Furry friends are an important part of most American households. But the majority of pet owners struggle to keep pet hair under control. Not having an effective system for cleaning pet hair and pet dander can result in a musty smelling home, and may even pose more serious consequences for family members with allergy sensitivities. It also increases the probability of fleas and mites colonizing your home.
Cat and dog hair are generally challenging to remove as they have the tendency to cling to fabrics and soft materials. But keeping up with pet hair is a must for keeping allergen levels low and maintaining a fresh and clean smelling home. One of the best ways to effectively remove dog and cat hair is with a vacuum cleaner specially designed for removing pet hair and pet dander from hard or soft surfaces. Let’s dig deeper into how this works and examine some of the best pet hair removing vacuums on the market.
What sets regular vacuums apart from vacuums that specialize in pet hair removal?
The main difference is that pet hair removing vacuums will feature a motorized brush head to deeply penetrate into carpet and upholstery in order to effectively remove pet hairs, dander, and allergens caused by animals. These also work to remove pet hair and dander on hard floor surfaces. These vacuums come in all different styles and types, including stick, cylinder, and upright vacuums, and all are designed with the same motorized brush mechanism for removing pet hair. Not all standard vacuums are effective for picking up pet hair. It really comes down to the type of animals you have, as well as their specific hair length and type. Some cat and dog hair is more prone to sticking to couches, furniture, and carpets than others.
What are some of the best pet hair vacuums available?
These are some of the most effective vacuums available for picking up pet hair and dander from all of the surfaces around your home. Below is the list of the best of the best to clean up our furry buddies hair.
1. Shark Rotator
This full-sized bagless canister vacuum features Shark’s trademark Powered Lift Away mechanism for easy and efficient cleaning. The canister part of the vacuum can be detached to clean hard-to-reach areas. The nozzle-wand attachment makes it easy to clean high, hard-to-reach places, including ceilings and windows. The pet power brush mode works to clean deeply to extract dirt, dust, allergens, and pet hair from deep inside of carpets, upholstery, and soft surfaces. The dynamic swivel steering action offers excellent maneuverability around furniture and tight corners. LED lights on the vacuum-head help to navigate dark corners and under furniture, and also work to help you see how much dirt and dust are under furniture and appliances. The easy fingertip controls on the handle allow you to easily switch between carpet mode to hard floor surfaces.
- The auto-propelling push mechanism makes it easy to handle and maneuver.
- Great, strong suction.
- Effortlessly picks up all traces of pet hair on soft surfaces.
- Also works to remove any pet-related smells, leaving air smelling fresh and clean.
- Cord connecting to the main vacuum body would offer more convenience if it were longer.
- Some users found the vacuum to feel heavy and cumbersome.
2. Quantum X
The Quantum X Upright Water Vacuum uses unique technology to effortlessly and thoroughly remove pet stains and pet hair from hard or soft surfaces. It’s not only effective for picking up dry messes, but also for wet messes and spills. This vacuum doesn’t use HEPA or synthetic filters but instead uses a water filtration system, which eliminates the need to replace or wash dirty filters. Conventional vacuums lose suction power whenever filters become clogged or dirty, but the Quantum maintains its maximum suction power with each clean. The 4” telescoping vacuum head can reach under most tight spaces to pick up trapped dirt and dust. It conveniently auto-adjusts to clean all floor surfaces, meaning it will sense when it has transitioned from a soft flooring surface to a hard floor surface (or vice versa) and will automatically adjust modes to clean accordingly. This feature ensures perfect cleaning results each time. It is proven effective for picking up dirt, debris, mold, bacteria, pollen, pet odors, pet dander, and pet hair.
- Water filtration system never clogs or loses suction power like traditional vacuums with HEPA filters.
- Truly eliminates pet smells and pet hair, leaving rooms and surfaces smelling fresh and clean.
- Transitions well from carpet to wood.
- Telescopic extension helps reach dirt and dust in places that other vacuum cleaners can’t reach.
- Comes with a 4-pack of fragrances to leave the house smelling fresh and wonderful.
- Some users found the vacuum to feel extremely heavy and cumbersome.
- The product stopped working after just a few uses for some users. However, the company was very responsive and sent these users a new product.
- Some users reported that the suction wasn’t strong enough to effectively remove dust and debris or pet hairs especially from
3. Hoover Pet Max
This powerful vacuum tackles pet hair, pollen, pet dander, dust, and debris on furniture, stairs, and carpets with powerful suction action and allergen-blocking technology. The high-tech filtration system effectively traps 97% of dust and debris, preventing them from re-entering the air or lingering around living spaces. A pet tool kit is included, which includes multi-purpose tools to tackle pet hair and dander on furniture and stairs. The upright vacuum comes with a pet turbo tool, flexible dusting brush, crevice tool, and a reusable rinsable filter.
- Filters don’t need to be rinsed out very often, approximately after 6 uses.
- The vacuum is not too heavy, and pushes around easily on all floor surfaces.
- Works effectively to remove all traces of pet hair and dander.
- Many reviewers say that this is one of the best vacuums they’ve ever used or owned, specifically for removing pet hair, pet dander, and pet smells on soft and hard surfaces.
- Cleans up stubborn pet hair and dander that is missed by other vacuums. Very strong suction action.
- Can feel heavy to some users.
- Some users reported this vacuum breaking after just a few weeks of use. The company was helpful in replacing these faulty vacuums.
- Difficult to handle for some users.
4. Hoover Windtunnel Max
This vacuum works optimally on all floor types and includes a scatter guard technology as well as 5 height adjustments to allow effective cleaning on any surfaces. An extension wand offers up to 12 feet of extended reach in high or hard to reach places. Also included is a crevice tool, dusting brush, and a multi-purpose tool for tackling dirt, pet hair, pet dander, dust, and debris on furniture, soft surfaces, and tight spaces. The multi-cyclonic filtration system traps allergens and does not lose suction power even after continuous use.
- The cyclonic suction technology offers excellent suction and is powerful enough to remove all dirt, debris, pet allergens, and pet dander with minimal effort from the user.
- Cord is long enough to clean large spaces without having to change outlets.
- Easy to empty dust bin and to clean filter.
- Comfortable handle and easy to push around the house.
- Good value for money.
- Some users experienced the motor burning after just a few uses.
- Canister needs to be emptied frequently.
4. Bissell Cleanview Swivel Pet
This swiveling bagless vacuum cleaner is designed to powerfully remove pet hair with a triple action brush roll and scatterless technology. The swivel steering helps to easily maneuver around furniture and tight corners and spaces. It works to remove pet hair with specialized pet tools, like a pet hair corner tool and a powerful pet hair removal piece. The multi-cyclonic suction system provides extended performance with no loss of suction over time. It comes with a large dust bin, as well as a long electric cord. It is easy to switch between hard floor surfaces and soft floor surfaces, and the included accessories make cleaning tight corners and crevices a breeze.
- Lightweight with excellent suction action.
- Great for picking up any type of pet hair. Effectively cleans pet dander from all surfaces.
- Easy to clean the canister.
- Swivel action makes it easy to clean tight spaces and corners.
- Attachments provide extra coverage to any hard-to-reach areas.
- Other users experienced the bands becoming clogged with pet hair.
- Some users experienced the motor failing after just a few uses.