The 7 Best Vacuums For Pet Hair - Fall 2020
Reviews

The best vacuum for pet hair on bare floors that we've tested is the Shark Rocket Pet Pro. This stick/handheld vacuum is outstanding when it comes to cleaning pet hair across a wide range of surfaces, but it's most effective on bare floors, like linoleum, hardwood, or tile. If you have a heavily shedding pet, you'll be pleased to know it has a self-cleaning brushroll to prevent hair from getting tangled up.

It's also lightweight, highly maneuverable, and can easily be converted into a handheld vacuum, so sucking up stray hair from behind furniture or on top of high-placed shelves isn't too hard. The included crevice tool makes it easier to reach small nooks and crannies, while the upholstery tool allows you to clean pet hair from furniture. It's decently well-built and thanks to its bagless design, incurs virtually no recurring costs over time, as long as you take care of its filters.

Unfortunately, it has quite a few parts that need scheduled maintenance, though you can access these parts easily. It also lacks onboard tool storage or a vacuum rack, which makes it a little harder to store in your closet. If you use it continuously in its 'MAX (BOOST)' mode, its battery lasts a little over 10 minutes, which is annoying if you've got a large, dense mess to clean up. With that said, this vacuum should have no trouble dealing with even the most heavily shedding critters.

The best vacuum for pet hair on carpeted surfaces that we've tested so far is the Dyson Ball Animal 2. This corded upright vacuum comes with a dedicated pet grooming tool, which is a handy feature if your furry companion is comfortable around vacuums. It also comes with a turbo brush to help clean hair off of upholstery. It employs a bagless design with cleanable filters, so recurring costs are virtually nonexistent. There are also relatively few parts that need scheduled maintenance.

It does an outstanding job of cleaning pet hair on carpeted surfaces, whether that be densely woven low-pile carpets or fluffier shag high-pile carpets. Despite its fairly large size, it's quite maneuverable, with a very long power cord that allows you to reach far-off areas. You can easily use it as a handheld by unclipping the wand from the main body, which is helpful when trying to reach behind couches or tables.

Unfortunately, it feels quite plasticky, with the dirt compartment feeling especially flimsy and fragile. It lacks the easy-clip mechanisms found across the rest of Dyson's lineup, making it a little harder to snap pieces together during routine maintenance. It's also a little on the heavy side, so carrying it up a flight of stairs can be a bit of a hassle. Other than that, this is a very versatile, well-performing model that's among the best pet vacuums we've tested to date.

The best robot vacuum for pet hair that we've tested so far is the Neato Botvac D7. It's very sturdy and is outstandingly effective when it comes to picking up pet hair, regardless of the surface. It comes with excellent automation features in its companion app, including a coverage map, cleaning history, and, somewhat uniquely, a remote piloting feature. You can also set up custom boundary lines in the app if you find the included physical boundary strips to be insufficiently long.

While it can occasionally get stuck while trying to navigate more cluttered areas, it still does an overall decent job of moving efficiently around a room. Even on its max-power 'Turbo' mode, it runs for well over 90 minutes. If you want a gentler clean, its Eco mode extends its runtime extends to over two hours. It even rejects cleaning tasks and self-navigates back to its charging station once its charge drops beneath a certain battery level, informing you with an in-app notification.

Unfortunately, recurring costs are fairly high, as the filter, brushroll, side brush, and battery eventually need to be replaced, though you only have to replace the latter every one to two years. Still, due to its ability to cope with carpeted surfaces, this is a very good choice among other robot vacuums and is one of the best pet vacuums that we've tested.

The best budget vacuum for pet hair that we've tested so far is the BISSELL CleanView Swivel Pet. This corded upright vacuum is an excellent option if you have heavily shedding pets, as it does a superb job of sucking up pet hair on any type of surface, whether that be a tile floor or a shag carpet. It also makes the most of its bulky size by including an onboard tool storage rack.

The power cord is quite long, so you can reach far-off areas without too much difficulty. Its large dirt compartment and bagless design allow you to clean big messes without too many interruptions. It comes with a good number of accessories and brushes, including a unique triangular brush to help you thoroughly clean corners. The vacuum head is adjustable between five levels and allows you to keep moving forward if, for instance, the surface you're cleaning suddenly transitions from tile floor to shag carpeting.

That being said, it lacks a HEPA filter, which means some allergens from pet hair may be left behind. It's also quite flimsy-feeling and is hard to navigate in tight areas due to its heavyweight, bulky design and short hose length. Still, as long as you stick to more open environments, this is a fairly effective choice.