I’m a Golden Retriever.
It’s summer in Wisconsin.
And my family is constantly saying my hair is all over their stuff, covering the carpet and couches.
Now, I would never directly disagree with my humans, (my style is more indirect when I don’t get my way… like grabbing something they care about, and then running away to hide while they chase me). But…all my humans have blond and golden hair too… couldn’t all that hair be theirs?
Anyway, I’m here to write about buying something important. Those weird, loud, seemingly alive things, that magically sucks up all that “pet” hair while at the same time trying to kill you every time they slide near your paws…… What are they called again? Oh yeah, humans call them vacuums.
A few things to think about when buying a Vacuum for Pet Hair
- I’ve heard through some buddies, that you should really go with bagless. Some of us pets (including my long-haired cat friends), have a lot of hair. Replacing the bag every few vacuum sessions because it is full, apparently can get expensive.
- Typically, when you see “animal” or “pet” in the name of the vacuum, it mostly means that they have more attachable options for cleaning hair off surfaces like furniture. Some also claim to have rollers and such designed to keep hair from wrapping around them, but for those of you with shorter hair animals, this doesn’t even matter.
Ok! Let’s get to it. After all, I’m looking at my human sister right now, and her left hand is just sitting there while she watches videos on her computer. With a few, not so subtle nudges, that hand could be petting me right now. (Ok, it might take more than a few nudges, buy I’m no quitter… the dog that perseveres through scolding, gentle pushes and repeated moving of ‘said’ hand, is the dog that always gets petted in the end…)
Dyson Upright Vacuum Cleaner, Ball Animal 2
(Not for everyone, but ideal for unlimited budget, hardwood floors, and short/flat carpets)
This thing has such strong suction it amazes me. Although, my buddy Pickle’s mom has one, and she says it sucks so hard that on her longer carpets, she can barely push it around it’s so strong! Still, I guess if you don’t have long carpets though and most hard surfaces, this thing will work great. It sucks up just about anything. It also has a HEPA filter. I hate germs, so that’s good. Plus, it has combination tools for vacuuming up pet hair that make it great for lots of surfaces, and it even says it is made specifically for pets. With a 50ft cord, you really only need one outlet per floor too. I have read complaints of breaking parts or parts needing replacement quickly. Oh and it automatically adjusts itself based on the floor type it is rolling over, so again, this could be good or bad if you have those long carpets. Lastly, its fun to watch, I mean Dyson makes such cool moving vacuums they can get around anything. Plus they have a good rep among humans and dogs alike. All in all a powerful machine, if expensive vacuum.
Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away (NV803)
(Strong suction, ideal for mid-range budgets, hardwood floors, and short to med carpets)
The suction on this vacuum has been compared to the more expensive Dyson Ball Animal 2. Shark has also come out with a bunch of upgrades on this particular vacuum. I’m not vacuum nerd, frankly I don’t like learning new things at all, but I hear through the doggy grapevine that this one has new maneuverability capabilities, new brushes, and even a tool for cleaning pet hair or normal hair off the brushes themselves. Plus, my Aunt has one! The Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away (NV803) also has two modes for carpet and hard floors. This is good because even if you do have long carpet, you can adjust the setting to make pushing it around your room a little easier (remember the strong suction). The filters (not the HEPA one) are washable. It has a Pet multi-tool and power brush, and can be detached from the wand and directly attached to the powered floor tool to make doing stairs easy. Pretty solid vacuum this one, even for pet hair.
BISSELL Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner
(Solid suction, ideal for limited budgets, and performs on hardwood floors, and short to long carpets)
Wow, vacuums with a focus on pet hair are really becoming popular, this one has extra brushes just for picking up pet hair too! It also has specialized pet ‘tools” designed specifically for hair on furniture and in corners, but sometimes you will need to clean the hair off those. BISSELL also makes a model that swivels, we don’t recommend that one because we’ve heard that it gets clogged from hair easier, because of that type of mode. So stick with the one we recommend here, while you shouldn’t have any problems with hair clogging, it maneuverability isn’t at the top of our list. It has multiple settings so you can control suction and function, ideal for longer carpets so you don’t get a neck ache trying to push it around. It has a washable filter, and all in all in a dependable vacuum, for pet hair or otherwise.
Dyson Cyclone v10 (cordless) Car and Home
(Cordless, Strong suction, Ideal for unlimited budgets and need for home and car vacuum)
So first, this is not a stand up vacuum, which means you have to hold it up with your own arms, think about it like a shopping cart. Its easy to push because it has four points touching the ground that hold it up, imagine if it only had 2? You’d have to bear more of the weight. BUT, it’s only about 6n pounds so that’s not too bad. It’s a Dyson so you can depend on maneuverability and strong suction (but with not being a stand up, really hard to push on long carpets). Being cordless you can take it anywhere and use it anywhere. Lift it up to the ceiling for cobwebs, using it on the stairs, or even take it out to the car to get the pet hair off your passenger seat (the seat of honor I know you let your dog sit in… putting friend, spouse, or child in the back). Lastly, cordless means it has a batter life. While it claims longer, most people report about 15-20 solid minutes of vacuuming before it needs recharging. So, nice for versatility for home and car, but a few draw back.
eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S
(Can be primary vacuum for pet hair on hard wood floors, or recommended as a supplement between deeper cleaning)
I don’t know this for sure, but I think there is a “chase pet” setting on this one, because it seems to follow us around when you turn it on and we are home. I’ll admit, I don’t like that. But, it does a good job of cleaning up “my” hair when my family doesn’t feel like using the larger vacuum. Seems to work best when run a couple times a week, and it is pretty quiet (I do like that). It doesn’t get deep into carpets to clean, but it is great for hard wood floors, and flatter carpets, or a quick surface level on other surfaces. It’s known for being one of the better robots for NOT getting stuck places and navigating obstacles. It’s also really slim, so it fits under couches and beds well. Like most robots though, you need to clean up things like socks and such that will get stuck in it before you turn it on, and you will need to clean off the rollers regularly, to dislodge hair and such. But again, this is common among robots. It’s one of the more affordable options in this area and does a pretty good, if not by taking a strange path, to clean up the pet hair from an entire room or floor at a time. Word of warning though: it’s not your friend. I tried to make friends with it at first, it just tried to run over my toes making me cry…. In general though, used right, a good way to clean up pet hair in the house.
Well, that is the best of the best when it comes to vacuums for pet hair. Also, all vacuums should be, and are good for general use too, after all pet hair should just be something it is extra good at right?
Well my human sister is now in the kitchen ignoring me. But… I bet if I went over and grabbed her favorite marker from the floor and showed it to her in my mouth, that she would play with me….
I can picture it now, ‘Maizy!!’ she would scream, ‘Something, something, something” basically words that I don’t understand, but her high pitch voice tells me she thinks it is exciting. Oh we have so much fun.
So happy vacuum shopping everyone, it’s play time for my sister and me!
Enjoy Our Content? Sign up to get updates on our latest articles, products and more.
Or share us on Facebook or Follow us on Instagram below.
