Dog and cat owners know that pet hair shows no mercy. It somehow ends up in every corner of your home and covers the floor, furniture and even your clothing. To ensure you’re always on the offensive against pet hair, there’s one tool experts recommend keeping among your arsenal of cleaning products: A great vacuum.
To find the best vacuums for getting pet hair out of carpet and upholstery, I talked to experts for their guidance and recommendations, which I used to compile a list of upright, cordless and handheld vacuums that work on all floor types from brands like Dyson, Bissell and Tineco. Some of my picks come recommended by NBC Select staffers who are pet owners themselves, and who have tested, tried and reviewed these pet hair vacuums.
SKIP AHEAD How I picked the best vacuums for pet hair | The best vacuums for pet hair | How to shop for pet hair vacuums | Why trust NBC Select?
Brands often market specific vacuums as designed to clean up pet hair, but you don’t have to limit yourself to those models if you prioritize the following expert-recommended factors while shopping.
The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Plus is a relatively slender and lightweight upright vacuum, but it’s still effective on pet hair. With a 4.3-star average rating from more than 10,000 reviews on Amazon, it has an anti-tangle brush roll that’s ideal for picking up pet hair embedded in the fibers of carpet, upholstery and other fabrics. Instead of manually removing debris from the dustbin, you can empty it with the press of a button. Plus, it has a crevice tool for cleaning under furniture or elevated areas.
Operation: corded | Bagless: yes | Weight: 13.8 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.75 liters | Filter type: foam | Included attachments: crevice tool
What we like
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This vacuum is often one of the items most purchased by NBC Select readers during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. My family’s home has three pets — two cats and a dog — and despite us trying many cordless vacuums over the years, they just weren’t powerful enough to leave our floors spotless. But this corded model has great suction and it quickly gets hair off of carpets and hard floors, plus it cleans up litter and dirt. The detachable pod is also such a bonus — it makes cleaning furniture and tight spaces super easy. However, the vacuum is on the bigger side, so if you live in a small space like an apartment, you have to be strategic about storing it.
Operation: Corded | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 12.5 pounds | Bin capacity: 1.1 quarts | Filter type: HEPA filtration system | Included attachments: Wide upholstery tool and crevice tool
What we like
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The Dyson Ball Animal 3 upright vacuum has a 4.2-star average rating from 2,196 reviews on Amazon, and its rolling brush makes it great for picking up hair and preventing it from tangling, according to the brand. Beyond cleaning your floors, this Dyson model has a dog grooming tool to remove loose hairs, dead skin and other allergens directly from long-haired pets. The vacuum has a 35-foot cord and its construction allows you to swivel around furniture easily. It offers three modes that adjust suction power for different floor types. You can also shut off the automated brush roll, which cleans itself.
Operation: Corded | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 11.02 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.55 gallons | Filter type: Proprietary whole-machine filtration system, including washable filters | Included attachments: Tangle-free turbine tool, dog grooming tool, stair tool and combination tool
What we like
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Kenmore’s canister vacuum has a two-motor system to provide extra powerful suction, according to the brand. Its swivel head helps you maneuver around furniture and its built-in telescoping wand extends up to 10 feet to help you clean small or elevated spaces. The vacuum has a 28-foot cord and the motorized brush head lifts grime off surfaces while preventing hair from tangling around it. You can turn the automated brush head off while cleaning hard floors and store the included attachments inside the vacuum.
Operation: Corded | Bagless: No | Weight: 22.6 pounds | Bin capacity: Not specified | Filter type: HEPA filter | Included attachments: Crevice tool, bare floor tool, dust/upholstery tool and Pet PowerMate tool
What we like
When I adopted my second cat, I quickly realized that my old vacuum wouldn’t cut it — double the cats means double the hair. After weeks of research, I bought this Tineco vacuum because it checked off all my boxes: lightweight, cordless and converted into a handheld vacuum. Now, I don’t know what I’d do without it. The vacuum’s headlights illuminate pet hair I’d otherwise miss and show me exactly what parts of my floor need attention most. The appliance can also sense dirt, automatically adjusting its suction power accordingly. Beyond getting rid of hair, this vacuum easily sucks up cat food crumbs and cat litter. I also appreciate that its LED screen displays a status report with information like whether the brush roll is tangled or the air channel is blocked. In my experience, one full charge offers about 40 minutes of run time.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 11.6 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.6 liters | Filter type: 4-stage HEPA filtration system, including a washable filter | Included attachments: Power brush, mini power brush, dusting brush, crevice tool, hair cleaning tool
What we like
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This lightweight cordless vacuum from Shark is ideal for cleaning up pet hair and other debris, even in small spaces such as the corners. It also has an odor-neutralizing technology that prevents particles sitting in the vacuum from creating unpleasant smells when you aren’t using it, according to the brand. It also has the power to adjust its cleaning style, depending on what surface you’re using it on, such as hardwood or carpet. Rebecca Rodriguez, NBC Select editorial projects manager, shares her home with two cats, and ever since Shark sent her a sample of this vacuum, she says her floors have never been cleaner. When you put it on the charger, it also empties itself, so it’s prepared each time you use it, according to the brand.
Operation: cordless | Bagless: yes | Weight: 14.8 pounds | Bin capacity: 2 liters | Filter type: HEPA filter | Included attachments: handheld
What we like
Mili Godio, NBC Select updates editor, uses this vacuum at home to clean up dog hair, dog food and dirt her furry friend brings inside after a walk. It gives you up to 60 minutes of run time on a single charge and the Digital Motorbar XL cleaner head automatically clears wrapped hair from the brush bar as you clean. You can also monitor the vacuum’s settings via its LED screen, plus turn it into a handheld vacuum to address small messes.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 7.85 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.5 gallons | Filter type: Proprietary whole-machine filtration system | Included attachments: Digital Motorbar XL cleaner head, hair screw tool, crevice tool, combination tool, mini soft dusting brush
What we like
“This is the absolute, number one workhorse of my apartment,” says Nikki Brown, NBC Select SEO editor, who has two cats. The vacuum helps her clean up hair and litter, and it has a similar design to the Dyson Outsize Plus with its anti-tangle brush head, LCD screen and 60-minute run time. You can also convert this appliance into a handheld vacuum, plus use the many attachments for specific jobs. ”My favorite attachments are the hair screw tool and crevice tool — without these, I couldn’t reach those teeny tiny corners that my fur babies track mess into,” says Brown. She recommends cleaning and air-drying the vacuum’s pieces at least once a month, especially if you use it often. “I’ve had my vacuum for years and I think upkeep is part of the reason it continues to perform so well,” says Brown.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 6.6 lbs. | Bin capacity: 0.2 gallons | Filter type: Proprietary whole-machine filtration system | Included attachments: Motorbar cleaner head, combination tool, hair screw tool and crevice tool
What we like
“Pet hair eraser” is an accurate description of Bissell’s hand vacuums. I’ve used a few different models and have always been impressed by how quickly and efficiently they get hair off surfaces like carpets, pet beds, wood floors, and car seats. This cordless handheld vacuum gives you up to 17 minutes of run time on a single charge. I find it especially useful to keep in your car if you frequently travel with pets.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 3 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.7 liters | Filter type: Three-stage filtration system | Included attachments: Motorized brush tool, crevice tool and upholstery tool
What we like
This Shark handheld vacuum, another expert-recommended option, can get into tough spots; whether on your stairs, in your car or in the corners of the couch. Its versatility makes it a great product to keep in your home or car. The lightweight vacuum has a washable filter and a dirt ejector so you can toss the mess hands-free.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: No | Weight: 2.8 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.45 quarts | Filter type: Fabric filter | Included attachments: Scrubbing brush, crevice tool, detachable self-cleaning pet power brush
What we like
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This cordless vacuum deep cleans both carpets and hard floors, has a run time of up to 40 minutes and uses a filtration system that captures pet allergens and dust, according to the brand. Plus, it comes with a motorbar cleaner that removes and detangles pet hair from the brush bar, which is great if you have long-haired dogs that shed often. You can also turn the vacuum into a handheld device to clean crevices and other hard-to-reach spots.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 5.6 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.1 gallons | Filter type: HEPA filter | Included attachments: Charger, wall docking station, crevice tool, detachable self-cleaning pet power brush
When buying a vacuum for general household needs, it’s important to consider features like size and weight, floor settings and more. But when shopping with pets in mind, experts also recommend focusing on the following areas to ensure appliances are equipped to handle lots of hair, additional dust and other messes cats and dogs may create.
Effective vacuums have filters to capture particles of different sizes. HEPA filters (high-efficiency particulate air filters) capture between 99.95% and 99.99% of particles that are 0.3 microns in size, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which makes for thorough vacuuming. (A micron, a micrometer, is 1,000 times smaller than a millimeter. It’s the standard unit for measuring particles at this scale.). The filters trap particles so they’re not released back into the air, thus reducing the presence of them in your home, says Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company that offers house cleaning and maid services nationwide.
Pet hair is usually larger than 0.3 microns in size, so HEPA filters won’t help get rid of it — anything larger than 0.3 microns has a difficult time fitting through this specific type of filter but is likely to be captured by other components of the vacuum, like additional filters it may be built with. However, HEPA filters are a must for those who experience allergy symptoms when exposed to pet dander, dust and other microscopic allergens on cat and dog hair, says Carl Prouty, product specialist at Abt, an appliance and electronics store.
Not all vacuums are designed with HEPA filters, however. Some are designed with general filters that may only be able to capture large particles.
When you see a vacuum’s brush head described as being “anti-tangle,” it usually means it has built-in features that help prevent hair from getting stuck around the roller, which can create knots. These features include angled bristles or brush heads that automatically clean themselves while you’re vacuuming. Prouty says that anti-tangle brush heads are especially helpful if your pet has long hair, like a golden retriever. If your vacuum doesn’t have an anti-tangle brush head, you’ll likely have to clean it frequently to keep it functioning properly..
Look for vacuums with an automated brush roll (sometimes called a self-cleaning brush roll), which spins while vacuuming to pick up pet hair on carpets quickly. On the other hand, no-spin brushes only rotate as you manually push your vacuum along the floor. Just be sure your vacuum is safe to use on multiple surfaces, such as hardwood and carpet, and/or switch its function depending on what surface you’re cleaning, if it has the option.
Pet hairs find their way into every nook and cranny of your home, and different areas require different cleaning attachments. Experts say the following four are particularly useful. However, any attachment can do a good job of picking up pet hair, as long as the vacuum’s motor is powerful enough, says Prouty.
At NBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
I’m an associate updates editor at NBC Select who writes about pets, including stories on how to keep dogs cool and cat carriers. For this article, I interviewed four experts about how to shop for vacuums that clean up pet hair and rounded up the best models to do so with their guidance in mind.
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