Best vacuum for pet hair 2023: tested by our expert team

The attachments are what make this vacuum really shine, but there’s no included storage for them, so you’ll need to repurpose a box or bin to make sure you don’t lose them. Overall, we said this vacuum’s performance was very impressive given its size and single suction setting. It works on all floor types and comes with a 1-liter dustbin (which is relatively small compared to traditional vacuums but significant for a robotic cleaner). You can even set it on a schedule to auto-clean while you’re away — a bonus if your dog barks or plays with it.

25 March 2023 — Answered questions and added jump links for reader friendliness. Double-checked all products to ensure they are in stock and our opinion still stands. Took me 5 minutes with your instructions – couldn’t find anything like this on the shark site.

The suction is strong enough in every model that even the cleaning heads with air-powered, turbine-driven brush rolls outperformed many other brands’ electrically driven brush rolls in our tests. The Calima was second best in our debris-pickup test on short-pile carpeting, vacuuming up 84 percent of the sand–and–baking soda mixture. Although our main pick, the Shark Navigator Lift-Away, picked up nearly all of the debris, we think the difference won’t be noticeable to most people. DuoClean Technology – The Stratos has two brushrolls and our cleaning performance tests show that it does a really good job on both carpet and hard flooring.

To see how vacuums deal with pet hair, we use a mixture of clippings sourced to us through our local pet groomer. We’re fans of the Shark range of cordless vacuums and think this design has a lot to offer. “Shark vacuums have a few awesome features that Dyson vacuums do not,” says White. For instance, many Shark vacuums feature helpful LED lights on their heads to help you see in darker-lit corners, and “Shark vacuum batteries typically run longer than Dyson’s,” she adds. Shark vacuums are also typically less expensive than Dyson models, although Dyson vacuums tend to have stronger suction power. Notably, this vacuum is quieter than many others, and the dust cap is fairly large, so you won’t need to refill it often.

Of course, there are additional variations and sub-models within those overarching categories. Even so, the above 8 major model types make up the core of both Shark & Dyson’s upright line. Shark models with the tag name Flex, Multi-Flex, and IONFlex have the ability to bend nearly 180° shark pet hair vacuum for great maneuverability or easy storage. While the Dyson vacuums are objectively better in terms of cleaning power, they are also notably more expensive (typically). Both Dyson and Shark have a huge model lineup, so much so that it can be hard to know what vacuum is really best.

The wand has an adjustable height and is attached to a seven-foot hose to capture pet hair from all corners and at every level in a room. It also attaches to the canister in an upright position for easy storage. This Miele comes with several accessories including a brush attachment that works on upholstery and a crevice tool that slides into narrow spaces. All debris is collected in a removable bin, so no need to deal with replacement bags. When emptying the canister, most particles and pieces easily slide out, save for a few strands of pet hair which we had to clear by hand.

When vacuuming pet hair, there are a few critical pet-friendly factors you may want to be on the lookout for. This makes it easier to move around and carry, but means less dustbin capacity and suction power. As Head of eCommerce, Alex makes sure our readers find the right information to help them make the best purchase. After graduating from Cambridge University, Alex got his start in reviewing at the iconic Good Housekeeping Institute, testing a wide range of household products and appliances. He then moved to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, assessing gardening tools, machinery, and wildlife products.