Keep your home fur-free with the 7 best vacuums for pet hair

You love your pets but you don’t love their fur when it gets everywhere and drifts away in a cloud after you pet them. What are you supposed to do to keep your house tidy? Get one of the best pet hair vacuums on the market, of course!

If you’re looking for a cat hair vacuum, dog hair vacuum or even a vacuum to help you clean up after other pets like ferrets and rabbits, we’ve got you covered. Today’s top vacuums for pet hair make cleanup a breeze with features like cordless designs, all-surface cleaning and more.

Whether you’re looking to deal with pet allergies or just keeping your spaces clean, tidy and free from hairballs, it’s important to get the right tool for the job. Let’s get into it and discuss some of the best vacuums for pet hair on the market.

Read more: Shop the best car cleaning products to keep your ride looking spotless

Keep your home fur-free with the 7 best vacuums for pet hair 

Best overall vacuum for pet hair

BISSELL 2252

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$118.44 at Amazon

Best cordless vacuum

Samsung Jet 60 Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum

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$279.99 at Samsung

Best budget option

BLACK+DECKER Furbuster Cordless Pet Hand Vacuum

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$36.72 at Walmart

Best robot vacuum

iRobot Roomba j7 (7150)

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$549 at Best Buy

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Best overall vacuum for pet hair

BISSELL 2252

$118.44

$118.44 at Amazon

Pros & Cons

• Affordable 

• Plenty of suction power

• Works on any surface

• Plastic housing is relatively thin

• Bulky and takes up lots of space

The best vacuums for pet hair combine great performance with a reasonable price, which is why this upright vacuum from BISSELL takes the crown. It features a 1-liter capacity, triple action brush roll and multi-level filtration system to trap pet hair and dander.

Weighing in at just 15 pounds, it’s also easy to maneuver, and the swiveling base lets you vacuum around tight corners easily. It also comes with a crevice tool and a Pet TurboEraser Tool for vacuuming upholstery, staircases and other tight spaces.

Best cordless vacuum

Samsung Jet 60 Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum

You save $50 (15.15%)

$279.99$329.99

$279.99 at Samsung

Pros & Cons

• Converts to hand-held mode

• Lightweight and easy to use

• Comes with a charging mount

• Battery life isn’t good for long cleaning sessions

• Not as powerful as corded models

The Jet 60 from Samsung is our pick for the best cordless vacuum for pet hair. This stick vacuum has 40 minutes of battery life and up to 150 air watts of power, so it does a decent job even if you have long-haired pets. It weighs just 6 pounds, making it easy to maneuver.

The five-layer filtration system eliminates more than 99.99% of particles, and the 0.8-liter canister can hold plenty of fur. The Jet 60 also converts to a hand-held mode to help you easily clean cars, furniture and more.

Best budget option

BLACK+DECKER Furbuster Cordless Pet Hand Vacuum

You save $13.16 (26.38%)

$36.72$49.88

$36.72 at Walmart

Pros & Cons

• Affordable

• Strong suction for a hand-held model

• Solid battery life

• Takes a long time to recharge

• Doesn’t include many accessories

If you’re on a tight budget and don’t need to clean a large space, this handheld vacuum from BLACK+DECKER is a good option. It won’t break the bank, the cordless design packs a surprising amount of cleaning power and it has decent battery life, too.

It includes a motorized brush head that’s great for upholstery and rugs. One thing that’s missing is a set of crevice tools, though. You can remove the brush head to get into smaller areas, but this vacuum isn’t ideal for cleaning out super-tight cracks and crevices.

Best robot vacuum

iRobot Roomba j7 (7150)

You save $50 (8.35%)

$549$599

$549 at Best Buy

Pros & Cons

• Cleans your home automatically

• Advanced sensors help avoid obstacles

• Quiet operation won’t interrupt your routine

• Only suitable for low-pile carpet

• Can’t clean upholstery or stairs

With a robot vacuum like the Roomba j7 from iRobot, you’ll always be tackling pet hair and messes, even when you’re working or sleeping. This robotic vacuum runs and cleans up your space automatically. With advanced sensors, it makes a great pet vacuum as it’ll always sense obstacles like furniture and pet toys.

Of course, the app-based setup process has a bit of a learning curve and robot vacuums will never provide the same deep clean as a manual vacuum. But if you want to keep pet hair and dirt under control without lifting a finger, it’s a great option. Just remember that you’ll still need to vacuum your home yourself once in a while.

Best handheld option

BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Lithium Ion Cordless Hand Vacuum

$79.99

$79.99 at Kohl's

Pros & Cons

• Great for cleaning up quick messes

• Includes three cleaning accessories

• Decent battery life

• Takes a long time to charge

• Heavier than some other handheld models

Handheld cordless vacuums are great for picking up pet hair from stairs, upholstery, car interiors and other places where a full-sized vacuum may not work as well. If you’re looking at handheld models and want the very best vacuum for pet hair, this model from BISSELL is a great choice.

This model comes with a motorized brush as well as a crevice tool and upholstery tool for multi-surface cleaning. The Pet Hair Eraser also offers up to 17 minutes of battery life with an eight-hour recharge time. Other features include triple level filtration and a generously-sized 0.7-liter dirt bin for extended cleaning sessions.

Best for hard floors

Shark Rocket Bagless Corded Stick Vacuum

You save $70.99 (35.50%)

$129$199.99

$129 at Home Depot

Pros & Cons

• Incredible hard-surface performance

• Simple hand-vac conversion

• Includes plenty of cleaning attachments

• Power cord is pretty short and not retractable

• Doesn’t stand upright on its own for storage

This is the best vacuum for pets if you have hardwood floors. It’s a good alternative to the Shark Stratos line of vacuums if you’re on a tighter budget, and delivers exceptional cleaning performance on hardwood flooring. The bristle brush lifts and captures pet hair, dander and dirt from wood, linoleum and other hard surfaces easily.

Weighing in at under nine pounds, this low-profile vacuum fits under furniture and in tight spaces easily. It also includes multiple cleaning attachments and converts to handheld mode for cleaning furniture, stairs and other elevated areas. And since it’s corded, you don’t have to worry about the battery dying during long weekend vacuuming sessions.

Best for carpets

Shark ZU62 Navigator Zero-M Self-Cleaning Brushroll Pet Pro Upright Vacuum

You save $50 (17.86%)

$229.99$279.99

$229.99 at Amazon

Pros & Cons

• Excellent performance on carpet

• HEPA filtration helps with allergies

• Includes three cleaning attachments

• Quite heavy at 16 pounds

• Has room to store two cleaning attachments only

If maximum suction power for carpets is what you’re after, the Shark ZU62 from the Navigator line is a fantastic choice. It’s the best pet hair vacuum for heavy use on low, medium and high-pile carpets. The floor head features Shark’s anti-wrap technology, which helps prevent clogs when picking up long pet hair.

An extra-large 2.8-liter dust cup means that you’ll need to empty this vacuum less often, making it the best vacuum for pet hair if you tend to clean your home in long sessions. Along with the 12-foot extendable hose, the 25-foot cord means you have plenty of space to maneuver. It even comes with a variety of cleaning attachments for added versatility.

What you should know about choosing a vacuum for pet hair

With so many options out there, it can be tough to choose the best vacuum for pet hair based on your own unique needs. Which type of vacuum is the right choice? Let’s take a look at some of the most common models and design features and dig a bit deeper into the differences.

Corded vs. cordless vacuums

Corded vacuums run directly off of a wall outlet. Because of this, they offer the best suction power and you don’t have to worry about running out of battery during a cleaning session. A corded vacuum is the best option for big cleaning jobs, especially in areas where you’ve got an outlet handy.

Cordless stick vacuums use a lithium-ion battery pack. This frees you from the need for a cord but it means that they tend to pack less of a punch. Battery life can also be a concern if you need to vacuum large areas. However, cordless vacuums are usually very compact, easy to maneuver and may even convert to a hand-held mode for more cleaning versatility.

Bagged vs. bagless designs

Today, most upright vacuums use a bagless design. This means that they have a reusable plastic canister, usually with a HEPA filter or some other filtration system. When the canister fills up, you simply dump it into the trash. The biggest benefit of this? You don’t need to buy vacuum bags.

However, vacuums with bags are still better for allergy sufferers and anyone who wants the very best results after vacuuming. That’s because the bag stores all the dirt, dust, pet hair and dander. When you dump a bagless canister, some dust tends to escape. This isn’t the case for bagged designs.

Handheld vacuums

These are the best pet vacuums if you only need to clean your upholstery or if you want to keep your car’s interior free from pet hair. Though they’re not suitable for large jobs like cleaning living room carpets, they're great for tight spaces.

If you have hardwood floors and only need to clean a rug or a couple of pieces of furniture, for example, you may choose a handheld vacuum to clean up pet hair from fabric surfaces and opt to sweep the rest of your home.

Robotic vacuums

Robotic vacuums let pet owners put cleaning on autopilot. The best-known brand is Roomba, though there are now plenty of others. The obvious benefit is that you don’t have to vacuum your house yourself. The main drawback is that robotic vacuums simply won’t clean everything thoroughly. 

They’re not great at carpet cleaning, either, and do a better job on hard surfaces. You’ll still have to do some vacuuming yourself every once in a while. Still, if you’re really busy, a robotic vacuum can keep pet hairballs under control until you find yourself enough time for a deep clean.

Our top choice for the best vacuum for pet hair

All of the vacuum cleaners for pet hair on this list are great options. Choosing the right pet tool based on your needs and your pets is important, so we recommend checking them all out! But if we had to narrow things down even more, we’d highlight these two top picks:

• BISSELL 2252 - This is our pick for the best vacuum for dog hair and other pet hair overall. The price is right, the classic stand-up design makes it easy to clean large surfaces, and the corded design means the BISSELL packs plenty of power into a relatively lightweight and easy-to-maneuver package.

• Samsung Jet 60 Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum - This is the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair if you’d prefer a cordless design. It has solid vacuuming power, decent battery life and a 2-in-1 design that converts to handheld mode for deep cleaning of upholstery and other surfaces. 

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Prices updated on 09/06/2023. We are not responsible for any changes to the prices mentioned above.