios | 50 | 50 | 50 | 47 |
| Hardwood - Litter | 100 | 100 | 97 | 91 |
| Hardwood - Coffee | 100 | 97 | 98 | 100 |
| Hardwood - Hair | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hardwood - Flour | 97 | 93 | 93 | 48 |
| Furniture - Litter | 48 | 50 | 50 | n/a |
| Furniture - Hair | 1 | 1 | 1 | n/a |
| Furniture - Flour | 47 | 44 | 45 | n/a |
Here are the main attributes we look at and how we test them:
Carpet cleaning: I poured different substances on a 5-square-foot patch of carpeting one at a time. I used 100 grams of flour, coffee grounds, and cat litter; 50 grams of Cheerios; and a 1-gram mix of cat and dog fur of varying lengths. Then, I vacuumed up as much of each substance as possible in 30 seconds. Finally, I compared the weight of the dust bin after vacuuming to its starting weight to determine how much of each material the vacuum collected.
Hardwood cleaning: The process is the same as on carpets; only the tests were conducted on 5 square feet of hardwood flooring.
Furniture cleaning: I poured 50 grams each of cat litter and flour plus 1 gram of pet hair mix on a chair with fabric upholstery. I used the manufacturer-recommended cleaning configuration for furniture. Again, to determine how much debris the vacuum collected in 30 seconds, I compared the weights of the dust bin before and after sucking up each material.
Battery (if applicable): I fully charged the vacuum and timed how long it could run on top power until the battery died. Lastly, I timed how long it took to charge the vacuum fully.
Ease of use: This is a somewhat subjective experience measurement. As I used each vacuum, I observed what made it difficult or easy to use. For example, the Dyson vacuums are harder to use because you need to keep your finger on the trigger to keep the vacuum running. Also, they are heavy in the handheld configuration. The cord got in the way with some of the corded vacuums I tested. The Miele lost points because of its suboptimal maneuverability.
Disposal: Aside from the Miele, which has a disposable vacuum bag, I emptied the dust bins of the vacuums at least a dozen times each. As I did this, I noted how messy the process was and if I came into contact with the debris. Preference was given to vacuums that were easy to empty and didn't send dust flying outside the trash bin.
Pet vacuum FAQs
What is the difference between a pet vacuum and a regular vacuum?
Many vacuums that aren't specifically marketed for pet hair work just fine, but the main features that qualify as the best pet vacuums are strong suction, excellent filtration, and specialized cleaner heads and attachments.
Are robot vacuums good for pet hair?
Robot vacs are a great way to pick up loose pet hair before it becomes embedded in carpets. Run them daily or every other day for the best results. However, they don't work on stairs or elevated surfaces.
What kind of filter should I look for in a pet vacuum?
A well-sealed filtration system will ensure the debris doesn't end up back in the air you breathe. If you're concerned about allergens in your air, choose a vacuum with a true HEPA filter. These filters (commonly found in air purifiers) capture 99.7% of 0.3-micron particles.
What are the best attachments for pet hair?
Brushrolls on the main head of most vacuum cleaners loosen pet hair enough for the vac to suck it up. But for furniture, cat trees, and dog beds, look for attachments with mini-motorized brushrolls or bristles that will loosen the fur. Also consider one of the best pet hair removers for quickly pulling up embedded hair from furniture, carpet, and even clothing.
How do you clean a pet vacuum?
Newer vacuums are easy to clean. Consult your user manual for the most accurate information, but most models can benefit from regular filter cleaning, checking the brushroll for blockages, and removing any debris that's built up.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected].
