- The Quick List
- Best vacuum for pet hair
- Best value vacuum for pet hair
- Best pet hair vacuum for allergies
- Best upright for pet hair
- Best budget
- Best robot vacuum for pet hair
- Best pet hair vacuum for apartments
- Best cylinder pet hair vacuum
- Best bagged upright for pet hair
- How we test vacuums
- Meet our expert testers
- FAQs
- Final thoughts
Pet hair vacuums - Quick Menu
1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best vacuum for pet hair: Dyson V15 Detect
3. Best value: Shark Stratos
4. Best for allergies: Samsung Bespoke Jet
5. Best upright: Dyson Ball Animal 2
6. Best budget cordless: Hoover ONEPWR Pet Max
7. Best robot: iRobot Roomba j7+
8. Best for apartments: Bissell ICONpet
9. Best cylinder: Miele C3 Cat and Dog
10. Best bagged upright: Sebo X4 Automatic
11. How we test vacuums
12. Meet our expert testers
13. FAQs
14. Final thoughts
Cleaning up after dogs or cats is easy with the best vacuum for pet hair. Designed to capture hair, dust, dirt, and dander, these vacuums are a must-have for pet owners. Using a pet vacuum can also make your home hypoallergenic, which works wonders when seasonal allergies hit.
Our panel of expert reviewers meticulously tested the best vacuums for pet hair, so you can trust our judgement on what's best to buy. Thanks to our hands-on experience of trialling these vacuums in our homes, I'm certain that every single one of them is a good buy.
The specialized models from household names like Dyson, Shark and Bissell all have features that go further to clean up after your pet, which puts them among the best vacuum cleaners.
Other vacuums might be better in other scenarios, but if you know that all you need to do is clean up after pets, these are the best vacuums for you.
Alex is our expert Head of eCommerce and has years of experience as a product tester. He's especially knowledgeable with vacuum cleaners, and after first-hand experience of dozens of vacuum cleaners he knows exactly what makes for a good product.
The Quick List
If you need a vacuum cleaner ASAP, these are the best. We go into all the detail below.
Best vacuum overall
This is the best vacuum you can buy, and it's amazing with pet hair.
Best value vacuum for pet hair
Effective pet hair removal at a fair price. This nimble upright also has odor-neutralising tech that removes pet smells.
Best pet hair vacuum for allergies
Samsung's Bespoke Jet combines HEPA filtration and a unique bagged base to protect you from fur and allergies.
Best upright vacuum for pet hair
A powerful upright that's merciless on fur and dander.
Best budget cordless pet hair vacuum
An effective cordless vacuum that won't break the bank.
Best robot vacuum for pet hair
Automatic pet hair removal, monitored from your phone.
Best for apartments
This compact cleaner is a good choice for picking up after pets in small homes like apartments.
Best cylinder pet hair vacuum
The sealed bag system on this compact cylinder makes it great for allergy sufferers.
Best bagged upright for pet hair
This old-school upright will catch and seal pet fur and smells.
Best vacuum for pet hair 2023
You can trust Homes & Gardens. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, helping you choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
If you want more detail, here's our rundown of the very best vacuums for pet hair. We've personally tested every single to see how they fared with fur.
Best vacuum for pet hair
Buy it if
✅ You want the best vacuum: Our tests showed that this is the best vacuum you can buy.
✅ You want a powerful cordless: This is one of few cordless vacuums with as much suction as plug-in vacuums.
✅ You hate dealing with hair when vacuuming: There's great detangling tech in this vacuum.
Don't buy it if:
❌ Price: while price changes over time, this vacuum cleaner is usually more than $900.
❌ You only have carpet: the laser is only effective on hard floors, so will be useless if you have carpet throughout your home.
❌ You have motor control issues: You have to press down the power button to use this vacuum, which might be difficult with arthritis or Parkinson's.
The bottom line
🔎 Dyson V15 Detect + There's nothing better than this, but it will cost you.
This is the best vacuum cleaner in world on every surface, and it particularly shines on pet hair. When we tested the anti-tangle hair screw on an old dog bed, it not only picked up all of the hair but restored the color from a faded gray to a bright blue. It also has an an effective anti-tangle brush bar that will save you the horrible job of picking hair out of the vacuum.
The Dyson V15 Detect also leads the line up of best vacuums and the best Dysons for its diode laser, which illuminates dust and particles the naked eye can't see. This couples with a sensor which measures microscopic dust particles in real time. We were prepared for these to be useless gimmicks but they genuinely improve performance, as the laser helps you clean more deeply and the sensor adjusts the suction power depending on how dirty your floors are.
But like most Dyson products, this quality comes at a cost. This is the best vacuum you can possibly buy, but it will set you back more than $700. We also aren't fans of the fact that dust occasionally gets stuck in the dust bin, and that you have to hold down the trigger to keep it running, which might become uncomfortable if you have mobility issues with your hands.
Our Dyson V15 Detect cordless vacuum review goes into more detail.
Best value vacuum for pet hair
Buy it if
✅ You want the a good-value vacuum: It's nearly as good as a top-line Dyson but half the price.
✅ You want a clean-smelling room: This vacuum has cartridges that get rid of pet smells.
✅ You want a nimble upright: Unlike other uprights, this is easy to use on stairs.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're tight on space: it's the most nimble upright we've tested, but it's still bulky.
❌ You don't like trips to trash can: it has a small dust bin capacity, which means you have to empty it frequently.
❌ You struggle with heavy objects: This vacuum comes in at 17.2lb.
The bottom line
🔎 Shark Stratos Upright Powerful and great value, but a little bulky.
Our expert tester Camryn Rabideau loved this vacuum after testing it in a house with two long-haired dogs. It does almost as good a job as the Dyson above despite costing half as much. Like many Shark vacuums, it stops hair wrapping around the floor brush and saves you the gross job of detangling your vacuum.
Upright vacuums can be too bulky for delicate jobs, but the Shark Stratos comes with a Powered Lift-Away mode. Camryn said that 'This allowed me to pop out the main cylinder and bin, leaving me with a smaller, more nimble hand held cleaner and hose for getting under furniture and into tight spaces'. We also love the Odor Neutralizer Technology, a cartridge which releases a 'light, fresh scent that makes the room feel cleaner', which is especially welcome in homes with pets.
But while Power Lift-Away makes it a little lighter to hold, this vacuum weighs 17lbs, so it might not suit people with mobility problems, and it's tricky to store. You should also watch out for the two different versions. It seems pedantic, but the AZ3000 is just a vacuum, whereas the AZ3002 comes with an effective motorized HairPro Pet Power Brush, a duster-crevice combination tool, a multi-angle dust brush, an anti-allergen dust brush, an accessory bag, and two extra odor cartridges.
Camryn's Shark Stratos upright vacuum review has more details.
Best pet hair vacuum for allergies
Buy it if
✅ You have allergies: It's not only HEPA-sealed, but stores dust and pet hair in a sealed bag.
✅ You value peace and quiet: This vacuum is relatively quiet.
✅ You want something easy to use: We found this really easy to maneuver.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're tight on space: the clean station is a little unsightly and takes up room.
❌ You don't like trips to trash can: it has a small dust bin capacity, which means you have to empty it frequently.
❌ You're particularly tall: The telescopic tube doesn't extend very far.
The bottom line
🔎 Samsung Bespoke Jet Amazing for combating allergies, and great value, but takes up room.
Like other vacuums, the Samsung Bespoke Jet has 5-layer HEPA filtration system to trap allergen particles inside the dustbin. However, it goes even further. The Bespoke is charged on a 'clean station', which not only powers the vacuum but sucks out any collected dust from the 0.5 liter dust bin. It's a small capacity for a big house, but this charging system means that you can regularly empty your dust into a sealed bag without lifting a finger. When the clean station is full, you can lift out a sealed bag, removing the chance of breathing in any allergens.
On test we found it easy to maneuver, with a good 60 minute runtime. We also appreciated the handy digital screen, which displays notifications of the power level and alerts about airflow issues, clogs, missing filters, and more.
A word of warning, however: don't buy Samsung's latest update to this vacuum. Though it comes with a longer run time, it didn't perform as well in our tests. The AI - which claims to adjust to different floors automatically - isn't particularly useful, as you have to change the floorheads yourself. It's also $900, so you can save money and get a better vacuum if you stick with this older model.
Our full Samsung Bespoke Jet Pro Extra review has more detail.
Best upright vacuum for pet hair
Buy it if
✅ You have carpet: this vacuum is amazing on carpet.
✅ You have shedding dogs: It's totally ruthless on pet hair in carpets.
✅ You want a Dyson without the price: Dyson quality for under $500.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You have lots of area rugs: it's so powerful it will suck up area rugs, which can be frustrating.
❌ You have linoleum flooring: the powerful suction means that it can be hard to push, especially on lino or vinyl.
❌ You're have long hair: It picks up a lot of hair, but long hair will wrap around the brush roll.
The bottom line
🔎 Dyson Ball Animal 2 Perfect performance on pet hair, but with some unhelpful quirks.
Dyson's Ball Animal 2 is an older release than the Ball Animal 3, but we actually think it's better than its successor. Though not as powerful as the Ball Animal 3, it's incredibly effective on all floor types, and particularly good at getting pet hair up from carpets. When we rolled it down a carpeted hallway, the big half-gallon dust bin filled up with hair and fur which other vacuums in the same test had missed.
A 35-foot cord means you cover whole rooms without needing to unplug and replug, which means that in some single-story homes you can clean the entire place in one go. The hose has an enormous 40-foot reach, making it easy to clean stairs and catch cobwebs in the corner of your rooms. Despite the size, Dyson's famous ball design makes it nimble when moving around furniture.
Like most uprights, it weighs in at 17lbs, so while it's great at moving around furniture, it can be awkward to carry up and down stairs. It's also so powerful that it can be hard to push across some surfaces, and while it will pick up almost every hair in your house, a lot of them will get stuck in the brush roll.
There's more detail in our full Dyson Ball Animal 2 vacuum review.
Best budget cordless pet hair vacuum
Buy it if
✅ You're on a budget: this is as good as it gets for under $300.
✅ You have mixed flooring: it's great on every surface, and you can adjust the power to suit different floors.
✅ You have lots of furniture: this is easy to maneuver, easily gliding around chair legs and other furniture.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You want a free-standing vacuum: this can't stand up on its own, which can be frustrating.
❌ You have allergies: it's difficult to open this vacuum, and can be messy.
❌ You're have long hair: Long hair will wrap around the brush roll.
The bottom line
🔎 Hoover ONEPWR Pet Max There's much better vacuums out there, but not for the price.
Inexpensive but effective, this vacuum cleaner performed excellently on all the debris we tested it on, including our pet hair test. It's also the vacuum I have in my own place. On occasion it pushed at the pet hair, but quickly removed it when it was passed over with more pressure. It's nowhere near as good as the Dyson V15, but when you consider that this is five times cheaper this isn't surprising, and it still does a fairly good job.
We loved the digital display and the specialised settings for different surfaces are effective. It's also incredibly agile, gliding smoothly across all surfaces and turning quickly on its wheels. It's a good choice for small apartments and weaving around furniture. We also appreciated the wide range of accessorises for precise vacuuming.
This vacuum falls down on small but mildly infuriating issues. It isn't free-standing, so you'll need to lean it up against furniture or a wall if you need to move cables out of the way as you vacuum. This always worries me; as a renter, I don't want it to leave a mark on a wall. After a few minutes of use, it can feel a bit heavy, especially if you're holding it aloft. The worst feature is the bin, which is unintuitive to open and can be messy. The battery is pretty poor on max, and if you or your partner have long hair, be prepared to pick it out of the brush roll.
Laura's full Hoover ONEPWR Pet Max review has more detail.
Best robot vacuum for pet hair
Buy it if
✅ You're have a lot of toys: this vacuum can detect and avoid toys and other small obstacles.
✅ Your pets aren't housebroken: it can detect pet messes.
✅ You're busy: this self-empties into sealed bin, so you won't have to empty any dustbin for two months.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You don't like ongoing costs: this bags for this robot cost extra.
❌ You don't like glitchy apps: at the time of testing, the app was a little temperamental.
❌ You're on a budget: Like most robots, this will cost a lot of money.
The bottom line
🔎 iRobot Roomba j7+ The rare robot vacuum that can handle pet hair, but it's pretty expensive.
This iRobot operates in clean, methodical lines and spots any obstacles in its path. On test, it flagged everything from dog toys to shoes and even thin power cords, with a photo of the obstacle so you can mark out no-go areas if needed. I found this vac incredibly effective at pulling up pet hair, eradicating crumbs, and navigating throughout the home.
We also loved the self-emptying base. When the iRobot Roomba j7 detects that it is full, it automatically goes to eject into the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal, a sealed system that can hold up to 60 days of debris.
You can't set Keep Out zones until after a map is finished, which is a little counterintuitive. The app can also be a little glitchy, and like all robot vacs, it's not always effective when cleaning tight corners. As a robot vacuum, it won't suit every home.
There's more detail in my full iRobot Roomba j7+ review.
Best pet hair vacuum for apartments
Buy it if
✅ You're in an apartment: a compact vacuum that's easy to store.
✅ You have hard floors: this vacuum is at it's best on hard floors in apartments.
✅ You're on a budget: it usually costs around $360, and is often on sale.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You have carpet: this vacuum was poor on high-pile carpets.
❌ You need good edge cleaning: we found this wasn't great at cleaning along baseboards.
❌ You're on a budget: Like most robots, this will cost a lot of money.
The bottom line
🔎 Bissell ICONOPET Great for apartments and hard floors, but stay away if you need to clean carpet.
This compact, nimble vacuum is great for smaller homes like apartments. Expert tester and pet owner Courtney Irwin found that the Bissell ICONPet's 'powerful suction traps pet hair and dander', and it's great for those with allergies. It also swivels for fantastic maneuverability, and Courtney reports that the tangle-free brush roll is the real deal when dealing with accumulated strands of hair from humans and pets. This cordless vacuum is perfect for hardwood and area rugs.
We found that the Clean Slide technology makes for easy dust bin removal with as little contact with dirt as possible. This is a major moment for anyone who hates dealing with cleaning out the vacuum. Courtney also enjoyed the small design details like the LED crevice tool, which lights up nooks and crannies as you clean, as well as the handy progress indicator on the inside of the charging dock.
However, if you've got high-pile rugs and carpets, look elsewhere. Courtney found that 'it didn’t live up to my expectations on the plush carpet in my bedroom', struggling to perform on even the strongest setting. We tested the original ICONPet, but Bissell has since released Edge and Turbo editions. Everything we've seen so far indicates an improvement on the original, with the Edge promising better edge cleaning and the Turbo offering more powerful suction.
Courtney's Bissell ICONpet review has more details.
Best cylinder pet hair vacuum
Buy it if
✅ You have allergies: this vacuum uses sealed bags that are great for preventing allergies
✅ You have mixed floors: this vacuum has dedicated settings for rugs, carpets, and hard floors.
✅ You want to clean upholstery: this vacuum has dedicated settings for cleaning furniture and curtains.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're on a budget: this is the most expensive vacuum we've ever tested.
❌ You don't like ongoing costs: the bags for this vacuum are particularly expensive.
❌ You have kids: this vacuum is poor on larger debris, so it won't always pick up common messes like cereal.
The bottom line
🔎 Miele C3 Cat and Dog An amazing canister vacuum, but the most expensive vacuum we've ever tested.
The Miele C3 Cat and Dog Canister vacuum has spacious 4.5qt bags that self-seal on removal and provide extra filtration on top of a HEPA filter. Miele's models for pets use a special charcoal filter called Active AirClean filter that captures and retains over 99.9% of lung-damaging particles as well as hair and fur. Not only is this great for allergy suffers, catching and sealing fur, dirt and dander, but on test we found that it prevent odors too.
The hose and wand come off the back, so you can use the crevice tool and small turbo brush for smaller areas. The latter is particularly effective for tackling pet beds and upholstery. There’s a 29ft cleaning radius with this model, so you won’t need to keep swapping power sockets as you make your way around the house. The suction power is incredible, thanks to the 1500W motor, so cleaning across the board, not just for pet hair, is exceptional.
The obvious downside to this vacuum is that it's the most expensive vacuum we've ever tested, costing up to $1200 outside of sales periods. Not only that, but the self-sealing bags are a recurring cost. When we tested this on larger debris, we found that it is poor at taking on bigger crumbs, so it might not be great if you have young kids causing lots of mess.
All the detail is in my Miele Complete C3 Cat and Dog review.
Best bagged upright for pet hair
Buy it if
✅ You really, really want to get rid of pet hair: this vacuum is faultless at removing pet hair.
✅ You want to get rid of pet smells: this vacuum has scent cartridges to cover up the smell of pet fur .
✅ You want automatic adjustment: it adapts itself to different types of flooring.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're on a budget: this is an expensive vacuum.
❌ You don't like heavy vacuums: this is the heaviest vacuum we've ever tested.
❌ You have limited space: this behemoth is hard to store, especially in apartments.
The bottom line
🔎 SEBO Automatic X4 Boost This old-school upright is perfect at tackling pet hair, but not much else.
This vacuum looks like it's travelled to the future from about 1980, so I was skeptical when we got our hands on it to test. However, it blew me away with its performance on pet hair. If you want a vacuum to tackle nothing but fur, this is a very safe bet. It was great on flour and sugar, and effective on cereal, but our tester Laura found this vacuum 'faultless' on our hair test. It picked up all the hair we put down without fuss, none of it was caught in the rollers, and it was superb on every type of floor we tested. As a bagged vacuum, it's excellent for cleaning and allergies. SEBO also sell scent cartridges for their vacuums, so there's none of that gross hot pet hair smell as you vacuum.
Outside of its performance on pet hair, it has good clearance under furniture and a generous 40ft power cord that means you can clean multiple rooms without have to plug it in again elsewhere. It automatically detects the floor and height of carpet, and as an upright, it's freestanding and has good onboard storage.
The sheer size of this vacuum is its biggest weakness. At 18lbs, it's pretty heavy to push around, and inconvenient to take up and down stairs. It's not the most nimble, either, so if you've got lots of furniture it might be difficult to steer. As an old-school upright, it has a pretty big footprint for storage, too. The 40ft power cable is welcome, but can fall out as you use it, and it's also pretty noisy.
There's more detail in our full SEBO Automatic X4 Boost Upright review.
How we test vacuums
A Dyson vacuum on test, cleaning up hair
At Homes & Gardens we like to get hands-on experience with all the products we feature. You can learn more how we test products in our dedicated guide, and there's a more specific rundown of our vacuum test process in how we test vacuums.
Each new vacuum we get the opportunity to review is tried and tested in our test center and in our own homes. In the test centre, we test each vacuum on carpet, linoleum and wood flooring. We test them with flour and sugar, which is a common kitchen spill but also tests dust and dead skin; cereal, which shows how well it picks up larger debris like crumbs; and most of all on old hair extensions, which demonstrates how well a vacuum can pick up hair, and whether or not hair gets stuck in its rollers.
The Shark Stratos upright on test with a dog
Most importantly, we've also tested these vacuums in homes with pets, so we know exactly how well each vacuum can pick up pet fur, how the pets reacted, and how well the remove any lingering pet smells.
We test the vacuum cleaners for a number of weeks (sometimes months) so we get a feel for the longevity and durability of each model. In some instances, we are also fortunate enough to keep the vacuum cleaners after writing up the review so we can continue to learn about them and share our findings with you.
In every test we look out for factors such as maneuverability, run-time, emptying of the dust bin (or bag), and general controls so you know exactly what you are getting for your money. We assess feedback from customer reviews too, so we know how it performs on average across thousands of users, as well as compare the vacuums we test against predecessors.
Meet our expert testers
Laura is our eCommerce editor. Before Homes & Gardens she studied English at Oxford University. Alongside her studies, she qualified as a barista and trained as a master perfumer. This makes her our certified expert for all things coffee, candles, and fragrance. Laura has worked for luxury retail brands, reinforcing the importance of quality and style over quantity and fads. She recently tested several vacuums for this list, including the Hoover ONEPWR Pet Max and the SEBO X4 Automatic Boost.
Jaclyn is the US eCommerce editor for Homes & Gardens, where she oversees sleep content including mattresses and bedding. She tested a number of vacuums within this list, including our standout top pick, the Dyson Outsize, the Shark Vertex, Tineco Pure One S15, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 and the iRobot Roomba j7+ robot vacuum, so she's well informed to tell you which one to invest in for your home.
Jen is Homes Editor on TechRadar. Previously she has written for Ideal Home, Real Homes and Homes & Gardens as our Appliances Editor. She has tested out a number of vacuums in this guide, including the Shark Vertex Upright Vacuum with Powered Lift-away, and the Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Vacuum Cleaner.
Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer who has been testing home goods, including cleaning tools, for several years. She tested the Shark Stratos Upright from her small homestead in Rhode Island. As the owner of two dogs and a cat, she’s always looking for the best products to help keep her home (at least somewhat) free of pet hair.
Midwestern product tester and writer Courtney Irwin is a working mom of three who loves nothing more than a good deal. Courtney has spent years curating home renovation and appliance content, and has tested a range of products for Homes & Gardens, including mattresses, kitchen appliances and vacuums.
Vacuum cleaner for pet hair FAQs
How do I choose a vacuum cleaner for pet hair?
Pet hair is a challenge for vacuums to pick up, and you also need to contain fur and dander to prevent allergies. You need a cleaner with good suction, the right types of accessories, and HEPA filters.
For dealing with carpets or rugs, this means a motorized brush bar, which uses rigid bristles to agitate and loosen hair so that it can be sucked up into the bin.
For hard floors, having pure suction flow through the cleaner makes more sense for hair, but look out for a cleaner that has a soft brush, designed to pick up pet dander and microscopic bits of dust first.
Tools for dealing with pet hair around the house are just as important. A mini motorized brush can be your best friend, giving you the same qualities as a floor brush in a smaller package that can help clean up pet beds and upholstery with ease.
Any motorized tool with tangle-free technology is worth looking for, as you won’t have to worry about cleaning the tools so often.
Otherwise, look out for regular accessories (dusting brushes, crevice tools and so on) for getting into those hard-to-reach areas and removing all traces of pet hair from your home.
What's the best cordless vacuum for pet hair?
Our top pick - the Dyson Outsize+ - is a great option if you're after a powerful design with all the bells and whistles, and several attachments to make cleaning up after pets a lot easier. Its power replicates that of a corded design and offers up to two hours of battery life, more than enough time to clean. The half-gallon dust bin is the largest dust bin available on a cordless, so if your pet sheds excessively, you won't have to empty the dust bin every five minutes. However, it costs nearly $1000
Our runner up is the Shark Stratos Upright. It's hundreds of dollars cheaper, and offers anti-hair wrap technology that will save you picking pet fur out of your vacuum, and an odor neutralizer that banishes pet smells.
What's the best vacuum for pet hair on a carpet?
When it comes to homes with ample carpet, we continue to love Dyson upright models, particularly the Dyson Ball Animal 2. Both offer tremendous suction power and cull out the most embedded dust and dander from carpets.
We were also impressed with Shark's corded offerings, be it the Shark Stratos or the Shark Vertex, which are slightly easier to push or maneuver over the carpet as they have a built-in propellant.
What's the best vacuum for pet hair on hardwood floors?
Again, the Dyson Outsize + is a great option for cleaning on hard floors, especially with the addition of the Laser Slim Fluffy Cleaner Head, which is specifically built for cleaning on hard floors.
We also like the design of the Shark Stratos and the Shark Vertex collection, both upright and cordless models with its Duo Clean Power Fins Technology that incorporates a silicone PowerFins roller and a soft roller to swiftly suction dust and debris, even larger pieces and stays well-engaged with floors.
What's the best robot vacuum for pet hair?
The best robot vacuum for pet hair is without a doubt the iRobot Roomba j7+. Not only does it have decent pickup performance, an auto-emptying bin so you can basically set it and forget it, and amazing navigating skills, but it also has features designed specifically for pet parents, including the ability to avoid pet accidents, pet toys, food bowls, cords, among others. They also offer this very unique proposition: the Pet Owner Official Promise (P.O.O.P) where iRobot will replace your j7+ if the accident turns gets dragged into a larger one.
What's the best vacuum for pet hair on a couch?
For removing pet hair from a couch or other upholstery, you'll want to select a vacuum that comes with attachments such as a mini-upholstery tool that make it easy to vacuum across delicate fabrics. Most cordless and handheld vacuum styles will be sufficient for removing pet hair and dander from upholstery.
The Dyson Outsize +comes with a mini-powered tool, and many of the best Dyson vacuums come with one as well. As the base model, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 does not come with a hair turbine tool, but it can be found on upgraded models like the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra or the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Complete
However, the Shark Stratos base model does indeed come with its own non-motorized tool which is just OK, but its upgraded model comes with the HairPro Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush, a motorized tool for furniture.
Which is the best vacuum for pet hair from the car?
For removing pet hair from places like the car, we recommend one of the best handheld vacuums like the BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Lithium Ion Hand Vacuum which has a built-in hair tool attachment that's easy to slide across upholstered seats. It's compact enough to stay in your trunk too if you want a dedicated product. otherwise, you'll get on with one of our other cordless options that also have a hair tool attachment.
Are HEPA filter vacuums worth it?
When sucking up dust and pet hair, it’s not what you can see that can cause irritation and allergic reactions, but the microscopic dust that you can’t.
Pet dander, for example, are microscopic skin cells shed from animals that cause reactions in people with allergies.
HEPA filters are designed and rated to prevent these particles from escaping the vacuum cleaner, sealing in the dirt that’s collected. This is very important in a pet vacuum cleaner, particularly if anyone in the house (or a regular visitor) has sensitivities to your animals.
Are bagless or bagged vacuums better for allergies?
As discussed above, a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters is what you need if you have allergy sufferers, keeping the microscopic irritants sealed inside the dust bin. However, the big issue is what happens when you empty a vacuum.
For bagless cleaners, emptying has to be done with care, as opening the bin can create a cloud of dust, releasing smaller particles back into the air, causing issues for those with allergies.
Bagged vacuum cleaners have an extra level of protection, as the bags act as both additional filters to prevent particle escape, but you also remove and throw away the dirt without exposing it to fresh air. Look for a cleaner that has self-sealing bags for the best results.
As such, bagged vacuum cleaners are often easier to deal with for households where members are very sensitive to allergens.
That doesn’t make bagless cleaners a poor choice, though: just be careful how and where you empty the vacuum’s bin. To prevent the spreading of allergens, a vacuum bin should be ejected either down, directly into a larger internal bin or, for additional safety, emptied in the same way into an outside bin.
Final thoughts
It's crucial to bear in mind that these are just the best vacuums for pet hair. Other vacuums have different qualities that are worth considering. For example, we've also covered the best vacuums for hard floors, all of which have different qualities than these pet hair vacuumns.