These Are the Best Vacuums for Winning the Battle Against Pet Hair
We love our furry friends, but not the fur they leave behind? Not so much. Pet hair and fur gets stuck on our clothes, carpets, couches, and bedding. It gets in crevices, under couches, and behind dressers. To sum it up—it gets everywhere, and it's a challenge to eliminate.
While being a pet lover may mean that you are accustomed to the hair-everywhere scenario and don't mind it on a day-to-day basis, you still need to clean it up, especially for guests. Or, maybe you hate the hair but hate vacuuming even more.
We scoured product reviews to create this list of the best vacuums that can help you suck up pet hair, plus all the dirt and debris that gets dragged in on those precious little paws. From robotic products to handheld devices, you'll find the best vacuum that fits your energy level, your dog's shedding capacity, and your home or room size.
Best Vacuums for Pet Hair
- Best Overall: Dyson Upright Vacuum Cleaner, Ball Animal 2
- Best Robot: iRobot Roomba E-5
- Best Cordless: Dyson V8 Animal Cordless
- Best Handheld: Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum
- Best for Hardwood Floors: Bissell Symphony Pet Steam Mop and Steam Vacuum Cleaner
- Best Bargain: Eureka PowerSpeed Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner
- Best for Thick Carpet: Hoover Smartwash Automatic Carpet Cleaner
- Best for Stairs: Shark CH951 UltraCyclone Pet Pro
- Best Lightweight: Shark Cordless Pet Plus Lightweight Stick Vacuum
- Best Upright: EUREKA NEU522 FloorRover Dash Upright Pet Vacuum Cleaner
Best Overall: Dyson Upright Vacuum Cleaner, Ball Animal 2
When looking for a vacuum to clean any part of your house, you can't go wrong with a Dyson. What makes this product so superb for pet hair is well, everything. It works equally as well on carpets as hardwood floors and automatically adjusts between the two. It has a powerful suction that doesn't lose steam until every spec of pet hair (and dust and particles) is picked up. With over 3,200 five-star reviews on Amazon, we are not alone in loving this product.
Shop now: Dyson Upright Vacuum Cleaner, Ball Animal 2, $462; amazon.com
Best Robot: iRobot Roomba E-5
If you love your pet but hate vacuuming (you're not alone), then you should definitely think about investing in a robot vacuum. This effortless cleaning device can be programmed on Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or your smart phone, so all you need to do is activate it with a voice command and sit back and watch it go to work. Its sucking power coupled with a high-efficiency filter means a spotless floor with no pet hair, dander, or allergens.
Shop now: iRobot Roomba E-5, $250; amazon.com
Best Cordless: Dyson V8 Animal Cordless
Cordless vacuums are great for cleaning up a quick mess, vacuuming stairs, or a last-minute tidy-up. Again, we go to Dyson for their high-powered lightweight cordless that stays charged for 40 minutes— more than enough time to remove pet hair and other debris. This device is specially designed to deep clean homes with pets. Its whole machine filtration captures allergens and expels clean allergen-free air. One satisfied customer reported that it's "so easy to use and gets under beds and tables so much easier than larger units."
Shop now: Dyson V8 Animal Cordless, $400; amazon.com
Best Handheld: Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum
This small but mighty handheld vacuum is designed to pick up dog hair fast, wherever it accumulates, whether it's your car, your upholstery, or stairs. It comes with two separate nozzles to effectively clean different surfaces. One happy customer wrote this enthusiastic review, "This little guy is amazing!" And the price is right.
Shop now: Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum, $37; amazon.com
Best for Hardwood Floors: Bissell Symphony Pet Steam Mop and Steam Vacuum Cleaner for Hardwood and Tile Floors
Well, the name says it all. This is the cleaner you want if you're worried about your hardwood or tile floors. Whether it's the mud your pet stamped into your floor or an excited greeting (aka an accident on the floor), this high-powered cleaning device vacuums up dirt, pet hair, and debris while also steam cleaning your floors at the same time. Say goodbye to pet hair, stains, and odor with this powerful steam cleaner and vacuum. Disposable pet pads included.
Shop now: Bissell Symphony Pet Steam Mop and Steam Vacuum Cleaner, $219; amazon.com
Best Bargain: Eureka PowerSpeed Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner
This vacuum would be a great product at any price. At just 10 pounds, it's lightweight, portable, powerful, and able to clean both carpet and hardwood surfaces. But the best part for pet lovers is that it includes a pet turbo tool that targets pet hair and debris without getting clogging or diminishing sucking power. Its bagless design includes washable filters, making it easy to clean and maintain.
Shop now: Eureka PowerSpeed Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner, $80; amazon.com
Best for Thick Carpet: Hoover Smartwash Automatic Carpet Cleaner
This high-tech carpet cleaner makes removing deeply embedded dirt and stains as easy as pushing a vacuum back and forth. You don't have to use a professional carpet cleaner to operate this vacuum, but the results will look as if you did. An automatic mixing device mixes and dispenses the perfect amount of solution to thoroughly remove dirt and stains while it's powerful auto-dry feature makes dry time and stay-off-the-carpet time minimal. If you have a pet, especially one that's not fully potty trained, you need this device.
Shop now: Hoover Smartwash Automatic Carpet Cleaner, $202; amazon.com
Best for Stairs: Shark CH951 UltraCyclone Pet Pro
This powerful handheld, lightweight battery-powered vacuum is what you need to rid your stairs and other hard-to-reach places like your car, couch, and upholstery. It comes with a detachable self-cleaning pet power roller brush to specifically target stubborn hair from the floor. Plus, its extra-large dust container and one-touch dirt ejector means you can tackle big jobs without getting dirty.
Shop now: Shark CH951 UltraCyclone Pet Pro, $80; amazon.com
Best Lightweight: Shark Cordless Pet Plus Lightweight Stick Vacuum
This lightweight cordless stick vacuum weighs in at a mere 7.5 pounds, making it easy enough for a child to use. But even with its featherweight and cordless convenience, it's still got enough power to clean any dirty carpet or hardwood floor in your home. With 40 minutes of standard run time and an extra-large dust cup, you'll be able to tackle any cleaning project in your home with ease. Bonus: the stick detaches, turning the device into a handheld vacuum for hard-to-reach places.
Shop now: Shark Cordless Pet Plus Lightweight Stick Vacuum, $179; walmart.com
Best Upright: EUREKA NEU522 FloorRover Dash Upright Pet Vacuum Cleaner
Consumer reports says that upright vacuums are a good choice if you have a lot of carpet and area rugs in your home. This easy-to-maneuver machine comes with an automatic height adjustment to detect floor type so you can super clean carpets, tiles, and hardwood floors in one fell swoop. The combination of its pet turbo brush and HEPA filter, which traps 99. 97 percent of dust and allergens, make it a good pick for pet owners at an affordable price.
Shop now: EUREKA NEU522 FloorRover Dash Upright Pet Vacuum Cleaner, $160; amazon.com