The 7 Best Vacuums For Pet Hair - Winter 2021 Reviews

The best vacuum for pet hair on bare floors that we've tested is the Shark Rocket Pet Pro. This cordless stick/handheld vacuum is very lightweight and portable. It delivers a fantastic performance on bare surfaces like linoleum and hardwood flooring, where it easily clears pet hair and debris without losing suction as its dirt compartment fills.

It can be used in a handheld configuration, which is helpful when you're cleaning stairs and shelves. It's equipped with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter and comes with several tools and brushes, like an upholstery tool for use on fabric-covered furniture and a crevice tool for getting into tight corners. It's also very maneuverable, with a rotating head that helps it move around obstacles and a flexible wand that makes it easier to reach under low-lying furniture like your couch.

Unfortunately, its battery can be depleted in less than 10 minutes if you set it to 'MAX (BOOST)' mode, the most powerful suction setting. However, it provides roughly 40 minutes of continuous use if used in its handheld mode, and its exceptional performance on bare floors makes it one of the best cordless vacuums for pet hair.

The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is the best vacuum for pet hair on carpet that we've tested. This upright model has a distinctive design, with one big ball-like wheel that helps it maneuver in tight spots. It delivers a fantastic performance on low and high-pile carpets, where it clears pet hair very effectively.

The head automatically adjusts itself to whatever surface it's cleaning, so you can easily move from bare floors to shaggy carpets. The vacuum can be used in a semi-handheld configuration, which is useful if you're cleaning stairs or your car. It comes with a wide variety of tools and brushes, including a turbo brush for dislodging dirt from fabric-covered furniture, a crevice tool for getting into tight corners, and even a pet grooming tool. Also, it incurs virtually no recurring costs, thanks to its bagless design and washable filters.

Unfortunately, it lacks the easy-clip mechanisms that some Dyson vacuums have, and so it can be a bit tricky to assemble and attach tools. It also has a plasticky build quality that feels a bit flimsy. Otherwise, its outstanding performance and a wide variety of accessories make it a great choice for pet owners with carpeted homes. It's even one of the best upright vacuums we've tested.

The best vacuum for pet hair with a handheld design that we've tested is the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+. This cordless model is remarkably effective when it comes to cleaning pet hair, as it doesn't struggle with picking up this kind of debris on bare floors, low-pile carpet, or even high-pile rugs. Its suction performance remains consistent as its relatively spacious dirt compartment fills up, which is good if you want to clean a couple of messes without interruption.

It has dense plastic construction that feels quite sturdy, and the few parts that require regular maintenance are easy to access. Its dust cup filter is its only disposable part, so recurring costs are quite low. It comes with a couple of tools and brushes, with a crevice cleaner to tackle messes in tight spaces, a hard bristle brush to dislodge dirt from surfaces, and a turbo brush fitted with a self-cleaning brushroll to automatically clear hair wraps.

Unfortunately, you can drain its battery in a little over 10 minutes, so it's not the best choice for cleaning big areas. It also doesn't have a HEPA filter to trap allergens, which may be annoying if your pet sheds heavily. Minor issues aside, its portable design, sturdy construction, and versatile cleaning performance help make it one of the best lightweight vacuums we've tested.

The best robot vacuum for pet hair that we've tested is the iRobot Roomba S9. This robot model has a self-adjusting brushroll and can easily handle pet hair on a wide variety of surface types, ranging from bare hardwood floors to shag carpeting. Thanks to its smoothly-rolling wheels, it can maneuver effectively on uneven surfaces without getting stuck.

Its battery life is outstanding, as it should provide roughly between 50 and 155 minutes of continuous runtime. Its iAdapt 3.0 navigation system allows it to spot hard-to-see obstructions, plot out battery-efficient cleaning routes, or identify areas that require extra cleaning. You can use its companion app to set virtual boundary markers or schedule cleaning times for individual rooms. It's equipped with a HEPA filter, so you shouldn't have to worry about the spread of allergens as it cleans.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few parts that need to be replaced regularly, so recurring costs can add up. Due to the number of components that need to be serviced, user maintenance can be somewhat tricky. Still, its impressive pet hair-cleaning performance helps make it one of the best cordless vacuums we've tested.

The best vacuum for pet hair that we've tested in the budget category is the BISSELL CleanView Swivel Pet. This upright model easily clears pet hair from any surface type, from bare floors like hardwood or laminate to high-pile carpets. Since it's corded, you can tackle big areas without worrying about running out of battery, and it has a good-sized dirt compartment that doesn't need to be emptied too often.

It's decently portable, with a handle that makes it easier to carry from room to room. When you want to clean awkward spaces like your car or stairs, it can be used in a semi-handheld configuration. There are five surface-type adjustment settings, so you can adapt to whatever area you're cleaning, and it comes with various tools and brushes, including a crevice tool for getting into narrow spaces and an upholstery tool that can help remove debris from fabric-covered furniture.

Unfortunately, it's a bit bulky, and the head doesn't rotate very well, so it's not the most maneuverable vacuum. Also, because the two pre-motor filters need to be replaced regularly, there are a few recurring costs. That said, thanks to its ability to pick up pet hair from any surface type, it's definitely a solid option for pet owners on a budget.