• When you live with cats and dogs, cleaning your home requires a vacuum cleaner that’s up to the challenge of sucking up pet hair.
  • Our top pick, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright Vacuum, offers an ideal combination of cleaning power, maneuverability, and features designed specifically for dealing with pet hair.
  • See also: The best robot vacuums and the best affordable vacuum cleaners

I have cats. Two very long-haired cats. And they produce more hair than you could possibly imagine. It seems that no matter how thoroughly I sweep or vacuum, the instant I think I’m finished, I turn around to find pet hair tumbleweeds rolling along behind me. Needless to say, I’ve become well-acquainted with my vacuum cleaner, but I’ve also discovered how unequipped many vacuums are when it comes to cleaning up pet hair.

Pet hair requires a powerful vacuum, but power alone isn’t effective when you’re trying to clean hair out of a carpet or a sofa. A well-designed cleaning brush and roller are must-haves. Have carpeted stairs? You need a vacuum with versatility, and something lightweight is also ideal. Maneuverability is also important, especially when it comes to cleaning underneath furniture.

The vacuum cleaners in this list have all proven they’re up to the challenge of cleaning up pet hair, and plenty of it. They’re powerful, easy to handle, and many are equipped with special pet hair functions, such as non-tangling brush heads and systems that trap allergens without releasing them into the air. You’ll find a variety of price points, from a highly affordable handheld unit to a top-of-the-line splurge. If you have pets in the home, a quality vacuum cleaner designed specifically for the challenge of cleaning pet hair is a must and will make it much easier to keep your home clean.

Here are the best vacuums for pet hair:

Prices and links are current as of 8/12/20. We also added links to related buying guides.

The best overall

With excellent maneuverability and a tangle-free turbine tool, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright Vacuum does a great job of cleaning up pet hair.

According to Dyson, its Ball Animal 2 Upright Vacuum has the strongest suction of any vacuum available. It’s full of features that make cleanup easy and fast, such as its self-adjusting cleaner head that automatically creates suction whether you’re on carpet, wood, vinyl, or tile floors. Thanks to this feature, there’s no need to worry about changing settings or vacuum heads as you travel throughout your home.

The tangle-free turbine tool goes where traditional roller heads cannot, and solves the issue of the tangled (and later, broken) roller. This innovative tool features two heads that spin in opposite directions, pulling hair into the vacuum without allowing it to wrap around the vacuum head. You can see this technology in motion in Dyson's testing video.

This vacuum is also certified asthma- and allergy-friendly. The HEPA filtration keeps allergens - like dander - inside the vacuum, rather than expelling them back into the home. A single button empties the bin, so there's no need to touch the dirt or deal with vacuum cleaner bags. The vacuum is backed by a five-year parts and labor warranty.

Pros: Powerful suction, ball head allows for easy maneuverability, asthma- and allergy-friendly, tangle-free turbine tool catches pet hair without binding up

Cons: Power cord must be wrapped and does not retract into the vacuum, difficult to maneuver on stairs

The best for convenience

Foto: Source: Amazon

With its lightweight and streamlined design, the Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum is easy to use and offers powerful cleaning action.

Looking for a vacuum that will go where other vacuums can't? The Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum offers cord-free convenience without sacrificing power. It has the most powerful suction of any cordless vacuum on the market, Dyson claims.

This vacuum runs for up to 60 minutes (when not using a motorized tool) and can be recharged in 3.5 hours. An instant-release trigger means the vacuum only uses battery power while it's running, and prevents battery usage as soon as the button is released. The vacuum is compact and easy to handle, with no need to lug a canister around behind you.

This vacuum is specifically designed to deep-clean homes where pet hair is an issue. The Torque Drive cleaner head has stiff nylon bristles that reach down deep into carpets to pick up pet hair and dirt. The fully-sealed filtration system captures 99.97% of hair and dirt particles, which means that the air it expels is cleaner and you're not just releasing pet hair back into your home.

Perhaps the best advantage of this vacuum, though, is how versatile it is. Because it's lightweight and streamlined, you can use it to clean under furniture, on stairs, and deep into the corners of rooms - all places where pet hair tends to hide. The cord-free design allows you to move through your home unrestricted, so this vacuum is ideal for quick cleanups or thorough whole-house deep cleans.

Pros: Lightweight and compact, cord-free design, cleaner head gets in deep

Cons: Requires recharging, must hold down a button to activate vacuum

The best for maneuverability

Foto: Source: Amazon

A self-cleaning brush-roll and lift-away canister make the Shark Apex Upright Vacuum versatile and easy to use.

The Shark Apex Upright Vacuum is full of features that make for easy and convenient cleaning, especially when pet hair is involved. One of the best is the Zero-M self-cleaning brush-roll. This design actively removes hair and prevents it from wrapping around the brush-roll, so you can clean without interruption.

The Powered Lift-Away mode gives you three different ways to clean, offering the versatility you need to navigate stairs and underneath furniture, and to deep clean floors and carpets. Simply detach the canister from the motorized cleaner head to reach underneath chairs, couches, etc. The detachable canister also makes it easy to vacuum stairs and other small spaces. The standard upright mode also offers powerful cleaning for floors and carpets. Detaching the canister takes a single push of a button.

You can see a brief demonstration of this vacuum's features in this video.

Pros: Detachable canister for easy cleaning, self-cleaning brush-roll won't clog with hair

Cons: 16-pound vacuum weight can be heavy for some users

The best handheld vacuum

Foto: Source: Amazon

The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum is lightweight and compact - ideal for common cleanup jobs that come with pet ownership.

Removing pet hair from furniture, pet beds, and stairs can be cumbersome with an upright vacuum. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum (33A1B) offers a convenient solution. This compact and lightweight vacuum cleaner weighs just five pounds, and the bagless design makes cleaning simple.

Though this vacuum is small, it doesn't sacrifice power or functionality. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum comes with two nozzles to ensure top performance. The rubber nozzle attracts pet hair and helps to remove it from upholstery or carpet. For cleaning up small messes like kitty litter or spilled pet food, swap out the rubber nozzle for the suction nozzle to customize the vacuum's performance.

The 16-foot power cord gives you plenty of reach - convenient for dragging it outside to clean pet hair off car seats - and the canister is easy to empty. With multi-level filtration, this vacuum removes pet hair and dirt from your home without releasing it back into the air. The vacuum comes with a 1-year limited warranty.

Pros: Compact and lightweight, two nozzles for various types of cleaning

Cons: Corded, filter must be periodically replaced

The best high-end vacuum

Foto: Source: Miele

Quiet, powerful, and designed to last for years, the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum is a top-of-the-line option for homes with pets.

The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum is a German-made vacuum designed to offer top-quality performance and functionality. The canister is lightweight and easy to maneuver, and although the vacuum is plenty powerful, the motor is quiet - particularly ideal if you have pets who are nervous about vacuum cleaners.

A 36-foot cord gives you plenty of reach without having to move from outlet to outlet, and the adjustable wand height ensures you won't have to strain your back while vacuuming. Best of all, Miele engineered and tested this vacuum to last an average of 20 years.

This vacuum comes with an Electro Plus Electrobrush dusting brush, upholstery tool, and crevice nozzle, as well as a mini turbo brush that is designed to remove pet hair from furniture. You can operate the motor's six-speed settings with a push of the foot-operated controls, and the five-level height adjustment on the Electrobrush allows you to customize the height as you move across different flooring surfaces.

This vacuum is also equipped with technology to deal with bad smells. The AirClean filter includes a charcoal cassette that neutralizes odors, so your vacuum doesn't develop that musty dog scent. The AirClean filtration system captures over 99.9% of particles, ensuring the air that's released back into your home is free of dust and pet hair.

If you're looking for a vacuum that's effective and easy to use, the Miele C3 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum may be right for you - provided you can afford its premium price. The streamlined design and flexibility of the entire unit eliminate much of the cumbersome usage that's so common in other vacuums.

The foot-switch controls allow for uninterrupted operation without requiring you to stop and bend down to make adjustments. Additionally, the Parquet Twister offers 180-degree rotation for agile cleaning in tight crevices, underneath furniture, and in other spaces that are often difficult to access.

You can see how easy it is to maneuver this vacuum in this video.

Pros: Designed to hold up for up to 20 years, quiet pet-friendly operation, powerful suction, adjustable features, foot-controlled speed settings

Cons: High price point

Check out our other great pet cleaning and vacuum guides

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The best cleaning products for pet owners

While shopping for and testing different tools and cleaning products that can help a pet owner keep a clean home, we took into consideration ease of use, safety, cost, and results. Most of these cleaning products are geared toward our furry mammal friends, but the stain and odor removers are also safe for birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

The best pet-safe cleaning products for your home

We searched out the least toxic cleaners that still do a good job for areas of your home that our pets are most exposed to. Based on our research and testing, these are the best pet-safe cleaning products, including floor cleaners, carpet shampoos, laundry detergents, and insecticides.

The best robot vacuums

A high-quality robot vacuum is easy to schedule, picks up most debris from an array of surfaces, and runs quietly while going about its work. Our guide features vacuums that performed well in our tests, have useful features that justify their price, and are designed to make cleaning your floors as seamless as possible. These are the best robot vacuums.

The best cordless vacuums

Cordless vacuums eliminate the annoyance of being tethered to a much-too-short cord that limits where your vacuum can reach. Getting rid of a tether isn't the only reason to choose a cordless vacuum. Normally, cordless vacuums are also a little lighter than their wired counterparts, and they're quicker to set up and tear down, so you can get the house tidied up quickly if you're on a time crunch. These are the best cordless vacuums.

The best affordable vacuums

A good vacuum doesn't have to cost a fortune. In fact, you can buy an excellent vacuum cleaner with nearly as many bells and whistles as the more expensive models for just three-hundred dollars - in some cases, a lot less. These are the best affordable vacuums.