The 11 Best Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2026

A vacuum cleaner is a necessity in a household with a cat or dog that sheds. The best vacuums for pet hair should swiftly take in strands while preventing the hair from clogging any internal mechanisms. “You want to look for a vacuum with a sturdy brush roll for hair because pet hair is more difficult than some other things to just pick up and get into the vacuum cleaner,” Jessica Ek, senior director of digital communications at the American Cleaning Institute, told The Spruce Pets. After a series of controlled environment tests in our New York Lab, we selected dozens of vacuums, in a variety of styles and price points, for six months of testing in real homes with real pets to see how each vacuum for pet hair held up with regular use.

Best Overall

Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum

$574

$516 at Amazon View on Dyson.com View on Costco.com

Throughout our several stages of testing, including an ongoing stint in a home with two dogs and another with two cats, the Dyson V10 Cyclone Animal continuously emerged as one of the most effective (and delightful) vacuums to use for picking up pet hair, dirt, and debris. The stick-style cordless vac is actually two vacuums in one and easily transitions to a handheld device.

It’s worth the upgrade, even if you already have a Dyson with a similar body style, like the V10 or the V8. The pet hair-banishing anti-tangle technology is worth the upgrade alone. This anti-tangle design looks like a big corkscrew inside the motorbar cleaner head (it's also featured in the handheld tool), with deep grooves and spiraled bristles that reliably prevent hair from wrapping around the spinning roller brush. It really works—we've never had to tear hair off of this rolling brush head. It's a major change even from previous Dyson models, and a big improvement on traditional bristle roller heads.

For extended use as a handheld vacuum, attachments like the crevice tool, the combination tool, and the mini soft dusting brush make it easy to reach and clean a variety of surfaces, both high and low, including upholstery cushions, car interiors, shelves, and decorative molding. 

The bin can hold up to 0.2 gallons, and a point-and-shoot release lever on the bagless canister rapidly forces out the majority of the contents without the need to get your hands dirty. This is another big improvement on many handheld vacuum models, which often unload from the bottom, sometimes risking a spill.

There are three power settings to choose from, and with a full charge of the lithium-ion battery, the Cyclone V10 Animal has a runtime of up to 60 minutes at the lowest setting and 35 minutes at the highest. The most powerful suction setting allowed for a much quicker cleaning, but also emits a loud whining sound that we found irritating (though nowhere near as irritating as dealing with a hair-tangled brush roll!). 

While this model does not have a HEPA filter, it does have Dyson's whole-machine filtration that promises to capture 99.99 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns. The vacuum is extremely lightweight and easy to steer.

When switching out attachments, it makes a satisfying click sound to let you know the piece is properly in place. We did find that heavier particles, like kibble, require more than one pass to fully pick up, but it’s one of the most efficient vacuums we tested and well worth the price. 

Rechargeable battery with 60-minute run time

Best Robot

Roborock Q7 M5+ Robot Vacuum and Mop

$360

$250 at Amazon

If you need to vacuum more frequently than once or twice a week, a robot is a great option for picking up pet hair, and the Roborock Q7 M5+ Robot Vacuum and Mop is our top choice. Although we haven't had the chance to test this model, it is the brand's upgrade of its now-discontinued Q5 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, which we previously tested in a three-bedroom townhome with two small dogs that shed a ton. The Q5 managed to pick up pet hair seamlessly. This version has even more powerful suction, a dual anti-tangle system, and a mop head with adjustable water flow.

Like the Q5, this robot vacuum puts cleanup on autopilot. Setup is a matter of following a few quick steps and pairing it with an app using straightforward instructions. The Roborock app allows you to schedule cleanings with ultra-accurate 3-D room mapping—you can set permanent obstacles, such as furniture, for the vacuum to avoid for up to four levels of your home. This also allows you to keep the vacuum in certain areas if you’d like. The app also displays the vacuum’s charge level, so you know when it’s at 100% and ready to run. 

It can cover up to 2,000 square feet and run for up to 150 minutes, which is less than the Q5's 180 minutes and 3,235 square feet on a single charge. However, it automatically returns to its dock to recharge when the battery runs low, then picks up where it left off cleaning. Given the improved suction and higher cleaning efficiency with its combo jaw-scraper main brush and zero-tangle side brush, we think this is a fair trade-off.

The vacuum has four levels of suction, up to 10,000Pa, which is bound to make your home feel spotless, though it can be rather noisy at the max level. In addition to picking up pet hair and dust, this powerful vacuum picks up heavier debris, such as dog food and small pebbles, from floors, carpets, and rugs. It doesn’t get stuck on obstacles or carpeting and always returns to its base on its own.

In addition to a spot-cleaning mode that’s quick and convenient for tackling messes, the mop attachment uses a vibrating system to help scrub away stubborn grime. You can adjust the water flow via the app to get the right amount of moisture for each cleaning task.

Emptying the vacuum is also an easy process; simply pull out the collection tray to clean it out. At 2.7 liters, it holds up to 7 weeks of debris. The dust bag also acts as an air filter to keep pollen and dust sealed away. However, to make cleanup even easier, the Roborock vacuum has a self-emptying dock that will basically do this process for you.

Suction power up to 10,000Pa

How We Picked

Real-World Testing: Hundreds of hours of hands-on testing have informed our top selections. To begin, we tested a variety of vacuums in The Lab, where we replicated common household surfaces—carpet, tile, hardwood, and upholstery—and sprinkled specific amounts of pet kibble and tufts of pet hair on each to challenge claims made by manufacturers. 

Each vacuum was taken through several testing trials to rate and compare features and functionality. We evaluated our findings across multiple categories, including effectiveness, maneuverability, ease of emptying, portability, noise level, ease of setup, and overall value.

We then narrowed down our top performers and sent each vacuum to at least one real home with real pets. Vacuums were paired with testers living in spaces where the particular features of their assigned vacuum would be put to use, e.g. upright vacuum in a home with a staircase.

For up to six months with regular monthly check-ins, each tester documented and captured the performance of the vacuum in their home. They took note of how often they needed to maintain their vacuum, how easy it was to keep running efficiently, whether the performance declined as time passed, and whether they found the vacuum to be beneficial.

Equipped with this firsthand information, we ranked and categorized our top picks to simplify your search for the right vacuum for cleaning up pet hair in your home.

More We Recommend

Best Handheld

Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Cordless Handheld Vacuum

$100 at Amazon $100 at Target $100 at Home Depot

Best Handheld: Weighing under three pounds, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Cordless Handheld Vacuum provided 25 minutes of powerful cordless suction during our testing trial. 

The portable vacuum quickly scooped up kibble and wet hair from hardwood surfaces. However, it required an additional pass to completely pick up the kibble from the carpeting, which was common among the handheld vacuum cleaners we tested.

The pet power brush attachment roll has silicone fins instead of a traditional brush roll, and not a single strand was found around the roll when emptying. The UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ comes with two additional attachments: a crevice tool to clean between cushions and a scrubbing brush to pick up dirt and debris from upholstery. 

With the push of a button, the canister can be emptied directly into a trash can. Some wet hair got stuck inside, so we had to reach in and wipe it away to fully clean out this section of the petite vacuum. With a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a washable filter, this small but mighty vacuum from Shark will help you clean up after your pet in a variety of spaces, including the inside of a car.

A power cord is provided, but the docking station is sold separately. Shark also offers a two-year warranty. 

Lithium-ion battery

Best Upgrade Stick Vacuum

Dyson V15 Detect Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

$650 at Amazon $850 at Chewy $850 at Target

Best Upgrade Stick Vacuum: The laser-powered illumination on the Dyson V15 Detect is paired with a unique roller brush, the fluffy cleaner head, to shine a spotlight on the irritants in your path. This combination of light with the nylon and anti-static fiber filaments of the roller brush productively lifts dust and hair from surfaces, including the gaps between hardwood panels, where irritants get stuck.

The Detect's powerfully targeted cleaning of pet hair, microscopic dust, and dander can help to relieve respiratory ailments. Plus, the vacuum features an innovative filtration system that keeps track of the particles it collects and reports real-time metrics on the vacuum’s built-in LED screen, which can be particularly insightful if someone in your home suffers from allergies.

The cordless vacuum comes with a wall dock, making it incredibly convenient to reach for and use for clean-ups of all sizes. While testing in a home with a Labrador, quick daily vacuum sessions helped to keep the floors and upholstery clean. Similar to our pick for Best Overall, this Dyson device can be used as a handheld vacuum, but it’s a little bit heavier.

When passing over flooring surfaces of all types, the V15 Detect’s intuitive auto mode adapts suction settings accordingly. It comes with seven cleaning attachments, two for use as an upright device, the aforementioned fluffy cleaner head with illumination, and a digital motorbar, which is particularly effective on carpeting and made with de-tangling vanes to automatically clear wrapped hair from the brush bar. For use as a handheld vacuum, the hair screw tool features an anti-tangle conical brush bar for small spaces. A crevice tool provides reach into tight areas, a combination tool offers a wide nozzle and brush for quickly switching between as needed, a mini soft dusting brush handles delicate surfaces, and a stubborn dirt brush lifts embedded dirt and dander.

To empty, the canister features a quick-release lever that shoots all of the particles down into a waste bin. The internal filter is not HEPA certified, but it’s effective—capturing 99.99 percent of particles—and easy to maintain with a quick rinse in water.

The fluffy cleaner head can also be cleaned by running it under fresh water.  The vacuum cleaner is one of the more expensive selections on our list, but it requires little maintenance and comes with a two-year warranty from Dyson.

Rechargeable battery with 60-minute run time

Best Budget Stick Vacuum

Shark WS642AE Wandvac Cordless Stick Vacuum with Self-Empty Charging Base

$295 at Amazon $330 at Chewy $330 at Wayfair

Best Budget Stick Vacuum: With rubber fins and a built-in comb that loosens hair as you vacuum, the Shark Wandvac Self-Empty System has one of the most efficient roller heads for simultaneously picking up pet hair and preventing tangles. The two-in-one cordless vacuum easily switches from powerstick to handheld, and you can see the dust bin fill up as you clean, which helps prevent clogging. Plus, it’s priced affordably and comes with a five-year warranty from Shark. 

To charge, the vacuum comes with a dock that is equipped with a HEPA filter to collect dust and debris. Every time the vacuum is placed on the dock, the self-emptying system is activated, and the contents within the dust bin are sucked out and concealed. The excavation is over within seconds, but it’s loud and can be startling, so a mute button is conspicuously positioned on top of the dock, which remains active until you push it again.

With weekly use, the main collection canister within the dock station typically requires emptying once a month. The condensed contents pop out quickly and do not produce a dust cloud. To maintain efficiency, the internal filters should be rinsed every 30 days and allowed to air dry thoroughly before putting them back into the docking system. 

Two attachments are provided: a duster crevice tool and a pet multi-tool, both of which are equipped with optional brushes for lifting embedded dirt and dust off a variety of household surfaces. For storage, the vacuum features a front-facing clip that connects the handheld piece of the vacuum to the body while it sits on the dock, significantly reducing the overall height.

But there is only one slot to keep one of the two attachments conveniently within reach. The Shark vacuum also only has one power setting, but it works well across hardwood flooring, upholstery, tile, and rugs without being too harsh. 

Lithium-ion battery

Best Upright

Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra

$375 at Amazon $550 at Target $550 at Home Depot

Best Upright: The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra offers three power modes, a cleaner head that automatically clears tangled hair, and a hose extension, so it’s easy to reach and clean a variety of household surfaces and spaces, including wood flooring, carpeting, tile, upholstery, curtains, and shelving. It is powered by a 35-foot extension cord, providing reach and reducing the need to switch to a new power outlet while cleaning.

The body of the upright vacuum swivels effortlessly on a ball as the dense nylon bristles spiral into surfaces to lift out pet hair. With the stair tool attachment connected to the hose, cleaning a flight of stairs is significantly easier than with any other vacuum cleaner we’ve tested.

For upholstery, the tangle-free turbine tool removes stubborn hair and debris from cushions and your dog’s favorite bed (which might be your bed). There is even a pet grooming tool that attaches to the hose that is designed to remove hair and skin that’s already been shed directly from a dog’s coat, but we don’t recommend using it if you have a nervous and/or small pet. 

The generous canister holds up to 1.7 liters (roughly half a gallon) and was only full after cleaning an entire home (close to 2,000 square feet). To empty the contents, the canister separates from the body of the vacuum with the push of a button.

Once isolated, it’s easy to hover the canister over the trash bin to discard the dust and pet hair directly into a garbage bag. There is no need to purchase replacement bags with this vacuum cleaner, and the internal filter is washable. 

35-foot power cord

Best Budget Upright

Hoover Onepwr Evolve Pet Cordless Vacuum

$225 at Amazon View on Chewy $225 at Wayfair

Best Budget Upright: The Hoover Onepwr Evolve Pet Cordless Vacuum weighs less than 9 pounds, locks in an upright position, and doesn’t keep you tethered to an outlet. While in use, the upright device sets a healthy boundary to keep it running efficiently and will automatically stop when the canister is full. Along with the easy-to-empty canister on the slim bagless vacuum, an internal filter helps to clear a space of pet-related particles, but it is not a certified HEPA filter. 

The vacuum works across multiple floor surfaces—hardwood, tile, carpet—with the ability to turn on a brush roll to sweep up items of different sizes as you clean. The Onepwr Evolve performs exceptionally well on carpeting, picking up both kibble and pet hair.

On a tile floor, a few passes are typically required to completely clear the area of debris. The brush roll can easily be extracted to clear any contents that may get stuck or tangled, like long strands of hair. 

Unlike other upright vacuum cleaners, this model is not equipped with a hose or additional attachments, so you will likely find that you need an additional vacuum on hand, such as our choice for best handheld, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Cordless Handheld Vacuum, for upholstery cleaning.

Rechargeable battery with 35-minute run time

Best Canister

Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Bagless Canister Vacuum

$999

$918 at Amazon $679 at Wayfair View on Sylvane.com

Best Canister: After six months in a home with a cat, a dog, and a bunny, the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum continues to be a highly effective and versatile cleaning tool. It’s easy to transport around a space with a handle on the wheeled canister, and with the push of a button, the power cord self-retracts.

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.

The floorhead twists to fit into corners and is very easy to guide. All debris is collected in a removable bin, so there is 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. The internal bin where the contents of dust and pet hair are collected must be handled with care to prevent unintentional spilling.

For use on a staircase, this vacuum might be too wide to rest on a step, but the cord, along with the length of the wand and the hose, should be sufficient in the majority of homes. With an internal HEPA filter and an internal self-cleaning system, the vacuum helps to reduce the amount of dust in a home and is easy to maintain.

21-foot retractable cord

Best Budget Canister

Kenmore BC4026 Pet Friendly Pop-N-Go Bagged Canister Vacuum

$350

$313 at Amazon $280 at Wayfair $295 at Home Depot

Best Budget Canister: To remove pet dander and other dust particles from the air, the Kenmore Pet-Friendly Pop-N-Go Canister Vacuum features an internal HEPA filter along with an internal disposable bag to seal up all of the contents the vacuum picks up. 

After several months in a home with beige carpeting and a black dog that sheds a lot, this vacuum continues to deliver results but often requires the highest, loudest setting for a thorough cleaning. With a 360-degree hose swivel, a telescopic wand, and onboard tool storage for accessories, we found the design of this moderately priced vacuum to be very functional and convenient.

The canister is on the heavier side with a weight of 24 pounds, but not significantly more than our pick for Best Canister, the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Bagless Canister Vacuum, which weighs 19 pounds. To keep the Pet-Friendly Pop-N-Go vacuum running smoothly, a prompt appears on the built-in screen to let you know the bag, Kenmore Type Q, needs to be taken out and replaced. Depending on the size of your space, you may find you need to replace the bag frequently, so we recommend factoring in the ongoing cost of bags when making your decision.

The power cord extends 26 feet and retracts into the vacuum with the push of a button. With four suction levels to choose from and a brush roller, this vacuum is effective across a variety of flooring types. 

26-foot retractable cord 

Best for Furniture

Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Handheld Vacuum

$90

$80 at Amazon $90 at Target

$90

$80 at Walmart

Best for Upholstery: The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Lithium Ion Cordless Vacuum is budget-friendly, lightweight, and effectively picks up pet hair from furniture and flooring. It's a compact handheld vacuum with a comfortable handle that offers control and is easy to grip.

While testing, this vacuum performed well on all surfaces, from carpet and hardwood to deep-pile rugs and tile, but it is more amenable to cleaning up debris from upholstery than from flooring. When vacuuming the couch, it required a few passes to get all the pet hair and kibble, but it did ultimately provide optimal results. The vacuum comes with three accessories—a crevice tool, a motorized brush tool, and an upholstery tool—making it easier to maneuver and reach around cushions.

The cordless vacuum is easy to empty, but to completely get all of the pet hair out, we had to fully remove the filter from the canister. This requires two hands, and we found it to be a little tricky. The small vacuum has powerful suction, and with a full charge, it provides up to 17 minutes of cleaning, but it is surprisingly loud for its size.

Lithium-ion battery

Best Robot, Runner-Up

Shark RV763 ION Wifi Connected Auto Charging Robotic Vacuum with HEPA Filter

$270 at Home Depot $270 at Wayfair $270 at Lowe's

Best Robot, Runner-Up: The Shark Auto Charging Robotic Vacuum is another great robot option. We put it to the test in a 1,500-square-foot home with a dog whose hair comes out in clumps. 

This vacuum is particularly easy to set up; all you have to do is unwrap it, snap on the side brushes, and plug in the docking station. Similar to other robot vacuums, it pairs with an app that you can use to control it, but it also has 3 buttons on top of it that can be used in place of this: "Dock" to send it to its base, "Clean" for normal cleaning, and "Max" for increased suction. However, the SharkClean app took our tester minutes to set up and proved to be straightforward to use. 

The Shark robot picked up an “astounding” amount of pet hair and dust and even found debris to scoop up when used immediately after an upright vacuum. It was able to pick up larger debris, such as kibble, too, and didn’t get stuck on a high-pile carpet.

This robot vacuum doesn’t include location mapping, which makes it faster to set up, but it does use boundary strips to establish "no-go zones," which are sold separately and may be an eyesore. Our tester chose not to use them and instead closed doors and set up obstacles in front of areas for the vacuum to avoid. The vacuum didn’t notify our tester when the dustbin was full, and we found that it needed to be changed more frequently than our top robot vacuum pick, which offers more convenience. 

Rechargeable battery with 120-minute run time

Other Vacuums We Tested

iRobot Roomba Combo j9+: Robot vacuums may offer convenience, but they can be an eyesore in a smaller space where the dock is always on display. This option features a sleek design, which blends in with your decor but comes at a higher price point than others we tested. The Roomba picked up pet hair easily and maneuvered well, but we found that it needed to be run twice to pick up larger hairballs. 

Dyson Outsize+ Powerstick Vacuum: The upgraded version of our pick for Best Upgrade Stick, the Dyson V15 Detect, this model also illuminates particles that are often overlooked and left behind by vacuum cleaners. The suction is so strong that even hovering it over a hard-to-reach space attracts pet hair and particles like a magnet. It has a runtime of 120 minutes, but it weighs close to 8 pounds, and the head is bulkier than our other picks for stick vacuums, which makes it more difficult to maneuver. 

IRIS USA Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner: If you are looking for a handheld vacuum to tackle pet hair in your car or spot-cleaning upholstery (like a dog bed!), this is a solid choice. It’s not large enough to be the only vacuum cleaner in a home, even if you live in an apartment, but it’s very effective and affordable.

Why Trust The Spruce Pets?

This roundup was originally written by Anna Mejorada, an editor for The Spruce Pets, who shares her home with a happy pomeranian named Gidget, who politely leaves the room when a vacuum enters the space. Anna eliminates pet hair and other debris from her home with a handheld Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Handheld Vacuum and a versatile Shark Wandvac Self-Empty System.

Rebecca Shinners, a writer, recently updated this story with new insights from an additional round of testing. She shares her 500-square-foot apartment with her cavapoo Gemma, so she’s well-versed in using vacuums to pick up after a pet. Check out additional stories she has written for The Spruce Pets, including The Best Elevated Dog Bowls, The Best Peanut Butter for Dogs, The Best Cooling Mats for Dogs, The Best Dog Treats, and The Best Cones and Recovery Wear for Dogs.