No More Tracking Hair and Fur to the Car
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No More Tracking Hair and Fur to the Car
This story was updated in August 2022 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. We replaced our best cordless vacuum with a new model from Dyson and added a new best vacuum for pet hair and hardwood floors, best cordless handheld vacuum for pet hair and best canister vacuum for pet hair, plus more information about how we test all vacuums in our lab.
You love everything about your pet, but one thing that isn't so great: Finding their 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 seems to pick it up.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, we test all kinds of vacuums, including the best stick vacuums, handheld vacuums, canister 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. Our custom-built vacuum testing machine allows us to objectively measure how much dirt, pet hair and debris each vacuum picks up, all in the same standardized method.
Our top picks:
Keep reading for more information on how we evaluate vacuum cleaners in our Lab — plus your guide to everything pet hair removal. If your tile or wood floors need a little more love and attention, check out our guides to the best vacuum mops and the best vacuums for hardwood floors. For more on carpets, check out our guide to the best carpet cleaners and the complete guide to clean your carpet the right way.
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1) Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Plus Lightweight Vacuum
Bissell
amazon.com
$247.19
For all your pet hair clean-up needs, look no further than this upright vacuum from Bissell. This vacuum's dust cup has an easy-to-empty, hands-free design, with a hair spooling system inside the canister that contains the mess and a tangle-free brush roll that keeps pet hair from clogging the bristles. Included attachments like an extension wand with a 7-foot hose, LED Lighted Crevice Tool, 2-in-1 Pet Dusting Brush and Pet TurboEraser Tool make this vacuum a do-it-all option for a pet home.
This is one of the best vacuums we’ve tested from Bissell, and like many others from the brand, it does not disappoint. In our lab tests, it earned good scores for its ease of use and powerful suction. It’s our Cleaning expert’s top pick for cleaning up pet hair around your home, plus has 6,000 5 star raters on Amazon that love it too.
• Weight: 13.75 lbs.
• Corded or cordless: Corded
• Cord length: 30 feet
• Run time: N/A
• Bag or bagless: Bagless
• Dirt cup capacity: 0.75 L
• Filter: SmartSeal Allergen SystemBissell - 3/10
2) Kenmore Pet Friendly Upright Vacuum
Kenmore
amazon.com
$249.00
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, 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.
• Weight: 19 lbs.
• Cord or cordless: Cord
• Cord length: 30 feet
• Run time: N/A
• Bag or bagless: Bag
• Dirt cup capacity: 5.1L
• Filter: HEPAKenmore - 4/10
3) Kenmore 81615 600 Series Friendly Lightweight Bagged Canister Vacuum with Pet PowerMate, Pop-N-Go Brush, 2 Motors, HEPA Filter, Aluminum Telescoping Wand, Retractable Cord and 4 Cleaning Tools, Purple
Kenmore - 5/10
4) Pet Hair Eraser Corded Handheld Vacuum
Bissell
amazon.com
$30.99
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.
• Weight: 5 lbs.
• Corded or cordless: Corded
• Cord length: 16 feet
• Run time: N/A
• Bag or bagless: Bagless
• Dirt cup capacity: .78 L
• Filter: Multi-layer filtrationBissell - 6/10
5) BLACK+DECKER Furbuster Handheld Vacuum for Pets, Cordless, AdvancedClean+, Gray (HHVK515JP07)
Black + Decker - 7/10
6) Classic C1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum Cleaner
Miele
amazon.com
$749.00
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.
• Weight: 16.1 lbs.
• Cord or cordless: Cord
• Cord length: 29.5 feet
• Run time: N/A
• Bag or bagless: Bag
• Dirt cup capacity: 4.5L
• Filter: Active AirClean FilterMiele - 8/10
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9) Cyclone V10 Absolute Lightweight Vacuum
Dyson
amazon.com
$549.00
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.
• 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 filtrationDyson - 10/10
10) RoboVac 15C Max Robot Vacuum
eufy
amazon.com
$165.99
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 of just under 3 inches, it can glide beneath beds, low furniture and hard-to-reach places to nab stray pet hair. Its 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.
• 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 FilterEufy
