9 Best Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2020, According to Cleaning Appliance Pros
You love everything about your pet, but one thing that isn’t so great: Finding his fur all over your house. One of the the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab’s most frequently asked questions is, “What’s the best vacuum to get rid of pet hair?” That’s because removing pet hair is one of the toughest challenges vacuum cleaners face. This is especially true when static electricity makes dog hair and cat hair cling so tightly to fabrics, like carpeting and upholstery, that no amount of brushing or suction power seem to pick it up.
In the GH Cleaning Lab, we test all kinds of vacuums to find the best ones, including handheld vacuums, stick vacuums, canister vacuums, HEPA vacuums, and much more. We put our vacuums through rigorous testing that follows ASTM industry standard test methods: We set out a standardized gamut of messes on a range of flooring from hardwood to deep pile carpet to vinyl.
In the Lab, each vacuum model is tested exactly the same way, but we also get consumer feedback on each vacuum’s ease of use, including maneuverability, changing the bag (or removing the dust cup), and controls. Perhaps most importantly, every vacuum we evaluate gets tested on “pet hair” — a.k.a. fine rayon fibers that we apply to test carpeting in a uniform way. Here are the best vacuums for picking up pet hair:
- Best Bagged Upright Vacuum for Pet Hair: Miele Dynamic U1 Maverick Vacuum
- Best Value Upright Vacuum for Pet Hair: Eureka FloorRover Upright Vacuum
- Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair: Amarey A900 Robot Vacuum
- Best Upright Vacuum for Pet Hair Allergies: Kenmore Pet Friendly Upright Vacuum
- Best Bagless Upright Vacuum for Pet Hair: Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Upright Vacuum
- Best Canister Vacuum for Pet Hair: Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum
- Best Stick Vacuum for Pet Hair: Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute Lightweight Vacuum
- Best Handheld Vacuum for Pet Hair: Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Corded Handheld Vacuum
- Best Vacuum Attachment for Pet Hair: Dyson Groom Tool
How to find the best vacuum for pet hair
To help any vacuum do a better job at removing pet hair, our cleaning pros recommend giving fur-covered carpets and couches a spritz of an anti-static spray, like Static Guard, before vacuuming to help strands come up easier. Then, there are a few features to look for in a vacuum specifically for pet hair:- Rubber trim and raised “fingers” on floor nozzles and attachments that help zap static and break the bonds so fur comes up more easily.
- Tangle-free brush rolls put an end to clipping long strands of hair (from pets or humans!) that get twisted around the brush.
- Easy-to-empty dust cups for inevitable and frequent dumping as you vacuum. Keep in mind that filters on newer vacuums trap more odors to eliminate smells in the vacuum and the room.
