Designed from the start for animal-occupied households, a great pet vacuum isn’t a luxury—it’s a survival tool. You know the daily battle against fur tumbleweeds and tracked-in dirt all to well.
We tested this model to see if it truly tackles the mess your furry friend leaves behind. From stubborn hair on the sofa to that mysterious crumb pile in the corner, here’s how it held up in a real, messy home.
Product Comparison Table: 11 Best Pet Vacuum
| Image | Why We Like This Product | Editor’s Rating | |
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Shark | Upright Vacuum Cleaner | Navigator Lift-Away |…
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9.5 |
Read Review |
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Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off with Powerful Suction,…
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9.3 |
Read Review |
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Bissell 2252 CleanView Swivel Upright Bagless Vacuum with Swivel…
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9.2 |
Read Review |
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Shark Upright Vacuum, Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe with Large Dust…
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9.0 |
Read Review |
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Bissell CleanView Compact Turbo Upright Vacuum with Quick Release…
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8.9 |
Read Review |
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Shark | Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner | LED Headlights…
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8.7 |
Read Review |
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BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Hand Vacuum, Lithium Ion,…
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8.5 |
Read Review |
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Shark ZU102 Rotator Pet Upright Vacuum with PowerFins HairPro…
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8.4 |
Read Review |
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Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum, Hepa Filter,…
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8.2 |
Read Review |
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Eureka Lightweight Powerful Upright Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet and…
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8.1 |
Read Review |
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Shark Upright Vacuum, Navigator Lift-Away with Self-Cleaning Brushroll, HEPA…
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7.9 |
Read Review |
Quick Review For Top 11 Pet Vacuum
Shark | Upright Vacuum Cleaner | Navigator Lift-Away | Swivel Steering | HEPA Filter | Vacuum for Pet Hair | Crevice Tool & Dusting Brush Included | For Carpets & Hard Floors | White/Silver | NV356E
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV356E upright vacuum cleaner is designed to be a versatile and powerful cleaning partner for your home. Its core feature is the innovative Lift-Away functionality. With a simple release, you can detach the pod from the vacuum’s body. This lets you easily carry a powerful, portable vacuum to clean stairs, upholstery, or even inside your car, making above-floor cleaning much less of a chore.
Maneuverability is a key strength of this model.
The swivel steering provides exceptional control, allowing you to glide around furniture legs, into corners, and through tight spaces with minimal effort. It feels responsive and makes navigating a cluttered room straightforward. For homes with a mix of floor types, the brushroll shutoff is incredibly usefull.
You can instantly deactivate the rotating brush for gentle hard floor cleaning, then reactivate it for a deep clean on carpets, all without changing attachments.
For pet owners, this vacuum is particularly effective. It is engineered to pick up stubborn pet hair from both carpets and hard surfaces. The strong suction works to pull up embedded dander and loose debris from upholstery and other fabrics, helping to maintain a cleaner environment.
Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off with Powerful Suction, HEPA, Tangle-Free Brush Roll, 39883
The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off 39883 is designed for homes with pets, focusing on cleaning power and allergen control. It starts with its powerful suction, which pulls in dirt, fur, and dust from both carpets and hard floors effectively. A key feature is the HEPA sealed allergen system. This traps dust and allergens inside the vacuum, preventing them from escaping back into your homes air.
This is a major benefit for anyone with allergies or asthma, as it helps maintain cleaner air while you clean. Cleaning is made more convienient with the lift-off detachable pod. The main canister is lightweight and detaches from the floor nozzle with a quick release. You can carry it upstairs, use it with the included extension wand to reach under furniture, or tackle corners and ceilings with the tools.
This flexibility means you’re not limited to just floor cleaning; you can address pet hair on upholstery, stairs, and in the car. The included TURBOERASER pet tool is specifically designed to pull embedded hair from fabrics, while the 2-in-1 dusting brush and crevice tool handles other surfaces. Dealing with hair wrap is a common frustration. This model adresses that with its tangle-free brush roll.
Bissell 2252 CleanView Swivel Upright Bagless Vacuum with Swivel Steering, Powerful Pet Hair Pick Up, Specialized Pet Tools, Large Capacity Dirt Tank, Easy Empty
The Bissell 2252 CleanView Swivel Upright Vacuum is designed for homes with pets, focusing on practical cleaning without the fuss. It’s built to handle the everyday messes that come with furry friends, from scattered litter to tumbleweeds of hair. The core idea here is efficient pickup and easy maintenance, giving you a reliable tool for keeping your floors clean. A standout feature is the swivel steering, which gives this vacuum its name.
The head pivots smoothly, making it much simpler to navigate around chair legs, under tables, and through tight spaces. You don’t have to fight with the machine; it moves with you, reducing the effort needed to clean an entire room. This manueverability is a big plus for thorough cleaning. For pet hair, the Triple Action Brush Roll works in three steps. It first loosens embedded hair and dirt from your carpet fibers, then lifts it, and finally suctions it away.
This system aims to prevent hair from wrapping arround the brush roll, a common frustration. Combined with the specialized pet tools included, it targets upholstery, stairs, and other places where pet hair clings. The Scatter-Free Technology is specifically for hard floors like tile or wood. It’s meant to stop the vacuum from blowing dry messes like kibble or litter across the room before it can be sucked up. Instead, it pulls debris directly into the path of the brush.
Shark Upright Vacuum, Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe with Large Dust Cup Capacity, HEPA Filter, Swivel Steering, Upholstery Tool & Crevice Tool, Blue, NV360
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360 is an upright vacuum designed to handle a variety of cleaning challenges in your home. Its core strength is multi-surface powerful suction, which means it can deep-clean carpets and effectively tackle bare floors without needing a separate machine.
A key feature is the lift-away functionality. The entire cleaning pod detaches from the vacuum’s body. This lets you easily clean under low furniture like beds or sofas.
You can also detach just the nozzle to carry a lighter unit for cleaning stairs, upholstery, or shelving. It’s versatility that adapts to your task.
For air quality, this model uses Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology combined with a HEPA filter. This system is designed to trap dust, pollen, and other allergens inside the dust cup, preventing them from escaping back into the air you breathe.
It’s a considerate feature for household with allergy sufferers.
If you have pets, this vacuum is built to help. The powerful suction, along with the included upholstery tool, aims to make removing embedded pet hair from couches, chairs, and carpets more manageable.
Bissell CleanView Compact Turbo Upright Vacuum with Quick Release Wand, Full Size Power, Compact Size for Apartments & Dorms, 3437F
The Bissell CleanView Compact Turbo Upright Vacuum with Quick Release Wand, 3437F, is designed for those who need serious cleaning power without the bulk of a full-sized machine. If you live in an apartment, dorm, or smaller home, this vacuum aims to be your main cleaning tool. It packs the suction you’d expect from a much larger vacuum into a unit that’s easy to store and simple to maneuver around tight spaces and furniture. Weighing just 10 pounds, its lightweight build is a major advantage.
You won’t feel like your wrestling a heavy appliance when you need to tackle quick spills or a full floor cleaning session. The compact design makes it easy to carry from room to room or tuck into a closet, but don’t let the small footprint fool you. Bissell has engineered this model with full-size power, so it can handle everything from deep-seated dirt in carpets to everyday debris on hard surfaces. It’s a capable primary vacuum, not just a supplementary one.
A standout feature for hard floors is the Scatter-Free Technology. We’ve all experienced the frustration of trying to vacuum a hard surface only to watch crumbs and dust get blown around. This system is intended to minimize that scatter, helping to capture messes cleanly on tile, laminate, or wood floors in one pass. For cleaning above the floor, the quick-release extension wand is a true convenience.
Shark | Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner | LED Headlights | Removable Handheld Vacuum for Pet Hair | Crevice Tool & Pet Multi-Tool Included | 40min Runtime | For Carpet & Hard Floors | Grey | IX141
The Shark IX141 Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is designed for homes with pets and busy floors. It’s a versatile, all-in-one cleaning tool that aims to simplify your routine. This model combines a full-size stick vacuum with a detachable hand vac, giving you two cleaners in one. Its cordless design means no more searching for outlets or getting tangled up as you move from room to room. A key feature is its HyperVelocity suction.
This provides strong, consistent power for picking up everyday crumbs, tracked-in dirt, and of course, pet hair. It handles both carpets and hard floors effectively. Shark’s brushroll adjusts automatically between surfaces, so you don’t have to fiddle with settings. Just push it forward and it transitions from your hardwood to your area rug without missing a beat. You get up to 40 minutes of runtime on a single charge.
That’s measured in standard mode at the hand vac, giving you a realistic idea of its cleaning time for a typical session. The vacuum stands on its own for storage, which is a real space-saver. You can also detach the handheld unit and clip it to the main wand, keeping everything together and ready to go. For above-floor cleaning, the handheld vacuum is incredibly handy. It’s lightweight and comes with two key accessories.
BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Hand Vacuum, Lithium Ion, Home, Auto, and Pet Vacuum, Easy-Empty Dirt Bin, Upholstery Tool, Brush Tool, and Crevice Tool Included, 2390A
The BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Hand Vacuum, model 2390A, is designed for one primary purpose: to make cleaning up after your pets a lot less of a chore. If you’re constantly battling fur on the sofa, hair in the car, or tracked-in dirt on the stairs, this cordless vacuum aims to be your go-to tool for quick, effective clean-ups without the hassle of a cord.
Its core strength is in the powerful pet cleaning.
The included motorized brush tool is the star of the show, spinning to actively pull embedded pet hair and dirt from upholstery, carpeted stairs, and car interiors. It’s specifically engineered to tackle the kind of messes that pets create, which means you spend less time going over the same spot. The convenience of being cordless can’t be overstated.
Powered by a 14V lithium-ion battery, you can easily carry it from room to room, out to the garage, or to your vehicle without searching for an outlet or getting tangled up. This makes it ideal for spot cleaning in between deeper cleans with your main vacuum.
BISSELL equips you with a full set of specialized pet tools right in the box.
Shark ZU102 Rotator Pet Upright Vacuum with PowerFins HairPro & Odor Neutralizer Technology, Charcoal, 2.9 L Dust Cup
The Shark ZU102 Rotator Pet Upright Vacuum with PowerFins HairPro & Odor Neutralizer Technology is designed for homes with pets, tackling the specific messes they leave behind. Its core focus is on hair removal, odor control, and allergen management to make your cleaning routine more effective and less of a chore. At the heart of this vacuum is the PowerFins HairPro brushroll. It actively grips and captures stubborn long hair, short hair, and pet hair from both carpets and hard floors.
The big advantage here is the self-cleaning brushroll, which is engineered to minimize hair wrap. This means you spend less time cutting hair off the roller and more time actually cleaning. It’s a significant upgrade for anyone tired of that tedious maintenance task. For air quality, this model employs Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology combined with a HEPA filter.
This system is tested to trap 99.99% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, keeping them from escaping back into your home’s air. This is crucial for households with allergy sufferers. Additionally, the integrated Odor Neutralizer Technology works to guard against bad odors inside the dust cup itself, helping to ensure that the vacuum leaves a fresher smell in it’s wake as you clean. Practicality is a major theme.
Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum, Hepa Filter, Anti-Allergen Technology, Swivel Steering, Ideal for Carpet, Stairs, & Bare Floors, with Wide Upholstery & Crevice Tools, Lavender
The Shark NV352 Navigator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum is designed to be a versatile and effective cleaning tool for your entire home. Its core innovation is the Lift-Away functionality. With a simple release, you can detach the pod from the main body, turning a powerful upright into a portable canister vacuum.
This makes cleaning stairs, furniture, and other above-floor areas much more convenient, as you’re not lugging the whole machine around.
For households concerned about air quality, this model includes Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology. This system works with a HEPA filter to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, so they’re not released back into the air you breathe. It’s a key feature for anyone with allergies or pets. Speaking of pets, this vacuum is perfect for them.
It comes with a specialized wide upholstery tool that makes removing embedded pet hair from sofas, car seats, and curtains a much simpler task.
Despite its powerful suction for deep-cleaning carpets, the NV352 is surprisingly lightweight and easy to maneuver. The Swivel Steering is a big help here, letting you navigate smoothly around furniture legs, into corners, and through cluttered spaces with minimal effort.
Eureka Lightweight Powerful Upright Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet and Hard Floor, PowerSpeed, New Model,Blue,black/New Model
The Eureka Lightweight Powerful Upright Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet and Hard Floor, PowerSpeed, New Model, is designed to tackle your everyday messes without being a hassle to use. Its a straightforward tool built on a few key principles: strong suction, easy handling, and versatility for different surfaces in your home.
At its core, the PowerSpeed uses an Upgraded Cyclone System.
This technology is engineered to capture everything from large crumbs and pet food to fine, microscopic dust and allergens, trapping 99.9% of particles as it cleans. The powerful pick-up motor is meant to penetrate deep into carpet fibers to pull out embedded dirt that other vacuums might leave behind.
Despite this strength, the vacum remains lightweight, so moving it from room to room or carrying it up stairs is less of a chore.
You can adjust the cleaner head to five different height settings. This lets you optimize it for thick shag rugs, standard carpets, or bare hard floors. The wheels are designed to roll smoothly on hardwood to help prevent scratches and gouges during use. For cleaning above the floor, a quick-release handle connects to a stretch hose.
Shark Upright Vacuum, Navigator Lift-Away with Self-Cleaning Brushroll, HEPA Filter, Swivel Steering, Upholstery Tool & Pet Crevice Tool, Perfect for Pets & Multi-Surface, Teal, ZU503AMZ
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away ZU503AMZ is an upright vacuum designed to tackle the common challenges of a busy, pet-friendly home. Its core feature is the self-cleaning brushroll, which is engineered to pick up more pet hair while actively preventing hair from tangling and wrapping around the roller. This means you spend less time cutting hair off the brush and more time actually cleaning.
The vacuum operates at 1200 watts, providing strong suction across various surfaces.
One of the most versatile aspects of this model is its Lift-Away functionality. With a simple release, the pod detaches from the vacuum’s base. This allows you to easily clean under low furniture like beds or sofas. You can also detach the entire nozzle and carry the lightweight pod to clean above-floor areas such as stairs, upholstery, and even shelves.
It effectively converts your upright into a portable, handheld unit for complete whole-home cleaning.
For household with allergy concerns, the Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology is a key benefit. This system works in conjunction with a HEPA filter to ensure that dust, dander, and pollen captured by the vacuum are trapped inside the dust cup and not released back into the air you breathe.
Pet Vacuum Buying Guide
A pet vacuum is specifically engineered to manage fur and dander. But with so many options, how do your choose the right one for your home? This guide breaks down the key factors to consider, helping you find a machine that tackles the mess without creating more work for you.
Suction Power & Filtration
Strong, consistent suction is non-negotiable. You need a vacuum that can pull hair from deep within carpets and off of upholstery. Equally important is a sealed HEPA filtration system. This traps the fine dander and allergens inside the vacuum, preventing them from blowing back into the air you breathe. It’s a game-changer for anyone with allergies.
Attachments & Tools
Look at the specialized tools included. A motorized brush roll is fantastic for carpets, but a dedicated pet hair tool or a turbo brush for stairs and furniture is often the secret weapon. A crevice tool helps you get into the corners where fur loves to gather. Without the right attachments, you’re only doing half the job.
Maneuverability & Weight
You’ll be using this vacuum frequently, so it needs to be easy to handle. Can it swivel easily around furniture legs? Is it light enough to carry up stairs without a struggle? A bulky, heavy vacuum often gets left in the closet. Test how it feels; your back will thank you later.
Ease of Emptying & Maintenance
Let’s be honest: emptying a vacuum is the worst part. Seek out a model with a bagless, hygienic dirt bin that’s simple to detach and clean. Check if the brush roll is easy to access for cutting away tangled hair and strings. If maintenance is a hassle, you’ll be less likely to use the vacuum regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Vacuums
What makes a vacuum good for pets?
A good pet vacuum has strong suction to pull up hair and dander. It also needs special tools, like a motorized brush roll, to grab hair from carpets and upholstery. Good filtration is key to keep allergens from blowing back into the air.
Should I get an upright, canister, or stick model?
It depends on your home. Uprights are powerful for carpets. Canisters are versatile and great for stairs and furniture. Stick vacuums are lightweight for quick clean-ups, but their bins fill faster. Think about where you’ll use it most.
Is a bagged or bagless model better?
Bagless models let you see what you’ve collected and save money on bags. However, emptying them can send dust back into the air. Bagged vacuums tend to seal allergens better, but you have to buy replacement bags. It’s a trade-off between convenience and containment.
How important is the HEPA filter?
Very important if anyone has allergies. A true HEPA filter traps tiny particles like pet dander and pollen. This stops them from escaping back out the exhaust. Not all vacuums labeled “HEPA-type” are true HEPA, so check the specs.
Can it handle wet messes too?
Most standard pet vacuums are for dry debris only. Using one on a wet mess could break it and is dangerous. You would need a dedicated wet/dry vacuum or a carpet cleaner for liquid spills. Always check your manual.
Any tips for maintaining the vacuum?
Yes! Regularly check and clean the brush roll to prevent hair wraps. Empty the dust cup before it gets to full, as overfilling reduces suction. Replace filters as recommended to keep performance strong. A little care goes a long way.
Are thay much louder than regular vacuums?
Not necessarily. The noise level depends more on the motor and design than it being a “pet” model. Some are very quiet. If noise is a concern, look for decibel ratings in the product details online. Your pets will probably appreciate a quieter one too.
Last Thoughts Before You Buy
Designed for households where furry friends come first. The right tool makes all the difference. It turns a big chore into a quick task. You get a clean home and more time for cuddles and play. Think about your main needs. Is it pet hair on the sofa, in your carpets, or everywhere at once? Your floors and your furniture both matter.
Consider your daily routine and storage space too. A machine that’s easy to use and empty will get used more often. Investing in a powerful, specialized pet vacuum is a smart move for any pet parent. It protects your home and helps keep the air fresh for everyone, pets and people alike. You’ll wonder how you managed without it.