Top 8 Best Vacuums For Pet Hair Reviewed – The 2023 Ultimate Buyer’s Guide

Having a pet is probably ranked among the best feelings things a person can experience. Pets, whether its a dog, cat, or a guinea pig, can show affection and make us feel better even in the darkest of days. Sadly, they can also turn your living room into a total mess. Most animals shed their fur at least twice per year, with some exceptions. That, normally, leads to fur flying all around your house if you don’t clean up every day.

That can be tiring for pet owners, especially if your vacuum cleaner doesn’t do a proper job and leaves half the stuff behind. If you want you and your pet to share a pleasantly clean environment, without allergens flying around and being all over your clothes, it is paramount to have a decent way to deal with all this. This is where some of the best vacuums for pet hair come into play, and we are here to review them.

When it comes to pet hair vacuums, it can be tough choosing the “right one”. That is, because there is no right one when you go above a certain price point. The models we handpicked for our reviews were the best of the best, and each had its own strengths, but overall they all handled what we threw at them without any hiccups.

First, let’s kick things off with a comparison chart between them, and then we’ll get to the guide part, where you will familiarize yourself with everything there is to know about pet vacuum cleaners, so that you know what your money will be spent on.

Product	Type of vacuum	Weight	Price
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E	Upright	13.7 lbs.	$$$	Check Price
Bissell 9595A CleanView	Upright	15 lbs.	$$	Check Price
Miele Complete C2	Canister		$$$$$	Check Price
Bissell Zing Canister 2156A	Canister	8 lbs.	$$$	Check Price
Shark Rocket (HV302)	Stick	7.6 lbs.	$$$	Check Price
Eureka NES210	Stick	3.97 lbs.	$$	Check Price
Homasy Portable	Handheld	3.26 lbs.	$$	Check Price
ILIFE V3s Pro	Robotic	4.5 lbs.	$$$	Check Price

8 Best Vacuums For Pet Hair

1. Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E – Vacuum for Use in Large Homes with Pets

If your home has mixed flooring and you’re looking for a real workhorse that combines brute force, strong suction, and the ability to handle even the most stubborn pet hair, the Navigator might be just what you need.

Tipping the scales at just 13.7 pounds, and packing swivel steering to enhance maneuverability further, vacuuming seems simple with the Navigator.

Shark gives you the benefit of HEPA filtration along with its proprietary Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology. Complete Seal sucks fine dust and allergens from the air with 99.97 percent contained rather than belched back into the atmosphere. A pair of pre-motor filters (foam and felt) along with that gold standard HEPA filter help allergy-sufferers breathe more easily.

The brush roll can be flicked on or off with a crisp toggle switch giving you the powerful suction you need for carpeted areas, especially those with pet hair ingrained, while making sure you don’t scratch any hard flooring. Be careful with deeper pile carpets since suction can be a little vigorous.

Pet hair attachments handle any rogue hair left after your initial sweep with the Shark. The dust away attachment is handy for hardwood floor with some reusable microfiber pads thrown in.

You can detach the canister of this Shark pet vacuum at the push of a button helping you with all your above-floor cleaning needs. From curtains and upholstery to stairs, this extra versatility is welcome.

The price-to-performance ratio is impressive as with all vacuums from the Shark collection. Nimble and powerful while offering freedom of movement in a compact and lightweight unit, the Navigator will keep your home blissfully free of all airborne pathogens and pet hair.

2. Bissell 9595A CleanView Vacuum – A Top Value Upright Vacuum Model for Pet Hair

It’s tough to examine the top vacuums for pet hair without covering the enduringly popular 9595A from Bissell, but what makes it stand out?

Whether you’re looking to eliminate pet hair, allergens or other contaminants, filtration is critical. While you won’t get HEPA filter, the multi-level filtration is more than fit for purpose. The rinsible pre-motor foam filter keeps both maintenance and running costs to a minimum.

A multi-cyclonic system delivers powerful suction, and debris is graded and separated to preserve filter life while One Pass technology, as the name suggests, cleans most dirt on the initial pass reducing additional clean-up.

For those finishing touches, you’ll get a turbo brush tool, dusting brush, crevice tool, and extension wand. This array of attachments is a surprise considering the budget price-point. Among these extras, the turbo brush tool works particularly well for getting rid of stray dog hair on furniture upholstery.

At 15 pounds, the Bissell is not quite in lightweight territory, but it’s more than manageable. The power cord is 25 feet long so that you won’t be endlessly swapping outlets either.

A bagless vacuum, you can ditch the contents of the sizeable dust container at the push of a button avoiding any backsplash of fine dust.

The powerful suction, broad spread of attachments, and ability to clean both carpets and wooden flooring gives the Bissell 9595A extreme versatility. The pocket-friendly pricing and solid two-year warranty place this vacuum well within reach of anyone looking to keep pet owner house clean of the mess pets leave in their wake.

3. Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor Canister Vacuum Cleaner – The Quietest Vacuum to Easily Use for Decades

The Miele C2 is indeed not cheap, but it’s a strong contender for the top canister vacuum in a glutted market. What makes it such a strong performer?

A capable 1200-watt motor delivers plenty of suction, so ingrained filth doesn’t stand a chance, let alone pet hair. The flip side of this power is that the Miele draws down a fair amount of electricity.

You won’t get HEPA filtration, less than ideal at this price-point, but a rugged 11-stage system is in place. Thanks to the AirClean system, all the irritants and pet hair sucked up are wicked safely away inside. Filters are washable for economy and convenience.

A bagged canister, you won’t need to guess when it comes to swapping out the bag since there’s a neat indicator to guide you.

You can choose from six speed settings that you manipulate with a simple rotary dial. Match the suction to the surface, and you’ll get rid of even stubborn messes. The turbo brush is useful for removing any deep-seated grime. You’ll also get a crevice tool and dusting brush along with integrated storage.

Weighing a fraction under 19 pounds, the Miele is no lightweight, but the canister configuration means it’s agile and easy to move around despite its bulk.

A total operating radius of 33 feet including the wand gives you ample scope for deep cleaning larger rooms.

Designed expressly for hard flooring but able to serve a turn on carpets at a push, the Miele is a fine weapon in the fight against pet hair in flexible canister format. Solid and built to last, it might not be cheap but represents a sound investment given its lengthy lifespan.

4. Bissell Zing Canister Vacuum, 2156A – Entry-Level Canister Vacuum for Everyday Vacuuming

The Zing, another entry from Bissell, provides multi-surface cleaning in the form of a very light canister.

For such a compact unit, the Bissell is deceptively powerful. Patented cyclonic technology serves up suction that will make light work of pet hair, stubborn messes, and finer dust. This type of suction is delivered consistently and continuously across all surfaces.

Due to its small footprint and swiveling head, this is an agile canister that you can easily carry up and down the stairs, an area where much of the competition struggles.

Bagless, the dirt cup empties from underneath so you won’t need to contort yourself or get a face full of dust when you’re ditching it in the trash can.

Although the power cord is too short to clean larger spaces without switching outlets comfortably, the auto-rewind feature is a welcome addition.

Not HEPA-rated, filtration is nevertheless efficient and multi-level. The dirt cup filters and post-motor filters are straightforward to wash and reusable to slash ongoing costs.

Aside from a multi-surface floor tool, there’s nothing else by way of accessories, but the price tag reflects this.

While not necessarily the top vacuum for pet hair, the Bissell offers an affordable entry point with a shower of benefits for pet owners beyond just picking up pet hair.

5. Shark Rocket Corded Bagless Ultra-Light Vacuum (HV302) – Very Configurable Vacuum Cleaner

If you want the quality of a Dyson vacuum without that eye-watering price tag, Shark plugs the gap nicely. Make no mistake, the Rocket is not the cheapest stick on the block, but you’ll get a great deal of value with this lightweight model which will remove pet hair.

At just 8 pounds and with swivel steering to make that lightweight body even more agile, clean-up is simple with this Shark. Whether you want to go up and down the stairs or out in the car, you’ve got everything you need in one unit.

The Rocket’s suction power is impressive for a stick, and the 10-inch cleaning path lets you get most of the cleaning done with just one pass. When you’re moving between surfaces, adjust the brush roll with the flick of a switch without breaking your stride or damaging your hardwood floor.

To make storage even easier, you can mount the Shark on the wall, which works well if you live in an apartment or have limited space.

With a dusting brush, crevice tool, upholstery tool, and even a car detailing kit, you’re spoiled for choice with attachments.

While the power cord is long enough at 25 feet, the dust cup is slightly small, and you’ll need to keep on top of emptying it frequently for best results.

Crowned with Shark’s dependable five-year limited warranty, this multi-functional model gives you a pet hair hand vacuum along with a poky stick for the best of both worlds.

6. Eureka NES210 Blaze Stick Vacuum Cleaner – A Great Secondary Vacuum for Large Homes

If you’re looking for one of the cheapest vacuums to remove pet hair and debris littering your home, but you don’t want to come up short on the performance front, Eureka has you covered.

The core vacuum is a powerful stick, but a handheld and stair vacuum detach to give you added flexibility for whole-house cleaning with a single appliance.

Although you can’t expect HEPA filtration at this price point, the reusable filters in place are sufficient to keep most allergens, pet hair and fine particles out of your room and inside the vac.

While the 18-foot cord is rather short for our liking, you can overcome this shortcoming in part thanks to the detachable handheld. For anyone living in a smaller house, this is not necessarily a deal-breaker anyway.

A 2-amp motor is strong enough to deal with both large and fine debris, and the dust container is a reasonable size considering the small dimensions and slimline nature of this vacuum. Weighing less than 4 pounds, you’ll have no problems working away until all stray pet hair is history without fatigue setting in.

Costing less than a large bag of pet food, the Eureka Blaze gives you outstanding versatility and functionality along with plenty of power proportional to size.

7. Homasy Portable Handheld Vacuum Cleaner – A Powerful Vacuum for Short Run

Homasy might not be the most recognizable brand, but if you’re prepared to deviate from the usual suspects, this cordless pet hair vacuum could make a wise bet.

While cordless handhelds are generally relatively weak in terms of power, the potent lithium-ion battery and 100-watt power deliver more than enough oomph for pet hair along with regular household grime.

Charging takes just 3 to 4 hours, and you can expect around 30 minutes of continuous runtime, ample for most cleaning duties. Rated for roughly 500 charge cycles, this translates to perhaps five years of usage.

Three attachments (brush, crevice tool, and liquid jar) mean you can clear up impromptu messes whether wet or dry with ease.

The ergonomic sloping design takes the strain off your wrist while allowing you to angle in against baseboards, slip under furniture, and ensures a robust wall-to-wall cleaning job leaving no trace of pet hair behind.

Many handheld vacuums generate far too much noise. The Homasy kicks out less than 80 decibels so you won’t disturb your neighbors or your family as you restore your home to peak condition.

Priced well within most budgets, this nifty little handheld vacuum works particularly well as a secondary vacuum for pet hair since this type of model is somewhat limited in terms of complete cleaning unless you don’t mind spending your time crouched down.

8. ILIFE V3s Pro Robotic Vacuum – An Affordable Robotic Vacuum for Pet Hair

If you thought robotic vacuums were too expensive, the V3s is an affordable model from ILIFE that punches above its price tag.

The main draw of any robot vac is the convenience of getting your house cleaned any time you like even if you’re still at work. Program the V3s to kick in when it suits you, and you’ll get edge-to-edge cleaning with no effort on your part.

Sadly, many robotic vacuums do a fairly poor job of dealing with either pet hair or stubborn messes. Despite this, while it’s not perfect, you’ll get a thorough clean without too much need for following through with a manual vacuum afterward with the V3.

When the robot runs out of juice, it will automatically head back to the docking station provided. It will charge itself up, so it’s ready for action the next time it’s scheduled to get to work.

Integrated sensors enhance navigation so the ILIFE can pick its path through your home without getting stuck on rogue toys or furniture. However, it does struggle with slopes so think about the layout of your home.

While you’re advised to empty the contents of the dust bin after each use, this is not too much to ask since you get to skip the bulk of the clean-up.

The robot is most effective when cleaning hardwood floors. If you have carpeted surfaces, you’ll find it becomes bogged down. The V3s is not the best fit in homes with mixed flooring unless you don’t mind breaking out the manual vac.

Slimline enough to slide neatly underneath even low-slung sofas, this robot vac is nimble and versatile without costing a fortune.

Buyer’s Guide for Pet Hair Vacuum Cleaners

The main things we want to hit on here, are the types of vacuum cleaners for pet hair you can find on the market along with their good and bad sides. Furthermore, in the end, we will give you some ideas, tips & tricks for your daily vacuum routines.

The Four Main Types Of Vacuums for Pet Hair

Handheld Vacuum

This particular type has been gaining tons of popularity over the last decade, mainly due to its compact size and the overall ease of use. What’s even better is that most of the newest models, such as the cordless BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser, can be used without being plugged into a power outlet. That allows for great mobility. Perhaps the best advantage you gain from the lack of cord is that you can clean your car from all the hairs your dog left behind in the trunk.

Another great feature of these models is that their containers are usually bagless and made out of some sort of transparent material, which allows you to see exactly to what extent is the container filled.

A major disadvantage here, though, is that you will struggle with large open areas, which will require you to attach a stretching hose. It is a lot harder to clean carpets with these little things, as they lack on power and you’ll have to open them up to discharge the dirt regularly.

Overall, as most of us pet people do, we get two best vacuums for pet hair. One small one for the brief cleaning sessions and the unreachable places, and one bigger one to do the heavy working (carpets, couches, hardwood floors etc.). If you want a small, lightweight machine that will get rid of most of the cat hair around your house, opt for these.

Upright Vacuums

This is the top-level vacuum cleaner in regards to sheer sucking power. This makes these models the go-to choice when it comes to cleaning carpets and other areas that require a more powerful vacuum. The upright variation usually has a large tang, which can be either bag or bagless, each with its pros and cons (more on that later).

Most of these models have brushing assist modes, where little brushes which usually spin gather the pet hair from the ground/carpet easier. Also, the dust rating on these is insane, meaning no small-particle dust will be left lying around.

A major downside here is that you won’t like tight spaces at all. These things tend to fail at restricted spaces, so if you have a small apartment with a lot of furniture we suggest either a bigger model handheld vac, like the Shark Rocket HV292, or a canister vacuum with some adjustable attachments.

Canister Vacuums

These type of vacuums are the long-known classic. They’ve been around for ages, and everyone uses them. They are practical, fairly cheap, and are really flexible when it comes to performing multiple tasks.

Really, there cannot be pointed any downsides here, as the canister vacuums have a high air suction power, they are lightweight, have tons of attachments with them (most often), and are great for all sorts of surfaces and environments. Those attachments we are talking about is something often overlooked. If you get a vacuum with tons of attachments there will pretty much always be one for any type of situation you are in. Having to clean a narrow gap between your couch and the wall? Worry not – there is the perfect attachment for that.

Perhaps the only thing which can be pointed out as a downside is that they have to be constantly plugged in, due to the high-demanding motor they all have. Currently there aren’t any reliable cordless canister vacuums out there.

Stick Vacuum Cleaners

If you are having back issues, this might be the thing for you. Stick vacuums are great for people who cannot stay bent for longer periods. They allow for easy vacuuming by being quite tall usually.

Furthermore, they are mostly quiet and have a dust-container which is bagless and easily removable. That is also their downside, though. Since the containers tend to be on the small side of things, you’ll have to empty them out quite often if you use the vacuum on a regular basis.

If you want your stick vacuum cleaner to work well on carpets, get a more powerful one, as they tend to lack in that area. Also, if you want to clean more narrow spaces you’ll have some issues here, since the body of the stick vacuum is a unibody structure and doesn’t bend anywhere.

Now, you heard us mention the vacuum cleaners being bagged or bagless a few times, so let’s check what that is all about.

Bag Or Bagless?

This has been a dispute for a long period of time now, and each of these two methods has been progressing towards newer technologies, but if we have to be honest with you, bagless vacuums are currently edging over their competition by quite a while. That is because they have the options to implement various technologies into their containers, such as water filtration, or any other filtration system. Anyway, let’s check each of the competitor’s advantages and disadvantages.

Bagged Vacuum Cleaners

Those are generally considered to be very hygienic due to the fact that all the dust and debris you pick up from the floor remains in a sealed bag. Even so, the air which goes through the bag is double, triple (or sometimes more) filtrated on its way out of the body of the vacuum cleaner. If you are highly allergenic, we suggest getting some of these vacuums for pet hair, which do the best job according to consumer reports. All these have HEPA filters which trap pollens and dust from the air going through the vacuum cleaner.

A downside here is that, since there are bags, you will have to replace them once full. This leads to higher maintenance costs in the long run, but trust us, it doesn’t raise the overall price as much as you’d think. Some people just remove the dirt from their bags and then put them back inside. We cannot stress enough why you shouldn’t do that. Trust us, it won’t save you any money, quite the contrary actually.

Furthermore, the less stuff there is in your container bag, the easier air goes through it and therefore the more suction power you will get out of your vacuum cleaner for pet hair, so keep them clean!

Canister Instead of Bag

This type of vacuum cleaners is probably the future of vacuum cleaning. They most often come with a transparent, removable canister, which you can observe and remove when full. It takes zero effort to take it out, dumped it in the trash and put it back in (or preferably wash it before that).

A weird upside of this kind of container system is that if you accidentally suck in a jewelry or any other type of item you want to later find, you can easily search it for, instead of having to put your whole hand in a bag full of dirt and pray for the best. Also, there are no long-term maintenance costs here. All you can do is eventually change the filter, or just brush/wash it.

When it comes to downsides, the only one might be that there are quite a few bagless models with a HEPA filtration system. Also, when removing the dust container you will pretty much always be exposing yourself to allergens, unless there is some sort of a special system in place, such as the one on the Electrolux EL8811A Precision.

Tips & Tricks For Your Vacuuming Routine

• Make It An Actual Routine

Cleaning should be a regular process for pet owners, as with anything else associated with the hygiene maintenance. Pick a few days of the week, and an exact hour in them, in which you just seize everything else and clean up the house. That way you will get used to it and start doing it on a constant basis, which will quickly reflect on your health in a good way.

• The Good Hygiene Starts With You

Have in mind that you are constantly bringing dust and allergens from the outside with your clothes and shoes, so it is important to keep them at bay, and not just go around your apartment while still having them on. The same thing goes for lying on your bed with your clothes on… Just don’t do it. The place where you sleep should be the cleanest place in your house.

• Don’t Overcomplicate Things

Get rid of habits which make the cleaning a harder overall process. For instance, stop going inside your apartment/house with your shoes on, especially when the weather is bad. Take them off outside and pick them up, then get them to a sink or something to wash that outside dirt away.

Also, keep things organized, so that you don’t have to lift a ton of stuff up when cleaning, or you will soon start having back issues. Keep things off the ground as much as possible, as the more stuff there is on the ground the more dust will gather at places which you won’t be able to reach.

• Move Your Furniture Once Every Couple Of Months

Dust loves tight spaces, so make sure you move around your furniture every once in a while to be able to nicely clean around/below it. If the furniture in question is lying flat on the floor, you don’t have to move it as there will be no dust below it. If there is a gap try to move it, and if you can’t do that, use a narrow attachment which will suck out all the dirt from beneath.

• Keep Good Care Of Your Carpets

It is generally a great idea to occasionally deep-clean your carpets either with steam or with a shampoo. You can do that either outdoors manually or by having a special vacuum cleaner for pet hair, such as the Hoover Carpet Cleaner SteamVac.

Some Final Words

Getting the right best vacuum cleaner for pet hair can seem as a difficult process due to the countless models and variations there are on today’s market, but once you narrow down your exact requirements, things get easy. For example, what do you need your vacuum for? It can be your car’s trunk, in which case you need a handheld vacuum cleaner, or your carpet, where you will need more suction power coming from a canister or an upright vacuum cleaner. There is a type for every occasion, and we hope our review helped you choose your new cleaning companion for pet hair!