Best vacuums for pet hair

If your pet leaves fur all over your soft furnishings, you’re sure to want the best vacuum for pet hair.

There are plenty of pet vacuums around, but these are often more expensive and not always better at sucking up fluff than non-pet models.

In fact, our independent lab tests have found that only one in four vacuums for pets have fluff-sucking power worth shouting about.

We’ve shortlisted the top vacuums for whisking away pet hair in a flash. Read on to find out our top picks, and for tips on removing pet hair from your home effectively.

Head to our cordless vacuum cleaner reviews and corded vacuum cleaner reviews to compare models and find the best option for your budget

Best vacuums for pet hair

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Do you need a specialist vacuum for pets?

When you’re shopping around, it’s easy to be drawn towards vacuums that have ‘pet’ or ‘animal’ in their names - and why wouldn’t you be? You want the right tool for the job.

But our independent vacuum cleaner tests have found that only opting for specialist pet vacs can lead you to miss out on some of the best vacuums for homes with pets.

More than half of vacuums which score five stars for pet hair cleaning in our lab tests are not specific 'pet' vacuums, so don’t restrict yourself by thinking these are the only ones capable of sweeping up those pesky hairs.

Many vacuum models are sold in a standard and pet version. The difference is usually just a mini turbo tool accessory. Pet vacs can cost around £50 more than the standard version, though prices jump around, so make sure to compare prices before you buy. 

You may end up landing one or two extra accessories with the pet version for the same price you’d pay for the standard vacuum.

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What features should I look for in a pet vacuum?

Here are some features worth considering when choosing a vacuum that will keep your home clean (and even your pet relaxed):

• Motorised pet hair tool - Most pet vacuums come with an additional mini turbo tool attachment, which is essentially a miniature version of the main floor head that’s handy for cleaning furniture. They aren’t suitable for use where most pet hair collects, though - the floor.
• Crevice tool - Most cordless and some corded models come with a crevice tool, which is not only handy for reaching into gaps between cushions on your sofa, but also around the edges and corners of rooms where pet hair often accumulates.
• Upholstery brush - A solid but manual-intensive alternative to a motorised pet hair tool. An upholstery brush is designed for lifting fluff from sofas, but it can be used for sucking up pet hair, too - it will probably just take a little more effort.
• Allergen retention - Keeping dust and fluff locked in the dust container is extra important when pet hair, and other bits of dust and fluff creep into your home. Some brands make claims around HEPA filters and allergens, but only our lab tests expose which vacuums will have you breathing in fine dust particles and which ones won’t.
• Noise - If your pet gets nervous or excitable when a noisy vacuum cleaner starts whizzing around the home, you’ll want to find one that keeps noise levels at a minimum during cleaning. No vacuums are truly silent, but we score each model for how quiet it is and recommend ones that aren’t too loud.

Find more buying advice in our guides to the best cordless vacuum cleaners and best corded vacuum cleaners

Top tips for cleaning pet hair

Even if you use one of the best vacuums for pet hair, it can feel like an endless battle keeping on top of it. Below, we’ve listed a few useful tips that can help stem the tide:

1.  Use a pet blanket

Laying a blanket for your pet to snooze on will greatly reduce the amount of hair that reaches the sofa underneath. Cleaning it up also becomes a simple case of putting the blanket in the wash - though we’d recommend taking it outside to shake it out or giving it a brush first to stop the hair clogging up your washing machine. 

2. Vacuum in different directions

During cleaning, go over the same spots multiple times and in different directions. This helps to dislodge any deeply embedded pet hair.

3. Rubber helps with hair

Hair sticks to rubber, so items such as washing up gloves, squeegees and rubber brooms are great for lifting hairs your vacuum might struggle to suck up.

4. Soda the smells

If your pets are making your carpets smelly, lightly dusting them with bicarbonate of soda 10 minutes before vacuuming will help to help neutralise the smell.

5. Little and often

If your pet sheds a lot of hair, it’s better to do a quick sweep with your vacuum every two to three days instead of doing less regular, deeper cleans. This way you’ll catch the hair before it has the chance to get deeply embedded in your carpets.

6. Brush and bathe

Regular brushing and bathing is the best way to grab loose hair from your pet and dispose of it before it has the chance to spread all over your home. Some dogs shed so much that they should be brushed daily and most will love a regular grooming session.

7. Maintain your vacuum

It’s good practice to empty bagless vacuums after each use, and keep on top of cleaning the brushes and filters. If you leave them for too long, dust and pet hair will clog up the vacuum and cause it to lose suction. 

If your hoover is struggling, head to our guide on how to fix a vacuum cleaner that's lost suction

How often should I vacuum with pets? 

Although this rather depends on your tolerance level for cleanliness, there are some general rules of thumb to follow when it comes to frequency of pet hair vacuuming. 

Even if you have just one pet that doesn't shed regularly, you'll still want to be vacuuming once or twice a week to keep on top of the hair and mess. 

If you have a pet than sheds heavily, such as a golden retriever, or have multiple pets, then you may want to increase the frequency of vacuuming, potentially even to every day.  

You will also want to up the regularity of cleaning if you have a lot of carpet or thick upholstery – both are havens for embedded pet hair.

Are robot vacuums any good for pet hair? 

Since you'll need to increase the regularity of vacuuming to stay on top of pet hair, it could be worth considering a robot vacuum cleaner. 

These handy gadgets sit on a charging dock, and then emerge periodically to do the vacuuming for you, even if you're out of the house. 

You could place a robot vacuum cleaner in a high-traffic area, such as an open-plan kitchen and living area, to tackle pet hair and fibres.

But robot vacs are expensive, and our testing shows that even the best can't match a standard vac for cleaning power on carpets. Plus, some models cope much better than others at navigating around obstacles. Unless you choose carefully, you're likely to be underwhelmed. 

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How we find the best vacuums for pet hair

At Which?, we’re dedicated to finding the best and worst vacuums so you know exactly what you’re getting before you part with your money. We do this by putting every cordless vacuum we review through a series of robust, independent lab tests.

We comb an exact blend of real dog and cat hair into our test carpets, and accurately simulate a scenario of using a vacuum to suck up pet hair that’s matted into your carpets at home.

We time how long it takes to sufficiently remove the hair and any additional time required to clean the vacuum after use, to determine how efficiently it deals with the pet hair. The most efficient vacuums score the full five stars for pet hair removal, while those that struggle or even fail to pick up the hair at all receive one star.

Find out more about how we test corded vacuum cleaners and how we test cordless vacuums