The 6 Best Vacuums For Pet Hair - Summer 2022 Reviews

The best vacuum for pet hair we've tested is the Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine. This premium canister vacuum can easily handle pet hair on flat, even surfaces like hardwood. It can deal with this kind of debris on the occasional low or high-pile rug, and it has a three-stage filtration system to limit the spread of fine allergens like pet dander. This variant uses Miele's AllTeQ Combination floorhead, which doesn't have a brushroll, so you don't have to worry about pet hair getting tangled in it. It has a wide range of features to help make cleaning a little easier, including a seven-level suction power adjustment feature that lets you adapt to different surfaces on the fly. It also feels very well-built and is exceptionally easy to maintain, with the few parts requiring regular maintenance being very easy to access, though you do need to replace its dirtbag and filters periodically.

If you're looking for a similarly high-performing canister vacuum that incurs lower ownership costs, the SEBO Airbelt D4 is worth a look. It uses much larger-capacity dirtbags and longer-lasting filters. However, its heavier, larger canister body and stiffer vacuum hose can make it more of a challenge to maneuver in smaller homes or cramped areas. Alternatively, if you'd like to spend less, the Miele Classic C1 Pure Suction PowerLine is a great option, though it doesn't have the C3's allergen-sealed body.

The Eureka Mighty Mite is the best budget vacuum for pet hair we've tested. This compact canister vacuum does a fantastic job of sucking up pet hair on bare floors as well as low and high-pile carpet. It uses a simple floorhead with no turbo brush or electrobrush, so you won't need to worry about detangling hair from a brushroll, though this debris can periodically get stuck in its bristles. While you can buy an aftermarket HEPA filter to boost its air filtration performance, some Mighty Mite models feature vents behind the rear wheels that can bypass this filter, negating its effectiveness. All that to say, though its dirtbag is still reasonably effective in capturing most fine particles, you'd still be better off buying a higher-end vacuum with an allergen-sealed body if you suffer from extremely serious allergies.

This vacuum is compact and lightweight, so you can easily carry it from room to room. It's also small enough to fit in most cupboards and closets. It has a simple design that's easy to maintain, though you will need to replace its filter and dirtbag periodically, so recurring costs can add up over time.

If you don't want to deal with the hassle of a power cord, consider the Samsung Jet 90 Complete. It comes with two floorheads, one for carpets that uses a bristled brushroll and another with a soft, fluffy brushroll for improved debris pickup on bare floors and in shallow cracks and crevices. Either brushroll is removable to help clear away tangled hair. It features a five-stage filtration system to help capture fine allergens. You can also buy a dedicated mopping floorhead to help clear away stains like caked-on mud or dirt your pet might track in on bare floors. Battery performance is also decent, with a maximum battery life of roughly one hour when using it in its most energy-efficient mode. However, the battery drains in as little as 10 minutes when used continuously in its high-power 'MAX' mode, and it only comes with a single battery pack.

The Dyson V15 Detect is a great alternative with an onboard particle sensor to help you identify fine allergens in your home, as well as a secondary floorhead with a laser light to illuminate fine pet hair on bare floors. That said, it's significantly pricier than the Samsung and isn't compatible with a comparable mopping floorhead. If you want a budget-friendly option, the Wyze Cordless Vacuum is a great choice with a rare-for-its-price HEPA filter, though it feels less robust than the Samsung. 

If you prefer the all-in-one design of an upright vacuum, the Shark APEX Upright Vacuum is a good choice. This bagless upright delivers exceptional pet hair–cleaning performance on surfaces like hardwood or tile as well as low- and high-pile carpets. Unfortunately, while the manufacturer advertises the primary brushroll in its twin-roller floorhead as tangle-resistant, it isn't removable, making it significantly harder to cut away any stuck hair. Thankfully, it has an allergen-sealed construction and an onboard HEPA filter to limit the spread of fine allergens like pet dander as you clean. Like most other Shark upright models, its 'Lift-Away' design lets you pick up and carry its canister body separately from its floorhead, so you can easily clean on top of furniture or other tight spots.

Unfortunately, this vacuum does have quite a few parts that need regular cleaning, though they're easy to access. In addition, while it's decently maneuverable, you might want to consider a cordless model like the Shark Cordless Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away if you don't want to be tethered to a power outlet. However, the Vertex has a smaller dustbin and doesn't come with a miniature turbo brush.

The Wyze Handheld Vacuum is a fantastic option if you intend on using it to spot-clean small amounts of pet hair. It can easily handle pet hair on bare floors as well as on low- and high-pile carpets. It's also quite effective when dealing with pet hair on upholstered surfaces, even though it doesn't come with a miniature turbo brush. Its compact size and lightweight body make it easy to store or carry wherever you might need it. It also feels well-built and isn't especially difficult to maintain, though its tiny dirt compartment requires frequent emptying.

Unusual for a vacuum of this type, it has an onboard HEPA filter and is fairly effective when sealing fine particles. When used in its default power setting, it can run for almost half an hour, which is very long for a vacuum of this type and gives you plenty of time to deal with lightweight debris like pet hair. If you want a handheld vacuum with a turbo brush, the Dyson Humdinger also does a fantastic job of dealing with pet hair, though it's substantially more expensive and feels slightly less robust.

If you're looking for a hands-free means of keeping your floors clear of pet hair, consider the iRobot Roomba S9. This robot vacuum does a fantastic job dealing with pet hair on bare floors and low- and high-pile carpets. Thanks to its surface detection system, it automatically adjusts the head height depending on the floor type that it's on. It has a HEPA filter, which is great if you're sensitive to fine allergens. Since its vSLAM mapping and navigation system stores a permanent map of its coverage area, you can use its companion app to schedule cleaning sessions for specific rooms or set up virtual boundary lines that the vacuum won't cross. It can also resume a cleaning session from where it left off if it needed to return to its dock to recharge. However, it doesn't have real-time hazard-avoidance capability, so you should remove any small obstacles before the vacuum starts cleaning.

If you're looking to spend less on a robot vacuum to deal with pet hair, the Roborock E4 is a great alternative that performs quite similarly. It's also compatible with a mopping attachment to scrub away any mud or dirt your pet might track in on bare floors. However, unlike the iRobot, it doesn't store a permanent map of its coverage area, so it loses out on some of the more advanced automation capabilities, like being able to set up virtual no-go zones or sending the vacuum to a specific room within your home.