As a pet owner, you want to find the best tools available to help you and your animal live a happy, healthy life together, which often includes a vacuum for the ever-present pet hair. Pet products should make your life easier and be a positive investment for your pet and you. Pet vacuums may never be your dog or cats’ favorite thing in the world, but the right pet vac will help you keep a more hygienic space for you both.
There is SO MUCH information out there about different types of vacuums, for pet hair and not, and it can be a bit overwhelming. This short guide should help you narrow down what features you really need for your home.
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First, get clear about what pet-related challenges you have that a vacuum could help with…
What kind of hair does your pet have?
Long, short, clumpy, heavy shedder, little wisps..
The type of pet hair (and how much of it) you’re dealing with will have a pretty big impact on your choice of vacuum. If you have a large dog that’s a heavy shedder, maybe something like a gorgeous Great Pyrenees or a long-to-medium haired cat, you’re probably going to need a vacuum with some impressive power to avoid clogging, and to dig out hairs from carpet.
How much dirt does your pet bring into the house?
If you mostly walk on sidewalks or paved areas, you may not need a super robust vacuum, but rather something that’s light and easy to break out quickly to do small pickups. On the other hand if your pup is often romping through the grassy/dusty backyard, maybe you’ll want something that is made for more substantial cleaning sessions.
What kind of climate do you live in?
Are you somewhere prone to rain? Or are you and your pets desert-dwellers? Can you expect mud prints throughout the house on the regular, or mostly dust and sand? These things might mean the difference between buying a vac-mop combo, or a vacuum that you know can grab all the little grains of sand from between your wooden floorboards.
Dander / Pet allergies?
This can be an issue no matter your climate, but you might notice it more if you live in a dryer area. If you’re worried about dander and pet allergies you’re going to want to pay special attention to the filtration systems on potential vacuum choices.
How big are your pets / How many pets do you have?
Granted, cats and rabbits probably won’t get too large, but if you happen to have a large, long-haired dog (or possibly one of those giant Norwegian Forest Cats) or a whole herd of cats, the size of the dust cup is going to make a difference for you. Larger dust cups can handle more pet hair, but also help prevent hair from getting wrapped up and stuck in the dust cup.
Is Your Pet Nervous Around Loud Nosies?
It’s a rare animal that befriends your vacuum, but that doesn’t mean the only alternative is your pet getting scared out of their mind every time you try to clean. There are vacuums that are on the quieter side, which may be a good choice if you’re particularly worried about stressing your pet out with vacuum noise.
7 Important Features to Look for in a Vacuum for Pet Hair
Budget
We’re not blowing minds with this, but it’s often one of the most, if not the most important thing to look at when choosing a new vacuum.
Excellent Suction
Vacuum manufacturers don’t always show you exact measurements for suction (not to be confused with power/watts) which can make it hard to tell the difference between some vacuums because you can’t directly compare them, but you might be able to find some information on a vacuums suction/air flow/air watts online in independent tests.
No-tangle brush and pet attachments
If you’re worried about pet hair getting tangled in your vacuum’s roller you may want to search for models that go the extra mile and specifically try to address hair-wrap issues. There are more vacuums coming out all the time with pet attachments, and anti-hair-wrap technologies for the main brush head.
Lightweight
If you’re in a one-story home you may not care as much about weight, but if you have a lot of stairs to navigate or have any physical issues that make weight a particular problem for you, be sure to check the weight of any vacuum you’re interested in. There are some remarkably lightweight vacuum options on the market that also do a good job handling pet hair.
See this list of great cordless vacuums for pet hair
LED Light
This is a vacuum feature that pet owners should look for because having a light on the front of your vacuum can drastically increase the amount of debris and pet hair that you’ll see as you clean. Without a light you might miss some pet hair simply because you couldn’t see it.
Removable Batteries
If you’re using a cordless vacuum (stick, handheld, etc.) you’ll either have a built-in battery or a removable battery. Removable batteries are always preferable because they’ll prevent instances where you run out of charge in the middle of cleaning. Just pop the spare battery in and continue.
Noise level
This is another one of those features that can be tricky to find answers for, so it can be hard to compare one vacuum to another, but some manufacturers do include specs on noise levels. If you can’t find official numbers look for independent noise tests online. Generally, all vacuums are gonna be noisy, but some are promoted as “quiet” and can be better choices for those with skittish animals. In our research, noise levels below 70 decibels are pretty exceptional.
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