What pets leave behind isn’t always love and affection. They can turn your apartment into a living nightmare for any allergic person. Pet hair is one of the most potent allergens in our times solely because it is always present in large amounts. To avoid that, having a pet must equal higher hygiene levels. Even if your furry friend isn’t shedding a lot having the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair is a total must. Not only it will be easier to clean when having a good model in your hand, but your health will greatly improve due to the lack of dust and hair. We are here to show you some of our handpicked models which were thoroughly tested for weeks by our team and have proven to work better than their competition.
Since choosing the right vacuum for you isn’t always as easy as it seems we’ve created a comparison table for you to check out the main differences between our top five models. In it, you will see their type, how much they weight, and what type of an overall score did we give them.
Pet Hair Vacuum Cleaners Comparison Chart
| Product | Type | Weight | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hoover WindTunnel 3 UH70931PC Pro | Upright, Bagless | 24 lbs. | 5/5 | $$ |
Hoover T-Series WindTunnel Pet Rewind | Upright, Bagless | 23 lbs. | 4.5/5 | $$ |
Hoover WindTunnel MAX | Upright, Bagless | 22 lbs. | 4.5/5 | $$$ |
BISSELL Cleanview | Upright, Bagless | 15 lbs. | 4/5 | $$$ |
Eureka As One Pet | Upright, Bagless | 9.6 lbs. | 4/5 | $ |
You might notice that our top three models are all coming from the same company. That isn’t a coincidence, nor is something we intentionally did. It is simply because Hoover is the current undisputed market leader and is also one of the most well-established household names when it comes to vacuum cleaning. Bissell is a close runner-u but lack on some major points, in which the hoovers dominate. Either way here is out 2018 top five selection:
1.Hoover WindTunnel 3 UH70931PC Pro
Our Rating:
What Hoover did with this vacuum cleaner is nothing but extraordinary. It has all the bells and whistles of a much more expensive model while having the budget-friendly price tags. Coming with a ton of attachments and strong suction power, it will handle anything you throw at it. It is perfect for larger homes such as houses with big open areas but you’ll find it useful even if you’re living in a smaller place.
2.Hoover T-Series WindTunnel Pet Rewind
Our Rating:
In terms of mobility, suction, and overall build quality this Hoover T-series will impress you coming at a price at which only other Hoovers can compete with it. It does wonders for people with hairy animals which shed a lot and has tons of functionality to it. With its HEPA filtration system, it is a great choice for people suffering from all sorts of home dust-related allergies.
3.Hoover WindTunnel MAX
Our Rating:
With its 3-power suction settings and 7-way adjustable brush head the Hoover WindTunnel MAX will deal with any type of surface you want to clean. Thanks to its lighter and more ergonomic design, as well as the wind tunnel technology this vacuum cleaner feels as if you aren’t doing any house chores. It is the most expensive of our Hoover trio but that is mainly due to the better material quality in it.
4.BISSELL Cleanview
Our Rating:
With its triple brush technology this Bissell model is giving its competition a run for its money. It has lots of cool features such as indicator lights for blockage, multi-surface cleaning abilities, and many more. No amount of pet hair will be able to blog this thing as it cleaned 90% of every surface we tested it on.
5.Eureka As One Pet
Our Rating:
What Eureka offers you with this model is pretty unique. It is lightweight, multifunctional, innovative and is surprisingly powerful for its size. It also comes with a wide variety of attachments which makes it a great choice for people on a budget living in a small apartment. It can be a bit loud but we assure you that for the price range in which it’s competing there is no better alternative.
Buyer’s Guide
Most people think they are quite familiar when it comes to vacuum cleaners but the reality is that they’ve improved so much in a short amount of time that few people could keep up. There have been various technologies implemented into the vacuum world but the biggest difference separating modern day vacs from the older models is that bagless models are literally everywhere. Let’s see why…
Bagless Vacuum Cleaners
Not having a bag in your model might surprise you in how handy it is. Most people think that the bag does all the filtration work but that is wrong. All vacuum cleaners have a filter (either HEPA or not) which is positioned after the container in terms of airflow, no matter if there is a bag in there or not. So, in short, bagless vacuum cleaners still have a filter after their dust-container to purify the air of all the smaller particles. Not all of them have a HEPA filter, though. This can be a downside, as that particular filtration system is amazing at creating a hypoallergenic environment.
Some of the models we reviewed, like the Hoover T-Series WindTunnel, have those HEPA filter inside them. That means that you will experience all the benefits of the bagless cleaners plus having a great air filtration.
About those benefits, the main one is obvious. Instead of having to take the bag out and empty it (or throw it away), you just unclip the container and empty it wherever you want. After that, you either clean it with water or just put it back in. You can also check what has the vacuum cleaner sucked in. We’ve had a lot of cases of the model sucking in some valuable items like jewelry or coins and even then we can easily detect them and take them out of the transparent container.
At this point, you might be thinking that we are quite one-sided towards bagless vacuum cleaners but we also like some of the benefits of the old-school bagged models. Here are some of them:
Bagged Vacuum Cleaners
With your bagged model all you will have to do once you’ve done a few cleaning sessions is take out the bag full of dust and put it in the trash. That won’t cause any dust-leakage (as it would with most bagless containers) and will overall feel like a lot cleaner process. That raises another issue, though. What will you put back inside when you throw out the old dust bag? Exactly. You will have to buy a new one. That is the main issue for some people – that they will have to constantly pay money for extra bags especially if they clean their home a few times per week.
Imagine having a dog that sheds like crazy and you have to clean daily. You can kiss 10-20$ of your monthly budget goodbye just because you will have to constantly restock on vacuum cleaner bag supplies. Furthermore, if you accidentally suck in your wedding ring, you will be up for a challenge to find it.
It is important to mention that bagged vacuum cleaners are almost always certified to be good for allergic people. Since the bag material is a filtration system of its own, it greatly improves the air which goes through the second particle filter in your vacuum. That is why some of the best HEPA certified vacuum cleaners are used in hospitals and other semi-sterile environments.
If you are looking for ways to make other parts of your household safer, check out some of our advice on UV water filtration, as well as the reverse osmosis (RO) and fluoride filtration systems.
The Types Of Vacuum Cleaners You Need To Know
Now, let’s get you familiar with the four most common shapes vacuum cleaners come in:
- Canister
- Upright
- Handheld
- Sticks
There is also a fifth kind which is robotic vacuum cleaners. They are still very young on the market and can have quite a lot of issues, especially if you have a lot of obstacles in your apartment. Furthermore, they aren’t meant for highly contaminated environments (one that your dog will create) so a lot of pet hair will easily clog them up and probably ruin them. Nonetheless, if you are 100% sure you want to get one our suggestion would be the ECOVACS DEEBOT N79. It is great for cleaning light dust and small particles but handles harsher conditions poorly. If you want to explore more options, Forbes has a pretty good review on some robotic cleaners too but as we said, we do not recommend getting a robotic vacuum cleaner to do the job for you if your main reason to get a new vac is pet hair.
Now, back to our goal here. The types we will review now are all suitable for very dusty and harder to clean places, but they come in different sizes and shapes.
Canister Vacuum Cleaners
Those type of vacs were the most common some ten years, ago. They have a few upsides, like the fact that they can store quite a lot of power under their hood and they have flexible hoes which (with the proper attachment) can clean up pretty much anything.
They are mobile enough for you to move them around a small apartment and are generally well received, especially due to their low price nowadays.
Their major downside is that there are no cordless versions and if you have to carry them around they can easily bulk up the muscles on your arm. Which is exactly why the next type of vacuums was invented.
Upright Models
Those vacuum cleaners are very comfortable because you never have to bend. Furthermore, most of them are bagless so you will be enjoying all the benefits of that as well.
Some of the models, like the Hoover T-Series WindTunnel Pet Rewind, even have a detachable pet hair tool, which draws air suction power from the main unit, but can be moved around far easier. Even if you don’t get any attachments with your model, you can buy them separately at a very lower price.
They all have a decent air filtration and suction power. Some models even have LED lights at the front of the head to show you what and where exactly you’re cleaning if its past sunset.
A potential downside of the upright vacuum cleaners is that most of them don’t deal well with narrow spaces. In fact, they are terrible for that, so that’s why you will most certainly need attachments. Also, opening the dust container of some of them will let dust go out in the air as soon as you take it out. If you are willing to ignore those two issues or find a valid compromise, you’ll be all good. Don’t forget that they are also cheap, easy to maintain, somewhat quiet and look super futuristic compared to their canister cousins.
Handheld Vacuum Cleaners
This type has been gaining tons of popularity recently mainly due to its portability. If you travel a lot with your dog and it enjoys the space in your trunk you’d understand why people want small portable, non-corded vacuum cleaners for their cars. The great thing is that this portability also helps you clean up stars and upholstery easier. Also, the price is really low even for the most expensive models like the Black Decker CHV1410L so you will most likely be able to afford one handheld and one upright, for example. That will set you up for something that can clean your couch and something that does wonders for your carpet.
In fact, most handheld vacs come with attachments specifically designed for pet hair. That shows you that manufacturers know what their customers are buying those for.
A downside of these vacuum cleaners is that you will have to empty their container quite regularly, and they also kind of lack on suction power when it comes to cleaning something other than pet hair. Still, their portability and cordless options make them a great bargain.
Stick Vacs
These are great for tall people who have back issues when using all the other kinds of vacuum cleaners. Stick models are meant to be used when you’re standing straight and cleaning rugged surfaces like fluffy carpets. They are also quite quiet, elegant-looking and usually bagless.
If you live in a small apartment and most of the floor-surface is covered with carpets get a more powerful stick vacuum cleaner as most of those are a bit weak in this particular aspect. Also, they are usually unibody which means that you will have issues with tight gaps unless you get some accessories with your purchase (or find a model which has them included).
Perhaps the greatest thing about those is that some of the good models are cordless. That means that you will combine the best of both worlds – portability + functionality. The stick vacuum cleaner we 100% recommend is the Shark Navigator Freestyle. It looks incredible, costs pennies compared to some upright vacuum cleaners, and has a battery that lasts you long enough to clean up your apartment without tangling the power cord in your furniture.
Some Cleaning Tips
- Having A Clean Home Is A Matter Of Habits
If you have a habit of going inside your apartment/house with your shoes on, try to change it. Our shoes and clothes are the number one reason allergens and outside dust comes inside. Start taking your shoes in front of your door and then going inside. Furthermore, never lay on your bed with your outside clothes and even have a pair of clothes to wait in your home if possible.
- Cleaning Should Be A Fun Routine
Think of vacuuming your place as something that keeps you healthy and as a slight workout. That way you can set 3-4 cleanups per week in which you will clean your house and more importantly – stretch out your body. Don’t think it as a chore that you have to do as then you would stop wanting to do it as often as needed.
- Move The Furniture Around From Time To Time
Try vacuuming below some of your furniture at least once per month. If that same furniture has a flat bottom, then don’t bother doing that as there is no way for dust to go beneath it. Furthermore, never forget to thoroughly clean your carpets. They are like a dust/hair magnet and deserve special attention. We found out that at least 50% of the time vacuuming should be spent on carpets as they contain more than half of the apartment’s dust.
- Have A Special Place For Your Pet
Your pet usually likes to hang out wherever it smells the best. If you get your dog/cat a bed it will spend most of its time there. Same goes for cat castles and other toy-oriented structures. That will lead to less hair on the other parts of your apartment. Also, don’t let it sleep in your bed. We know that some people say that it is beneficial for your health but you should treat your bed as a sacred temple that should be only touched by you (in your pajamas!).
Important Places You Shouldn’t Skip When Vacuuming
When vacuuming most people remove most of the major dust around their places except for the dust and dirt which is “hidden” in some of the places people usually skip. After you’re done that same dust spreads from these places to all other parts of your apartment. Vacuuming this location is vital to keeping you and your family healthier.
Mattresses and Beds
As we said, your bed should be your temple when it comes to hygiene. You shouldn’t lay on it with your outside clothes and you shouldn’t allow your pet to go on it. An unclean mattress is heaven for bed bugs which are one of the top reasons for household dust, believe it or not.
Clean your mattress with a separate vacuum attachment at least two to three times per week.
Your Washing Machine
You’d be surprised how much dirt your washing machine attracts. Make sure you vacuum clean its rubber gasket at least once per week or spray it with white vinegar while running the machine at its highest (and hottest) program.
Windows And Other Glass Surfaces
Screens, whether it is a TV or a computer screen generally attract a lot of dust due to the static electricity they possess. If you don’t clean as often you’d find them to be literally dust-magnets. This is why you should always start with them.
Windows, on the other hand, are the gate between the outside (dusty) world and your home. Washing them from the outside prevents any dust or dirt from entering when you open them to let some air in.
Moving Your Kitchen Appliances
There is a lot of nasty stuff building up between, behind or beneath your kitchen furniture. This is mainly due to the fact that when cooking things tend to fall down and are often forgotten there. That leads to nasty smells at hard to clean spots. This is why you should move around the stuff in your kitchen every once in a while or if you are yet to move into a new home make sure that everything in the kitchen is well built and has no cracks and gaps. This is why modern kitchen appliances are built in directly into shelves and other wooden forms.
Some Final Words
In order to get the best vacuum cleaner for you, you will need to take the above-mentioned specifics into account. Perhaps the most important aspect is its size, weight, and overall portability. If you live in a small apartment, an unspoken rule is that the smaller upright cleaners are ideal for you. You might want to up the scale a bit, though, if you are living in a house with more rooms and larger open surfaces. Either way, we hope that our top five selection was helpful to you, as they all range from big upright models to the more compact ones. Our top choice for the best overall is the Hoover WindTunnel 3 UH70931PC Pro.
