The 6 Best Vacuums For Pet Hair That Are Actually Up To The Challenge (2025)

Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra

Style: Upright | Weight: 17.3 pounds | Corded: Yes | Dustbin capacity: 0.5 gallons | HEPA filter: Yes | Pet-specific attachments: Groom tool, tangle-free turbine tool | Warranty: 5 years

What you’ll love:

• Extremely strong suction power
• Whole-machine HEPA filtration
• Brush rolls self-clean during use
• Backed by lifetime Dyson support

Keep in mind:

• Can be tiring to use, as it’s heavy
• May be too strong for thin, low-pile rugs

If you’re looking to target pet hair deep in high-pile carpets or large areas that need to be deep cleaned, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is a powerful model that can handle the most stubborn messes. Its brush roll isn’t just designed to avoid tangles; it’s also self cleaning, meaning it clears tightly wound hair from the bar as the vacuum runs.

The model also has whole-machine HEPA filtration to capture pet dander and other allergens, as well as five useful accessories. Our favorite is the groom tool, which allows you to brush and vacuum loose hair directly off your dog. (If your pup gets spooked by the vacuum, though, skip it—you don’t want to stress them out.) The only downside of the Animal Ball 3 is that it’s relatively bulky and heavy, weighing in at over 17 pounds; while it’s not overly difficult to maneuver, your arms might feel a little sore after a long vacuuming session.

Shark NV352 Navigator Lift-Away

Style: Upright | Weight: 12.5 pounds | Corded: Yes | Dustbin capacity: 0.3 gallons | HEPA filter: Yes | Pet-specific attachments: Upholstery tool, crevice tool | Warranty: 5 years (limited)

What you’ll love:

• Swivel steering and lift-away construction help with under-furniture and stair cleaning
• Brush roll shut-off feature is more conducive for hardwood floor cleaning
• Strong suction power at an affordable price

Keep in mind:

• Quite loud at 80 decibels
• Only two specialized attachments

For less than $200, this Shark model is impressively mighty. Unsurprisingly, it’s popular among Forbes Vetted editors and cleaning pros alike: “It’s powerful enough to suck up all the crumbs under the dining room table as well as my dog’s endless fur,” says deputy editor Rose Gordon Sala, who’s been using the model as her main vacuum since 2022. This model also works well beyond carpets and rugs, thanks to its brush roll shut-off feature—a setting Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, recommends for pet owners with hardwood floors.

Upright vacuums are popular for their high suction power and large dustbins, and the Lift-Away NV352 is no exception. In standard upright form, the head stays flat on the floor while the body swivels, and despite its larger size, it’s easy to push and maneuver under furniture. It also converts into a portable model if you’re looking to clean the stairs, for example; the body and bin lift off the base so you can move about freely. (Note the cord is 25 feet long.) Adding to its versatility, the vacuum comes with two attachments, a crevice tool and an upholstery tool, as well as a HEPA filter to trap dust and allergens inside the vacuum.

Dyson V15 Detect

Style: Stick | Weight: 6.8 pounds | Corded: No | Dustbin capacity: 0.2 gallons | HEPA filter: Yes | Pet-specific attachments: Anti-tangle hair-screw tool, detangling cleaner head, crevice tool | Warranty: 2 years

What you’ll love:

• Lightweight, cord-free convenience
• Easily converts into a handheld vacuum
• Light-up technology illuminates dark corners and hardwood floors
• Comes with lifetime Dyson customer support

Keep in mind:

• Not ideal for extra-large homes or high-pile carpet

We’ve tested a lot of vacuums over the years, and the Dyson V15 Detect remains our favorite for all kinds of dirt and debris—pet hair included. To start, it has all the features that cleaning pros consider non-negotiable: impressive suction power, an anti-tangle brush roll and a HEPA filter to capture 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. It’s also—as you’d expect of a cordless vacuum—lightweight and easy to maneuver, plus it converts to a handheld model if you want even more portability.

Senior strategy editor Katie Simpson has been using the model for the past eight months to pick up after her English cream golden retriever. “I love the V15’s light-up technology, which makes it super easy to see hair accumulation on our hardwood floors, and the hair-screw design helps pick up embarrassingly large clumps of fur without clogging," she says. She also appreciates the carpet attachment and crevice tool, the latter of which is ideal for getting under furniture.

Black+Decker Dustbuster Furbuster AdvancedClean+ Pet

Style: Handheld |Weight: 2.6 pounds | Corded: No |Dustbin capacity: 0.2 gallons | HEPA filter: No | Pet-specific attachments: Anti-tangle motorized pet brush, extendable crevice tool | Warranty: 2 years (limited)

What you’ll love:

• Lightweight and portable
• Perfect for small messes and spot cleaning
• Can clean in hard-to-reach areas and under furniture
• Anti-tangle brush with rubble bristles effectively picks up pet hair

Keep in mind:

• Not as effective on high-pile carpets or larger surface areas
• No HEPA filtration

Handheld vacuums are great for cleaning up smaller messes (think out-of-sight mounds of pet hair you missed while sweeping your floors), and this model from Black + Decker is the most effective of its kind. Thanks to its included attachments, including a motorized pet brush, “the Furbuster AdvancedClean+ really picks up pet hair,” says Sala, who’s owned the model for about eight months. “I use it without the pet brush for non-pet hair messes, and the extendable crevice tool works well in a pinch on the stairs, under the table and so on.”

Though Sala notes that she has to use “Powerboost” mode every time she vacuums to suck up all the hair and dirt she’s targeting, increasing the suction power is as easy as pressing a button. She also appreciates the washable filter (though note that it isn’t a HEPA filter). While Sala notes that “the dirt and snarl of hair don’t always release easily from the waste canister,” these gripes are relatively small and common with handheld models.

iRobot Roomba j7+

Style: Robot |Weight: 7.5 pounds | Corded: No | Dustbin capacity: 0.1 gallons | HEPA filter: Yes | Pet-specific accessories: Obstacle avoidance, anti-tangle brush rolls | Warranty: 1 year (limited)

What you’ll love:

• Hands-off routine cleaning
• Impressive obstacle avoidance backed by Pet Owner Official Promise
• Ability to target hard-to-reach areas under furniture
• Self-emptying base can hold up to 60 days’ worth of dirt and debris

Keep in mind:

• Not as powerful as traditional vacuums, despite the investment

Looking for a hands-off cleaning experience? “Robot vacuums can be effective for maintaining pet hair control, especially in smaller homes with hard floors and low-pile carpets,” says Mock. Just make sure, she adds, that the model has self-cleaning brush rolls to help prevent hair tangles. One option that fits the bill: iRobot Roomba j7+, which is the best robot vacuum for pet hair that we’ve tested. (It also comes recommended by Cedar.)

Equipped with two multi-surface, anti-tangle brush rolls, this is one smart, efficient vacuum. To start, it excels at obstacle avoidance, navigating around toys, shoes and (most importantly) pet waste, all while learning your floor plan. The company backs this feature with the aptly named P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise), meaning if it fails to work for whatever reason, you’ll get another robot for free. You can also direct the Roomba to clean a specific room via the app or voice commands. One more perk: As a self-emptying model, you don’t have to worry about frequently cleaning out the dustbin. Instead, after every use, the vacuum deposits debris into its base, which can hold up to 60 days’ worth of dirt.

Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog PowerLine

Style: Canister, bagged | Weight: 20.1 pounds | Corded: Yes | Dustbin capacity: 1.5 gallons | HEPA filter: No (uses active charcoal, HEPA upgrade available) | Pet-specific attachments: Mini Turbobrush, Electrobrush, upholstery and crevice tools | Warranty: 1 year (limited)

What you’ll love:

• Suction is powerful enough to clean fur with one or two passes
• Separate brush heads for carpet and hardwood floors
• Active Air Clean Filter reduces pet odors
• Canister is more lightweight than typical models

Keep in mind:

• 18-foot power cord could be longer
• HEPA filter upgrade is bought separately

If you have multiple pets and even powerful upright vacuums have trouble thoroughly cleaning pet hair and messes in your home, consider a canister model. Renowned German appliance brand Miele makes some of the most powerful ones for pet hair, like its 1200-watt Classic C1 Cat & Dog PowerLine unit. While it matches the Shark Navigator Lift-Away in terms of suction power, the C1’s biggest perk is its 1.5-gallon bin capacity (the former, for reference, holds 0.3 gallons). In addition to being able to hold more debris, the vacuum comes with six settings and two floor heads (one of which is an anti-tangle brush roll), so you can customize how it cleans depending on whether the surface is hardwood, an area rug or drapes. It also has upholstery and crevice attachments, adding to its versatility.

Unlike standard canister models, where the part you drag around with you as you clean tends to be cumbersome and heavy, this one is purposefully lightweight, making it easy to maneuver across large spaces, tight spaces and stairs. (That said, a common qualm is how short the power cable is at 18 feet, so keep this in mind.) While this vacuum doesn’t use HEPA filtration, it uses an activated charcoal–based filter called Active AirClean, which is quite effective at reducing pet odors; users with cat allergies also report their symptoms being reduced after using this model. There is a HEPA filter upgrade available separately, which we recommend for people with allergies.

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