7 Vacuums for Pet Hair to Clean Up Every Trace of Fur
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7 Vacuums for Pet Hair to Clean Up Every Trace of Fur
This story was updated November 2021 to ensure all existing vacuum recommendations vetted and tested by the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Appliances and Cleaning Lab were in stock, available and included updated prices and added a new best robot vacuum for pet hair, the Eufy Robovac 15C Max, based on updated testing.
- Best Overall Vacuum for Pet Hair: Kenmore Pet Friendly Upright Vacuum
- Best Value Upright Vacuum for Pet Hair: Eureka FloorRover Upright Vacuum
- Best Vacuum for Pet Hair and Tile Floors: Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Upright Vacuum
- Best Vacuum for Pet Hair and Hardwood Floors: Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum
- Best Cordless Vacuum for Pet Hair: Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute Lightweight Vacuum
- Best Handheld Vacuum for Pet Hair: Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Corded Handheld Vacuum
- Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair: Eufy RoboVac 15C Max Robot Vacuum
You love everything about your pet, but one thing that isn't so great: Finding his fur all over your house. Removing pet hair is one of the toughest challenges vacuum cleaners face. This is especially true when static electricity makes dog hair and cat hair cling so tightly to fabrics, like carpeting and upholstery, that no amount of brushing or suction power seem to pick it up.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, we test all kinds of vacuums to find the best ones, including handheld vacuums, stick vacuums, canister vacuums, HEPA vacuums, robot vacuums and much more. We put our vacuums through rigorous testing that follows ASTM industry standard test methods: We set out a standardized gamut of messes on a range of flooring from hardwood to deep pile carpet to vinyl to find the best vacuums that will actually get the job done.
What is the best vacuum for pet hair?
To help any vacuum do a better job at removing pet hair, our cleaning pros recommend giving fur-covered carpets and couches a spritz of an anti-static spray, like Static Guard, before vacuuming to help strands come up easier. Then, there are a few features to look for in a vacuum specifically for pet hair:
- Rubber trim and raised “fingers” on floor nozzles and attachments that help zap static and break the bonds so fur comes up more easily.
- Tangle-free brush rolls put an end to clipping long strands of hair (from pets or humans!) that get twisted around the brush.
- Easy-to-empty dust cups for inevitable and frequent dumping as you vacuum. Keep in mind that filters on newer vacuums trap more odors to eliminate smells in the vacuum and the room.
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Kenmore Pet Friendly Upright Vacuum
Kenmore
amazon.com
$249.00
- Weight: 19 lbs.
- Cord or cordless: Cord
- Cord length: 30 feet
- Run time: N/A
- Bag or bagless: Bag
- Bag volume: 5.1L
- Filter: HEPA
Pet hair is an annoyance for most pet owners, but if you or someone in your family happens to be allergic to pet hair, it can also be a serious health issue. This upright Kenmore has all the extras to keep pet hair where it belongs — inside the vacuum. Certified by The Asthma and Allergy Foundation (AAFA), this Kenmore has a HEPA filter and passed AAFA tests for low emissions both while vacuuming and when changing the bag and while we haven’t tested this specific model, Kenmore vacuums do well in our performance tests, we know and trust the rigid standards of the AAFA, and are impressed with their certification criteria.
This vacuum maintains its performance even as the bag fills and clogs with dirt and it’s loaded with features like a powerful motor, a five-position adjustable height nozzle for easier pushing across all carpet styles and an air-powered hand tool with a rotating brush to more easily remove stubborn pet hair from upholstery, bedding and stairs.
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FloorRover Dash Upright Vacuum Cleaner
Eureka
amazon.com
$164.99
- Weight: 19.5 lbs.
- Cord or cordless: Cord
- Cord length: 35 feet
- Run time: N/A
- Bag or bagless: Bagless
- Dirt cup capacity: 1.0L
- Filter: HEPA
This affordable champ is an updated version of a previously tested model that had a near-perfect score in our pet hair pick-up tests and it comes with a a Pet Turbo Brush, specifically designed to get rid of pet hair from bedding, floors, stairs and upholstery — not an attachment you often find at this price point.
Our consumer testers loved how easily it was to maneuver in tough-to-reach places and with a 35-foot long cord, you'll be able to reach further than those with shorter cords. The bagless canister with a HEPA filter is also easy to empty, simply hold it over the trash and push the button and the bottom releases to empty the debris.
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- 4/8
Pet Hair Eraser Upright Vacuum
Bissell
amazon.com
$332.35
- Weight: 17.8 lbs.
- Cord or cordless: Cord
- Cord length: 30 feet
- Run time: N/A
- Bag or bagless: Bagless
- Dirt cup capacity: 1.0L
- Filter: SmartSeal Allergen System
This Good Housekeeping Seal star is our Lab go-to because it comes fully stocked with features that'll suck up every last bit of pet hair. A tangle-free brush roll, a light to find hidden messes and a detachable canister are all included. The canister is bagless so there's no worrying about changing a full bag.
To minimize the mess when emptying the canister, Bissell has a technology that "spools" the hair inside the canister, so it comes out as one easy-to-remove mass instead of individual strands. We also like that it works great on both carpets and bare floors.
- 5/8
Classic C1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum Cleaner
Miele
amazon.com
$594.15
- Weight: 16.1 lbs.
- Cord or cordless: Cord
- Cord length: 29.5 feet
- Run time: N/A
- Bag or bagless: Bag
- Bag volume: 4.5L
- Filter: Active AirClean Filter
Miele vacuums always top our Lab tests for performance and this model is designed for cleaning up after cats and dogs. It's especially great if you're worried about pesky smells, since the powerful Good Housekeeping Seal star features an Active AirClean Filter to help neutralize any lingering pet odors.
You can choose from 6 suction power settings specific to the surface and the Electro Plus Floorhead has five-level height adjustments making it ideal for medium to high pile carpet. It also comes with a super-useful Flexible Handheld Mini Turbo Brush attachment for cleaning upholstery, stairs, and other tight spaces.
- 6/8
Cyclone V10 Absolute Lightweight Vacuum
Dyson
amazon.com
$554.88
- Weight: 5.9 lbs.
- Cord or cordless: Cordless
- Run time: Up to 60 minutes
- Bag or bagless: Bagless
- Dirt cup capacity: .2 gallons
- Filter: Whole-machine filtration
Dyson's super-lightweight model received perfect scores in our pet hair pick-up tests. It comes with a mini motorized tool to help remove pet hair and dirt from carpet and upholstery. And since it's cordless, you'll never have to worry about you (or your pets!) tripping over a power cord!
The cordless stick vacuum was great at picking up pet hair on carpets and floors and it converts into a hand vac allowing you to easily tackle furniture, too. When you're done vacuuming it can be conveniently stored on the wall-mounted drop-in dock so you don't have to worry about it falling over.
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- 7/8
Pet Hair Eraser Corded Handheld Vacuum
Bissell
amazon.com
$47.27
- Weight: 5 lbs.
- Cord or cordless: Cord
- Cord length: 16 feet
- Run time: N/A
- Bag or bagless: Bagless
- Dirt cup capacity: .78L
- Filter: Multi-layer filtration
Don't want to buy a whole new vacuum? This small-but-mighty Bissell (only five pounds!) is perfect for quick pet-hair fixes. We like that it's designed with a rubber nozzle to help lift stuck-on hair and that it's easy to maneuver around chair arms and stair treads to get every last piece.
With a 16-foot power cord, you'll be able to navigate enough to clean up small messes and never have to worry about running out of power. It also comes with an attachment for hard floors so it can nab pet hair or dry messes like kitty litter on surfaces such as tile.
- 8/8
RoboVac 15C Max Robot Vacuum
Eufy
amazon.com
$169.99
- Weight: 6 lbs.
- Cord or cordless: Cordless (Base is corded)
- Run time: Up to 100 minutes
- Bag or bagless: Bagless
- Dirt cup capacity: .6L
- Filter: Unibody Filter
Most robot vacuums are not ideal for picking up pet hair, but this robot vacuum easily removed pet hair from carpet and with its slim profile just under 3 inches, it can glide beneath beds, low furniture and hard-to-reach places to nab stray pet hair. It's BoostIQ Technology also automatically increases suction power when it detects extra cleaning is needed and advanced sensors keep it from tumbling off ledges and stairs or running into furniture.
In our tests, it was one of the quietest robot vacuums and ran for almost two hours on a single charge and automatically returned to its charging base when the battery ran low. It was also a top performer thanks to its two side brushes and roller brush action all at a budget-friendly price. While this doesn’t have a floor mapping feature it does have a remote control for spot cleaning or cleaning around floor edges.
