If you share your home with furry friends, you know the struggle is real. Their hair gets everywhere—the couch, the stairs, your favorite black pants. A regular vacuum just pushes it around, leaving you frustrated. That’s why finding the right vacuum cleaner for pet hair feels like winning the lottery. It’s a game-changer for your sanity and your floors.
We tested a popular model to see if it lives up to the hype. Can it handle the tumbleweeds of fur in the corners? Is it a nightmare to empty? Let’s dig into the details and see if this vacuum is the cleaning partner you’ve been dreaming of, or just another dud.
Product Comparison Table: 11 Best Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair
| Image | Why We Like This Product | Editor’s Rating | |
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Shark | Upright Vacuum Cleaner | Navigator Lift-Away |…
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9.7 |
Read Review |
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Shark Upright Vacuum, Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe with Large Dust…
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9.5 |
Read Review |
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Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away Upright Vacuum, Hepa Filter,…
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9.3 |
Read Review |
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Bissell CleanView Compact Turbo Upright Vacuum with Quick Release…
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9.1 |
Read Review |
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Eureka NEU10AE5 Powerful Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner Carpet and…
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8.9 |
Read Review |
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Bissell 2252 CleanView Swivel Upright Bagless Vacuum with Swivel…
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8.7 |
Read Review |
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Bissell 2254 CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum,…
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8.5 |
Read Review |
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Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off with Powerful Suction,…
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8.3 |
Read Review |
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Shark Upright Vacuum, Navigator Lift-Away with Self-Cleaning Brushroll, HEPA…
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8.1 |
Read Review |
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Eureka Lightweight Powerful Upright Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet and…
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7.9 |
Read Review |
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Shark ZU102 Rotator Pet Upright Vacuum with PowerFins HairPro…
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7.7 |
Read Review |
Quick Review For Top 11 Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair
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 tackle the real cleaning challenges in a modern home. Its core feature is the Lift-Away functionality. With the simple press of a button, you can detach the pod from the vacuum’s body. This lets you easily carry a lightweight, powerful unit to clean stairs, upholstery, or even your car interior without dragging the whole machine.
Maneuverability is a key strength of this model.
The swivel steering allows the vacuum to pivot smoothly around furniture legs, into corners, and through cluttered spaces with minimal effort. You get precise control without constantly bumping into things. For different floor types, the brushroll shutoff is essential.
You can leave it on for a deep clean in carpets, then instantly switch it off for gentle, effective cleaning on hard floors like wood or tile, preventing scattered debris.
For households with pets, this vacuum is particularly effective. It’s built to pick up stubborn pet hair from both carpets and hard surfaces. The included Pet Power Brush works with the strong suction to pull embedded hair and dander from sofas, curtains, and other upholstery, helping to maintain a cleaner enviornment.
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 common cleaning challenges in your home. Its core strength lies in its powerful suction, which is built to deep-clean carpets and effectively tackle bare floors without needing a separate machine.
One of it’s most practical features is the Lift-Away functionality. The main pod detaches from the vacuum’s body, allowing you to easily clean under low furniture like beds or sofas.
You can also detach the entire hose and nozzle assembly to carry a lightweight unit upstairs or for cleaning upholstery, furniture, and other above-floor areas. This makes it much more versatile than a traditional upright.
For households with allergies, the Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology is a key benefit. This system, combined with a HEPA filter, is designed to trap dust and allergens inside the vacuum, preventing them from escaping back into the air you breathe.
It’s also well-suited for pet owners. The powerful suction, along with the included upholstery tool, helps make removing embedded pet hair from carpets, stairs, and furniture more manageable.
Maneuverability is another strong point. The swivel steering lets you guide the vacuum smoothly around chair legs, through tight corners, and around other obstacles with minimal effort.
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 partner for your home. Its core feature is the Lift-Away functionality, which lets you detach the main pod from the upright body. This means you can easily carry a powerful, self-contained vacuum unit to tackle stairs, upholstery, or even the inside of your car without dragging the whole machine along. It makes those above-floor cleaning tasks much less of a chore.
Cleaning isn’t just about dirt you can see, and this Shark adresses that. Its Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology works together with a HEPA filter to trap dust, dander, and allergens inside the vacuum. This system is designed to prevent those particles from escaping back into the air you breath, which is a real benefit for households with allergy concerns or pets. Speaking of pets, this model is noted for being perfect for them.
The included wide upholstery tool is great for lifting pet hair from sofas, chairs, and curtains, while the powerful suction handles what’s embedded in carpets. Maneuverability is a strong point. The swivel steering lets you guide the vacuum smoothly around furniture legs, through tight spaces, and into corners with minimal effort. It feels nimble, not like your wrestling with a bulky appliance. For different floor types, the brushroll shutoff feature is key.
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 body that’s easy to store and simple to maneuver around tight spaces and furniture. Weighing just 10 pounds, it’s notably lightweight.
This makes carrying it up stairs or from room to room much less of a chore. The compact design doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing performance, though. Bissell has built full-size power into this model, so it can tackle embedded dirt in carpets as well as daily dust and debris. Its a practical balance of strength and portability that suits frequent cleanups. One of the standout features for dealing with everyday messes is the Scatter-Free Technology.
When you’re cleaning hard floors like tile, laminate, or wood, a common frustration is that the vacuum blows crumbs and dust around instead of sucking them up. This technology is meant to minimize that scatter, helping you capture the mess in one pass. It’s a thoughtful addition that makes the process more efficient. For cleaning areas beyond the floor, the quick-release extension wand is a major convenience.
Eureka NEU10AE5 Powerful Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner Carpet and Floor, AirSpeed Ultra-Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner, w/ Replacement Filter, Blue
The Eureka NEU10AE5 Powerful Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner is designed to be a straightforward, effective solution for your everyday cleaning. It focuses on core functionality, making it a practical choice for a variety of home surfaces. This model aims to combine power with a user-friendly design, helping you tackle messes without unnecessary complexity. A central feature of this vacuum is its POWERFUL ALL FLOOR SUCTION.
It’s built to handle both carpets and hard floors, pulling up dirt and pet hair with efficiency. The 10.5-inch wide cleaning path means you can cover more area with each pass, which really helps speed up the chore. You won’t need to go over the same spot repeatedly, saving you time and effort during your routine. Maneuverability and storage are key here. Weighing just 7.7 pounds, the NEU10AE5 is notably lightweight. You can easily carry it up stairs or move it from room to room without strain.
Its compact shape also allows for simple storage in a closet or corner, which is great for homes with limited space. It’s out of the way when you don’t need it, but ready to go when you do. For cleaning above the floor, the vacuum offers a QUICK RELEASE HANDLE. Simply detach it, and you can attach the included crevice tool or dusting brush. This lets you clean furniture, blinds, ceilings, and tight spaces like under cushions or along baseboards.
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 tackling the specific messes they leave behind. It’s built to handle the constant challenge of pet hair and dirt with a set of specialized tools. The core idea is to make cleaning more efficient and less of a chore, giving you a machine that can keep up with your active household. A standout feature is the swivel steering.
This allows the vacuum to pivot smoothly around chair legs, under tables, and through tight spaces without you having to constantly lift and reposition the whole machine. It significantly reduces the effort needed to navigate a room. Combined with the edge-to-edge cleaning capability, it ensures you can get close to baseboards and into corners where dust and hair love to accumulate, minimizing the need for follow-up work with other tools.
For the actual cleaning power, the Triple Action Brush Roll works on multiple levels. It first loosens embedded hair and dirt from your carpet fibers, then lifts it, and finally removes it in one pass. This is particularly effective for stubborn pet hair that gets ground into carpets. On hard surfaces like wood or tile, the Scatter-Free Technology aims to prevent the frustrating blow-around of dry debris.
Bissell 2254 CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum, Automatic Cord Rewind, Swivel Steering, Powerful Pet Hair Pickup, Specialized Pet Tools, Large Capacity Dirt Tank, Teal
The Bissell 2254 CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Upright Vacuum is designed for homes with furry friends. It tackles the specific challanges of pet hair, from surface litter to embedded strands in carpets, with a system built for powerful pickup and easy maneuvrability.
Its core feature is the Triple Action Brush Roll. This combines a multi-surface brush, an agitator, and suction to pull hair and dirt from deep within carpet fibers.
The Scatter-Free technology helps keeps debris in the path of suction instead of scattering it, so you get it in one pass. For hair along edges or in corners, the Edge-to-Edge cleaning feature allows the brush roll to get close to walls and baseboards, reducing the need for extra handwork.
Moving the vacuum around your home is made simple with Swivel Steering.
The head pivots smoothly, letting you navigate around chair legs, under tables, and through cluttered spaces without constant back-and-forth adjustments. This makes cleaning faster and less physically demanding. When your done, the 27-foot power cord retracts automatically with the Automatic Cord Rewind.
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 a vacuum cleaner designed with pet owners and allergy sufferers in mind. It tackles the specific messes that come with furry friends, focusing on effective cleaning and improved air quality in your home. Its core mission is to remove pet hair, dander, and dirt thoroughly while trying to keep those allergens from circulating back into the room. A key feature is its powerful suction.
This means it pulls dirt, embedded fur, and dust from both carpets and hard floors with force. The scatter-free technology works with this suction to prevent debris from being blown around on hard surfaces, making that part of cleaning less frustrating. To handle the main culprit, the tangle-free brush roll is engineered to resist hair wrap. This cuts down on the need to constantly stop and cut hair from the roller, saving you time and maintence hassle.
It’s a practical solution for homes with pets that shed. For health and air quality, the HEPA sealed allergen system is central. It traps dust and allergens inside the vacuum’s dirt tank. The system is sealed to help prevent these fine particles from leaking out the exhaust, so your not just moving them around. You’re capturing them.
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 in Teal is an upright vacuum designed to tackle the common frustrations of home cleaning, especially in households with pets. Its core feature is the self-cleaning brushroll, which is engineered to pick up more pet hair while actively preventing hair from wrapping around the roller. This means you spend less time cutting hair off the brush and more time actually cleaning.
It operates on standard 120-volt, 1200-watt power, providing strong suction across various surfaces. A standout aspect of this model is its Lift-Away functionality. The vacuum’s pod detaches from the main body with the press of a button, allowing you to carry a lightweight, portable unit for cleaning stairs, upholstery, or under low furniture. You’re not limited to just floor cleaning; it converts to a hand-held canister for above-floor tasks effortlessly.
This versatility is a significant advantage in multi-level homes or when cleaning your car interior. For air quality, the vacuum utilizes Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology combined with a HEPA filter. This system is designed to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, preventing them from escaping back into the air you breath. This is a critical feature for anyone with allergies or asthma, as it helps maintain a cleaner environment after vacuuming is done.
Eureka Lightweight Powerful Upright Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet and Hard Floor, PowerSpeed, New Model,Blue,black/New Model
The Eureka PowerSpeed Lightweight Upright Vacuum Cleaner is designed to be a straightforward, effective cleaning partner for your home. This new model in blue and black combines significant power with easy maneuverability, aiming to simplify your routine.
At its core is an Upgraded Cyclone System. This new technology is engineered to capture a wide range of debris, from larger particles to microscopic dust and allergens, trapping 99.9% of what it picks up.
This makes it a strong option for households with pets or allergy concerns, as it helps keep dander and dust from recirculating. The motor provides powerful pick-up that penetrates deep into carpet fibers to pull out embedded dirt that often gets left behind.
Despite this strength, the PowerSpeed remains notably lightweight. It does the heavy lifting so you don’t have too, making it less tiring to push around furniture and across multiple rooms.
You can easily adjust its performance for different surfaces with the 5 Height Settings. It glides on hard floors without scratching and adjusts to clean everything from low-pile carpet to thicker shag rugs effectively.
For cleaning beyond the floor, the quick-release handle connects to a stretch hose for above-floor tasks. Several handy accessories are included and store right on the vacuum body: a 7-inch crevice tool, a dusting brush, and an upholstery tool.
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. It tackles the specific messes pets create, from hair on every surface to lingering odors, aiming to make cleaning simpler and more thorough. A main challenge with pet hair is how it wraps around brushrolls. This model adresses that with two key features. The PowerFins HairPro brushroll actively grips and captures stubborn hair on both carpets and hard floors.
It works in tandem with the self-cleaning brushroll system, which is engineered to powerfuly pick up hair without tangling. The goal is to spend time cleaning your home, not cutting hair from your vacuum. Air quality is another important consideration. The Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology works with a HEPA filter to trap 99.99% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum. This helps keep those particles out of the air you breathe as you clean.
For odors, the integrated Odor Neutralizer Technology guards against bad smells inside the vacuum itself, contributing to a fresher-smelling home after you’ve finished. Practicality is a big focus. The large 2.9L, 3XL capacity dust cup means you can have longer cleaning sessions with fewer interruptions to empty it. Maneuverability is enhanced by Swivel Steering, letting you easily navigate around furniture legs and into corners.
Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair Buying Guide
Choosing the right tool makes all the difference. You need a machine built for the specific challenge of fur, dander, and the occasional tracked-in mess. This guide highlights the key features to look for so you can find a vacuum that truly works for your home.
Suction Power & Filtration
Strong suction is essential for pulling hair from deep within carpets and upholstery. But where does all that hair and dander go? A sealed HEPA filtration system is crucial. It traps the microscopic particles inside the vacuum, preventing them from blowing back out into the air you breathe. This is a game-changer for allergy sufferers.
Brush Roll Design
That rotating brush is your first line of attack. Look for models with specialized pet hair attachments or brush rolls designed to resist tangling. Some have anti-hair wrap technology, where grooves or fins prevent strands from winding tightly around the roller. This saves you the frustrating chore of constantly cutting hair free with scissors.
Maneuverability & Weight
You’ll be using this vacuum frequently, so how it handles matters. Is it easy to push under furniture? Can you carry it up stairs without strain? Consider your home’s layout. A lightweight stick vacuum is great for quick daily clean-ups, while a powerful canister might be better for whole-home, deep cleaning sessions.
Ease of Emptying
Dealing with a full dust cup is never fun, but it’s worse when it’s packed with pet hair that clings to everything. Seek out a bin that’s easy to detach and open with a hands-free, hygienic mechanism. Bagless models are popular, but ensure the emptying process is simple and doesn’t create a dusty cloud.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vacuum Cleaner For Pet Hair
What’s teh best type of vacuum for pet hair?
For most homes, an upright or a canister vacuum with strong suction works great. Many people also love stick vacuums for quick daily clean-ups. The key is finding one with good attachments, like a motorized brush roll.
Are bagged or bagless models better?
This is really about personal preference. Bagless vacuums let you see what you’ve picked up and save you buying bags. Bagged models tend to hold more dust and can be less messy to empty, which is nice if anyone has allergies.
What features should I look for?
Look for a vacuum with a HEPA filter. It traps tiny particles like dander. A tangle-free brush roll is a lifesaver for long pet hair. Don’t forget a good crevice tool for getting hair out of couch cushions!
How important is a HEPA filter?
It’s very important if you or a family member has allergies. A true HEPA filter captures at least 99.97% of tiny particles. This includes pet dander, dust, and pollen. It keeps the air cleaner as you vacuum.
Can I use it on hard floors and carpets?
Yes, most good pet hair vacuums are designed for both. Look for a model with an adjustable brush roll or a setting you can switch. This turns off the brush on hard floors so it doesn’t scatter debris.
How often should I clean or change the filter?
You should check the filter every month or so. Many are washable, which is handy. Always let it dry completely before putting it back in. A clogged filter makes the vacuum work much harder and lose suction.
Is a cordless vacuum powerful enough?
Modern cordless vacuums can be very powerful. They are perfect for quick, daily clean-ups of pet hair. For a whole-house deep clean, a corded model often still has more sustained power. It depends on the size of your home.
Any tips for maintaining the vacuum?
Regular maintenance keeps it working well. Always check the brush roll and cut away wrapped hair. Empty the dust cup before it gets completely full. And make sure to clean those filters reguarly, as mentioned.
Quick Recap
Choosing teh right vacuum can make a huge difference in your daily routine. We’ve looked at the key features that matter for pet owners: strong suction, a good brush roll, and easy-to-empty bins. Remember to think about your home’s layout and your own needs, like if you prefer a cordless model for quick clean-ups or a powerful canister for deep-down dirt.
With the right information, you can find a machine that truly helps. A great vacuum cleaner for pet hair isn’t just an appliance; it’s a tool that gives you back your time and keeps your home feeling fresh. We hope this guide helps you make a choice you’ll be happy with for years to come, so you can spend less time cleaning and more time with your furry friends.