Finding the best vacuum for pet hair is critical for a clean home.
After all, owning any kind of pet that has hair increases your risk of excessive shedding.
While shedding is something that you should come to expect with your furry friends, just remember that you shed hair as well (not to mention millions of skin cells).
For those reasons, it is important to find the best vacuum for pet hair (and yours).
Let’s take a closer look at the frequency with which your furry friends can shed and why it is important to have a good, viable way to clean your home.
Consider taking a further look into grooming tools on Superwhiskers.
How Much does your Pet Shed?
The topic of how much tends to be an issue when it comes to some pet breeds and their shedding.
Many cat owners can attest that their furry friend may shed a lot, not to mention it sticks to your clothes, furniture, bed sheets, and anything that it can bury into.
Similarly, dog owners have similar issues, and some dog breeds are better than others when it comes to shedding amount.
Listed below is an in-depth look into the shedding process of dogs, cats, and any household pet that you may invite into your home.
Cats
As listed above, there are some cat breeds that are known for shedding and while it is part of the nature of getting this type of pet, there are some things to consider.
For starters, cats shed hair as a natural way to renew healthy, young hair and this is very similar to how humans shed skin to regrow healthy skin cells.
The process culminates in a new, sleek coat that really has them feeling amazing (well it is hard to tell how they feel). When the hair is renewed, the old, dead fur typically ends up all over you, your clothes, furniture, carpeting, and floors.
This is a reason why many look for high-end vacuums.
What Does Cat Shedding Tell you?
Aside from the natural process that occurs from shedding hair, cats can let go of their fur for a number of reasons.
One reason is due to diet.
If your furry friend is not receiving adequate nutrition for whatever reason, it can lose hair in a hurry.
You more than likely will notice if they are lacking in nutrition, as many signs lead towards this.
In addition to diet, cats can lose hair do to allergies in the air, environmental exposure to certain chemicals and compounds, and simply because a change in hormones has occurred.
What Preventative things can you do?
Some cat owners regularly groom and bathe their cats as a way to eliminate shedding.
This is a good method to help add nutrients to your cat’s hair, it helps to nourish and hydrate, and it helps to keep the shedding to that one spot (the tub).
In addition, brushing your cat can help to add a healthy shine to its coat and brushing during the bathing may help as well.
When you need more than just bathing, consider a best vacuum for pet hair to collect all the excess.
Dogs
The discussion of dog shedding is very similar to that of cats, but the difference here will be dedicated to the different breeds that shed, as well as some things that you can do to ease the shedding.
Similar to cats, dogs shed as a natural way to adjust to the changing seasons.
If you live in colder climates, your dog will more than likely shed its “summer coat” in the fall season so that it can grow back thicker for the cold climate.
Similarly, it will more than likely shed again in the spring season to prepare for summer.
What does Dog Shedding Tell you?
The first thing that comes to mind is that when a dog sheds, it is simply a natural way for the dog to eliminate an old coat for something that is functional to the region in which you live and for the season of the year.
Also, a dog sheds just like humans in an effort to shed away old, dead cells from its coat.
What Preventative things can you do?
Just like with cats, there are some options for preventing shedding.
Some dog owners try the brushing and bathing methods and both have their rewards.
In addition, changing your dog’s food and avoiding grain-based foods can help to eliminate inflammation in the body, which can make the shedding worse.
Consider these options in addition to some of the best vacuum for pet hair.
What Breeds are Known to Shed?
Typically, you should expect long haired dog breeds to shed a fair amount.
With that said if your dog needs a haircut at any time in their life then chances are your dog will shed.
Some dog breeds that are popular and known to shed often are the Labrador Retriever, Boston Terrier, Corgi, Akita, as well as a Siberian Husky.
If you are searching for any of these dogs then it is important to search around for the best vacuum for pet hair.
Other Pets
While cats and dogs shed quite a bit, there are other household pets that shed as well.
Some pet birds may shed a feather or two, whereas rabbits go through a process of shedding (known as molting) seasonally.
Snakes shed their skin as well, but hopefully you do not have that pet out of its contained environment.
A best vacuum for pet hair is something that is essential for these pets as well, considering you will needs to vacuum their pens, cages, and homes as part of regular cleaning.
Best Vacuum for Pet Hair
Searching for the best vacuum for pet hair can be a nightmare if you have never spent time finding the best match.
One reason that it can be a nightmare is because brand vacuums tend to market and word their product to be “super-duty” and “universal” throughout the entire house.
While you cannot blame a company for making such claims, many families have spent the money on inferior vacuums in the hopes that it completely picks up pet hair, only to see it fail.
If you are going to spend the money on a vacuum for your pet hair, then make sure to find something that works.
Finding the best vacuum for pet hair is something you should take the time, figure out what works best for you, and make an informed decision.
Listed ahead are some vacuums listed on Amazon with good ratings, reasonable prices, and more importantly, serve the purpose of picking up pet hair.
Best Vacuum for Pet Hair: Upright Vacuums
The SharkNinja brand is gaining a bit of popularity over the years and part of the reason is due to their dedication towards their pet vacuums.
When searching for a best vacuum for pet hair, there are some features that you ought to consider and listed ahead are five categories that I feel you need to consider with each vacuum.
Functionality
Of course one of the first things you should examine in your search for the best vacuum for pet hair is how well it functions.
The truth is most vacuums will have features that are geared directly towards the “typical” household, meaning you should expect a handle that reaches a certain length, a good turning radius, as well as a sleek design.
The SharkNinja has some pretty neat features that I feel will work well as a basic design.
It has more than four different modes to select from, ranging from upright mode, powered lift-away mode, above-floor mode, as well as a pet mode.
It has easy to use finger controls that allow you to maximize your cleaning experience, because who wants to spend endless hours per week cleaning pet hair anyway?
Ease of Use
On a 1-10 rating scale, this vacuum should be at least an 8 when it comes to ease of use.
It may take a little adjustment when you first bring it home, but you can use this as a traditional vacuum, go under some of your furniture and get to the tough to reach spots, and you can carry it up your stairs as needed.
It is fairly lightweight, but if you have a capable and flexible body then it should not be too much of a hassle.
Performance with Pet Hair
The SharkNinja TruePet vacuum has some of the best reviews (more ahead on these), but within many of these reviews are satisfied customers who state their house “has never been this hair free.”
If you are in the market for the best vacuum for pet hair then this is the main feature you should covet.
Pros/Cons
Starting with the cons here. Some do not enjoy the bagless feature for pet hair (and more on this is ahead at the end of the vacuums list).
In addition to being a bagless vacuum, some have reported that the vacuum is heavy; however, it is described as being lightweight so this is a tad confusing and it can be subjective.
Some good and bad blended together is that the vacuum is reported to be so strong that it pulls you as you clean.
Now this could be damaging to your carpeting, but at least your flooring is picking up everything.
The pros include the items listed in the previous sections, in addition to a bit more.
It has a dedicated pet attachment that helps you to reach for pet hair in many places, including a hose for your couch.
It has a rotating head that allows for optimal turning radius and cleaning.
Lastly, you can use it on many surfaces including fluffy carpeting, soft carpeting, as well as hard flooring.
Ratings and Reviews
The ratings and reviews for the upright vacuum come directly from Amazon, since this is where everyone tends to make the purchase in the first place.
Amazon currently has close to 1450 customer reviews with an overall rating of 4.5 stars.
Within the ratings, three fourths of these customers have given it a 5-star rating, with some customers proclaiming its amazing performance and pet hair cleanup.
Also, an additional 11 percent gave this vacuum a four star rating, meaning 86 percent of the customers are quite happy with the performance of this vacuum.
Lastly, only seven percent gave it a one star or below rating, which is quite a low figure.
Consider this the best vacuum for pet hair for the upright vacuum category.
Best Vacuum for Pet Hair: Stick Vacuums
Dyson V8 Animal Cord free Vacuum
One of the newest designs popping up with vacuums is the bulk of the machine.
Many households have been aiming to maximize home storage space by purchasing smaller, more modern vacuums and cleaners for that matter.
The Dyson brand is a long-trusted brand that has been aiming to meet the smaller-sized demands that homes desire.
Let’s look at the main features of why this is a best vacuum for pet hair, stick vacuum category.
Functionality
If you are in the search for a best vacuum for pet hair that has some functional purposes then you cannot go wrong with a Dyson.
This vacuum is thin, hence why it is a part of the stick vacuum category.
It is light weight and generally easily stored in a small closet, laundry room, or anywhere that you desire.
Ease of Use
Some have given the Dyson vacuum pretty nice ratings based off the ease of use and its performance.
For starters, it does not come with a cord, which means you do not need to worry about having an extension cord or running it over.
It has a durable battery life, so even if you do not have a full charge, you can be assured that you can vacuum the entire house, given its 40 minute battery life.
It has a pretty good turning radius and the head of the vacuum is just wide enough that you do not waste time sweeping multiple rounds.
Lastly, its slim design makes this quite easy for cleaning your carpeted stairwell, under your couches, your car seat, as well as your furniture.
Performance with Pet Hair
The Dyson V8 Animal cord free vacuum is powerful, especially for its slim appearance.
It contains a strong airflow to maximize its cleaning ability and it comes with a HEPA filter, which is the gold standard when it comes to vacuum cleaners.
Overall with pet hair, this vacuum does a great job.
One customer review suggested that this Dyson Animal vacuum did a wonderful job cleaning up Siberian Husky hair, which as you know is one of the most commonly shedding dogs around.
If you are in the market for a best vacuum for pet hair, this one appears to meet every standard and then some.
Pros/Cons
There are some cons that can be reported with this vacuum, although there are not many.
This vacuum is also a bagless vacuum, which some pet owners do not care for given the extra cleaning process.
In addition, some customers have reported that the container gets clogged, but this could be a subjective issue as not many have reported this.
There are plenty of pros with this vacuum.
For starters, customers stated that it is quiet, powerful, comes with a charging dock, and it is one of the lightest vacuums around.
Consider this one of the best vacuum for pet hair options around.
Ratings and Reviews
This Dyson animal vacuum has great ratings on Amazon.
Currently there are close to 400 customer reviews and 76 percent gave this a 5 star rating, another 9 percent gave it four stars, thus making it closely similar to the first SharkNinja pet vacuum.
Lastly, six percent of customers gave this a one star or below rating, making this a great vacuum with great customer reviews.
Best Vacuum for Pet Hair: Automatic Vacuums
iRobot Roomba 980 Robot Vacuum with Wi-Fi Connectivity
Let’s face it we live in an automated world and with the electronic personal assistants popping up in homes all over the country, it is only reasonable to purchase an automated housecleaner as well.
The Roomba vacuum is a robotic cleaner that basically roams around your home and collects debris, crumbs, and pet hair.
The Roomba 980 vacuum is specifically designed to handle pet hair, so this is one of the most exciting best vacuum for pet hair options on this list.
Functionality
The Roomba 980 is quite functional for pet owners and some people have worries that their pet will maim the cleaner.
This is hardly the case and actually owners run the Roomba at night for optimal cleaning.
It is functional in the sense that you do not have to worry about general cleaning of your floors as this vacuum does the trick.
Ease of Use
Perhaps one of the best things about this vacuum is that there is not much to report about the ease of its use because it is an automated machine.
It comes with Wi-Fi capabilities and you can communicate with the vacuum through the Alexa device, so take this into consideration if you are into automation.
Performance with Pet Hair
This small, automated Roomba comes with a good power system that is capable of lifting and loosening dirt particles.
It is described as being capable of cleaning dirt with 10 times more power, so this is a good perk for pet hair.
It is designed with a tangle-free brushing system, so you should not have to worry about untangling it when it gets a fair amount of hair from the floor.
Some customers were skeptical upon making this purchase (as you probably are) and they have suggested in reviews that this Roomba does a better job than their upright vacuum when it comes to cleaning pet hair.
This is a great positive for those who are the fence about getting an automated vacuum for the home.
Pros/Cons
There are two major cons to report here.
First, if you have a dog that is likely to attack this vacuum thinking it was a toy then you need to make arrangements for when you clean.
Some set the Roomba to clean at night whereas some will clean during the day when the dog is in another room.
The second con is that you may need to make adjustments to your home.
For example, you may need move or stack your kitchen dining room chairs so that the Roomba can clean under the table.
Many customers make this adjustment and feel it is not a big issue.
The cons are too much to describe, but perhaps the main one here is that it is an automated vacuum cleaner!
The battery on this particular Roomba comes with a lithium ion battery, which was a con of other Roombas.
Overall, this vacuum has plenty of pros to make this arguably the best vacuum for pet hair.
Ratings and Reviews
The ratings and reviews for the Roomba 980 are pretty good, but not quite as great as the other two previously listed.
There are currently about 1150 customer reviews and 64 percent have given this a 5 star review.
In addition, another 16 percent gave it a 4 star review, meaning close to 4 out of 5 customers really enjoyed this product.
There is only about 9 percent one star reviews on Amazon for this product, so consider this a great option.
Overall, it has a 4.2 star rating, but in my opinion, it is much better than this.
Best Vacuum for Pet Hair: Canister Vacuums for Deep Cleaning
Miele Classic C1 Cat and Dog Canister Vacuum Cleaner
Canister vacuum cleaners are some of the most powerful vacuums that you can get.
This Miele Classic C1 type is especially powerful, as it contains six speeds for your use.
Listed below is a detailed description of what you should know about this vacuum cleaner.
Functionality
Overall, the functionality is nothing to write home to, but one of the best features of this Miele vacuum is that it is strong and provides a pretty good clean.
It contains a six speed motor so you can modify and exact your cleaning needs.
Ease of Use
Similar to above, the ease of use is so-so as the canister can be a bit of a distraction when you have a large area to clean.
It has the ability to clean other surfaces, besides your flooring, which is why it has an easy to use hose attachment.
It is not the lightest vacuum around, but most households should not have much of an issue with it.
Performance with Pet Hair
This is where you really get all of the perks. It contains six speeds so you can optimize your cleaning.
In addition, the Miele Classic C1 comes with a charcoal layer filter to eliminate lingering pet odors as well as a fully rotating head that gets as much area as possible.
Its performance with pet hair is by far one of the best around.
It has been described as working so well and being so powerful that it can virtually pull you with it.
This is truly the best vacuum for pet hair when it comes to cleaning ability.
Pros/Cons
Perhaps the main con of this vacuum is that it does not offer as much variety as other vacuums, but this is not necessarily a bad feature.
Its primary feature is to provide deep cleanings and it certainly does this.
Also, some may not care for the bulkiness of this vacuum, but again, it is one of the best, deep cleaning vacuums that can certainly get pet hair.
Ratings and Reviews
Currently, there are close to 40 customer reviews on Amazon and 63 percent have given this a 5 star review and 18 percent gave it a 4 star review, totaling 81 percent who consider this a pretty good product.
Only three percent gave it a one star or lower review, so take this into consideration.
Best Vacuum for Pet Hair: Bagged Vacuums
Eureka Mighty Mite Pet Lover Bagged Canister Vacuum
The last best vacuum for pet hair on this list is a bagged option.
Now, bagged vacuums are slowly becoming extinct, but the truth is, I personally love bagged vacuums for cleaning pet hair around the house because once your cleaning is done, you toss the bag out and start new.
Bagless options tend to get messy with cleaning and it is just another step in your cleaning process.
Functionality
Overall, the Eureka Mighty Mite Pet Vacuum is functionally a great bargain for a vacuum.
This is a canister vacuum, so the traditional cleaning is not something you get from this vacuum.
Instead, the long hose and attachment allow for a thorough cleaning without having to worry about cords, running into something, and it makes for a good experience.
Ease of Use
This vacuum is about average when it comes to ease of use and this is only because it is a canister vacuum.
I can say that a bagged vacuum makes the ease of cleaning much easier than bagless.
This bagged canister vacuum only weighs about nine pounds, which is about the weight of a gallon of water, or a jug of milk, which is great for a wide range of homemakers.
Performance with Pet Hair
The Eureka Bagged canister vacuum comes with a 12 amp motor with rolling brushes that provide a deep clean on your carpeting, couch, car seat, and flooring.
Customers have stated that this vacuum does a great job picking up hair from hardwood flooring, which is one of the hardest flooring types to collect pet hair.
Pros/Cons
The majority of the cons for this vacuum are that customers state that it is louder then what they prefer.
This is something that some people really take seriously, but a loud vacuum is not a bad thing, especially if it contains a fair amount of power.
The major pros of this vacuum are that it is durable, capable of being portable, and it has multiple options for multiple uses throughout your home.
Ratings and Reviews
The Eureka Mighty Mite Pet vacuum contains a whopping 4500 customer review selection and 54 percent rated this with 5 stars and another 21 percent gave it 4 stars, with a total of 75 percent of customers happy with the product.
In addition, only 10 percent gave it a one star review, but considering that the major con of this vacuum was the noise factor, this is a pretty good rated vacuum.
The Conclusion on the Best Vacuum for Pet Hair
I hope that you are well informed on some of the best vacuum styles out there.
Personally, I can appreciate of the listed vacuums above and when you make your selection, consider some of the major points above.
Performance is obviously a big deal when it comes to making a selection, but so is your household dynamic.
References
[1] https://pets.webmd.com/cats/shedding-cats
[2] https://www.petful.com/grooming/why-does-my-cat-shed-so-much/
[3] https://www.petcarerx.com/article/8-dogs-that-shed-the-most/1445