Dog and cat owners know that pet hair shows no mercy. It somehow ends up in every corner of your home and covers the floor, furniture and even your clothing. To ensure you’re always on the offensive against pet hair, there’s one tool experts recommend keeping among your arsenal of cleaning products: A great vacuum.
We talked to experts about how to shop for vacuums when getting rid of pet hair is your main concern. They shared tips for narrowing down your options, which we used to recommend a handful of upright, cordless and handheld vacuums that work on all floor types from brands like Dyson, Bissell and Tineco. Some of our picks come recommended by NBC Select staffers who are pet owners themselves, who have tested, tried and reviewed these pet hair vacuums.
SKIP AHEAD The best vacuums for pet hair | How to shop for pet hair vacuums
Best canister vacuum$undefined$349.99
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How we picked the best vacuums for pet hair
Brands often market specific vacuums as designed to clean up pet hair, but you don’t have to limit yourself to those models if you prioritize the following expert-recommended factors while shopping.
- Filter type impacts how well vacuums can trap microscopic particles like pet dander and dust.
- Anti-tangle brush heads so pet hair won’t clog your vacuum.
- Automated brush rolls that automatically spin while you’re vacuuming to pick up pet hair and deep clean carpets quickly. However, these brush rolls may be too harsh for hard floors like wood or tile, so make sure your vacuum lets you turn them off as needed. All the vacuums we recommend below have rotating brush rolls, other than the handheld vacuum.
- Included attachments like upholstery cleaners and crevice tools help you remove pet hair from small or hard-to-reach spaces in your home.
- Battery life for cordless models and cord length for corded models. All of the options we recommend have a cord length of at least 25 feet and a battery life that promises at least 40 minutes of use for full-size models and at least 15 minutes for handheld models.
- Multi-floor compatibility to help you clean across carpet, wood, tile and more.
- Bagless models that employ a dustbin to collect pet hair, dirt and debris rather than a single-use bag, which you have to change out when it’s full. Pet owners tend to vacuum often, so quickly emptying a dustbin and returning to cleaning is much more convenient than swapping out bags and constantly buying refills.
- Bin capacity impacts how often you must empty the dustbin while cleaning. Larger bins are best for multi-pet households since your vacuum is likely sucking up a lot of pet hair, dirt and debris at a time.
- Size, which is mainly dictated by your available storage space, and weight, which impacts how easily you can carry the vacuum around your home when needed.
The best vacuums for pet hair
Best affordable upright vacuum for pet hair: Dirt Devil Razor Upright Vacuum Cleaner
- Built-in cleaning wand
- Swivel steering
- Heavier weight
This corded Dirt Devil model is one of the most affordable vacuums we recommend. It’s designed to swivel around furniture and has a 25-foot cord. The vacuum also comes with a built-in cleaning wand that has a 10-foot reach, allowing you to remove hair, dirt and dust from hard-to-reach or elevated spaces like the tops of door frames and under furniture. You can turn off the automated brush roll when cleaning hard floors.
Operation: Corded | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 13.12 pounds | Bin capacity: 1.5 liters | Filter: Three-stage filtration system, including a washable filter | Included attachments: Turboclaw pet tool for stairs and upholstery, 2-in-1 combo and dusting brush tool
Best upright vacuum for pet hair to buy on sale: Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum
- Frequently on sale
- Detachable pod
- Swivel steering
- Bulky design
- Hard to store in small spaces
This vacuum is often one of the items most purchased by NBC Select readers during sales like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. It is also recommended by Shari Uyehara, NBC Select manager of editorial operations. She has a King Charles cavalier who sheds and tracks dirt inside her apartment, so vacuuming is a daily chore. You can carry the vacuum’s detachable pod around your home to clean small or elevated spaces and shut off its automated brush roll as needed. You’re also able to add attachments to the wand’s head. The vacuum has a 25-foot cord.
Operation: Corded | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 12.5 pounds | Bin capacity: 1.1 quarts | Filter type: HEPA filtration system | Included attachments: Wide upholstery tool and crevice tool
Best upright vacuum for dog grooming: Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra Upright Vacuum
- Anti-tangle brush head
- Dog grooming tool included
- Bulky design
- Hard to store in small spaces
Zeynep Mehmetoglu, the marketing and brand management director at Maid Bright, a professional house cleaning service, recommends Dyson vacuums for pet hair and general household needs. ”They’re one the more expensive side, but cleaning them is easy and the fact that you don’t have to replace vacuum bags is also an advantage,” she says.
Beyond cleaning your floors, this Dyson model has a dog grooming tool to remove loose hairs, dead skin and other allergens directly from long-haired pets. The vacuum has a 35-foot cord and its construction allows you to swivel around furniture easily. It offers three modes that adjust suction power for different floor types. You can also shut off the automated brush roll, which cleans itself.
Operation: Corded | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 11.02 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.55 gallons | Filter type: Proprietary whole-machine filtration system, including washable filters | Included attachments: Tangle-free turbine tool, dog grooming tool, stair tool and combination tool
Best canister vacuum for pet hair: Kenmore 600 Series Pet-Friendly Pop-N-Go Vacuum
- Built-in storage for attachments
- Strong suction
- Telescoping wand
- Heavyweight
- Single-use bags required
Kenmore’s canister vacuum has a two-motor system to provide extra powerful suction, according to the brand. Its swivel head helps you maneuver around furniture and its built-in telescoping wand extends up to 10 feet to help you clean small or elevated spaces. The vacuum has a 28-foot cord and the motorized brush head lifts grime off surfaces while preventing hair from tangling around it. You can turn the automated brush head off while cleaning hard floors and store the included attachments inside the vacuum.
Operation: Corded | Bagless: No | Weight: 22.6 pounds | Bin capacity: Not specified | Filter type: HEPA filter | Included attachments: Crevice tool, bare floor tool, dust/upholstery tool and Pet PowerMate tool
Best overall stick vacuum for pet hair: Tineco Pure One S11 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
When I adopted my second cat, I quickly realized that my old vacuum wouldn’t cut it — double the cats means double the hair. After weeks of research, I bought this Tineco vacuum because it checked off all my boxes: lightweight, cordless and converted into a handheld vacuum. Now, I don’t know what I’d do without it. The vacuum’s headlights illuminate pet hair I’d otherwise miss and show me exactly what parts of my floor need attention most. The appliance can also sense dirt, automatically adjusting its suction power accordingly. Beyond getting rid of hair, this vacuum easily sucks up cat food crumbs and cat litter. I also appreciate that its LED screen displays a status report with information like whether the brush roll is tangled or the air channel is blocked. In my experience, one full charge offers about 40 minutes of run time.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 11.6 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.6 liters | Filter type: 4-stage HEPA filtration system, including a washable filter | Included attachments: Power brush, mini power brush, dusting brush, crevice tool, hair cleaning tool
Best self-emptying vacuum for pet hair: Shark Wandvac Cordless Self-Empty System + HEPA
- Self-emptying
- Self-cleaning brush roll
- Multiple cleaning modes
- Need space for charging base
Rebecca Rodriguez, NBC Select editorial projects manager, shares her home with two cats, and ever since Shark sent her this vacuum, she says her floors have never been cleaner. The vacuum’s handle has a button to switch between designated cleaning modes for carpet and hard floors, and its brush head cleans itself so you don’t have to worry about hair getting tangled. The appliance also converts into a handheld vacuum with a long wand so you can reach above doors, under furniture and stairs.
Rodriguez’s favorite feature of this vacuum is that it empties itself when docked in the included charging base, which is built with a compartment that holds up to 30 days of debris. Rodriguez says watching dust, dirt, pet hair and more get sucked from the dustbin into the base is so satisfying and makes the cleaning process more convenient.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 13.85 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.13 quarts | Filter type: HEPA filter | Included attachments: Duster crevice tool, pet multi-tool
Best stick vacuum for pet hair to splurge on: Dyson Outsize Plus
- Self-cleaning brush bar
- Auto adjusts suction power
- Must clean filter often
Mili Godio, NBC Select updates editor, uses this vacuum at home to clean up dog hair, dog food and dirt her furry friend brings inside after a walk. It gives you up to 60 minutes of run time on a single charge and the Digital Motorbar XL cleaner head automatically clears wrapped hair from the brush bar as you clean. You can also monitor the vacuum’s settings via its LED screen, plus turn it into a handheld vacuum to address small messes.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 7.85 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.5 gallons | Filter type: Proprietary whole-machine filtration system | Included attachments: Digital Motorbar XL cleaner head, hair screw tool, crevice tool, combination tool, mini soft dusting brush
Best lightweight stick vacuum for pet hair: Dyson V11 Vacuum
- Lightweight
- Converts into handheld vacuum
- Useful attachments
- Must clean filter often
“This is the absolute, number one workhorse of my apartment,” says Nikki Brown, NBC Select SEO editor, who has two cats. The vacuum helps her clean up hair and litter, and it has a similar design to the Dyson Outsize Plus with its anti-tangle brush head, LCD screen and 60-minute run time. You can also convert this appliance into a handheld vacuum, plus use the many attachments for specific jobs. ”My favorite attachments are the hair screw tool and crevice tool -- without these, I couldn’t reach those teeny tiny corners that my fur babies track mess into,” says Brown. She recommends cleaning and air-drying the vacuum’s pieces at least once a month, especially if you use it often. “I’ve had my vacuum for years and I think upkeep is part of the reason it continues to perform so well,” says Brown.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 6.6 lbs. | Bin capacity: 0.2 gallons | Filter type: Proprietary whole-machine filtration system | Included attachments: Motorbar cleaner head, combination tool, hair screw tool and crevice tool
Best overall handheld vacuum for pet hair: Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Hand Vacuum
- Small size
- Multiple attachments
- Easy-to-empty dustbin
- Long recharge time
“Pet hair eraser” is an accurate description of Bissell’s hand vacuums. I’ve used a few different models and have always been impressed by how quickly and efficiently they get hair off surfaces like carpets, pet beds, wood floors, and car seats. This cordless handheld vacuum gives you up to 17 minutes of run time on a single charge. I find it especially useful to keep in your car if you frequently travel with pets.
Operation: Cordless | Bagless: Yes | Weight: 3 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.7 liters | Filter type: Three-stage filtration system | Included attachments: Motorized brush tool, crevice tool and upholstery tool
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How to shop for pet hair vacuums
When buying a vacuum for general household needs, it’s important to consider features like size and weight, floor settings and more. But when shopping with pets in mind, experts also recommend focusing on the following areas to ensure appliances are equipped to handle lots of hair, additional dust and other messes cats and dogs may create.
HEPA filters
You typically hear about HEPA filters in air purifiers, but vacuums also rely on them to clean your home’s air. Depending on their rating, Zach Neumann, a product expert at pet supplies retailer Chewy, says HEPA filters — otherwise known as high-efficiency particulate air filters — can capture between 99.95% and 99.99% of particles that are 0.3 microns in size, the particle size that most easily evades filtration, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (A micron, a micrometer, is 1,000 times smaller than a millimeter. It’s the standard unit for measuring particles at this scale.) He says these filters essentially scrub the air by capturing particles like dust and pet dander, which those with allergies or asthma may find irritating. The filters trap particles so they’re not released back into the air, thus reducing the presence of them in your home, says Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company that offers house cleaning and maid services nationwide.
Pet hair is usually larger than 0.3 microns in size, so HEPA filters won’t help get rid of it — anything larger than 0.3 microns has a difficult time fitting through this specific type of filter but is likely to be captured by other components of the vacuum, like additional filters it may be built with. However, HEPA filters are a must for those who experience allergy symptoms when exposed to pet dander, dust and other microscopic allergens on cat and dog hair, says Carl Prouty, product specialist at Abt, an appliance and electronics store.
Not all vacuums are designed with HEPA filters, however. Some are designed with general filters that may only be able to capture large particles, which is why Mehmetoglu says vacuums with HEPA filters are superior to those without — they do the best job of reducing the presence of tiny allergens in the air. Another filter you might want to look for when shopping for vacuums is a pre-filter, which can trap larger pieces of pet hair, while the HEPA filter deals with the smaller particles, says Neumann.
Anti-tangle brush heads
When you see a vacuum’s brush head described as being “anti-tangle,” it usually means it has built-in features that help prevent hair from getting stuck around the roller, which can create knots. These features include angled bristles or brush heads that automatically clean themselves while you’re vacuuming. Prouty says that anti-tangle brush heads are especially helpful if your pet has long hair, like a golden retriever. If your vacuum doesn’t have an anti-tangle brush head, you’ll likely have to clean it frequently to keep it functioning properly, says Mehmetoglu.
Automated brush rolls
Neumann recommends purchasing a vacuum with an automated brush roll, which spins while vacuuming to pick up pet hair on carpets quickly. On the other hand, no-spin brushes only rotate as you manually push your vacuum along the floor. Neumann says that automated brush rolls help you clean fabric more efficiently, but they can be too harsh for hardwood or tile floors. In these cases, it’s best to swap out the rotating brush roll for a no-spin option if your vacuum comes with one, or turn off the rotation feature if your vacuum allows.
Included attachments
Pet hairs find their way into every nook and cranny of your home, and different areas require different cleaning attachments. Experts say the following four are particularly useful. However, any attachment can do a good job of picking up pet hair, as long as the vacuum’s motor is powerful enough, says Prouty.
- An upholstery attachment is designed to clean pet hair off fabric furniture gently. In addition to using mine on couches and mattresses, I use it to clean cat trees and pet beds.
- A soft bristle tip attachment is great for sweeping along baseboards, molding, vents and ceiling fans.
- A crevice tool is usually a small, long, skinny attachment that fits into tight spaces in your home and between cushions on furniture.
- An extension arm lets you clean spaces at high elevations, like curtains and above door frames.
Meet our experts
- At NBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Zeynep Mehmetoglu is the director of marketing and brand management at Maid Bright.
- Zach Neumann is a product expert at pet supplies retailer Chewy.
- Carl Prouty is a product specialist at Abt, a national retailer of electronics, appliances and home goods based in Glenview, Illinois.
- Marla Mock is the president of Molly Maid, a neighborly company.
Why trust NBC Select?
Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor at NBC Select who writes about pets, including stories on how to keep dogs cool and cat carriers. For this article, she interviewed four experts about how to shop for vacuums that clean up pet hair and rounded up the best models to do so with their guidance in mind.
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