Reviews | Best Vacuum for Pet Hair | Complete Buying Guide

What’s the best Vacuum for Pet Hair? Which vacuum cleaners will actually clean those pet hairs from your carpet, sofa and floors? Not all vacuums are created equal, and although there are many vacuums that claim to be good for pets hair, in truth, only a few models actually thoroughly clean your home the way you expect.

In this buying guide we review many of the best vacuums for pet hair, as well as provide you with a wealth of information to help you make an intelligent buying decision.

Intro | What’s the best Vacuum for Pet Hair?

As much as we love our canine and feline companions, we can all agree upon one thing – removing pet hair from carpets and upholstery is one of the most frustrating experiences imaginable. While these furry little fellows are always around to keep you company, they leave behind a trail of shedding which is embedded deep within your rugs, carpets, and bedsheets. Depending on the type of pet that you own, the hair they shed can vary wildly in terms of length, color, thickness, etc. And if you are a true animal lover, you probably have more than just a a single dog or cat in the house.

Excellent Pet Hair Vacuum  | Miele Complete C3 Marin Vacuum

Which is why, a regular vacuum cleaner just won’t get the job done. Removing pet hair from your house requires a special breed of vacuums, ones that are specifically designed with the purpose of dealing with hair. They come with improved suction power, special attachments, and HEPA filtration systems. Pet vacuums are generally more expensive than their standard counterparts, mainly because of the higher performance thresholds that they are capable of achieving. In this article, we shall review some of the best vacuum cleaners that a pet owner can buy. In addition, we will tell you everything that you need to know about commonly found features on pet vacuums, such as HEPA filters and motorized cleaner heads.

To ensure that you are buying the perfect vacuum, you must take factors such as floor type and area into consideration. Finally, it is important to strike a nice balance between capacity and maneuverability, so we recommend that you check out our section on the four different types of vacuum cleaners (handheld, stick, upright, and canister). We talk about the unique features of each one of these four designs, while delving into the advantages and disadvantages of owning one compared to the others. Without further ado, let us look at some of the best pet vacuums available for purchase right now.

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Miele Blizzard CX1 — Cat & Dog | SKCE0

PowerLine Series – SKCE0 Vortex Technology. with electrobrush for thorough cleaning of heavy-duty carpeting. Bagless Canister Vacuum. Wonderful design and one of the best vacuums for pet hair, as well as everything else that needs cleaning around your home. Vortex technology produces an enormous flow velocity of more than 62 miles/hr.

Features:

• Bagless canister vacuum with Turbo Brush for hard floors and low to medium pile carpeting
• Comes standard with Parquet Twister floor brush for delicate hard flooring
• Electro Plus Floorhead & Mini Turbo Brush are designed to speedily lift pet hair from floors and furniture with ease.
• 1,200-W Miele-Made Vortex Motor and an airflow up to 62+ mph. Aerodynamic airflow and specially designed floor head achieve.
• Suction Control : Easily adjusted to the surface being cleaned with the 4-setting Rotary Dial.
• Gore CleanStream Fine Dust Filter : You never have to touch the dust and allergens. Fine dirt and dust is collected into the heavy-duty Gore CleanStream fine dust filter, which has a ComfortClean self-cleaning function.
• HEPA Lifetime Filter. Maintenance-free HEPA Lifetime Filter, removes up to 99.98% of dust and allergens. Ideal for allergy sufferers.
• 4-setting Rotary Dial allows you to choose from 4 different speeds:
  • Suction 1 : Curtains and light fabrics
  • Suction 2 : Deep-pile carpets & rugs
  • Suction 3 : Low-pile carpets & light rugs
  • Suction 4 : Maximum suction on hard floors or ground-in dirt
• Hygienic Emptying : Hygienic emptying system minimizes the result of a dust cloud when emptying the dust bin. Mono-cyclone technology, separates fine and coarse dust so that the fine dust isn’t distributed back into the air while emptying.
• Integrated Accessories : Dusting brush is conveniently located on the handle. Upholstery and crevice nozzles are located in the back of the vacuum.
• A simple tap on a foot switch is enough to comfortably rewind the entire cord of the Blizzard CX1. With a cord length of 33 feet, large rooms can be cleaned with ease.
• Graphic symbols for the various applications make it easy to choose the right performance level.
• Blizzard CX1 is equipped with two parking systems.
• Equipped with four 360° caster wheels, making the unit extremely easy to maneuver. The rubberized tires are hardwearing and durable, while very gentle on delicate flooring.

✓ View or download the MANUAL for the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog.

Overview

Why is the Miele Bizzard CX1 Cat & Dog so good at cleaning pet hair? Well, there are many reasons that make this high-quality vacuum a good choice. Let’s be honest, not all vacuums are created equal. I know that many people would like to believe they can buy a great vacuum for pet hair for cheap, but it’s not going to happen. You’ll always be disappointed. Unfortunately, you should expect to spend some money if you want a powerful vacuum that will stand the test of time, because if you have a pet then you probably vacuum everyday. A cheap vacuum won’t hold up to the daily abuse and usage — and, a cheap vacuum will be made with low quality components. You really do get what you pay for.

VIDEO | Watch this — Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog (SKCE0)

Miele vacuums aren’t cheap but they are exceptional in the quality department, and in my opinion, will save you a lot of time and reduce your frustration level whenever you pull out your vacuum.

One of the reason why this Miele CX1 vacuum is so great is the way it filters, dust, dander and pet hair. It actually uses three levels of filtration, which captures 99.8% of your dust. Here are the levels of filtration:

1. HEPA AirClean Exhaust Filter : Highly-effective filter, completely maintenance free, guaranteed to last the lifespan of the vacuum. You never need to change or clean it.
2. Hygiene Lifetime Filter : This fine dust container is designed to capture 99.98% of ultra-fine dust, particles, and allergens.
3. GORE CleanStream Fine Dust Filter : Will dramatically reduce the fine dust being released into your air when the main bin is emptied by containing the fine dust inside a separate container.

You won’t find this degree of filtration on other vacuums, so if quality matters to you and you can afford it, then you should put this Miele CX1 Cat & Dog vacuum at the top of your list.

But it doesn’t stop there. We’ve only begun to explain all of the features that make this vacuum a standout vacuum.

If you have a home with a mix of hardwood and carpeted flooring, then this is the perfect Miele bagless vacuum for you. Yes, that is right – Miele actually went ahead and made a bagless model after several decades of staying true to their bagged vacuum cleaner roots. Does this bagless model perform up to the same standards as their traditional vacuums? Upon testing, we found out that the CX1 series of bagless vacuums are capable of amazing suction power, thanks to the 1200W PowerLine motors that Miele puts in them.

Even more interesting is the fact that all Blizzard CX1 vacuums come with the exact same motor, which means that suction power and noise levels are more or less the same across the board, irrespective of price. This shows us that Miele is not willing to compromise on performance, no matter how low or high a specific model is on the price spectrum. This particular bagless vacuum, the TurboTeam, comes with a suction powered cleaner head that is designed for low to high-pile carpets and rugs.

You can use it on area rugs as well as wall-to-wall carpeting, but keep in mind that it will not perform well on carpets and rugs that are more than ¾ inches thick. The Miele Blizzard CX1 vacuum will deep clean your carpets and rugs, removing all of those embedded dog and cat hairs that seem to be everywhere. It can also fit a substantial amount (2.1 qt.) of pet dander and hair inside the clear bin before you have to empty the thing. And talking of emptying bins, this vacuum comes with one of the most convenient bin-detachment systems we have seen on any bagless vacuum.

With just one swift motion, you detach the bin and cyclone mechanism from the canister body, then you can empty the contents of the bin by sliding a little yellow switch present at the bottom of the bin, which will swing open the trapdoor and immediately eject all the nasty stuff that you collected while vacuuming. What we really love about this Miele vacuum is how convenient it is to use, all the accessories that come with the TurboTeam are ruggedly built and each one serves a unique purpose.

For example, you have the STB 305-3 Turbo Brush cleaner head, which attaches to the extra-long telescopic metal wand for maximum reach. This cleaner head is equipped with an ABS plastic brush bar, and has hard bristles mounted on the bar in a helical pattern for maximum agitation on rugs and carpets. Since this is a Turbo Brush, it operates on the suction power generated by the vacuum cleaner. When air flows in through the opening on the bottom of this Floorhead, it spins a little turbine located at the back of the head. The turbine is connected to the brush roll with a geared belt system, so it spins the brush whenever you operate your CX1 PowerLine vacuum.

If you have pets, and I’m sure you do if you’re reading this, then the two brushes that you’ll be interested in are the Electro Plus Floorhead & the Mini Turbo Brush, which are specifically designed to speedily lift pet hair from floors and furniture with ease. The ElectroPlus Floor-head uses a strong brush rolling action for digging deep into carpets, while the Handheld Mini Turbo Brush is fantastic for speedily sucking up pet fur and hair from upholstery, sofa cushions, stairs, and every other nook and cranny around your home where you’ll fine pet hair.

Compared to the older STB 205-3, this cleaner head generates more agitation because it comes with a slightly bigger turbine that transfers more rotational force to the brush, and is therefore much better at digging pet hair and dirt out of your carpets. A bleeding valve located inside the cleaner head can open or close (by turning a dial on top of the head) to adjust the rotational force of the brush bar, so you can vacuum everything from delicate carpets to commercial rugs without damaging the fabric.

The convenience does not end there, Miele also provides a special “Parquet” Floorhead with the TurboTeam PowerLine vacuum. This tool is designed to suck up every bit of debris and pet hair lying on your hard floor. Do not make the mistake of using it on a carpeted surface however, since you will be left disappointed. When used on hard floors, the SBB 300-3 Parquet Twister can sweep up everything from breakfast cereal, to fine dust particles that are too small for the eye to see. It accomplishes this amazing feat by combining a unique head design with bristles designed to glide over your hard floor without scratching it.

The Parquet tool can be used on vinyl tiles, linoleum, laminate, and parquet. The brush has steps cut into the sides, so that the Floorhead sucks in larger debris instead of shoveling them away. The cutouts also facilitate air movement from all directions, resulting in a uniform suction flow around the perimeter of the Floorhead.

Like all other premium Miele vacuums, this one comes with features such as ComfortClean, parking mode, integrated storage for 2 accessories, and a one-touch automatic cord rewind. You can choose from 4 different power settings by turning a rotary dial on the body of the cleaner, this feature comes in handy when you are trying to clean different types of surfaces or dealing with varying debris size. More power means higher electricity consumption and more noise emissions, which is why you probably don’t want to use your vacuum in maximum power mode all the time. Not only is it unnecessary and inefficient, but a loud vacuum will also scare the pets.

We noticed that Miele bagless vacuums are among the quietest on the market, even quieter than Dyson canister models. The reason for this is the single cyclone technology that Miele claims is more efficient across varying power levels, and it helps keep noise levels low. Dyson’s multi-cyclone system is better at trapping fine dust particles, but is also louder. Miele uses a superior HEPA filtration system to compensate for their single cyclone design, because of which the air coming out of a Miele bagless vacuum is likely to be cleaner than the ambient air within your room. The whole body is sealed off while vacuuming, so no air leaks in or out of the cleaner during the vacuuming process.

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Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute

Cordless stick vacuum

Features:

• Quickly transforms to a handheld
• ‘point and shoot’ mechanism hygienically ejects dust and debris deep into your bin, in one action – so there’s no need to touch the dirt.
• Drop-in docking : The Dyson Cyclone V10 vacuum drops into the wall-mounted dock, to recharge it and tidily store tools. So it’s ready to grab and go.
• Soft touch trigger : Maximize cleaning time by only using battery power when you need it.
• Up to 60 minutes of fade-free power (using a non-motorized tool)
• Up to 20 minutes with Torque drive cleaner head (in Suction mode II) and up to 40 minutes with Soft roller cleaner head (Suction mode I).
• Three power modes : For any task on any floor type.
• Designed to deep clean homes with pets.

Technology Overview:

• 14 cyclones : Generate forces of more than 79,000g to fling microscopic particles – such as pollen and bacteria – into the bin.
• Powered by the Dyson digital motor V10 : Smallest, lightest, yet strongest motor Dyson has ever produced. Ceramic shaft instead of steel, it spins at up to 125,000rpm. Generates the suction power of a full-size vacuum.
• Fade-free power : 7-cell, nickel-cobalt-aluminum battery has the fade-free power.
• Whole-machine filtration : Fully-sealed filtration system traps 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns – expelling cleaner air.
• Designed to absorb vibrations and dampen sound, to keep sound levels down.
• In-line configuration : The motor, bin and cyclone are aligned, so air is drawn into the cyclones in a straight line – creating 20% more suction power than the Dyson V8 vacuum cleaner.

Includes : Torque Drive Cleaner Head, Charger, Mini Soft Dusting Brush, Soft Roller Cleaner Head, Quick Release, Mini Motorized Tool, Docking Station, Crevice tool, Combination tool

Overview (Cyclone V10 Absolute) :

It is more expensive than the Miele Blizzard CX1 TurboTeam that we just reviewed, but this is just a handheld vacuum. How can you possibly justify spending more money on a handheld model, especially when the whole idea of handheld vacuums is to be cheaper than larger models? Well, that’s the thing – this isn’t just any handheld vacuum.

The Dyson V10 Absolute is the most advanced, best performing cordless handheld on the market. It can also switch between stick and handheld modes quite easily, all you have to do is attach the extension wand and it becomes a stick vacuum. Normally, we would not recommend a handheld or stick vacuum for cleaning up pet hair from your carpets and furniture.

Most handheld models advertised as “pet vacuums” are designed to clean up pet hair from leather upholstery, but they fail spectacularly when it comes to extracting deeply embedded hair from within carpets.Not this one though – the V10 absolute is equipped with the most powerful electric motor Dyson has ever engineered – spinning at over 125,000 rpm, while weighing just 125 grams.

That is phenomenal performance from such a small package, and this vacuum does not use a conventional induction motor that you would find in most cordless appliances. What Dyson uses is believed to be a type of stepper motor, and relies on extremely advanced electronic circuits and microchips to operate. Dyson calls it the DDM (Dyson Digital Motor), and they use this motor in their Supersonic hair dryers as well.

Since its debut in 2009, the DDM has undergone a series of upgrades, with each iteration being one-step ahead of the previous one in terms of efficiency and performance. The result we have arrived at now is what Dyson considers to be the future of vacuuming – a lightweight, extremely portable machine that is so powerful for its weight class, it will embarrass some of the older canister and upright models from competing manufacturers. With a bin capacity of 0.2 gallons, the Dyson is at a slight disadvantage when compared to some of the other stick vacuums out there. However, you must remember that this is basically a handheld vacuum with an extension wand that allows it to function as a stick vacuum.

It is also much lighter than most stick vacuums at just 5.9 pounds, and the runtime in suction mode 1 is 60 minutes. This number will drop to about 20 minutes when you use the vacuum in its maximum power mode (151 air watts of suction), but Dyson ensures that you never lose suction performance as the charge level goes down. As with most batteries, the longer you use them, the lower their voltage drops. Dyson counteracts this effect by electronically modulating the amount of current (amps) that goes through the battery. Since watts = volts x amps, the total power output remains constant even though voltage drops as the battery is being used. What you will experience is a steady flow of power, until the battery is completely dry, and then the power falls off a cliff.

Like all other premium vacuums from Dyson, the V10 Absolute is certified for whole-body HEPA filtration, which means that once air flows into the cleaner it does not leak outside until it passes through the post-motor filter. Similarly, no outside air is allowed to get into the vacuum while it is operating. The advanced HEPA filtration device within this Dyson vacuum will capture more than 99.9% of suspended particulate matter in the air, including dangerous pathogens such as bacteria and fungi.

Charging the V10 Absolute takes just 3.5 hours and emptying the bin is extremely easy – just point the vacuum at a dustbin, and push the red latch. The bin will slide outwards, while the trap door opens simultaneously, ejecting all the accumulated debris in one swift motion. Convenience is the name of the game with the Dyson V10 Absolute, which is why it comes with a specially designed wall docking station that serves multiple purposes. Not only does the docking station charge your V10 Absolute, but it also contains storage space for accessories.

One of the slightly controversial design choices that Dyson has chosen to stick with ever since the introduction of the first handheld V-series model, is the soft touch trigger. Unlike most other cordless vacuums, on a Dyson V-series model, you must hold the trigger down while vacuuming. As soon as you let go of the trigger, it will shut down the vacuum. Dyson claims that this design helps with battery life, and increases motor lifetime. It is a matter of personal preference, but you will get used to it very quickly once you own a Dyson handheld.

Since the V10 Absolute is the ultimate model in the V10 series, it comes with a generously large assortment of tools. These include two motorized cleaner heads, a soft dusting brush, a crevice tool, a combination tool, and a mini-motorized head. The Torque Drive cleaner head is what you want to use, if your goal is to get rid of pet hair from carpets and rugs. If you have a cat or dog who really loves to rest on the stairs, try out the mini-motorized tool. It is extremely easy to attach and detach, and you can use it without the extension wand, transforming your V10 Absolute into a compact handheld vacuum.

In its handheld mode, the V10 Absolute is brilliant at dealing with carpeted stairs, sofas, couches, car seats, etc. In case you need to reach underneath the furniture, or want to clean some narrow spot that is hard to get with the wide motorized heads, try out the crevice tool. Are you switching between flat and angled surfaces? The combination tool is perfect for cleaning up windowsills and doors. If you have to clean a hard floor, nothing beats the Dyson soft roller cleaner head. It combines tiny carbon fiber bristles with a soft velvety textured material to sweep out even the finest dust particles from your hard floor. Marble, wood, glass – the soft roller head will gently clean up all these surfaces without leaving a single scratch.

Its carbon fiber brushes suck away the static electricity from tiny dust particles, which makes them easier to suck in even on low power settings. We believe that the V10 Absolute is good for all types of hard floors, and low to medium pile carpets (0.25 to 0.5 inches thick), which receive moderate amounts of traffic. If you have wall-to-wall carpeting in large rooms, or use shag rugs, we recommend a more heavy-duty vacuum cleaner (typically an upright or canister model).

If you’re interested in learning more about Dyson vacuums, read our in-depth Dyson Buying Guidele, where we review many of their vacuums.

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Shark / Ninja — APEX DuoClean | AX951

Combines DuoClean, Powered Lift-Away, and APEX technologies, making it a powerful Shark full-sized vacuum cleaner. One of the most affordable vacuums on our list, coupled with the great design makes this a great choice. One of the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair.

Features:

• Shark’s ultimate full-size, multi-floor, pet-and-allergen cleaning experience.
• DuoClean Technology features a bristle brush to deep clean carpets and an additional soft brushroll to pull in larger particles and directly engage floors for a polished look.
• Powered-Lift Away Technology.Powered Lift-Away feature allows you to remove the pod from the nozzle while maintaining the same power you have in upright mode. Great for cleaning stairs, under furniture, and in other tight spaces.
• Advanced Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology. Emits 10x fewer particles than HEPA standards require (Based on ASTM F1977 down to 0.3 microns)
• Noise Reduction Technology. Expertly tuned to reduce noise and soften pitch.
• Active-Glide Technology provides smooth maneuverability on floors and carpets while maintaining powerful suction.

✓ View or download the MANUAL or the QUICK START GUIDE for the Shark/Ninja APEX DuoClean (AX951).

Includes : Anti-Allergen Dust Brush, Pet Multi-Tool, Duster Crevice, MultiFLEX Under-Appliance Wand, Accessory Bag

Overview

The APEX lineup from Shark consists of four different upright vacuums – the AX912, which is a compact model, along with three full-sized upright vacuums (AX950, AX951, and AX952). While the AX912 belongs in a different category from the full-sized models, it still contains many of the technologies that you will find on the AX95X lineup, including the Shark patented DuoClean technology, and Powered Lift-Away function.

What makes the APEX series special is the fact that they contain all of the patented Shark technologies found in every premium Shark upright vacuum. They take all the good stuff from various model lines, and stick them into one upright vacuum. The full-sized variant is available in three different packages – AX950, AX951, and AX952. They all use the same vacuum, but the difference arises from the standard accessories that come with each one. Here is a table to help you better understand the differences between each package:is

Comparison Chart | Shark Ninja DuoClean

As you can see, the AX950 is the baby brother with the AX951 being a happy compromise between the two. It lacks the motorized pet-cleaning tool, but comes with a MultiFlex under appliance wand that allows you to reach under furniture and behind appliances. The AX952 is the most expensive package, and comes by default with the motorized pet tool. This motorized pet tool can be purchased separately for the other two models, but if you have a home with multiple pets, we recommend that you purchase the Shark APEX DuoClean AX952 straight away to save yourself from the hassle of ordering an attachment and waiting for it to arrive.

VIDEO | See Why the Shark Duo-Clean is So Effective

Even without the specialized pet tool, the Shark APEX DuoClean full-size upright vacuum is incredibly good at picking up pet hair and dirt from your carpets or rugs. It comes with a DuoClean motorized head, which employs two different brush bars in parallel formation to pick up all sorts of dust and debris from a variety of surfaces. Spilled some cereal on your hard floor? No problem – the soft brush roll at the front will gently sweep in all the large debris, along with the tiny dust particles that are stuck to the floor. It works similarly to the Dyson Soft Roller head.

But what if you just noticed a large patch of dog hair on your carpet? Just sweep it a couple times with the DuoClean power head, and the bristles on the rear brush roll will take care of all that nasty hair. This DuoClean motorized head is much better than anything else on the market, when it comes to cleaning up giant patches of dirt and debris. It can roll over all kinds of carpets and rugs with relative ease. Just switch the settings on the control panel and you will be able to maneuver this 16-pound vacuum cleaner over any surface. It has a setting for thin carpets, another setting for area rugs and floor mats, a different setting for shag carpets and deep pile rugs that are around an inch thick.

When you clean hard floors, select the hard-floor mode, which will slow down the brush bars and increase suction to maximum. While going over thick carpets, there is an automatic bleeding valve which relieves some of the vacuum between the thick carpet and the cleaner head so that the APEX doesn’t get stuck, it also speeds up the brush bars to increase agitation and dislodge any deeply embedded pet hair. On low-pile carpets, the bleeding valve will increase suction while speeding up the brush bars to collect the maximum amount of debris in the least time.

If there is one major complaint we have about this amazing motorized cleaner head, it is the size. While most full-size upright vacuums come with a motorized head that is 12 inches wide, the DuoClean head on the Shark APEX is 10 inches in width. While this helps with maneuverability in corners, it is a detriment if you have a large, open space that you want to clean as quickly as possible.

Another problem (albeit a small one), is the length of the hose. Like most upright vacuums these days, the APEX comes with a detachable handle and extendable hose. With the extension wand attached, the maximum reach of the APEX is about 7 feet. Compare this to the Dyson Ball Animal 2 – another upright pet vacuum, except it has a reach of over 13 feet. Despite a couple of minor shortcomings, the APEX is an excellent vacuum cleaner for homes with pets and people with asthma/ allergy. It comes with a 3-stage filtration system and a full-sealed body.

The HEPA filtration system in this vacuum can remove 99.9% of suspended particles from the air, down to a size of 0.3 microns. It is loaded with a felt and sponge prefilter system that you can remove and wash, even the post-motor HEPA filter is washable. This APEX vacuum cleaner is also much quieter than the competition. As advanced as Dyson bagless vacuums are, they do suffer from noise issues. Shark motors run quieter because they can afford to run at lower rpms and still generate lots of power.

The Shark motor is rated for 1350 watts compared to the 1200-watt motor that you will find in the Dyson Ball vacuums. Because this motor is more powerful, it can generate the same amount of suction by running at a lower rpm, which means that it lasts longer and makes less noise. At just 72.5 decibels, it is much quieter than the Dyson Ball Animal 2 (78.7 dB) and even the Shark NV752 (75.2 dB). In addition, you get a warranty of 7 years, compared to the 5-year warranty that comes with most Dyson upright models.

Did we mention that the Shark APEX vacuum comes with LED lights on the motorized cleaner head AND on the detachable wand? Most upright vacuums with LED lights on their cleaner heads do not include lighting on the detachable wand, which is a little extra feature that Shark has provided in the APEX vacuum.

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Oreck Magnesium RS — LW1500RS

Swivel-Steering Bagged Upright Vacuum. Ultra-lightweight at only 7.7 lbs., making it ultra-maneuverable. Easily move around furniture; and quickly folds down to get under you bed and sofa. High-quality vacuum, with plenty of power. One of the best vacuums for pet hair.

Features:

• SlimSwivel Steering : Maneuver with ease & lays virtually flat to effortlessly clean under furniture
• Premium Surfaces : Best choice for plush, high-pile carpets and delicate surfaces.
• Ultra-lightweight : Weighs less than 8 lbs*, one of the lightest full upright vacuums on the market.
• SaniSeal System : Automatically seals to help lock-in allergens, dirt & debris with HEPA Media filtration.
• Two-speed Fingertip Controls : Customize your clean by easily adjusting the brushroll speed for carpets and hard floors
• HEPA Media Filtration : 5 layers of filtration help trap up to 99.97% or more of particles as small as .3 microns including allergens, mold spores, pollen, pet dander, dust & smoke
• SlimSwivel Design is limber enough to easily maneuver around furniture. It lies virtually flat to get under beds. Edge brushes make it easy to clean up against baseboards and edges.
• Wireless QuickSwitch in the handle lets you easily select the right power level. High-performance motor spins the inverted single helix roller-brush at an impressive 7,000 RPM on high speed, delivering a powerful cleaning experience.
• Versatile and highly effective at cleaning virtually any floor surface in your home, from long pile carpet, like frieze, to hard floors.
• Twin LED lights illuminates areas under tables and in dark corners for superior visibility.
• Endurolife Belt to protect the motor from unexpected jams and a new Easy Snap cord clip.
• 30 ft. Power Cord
• Large, high-performance wheels
• 7-year Warranty
• 5 annual tune-ups

Overview

Probably the lightest full-size upright vacuum cleaner on the market, this Oreck is extremely easy to carry around with you and is the best vacuum on our list for people who want a simplistic, yet powerful cleaning device that can successfully get rid of pet hair from the thickest carpets. Yes, it is a bagged cleaner but that does not make it any less effective than the bagless models when it comes to real world performance. In fact, the Oreck Magnesium RS is just as quick as the top-of-the-line bagless models from Shark and Dyson when it comes to dealing with pet dander and hair on carpets or rugs.

VIDEO | Oreck Magnesium RS – LW1500RS | Upright Vacuum

https://youtu.be/Q0ZGIJ5Mfbk

Large rubberized wheels at the back of the Floor nozzle enable this vacuum to glide over thick pile rugs with ease, and the self-adjusting floorplate on the head means that you will never have to manually lower/ raise the head whenever you transition from a thick carpet to hard floor. However, it does have its weaknesses. For instance, the simplistic and lightweight design results in a lack of attachments or secondary nozzles, which puts this vacuum cleaner at a loss whenever you have to clean anything that is not on ground level.

There is a reason full-sized upright vacuums generally weigh over 14 pounds – they come with an extendable hose and wand, both of which are integrated into the structure of the vacuum. Many upright vacuums also have storage space for attachments such as crevice tools and soft dusting brushes.  With the Oreck Magnesium RS, you get none of those fancy features. There is no extendable wand and hose mechanism; nor do you get any extra tools for cleaning upholstery and crevices.

Moreover, when you compare its cleaning performance on hard floors to something like the Shark APEX upright vacuum that features DuoClean heads, you will notice that the Oreck struggles with lifting up larger solid debris. Instead of sucking everything in, it will shovel some of the larger debris away, which means you will have to make multiple passes to clear up a patch of debris on your wooden or tile floor. However, it is a completely different story on carpets.

This vacuum demolishes similarly priced uprights on thick carpets and rugs, and it performs equally as well on commercial carpets or low-pile carpets. The extremely lightweight design, coupled with an inverted single helix roller brush spinning at over 7000 rpm, means that every single strand of pet hair is dislodged from the fibers of your carpets. The motor inside this vacuum is extremely powerful, and generates a lot of suction for an 8-pound upright vacuum.

We would also have liked to see more speed settings for various surfaces, but two will do just fine given that it comes with one cleaner head that functions as an all-rounder. The vacuum cleaner consists of three sections – the lower, middle and upper. The lower contains the motorized cleaner head and suction system, along with a pair of rubberized wheels.

The middle section consists of an oval structure which is extremely slim and lightweight, and this structure houses the 5-layer HEPA filter bag which is certified to remove up to 99.97% of suspended particles from the air, including pathogens, fungal spores, pollen, bacteria, and smoke. Whenever your filter is clogged up and needs to be disposed, just unzip the flap on the front and detach the bag. It will automatically seal itself when detached, to prevent dust and allergens from getting into the room air.

Insert a new bag, and you are good to go. No more washing filters, waiting for them to dry, etc. In addition, you do not have to bother with attachments since this vacuum cleaner does not come with any! Not sure if that is good for multitasking, but it does make this vacuum extremely simple to use and incredibly easy to maneuver around the house. There are a couple of LED headlamps on the front of the cleaner head, but we must say that these headlamps are extremely weak compared to the headlamps on other upright vacuums.

And since the whole design is so lightweight and flexible, there isn’t much room to install any internal sound dampening. As a result, this is also one of the loudest upright vacuums that we have reviewed. The upper section and most of the backbone is made from a light magnesium alloy that is extremely tough. There are three buttons on the handle – power on/off, speed up (+), and speed down (-). The remote controls on the handle need a button cell (similar to a watch battery) in order to function. There is a storage loop on the back, so you can wrap up the 30-foot power cord whenever the Magnesium RS is not in action.

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Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal vacuum

Features:

• Dyson Cinetic science : Ultra-efficient cyclones capture dust without clogging, so there’s no loss of suction.
• Filter free : The only vacuum with no filter maintenance, so it never loses suction.
• Picks itself up, as well as the dirt. : With the center of gravity inside the ball, it’s easy to maneuver around your home without snagging. And if it falls over, it picks itself up again.
• No need to touch the dirt. : Drives out dust and debris in one action, so you don’t have to touch it.
• Ball technology for easy steering  : The Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal vacuum rides on a ball, to steer easily around corners and into difficult places.
• Large bin : So you can clean for longer without having to stop.
• Quick-release tools : One-click attachments make it easy to change tools between tasks.
• Long-reach wand : The wand releases instantly and stretches to 50 inches, to access high places.
• 360° articulation : The wand articulates 360° to give you greater control. So you can clean here, there and everywhere.
• Certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Whole-machine HEPA filtration ensures that allergens are trapped inside the machine, not expelled back into the home.

Includes : Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal vacuum, Tangle-free turbine tool, Stubborn dirt brush, Stair tool, Turbine head, Combination tool

Overview

It is advertised as “the only vacuum which never loses suction”. So how exactly does Dyson manage to create a vacuum that literally does not lose suction over its lifetime? Firstly, there are no filters or bags to clean, since the Cinetic lineup of bagless vacuums lacks any premotor filtration systems. In fact, the only filter you will find in a Cinetic model is the post-motor HEPA filter, and that is not a traditional removable type either. Cinetic vacuums use non-removable, non-washable lifetime HEPA filters, which rarely need replacement over the lifetime of the machine. Which means, all you have to do in order to operate your Dyson Cinetic vacuum is empty the bin whenever debris crosses the “maximum” line (marked in red). Oh, and do not forget to plug it in!

VIDEO | Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal vacuum

But does it match other canister vacuums in performance? Moreover, since there are no pre-motor filters, is this vacuum safe to use in a home with kids and pets? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding “Yes”. The Cinetic Big Ball Animal is designed to tackle large patches of debris and pet hair that is embedded deep within your carpets and rugs. It is even certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, thanks to the Whole-Body HEPA filtration. What that means is, during the filtration process, no air leaks in or out of the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal vacuum.

Once air is sucked into the hose, it is forced through the cyclonic separation mechanism where hair, large debris, and coarse dust particles are filtered out and left in the bin. There are two concentric circular stacks of cyclones placed at an angle to reduce the overall size of the machine while retaining a high level of filtration. Cinetic cyclones are smaller than regular cyclones, so they can separate microscopic particles from the air that conventional bagless vacuums cannot filter with their larger cyclones. Air velocity in these small cyclones is much higher, and as a result – you get higher G-forces at the tip. Even the smallest and lightest particles will fall through the nozzle since they cannot change direction as quickly as the gas molecules while spinning around inside the cyclone, so they collide with the wall of the cyclone and fall down.

Since the tips of these cyclones are so small, they are prone to clogging. Which is why, Dyson came up with a genius tactic – instead of using solid cones; they attached flexible tips at the bottom of each cyclonic cone. These flexible tips oscillate as air passes through the cyclone, and the frequency is so high that even the tiniest of particles will not be stuck while passing through these tips. The whole cyclonic system is attached on top of the clear garbage bin, and the entire unit can be detached from the main body with just one button press. You can then proceed to empty the 0.5-gallon bin. Just push down on the red release latch and the bin will slide down while the trapdoor opens at the same time. A rubberized gasket is present between the inner shroud and bin to sweep away all the deeply lodged debris.

Since this is an Animal series vacuum, it comes with a couple of special attachments which are essential to getting rid of pet hair and litter from your hardwood floors or carpets. The one that you will find yourself using the most, is the carbon fiber turbine tool. It features a brush bar wrapped with a combination of red nylon bristles and black carbon fiber bristles, in a helical pattern. The nylon bristles agitates hair and larger debris from carpets, while the carbon brush removes any static charge held in the hair strands. Once you remove the static charge from hair, it doesn’t stick to surfaces anymore, and the suction of the vacuum will pull it in immediately.

Talking of suction, the Cinetic Big Ball Animal has a lot of it. An extremely powerful motor housed within the Ball mechanism allows this compact canister vacuum to generate an impressive 250AW (air watts) of suction. The carbon fiber filaments on the turbine head serve a secondary purpose – they aid in the removal of fine dust particles that are stuck on hardwood floors through static charge. Which is why, the Cinetic Big Ball Animal is amazing at dealing with both hard as well as carpeted surfaces.

What if you want to get rid of pet hair that is stuck in upholstery? Just attach the tangle-free turbine tool, it will sweep in loads of pet hair without ever getting jammed. With conventional turbine heads, you will notice that they need to be removed and cleaned after each pass. Conventional rotating brushes have a tendency to jam when you move them over long hair, or large amounts of fur.

The Dyson tangle-free turbine tool uses two counter rotating brush heads that are mounted parallel to each other, they sweep the hair in while also cleaning each other up at the same time. Which means that you can vacuum longer, and never have to take the tool apart for cleaning. This tangle-free turbine tool is shorter in width than the carbon fiber turbine tool, and is better suited for carpeted surfaces compared to hard floors. We recommend that you use the carbon fiber head for cleaning hard floors and rugs of all thicknesses. The tangle-free tool is best used on stairs, couches, sofas, car seats, etc. It will remove pet hair of all sizes, no matter how deep they are stuck.

Finally, you get the magnificent 360° articulating wand, which can bend to help you clean corners more effectively. You also have an extendable wand, which stretches up to 50 inches, to allow for cleaning of high places. All tools snap in with a satisfying and distinctive “click” sound, and they are easy to detach.

Maneuverability is not an issue even in the most crowded homes, thanks to the Dyson Ball technology, which eliminates caster wheels in favor of an omni-directional ball that also acts as a housing for all internal components. We tried to tip this thing over; it just picks itself right back up within seconds. The automatic cord rewind works well, although we prefer the rewind system on the Miele Blizzard CX1 series. On the Dyson, you have to hold down the cord rewind button until it is fully retracted. On the Miele, you just need to push the button once.

Tech Specs (Dyson Cinetic Big Ball):

• Cleaner head : Self-adjusting cleaner head
• Cyclone technology : Dyson Cinetic science
• Filtration : No pre-filter, non-washable lifetime post-motor filter
• Suction power : 250 AW
• Weight : 17.6 lbs
• Cord length : 21 ft
• Maximum Reach : 35 ft

Dyson has multiple vacuums that are excellent for cleaning hair from your cat and dog, which is a testament to their design team as they are fully aware that pet owners are increasing at a rapid rate in this day and age. People don’t really discuss the fact that many people are choosing to have a dog instead of a child in the 21st century. I know, I digress. My point is that Dyson knows how to make vacuum cleaners that customers love due to their practical design features and their effectiveness.

The tangle-free motorized turbine tool included with the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball is exactly what you need as a pet owner. Most vacuums don’t include motorized attachments, and when it comes to pet hair, its the absolute best tool to get hair out your sofa, carpets and every other place where hair can get. We’ve already discussed this exceptional vacuum, and I’m happy to recommend it is as easily being one of the very best vacuums for pet hair.

Remember the type of attachments truly matter for dog or pet hair. Keep that in mind when making your final decision. All of the vacuums in this article are excellent for pets, but strong suction can’t beat a motorized attachment. Period!

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Kenmore Elite Pet & Allergy  — 21814

Best canister vacuum for pet hair. The pet Motorized PowerMate Brush will handle all of your ground-in pet hair and dirt.

Features:

• Kenmore Elite 21814 Pet Friendly CrossOver Canister Vacuum
• 2-motor system
• Variable speed control makes switching from plush carpets to hardwood floors hassle-free
• Swiveling 8′ hose makes it easy to suck up cobwebs from the ceiling.
• Tackles Pet Hair and Dander : Pet PowerMate attachment lifts up stubborn pet hair, dander and more from carpeting, furniture and corners with ease.
• True HEPA certified air filter removes almost all allergens and dust from the air, perfect for asthma and allergy sufferers.
• Top to Bottom Cleaning : Stair Grip helps keep this canister vacuum upright as you work your way up the stairs
• 4 Speed Settings :
  • HIGH – Shag, deep pile, super-soft, or ultraplush carpets, and scatter rugs.
  • MEDIUM – Medium to deep pile carpets.
  • LOW – Low to medium pile carpets.
  • EXTRA-LOW – The preferred setting for many carpets and also for bare floors.
• Swivel steering nozzle lets you spot-clean with ease.
• Multi-Surface Cleaning : Crossover handle makes switching from linoleum to hardwood flooring to carpeting super simple. Pick up pet hair and suck up dust without having to bend down to adjust the brush height.
• Dirt sensor lets you detect dirt being picked up while the vacuum is in use.
• Double wall design and LED performance indicator technology
• Cleaning width is 14 inches
• 4 versatile cleaning tools including the motorized Pet PowerMate pet tool with convenient on board storage.
• Convenient swivel steering, telescoping wand, automatic cord rewind and on handle setting adjustments.
• Cord length is 26″
• 12 Amps
• Replacement Parts/Bags : Vacuum Bags :  Style Q HEPA Canister, 2-Pack (53291) and/or 6-pack (53292). Replacement Exhaust Filter EF-9 (53296)

✓ View or download the MANUAL for the Kenmore Elite 21814.

Overview

This is one of the best-designed canister vacuums out there right now. Not only is it powerful, but also very convenient to use. With built-in storage for accessories and a self-winding power cord, you do not have to worry about anything other than sweeping the floor. It is certified by the Asthma and Allergy Association of America, thanks to the whole-body HEPA filtration. Since this is a bagged vacuum, you will experience a loss in suction power as the filter bag gets clogged up with debris, but that is the reality of all bagged vacuums. Thankfully, removing the bag is extremely easy. Just press a button to pop up the top cover, and you can comfortably access the HEPA filtration bag.

Yes, that is right – this vacuum doesn’t just use any bag, it uses a HEPA certified bag for superior protection from dust and allergen. And the HEPA goodness doesn’t end there, when you pop open the hatch at the back of this vacuum, you will find that the post-motor filter in the exhaust end is also a HEPA filter. This one is a cartridge HEPA filter, and is washable. You will notice that it uses rubber seals instead of foam seals, which indicates that this is a higher quality system, and is more likely to trap harmful pathogens compared to conventional HEPA cartridges.

Kenmore claims that the Elite Pet & Allergy can remove up to 99.97% of suspended particles from the air, down to a size of 0.3 microns. That means it will trap pollen, fungi, bacteria, smoke, and even foul odors. Normally, the air coming out of this vacuum is going to be cleaner than the ambient air inside your room. Think of it as an air purifier on wheels, except it is a bit noisier than most air purifiers. But not too noisy, since this is actually one of the quieter canister vacuums that we have reviewed so far.

It uses a special type of motor that Kenmore calls the “INDUCER MOTOR”. It is an extremely efficient electric motor with a lot of sound dampening installed around the structure to deaden some of the vibrational noise. The motorized floor cleaning head also features sound-dampening elements, so you will notice that it is rather quiet during operation even with the power head enabled. Other vacuums with motorized heads will emit two different sound signatures – one from the suction motor, and the other from the motor inside the cleaner head. This vacuum has a much more unified sound signature; you barely hear the motorized cleaner head.

In addition, there are infrared sensors on the cleaner head, which detect fine dust particles on wooden floors and carpets. Whenever the infrared sensor detects the presence of dust, a blue light will glow on top of the cleaner head to let you know which area you have to focus on. This feature is unique to the Kenmore Elite Pet & Allergy model 21814; it helps you detect dust and hair that is too small for the eye to see effectively. In addition, it is especially useful if you are vacuuming a carpet or rug, since embedded dust and hair become even harder to detect.

The built-in storage compartment, which can be accessed by lifting up the top cover of the canister, contains three attachments – a fan tool, a motorized pet hair tool, and a dusting brush. The dusting brush is used to clean up kitchen areas or windowsills, while the fan tool attaches onto the extendable wand, enabling you to clean fan blades with relative ease. Finally, you have the all-important motorized pet hair tool, or as Kenmore calls it, the Pet PowerMate. The PowerMate uses a unique brush design to dislodge pet hair from carpeted stairs and upholstery. It is ideal for removing pet hair from furniture, car seats, bedsheets, mattresses, etc.

One cool feature that is unique to Kenmore is the crossover floor nozzle. The motorized head is perfect for carpets and rugs, and it even comes with height adjustment, which can be controlled, via a foot pedal on the back of the head. However, if you are planning to clean a large area of hard flooring (laminate, tiles, etc.), just press a lever on the side and a secondary floor nozzle will pop right out of the main head. This is non-motorized, and uses specially designed brushes to sweep up large debris and dust from hard flooring.

Finally, this premium Kenmore canister vacuum comes with all the little bells and whistles that you would expect from a vacuum costing this much. Handle-mounted power and suction controls, built-in LED lamp on the wand, and a self-retracting power cord are standard features on the Kenmore Elite Pet & Allergy model 21814.

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Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog

Includes a motorized turbo-brush that will get pet hair out of your sofa and carpeted stairs. Miele vacuums aren’t cheap but they are worth the money if you can afford it. Consider it an investment. Excellent quality vacuum for pet hair.

Features:

• Quiet: One of the quietest machines ever created by Miele.
• Lightweight: Weighs only 11 pounds.
• Power-driven 14″ wide electronic brush head
• Extended Bumper Wrap : Bumper wraps around the entire canister to protect your furniture, housewares, and walls.
• Ergonomic: Easy access to the cable and accessory compartment and comfortable to grip the handle, making it easy to use.
• 33 feet Cord (36′ operating radius) means you can vacuum longer throughout your home without having to switch outlets.
• One-touch automatic cord rewind.
• Silent motor with 6 speed settings controlled via footswitch controls
• Active AirClean filter
• Includes : ElectroPlus Floor Tool (five-level height adjustment)
• Includes 6 attachments : 3 specialized tools and 3 standard onboard tools (see below)
• Recommended for all flooring types
• Ideal for larger rooms with medium to deep pile carpeting.
• Active Air Clean Filter with active charcoal layers to neutralize and absorb unwanted pet odors.
• Deluxe Comfort Grip handle
• Thermal protection : Fully automatic. A temperature limiter protects the motors of Miele’s cylinder vacuum cleaners from overheating.
• Bumper Strip : all-round furniture protection strip. This protects both furniture and appliance in the event of accidental collisions.
• Anti-static conductor in the handle. Prevents static discharge.

✓ View or download the MANUAL for the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog.

Tools Include:

• ElectroPlus Floor Tool: 14-inch wide electrically-driven carpet tool. Best for medium to high-pile and plush carpet. 5 height adjustments and a swivel joint. Powerful floor brush cleans deep, easily vacuums fur, hair, and dander.
• Parquet Twister (180° rotation): For hard floors. Rotates 180 degrees and provides the agility to clean around tables, chair legs, and other obstacles in your home.
• Mini Turbo Brush: For cleaning smaller spaces from carpeted stairs and car floors. Works great for pet hair in tight spaces.
• Telescopic Wand: 20 adjustment settings. Lightweight, allows you to clean baseboards, and moldings.
• 3 on-board tools ; easy access attachments:
  • Classic Crevice Tool: For cleaning folds, crevices, corners, and in between couch cushions.
  • Upholstery Nozzle: Upholstery, mattresses, curtains or drapery.
  • Dusting Brush: Natural bristles and a swivel-head let you adapt it for cleaning even awkward spots like tops of cabinets or kickspaces.

Overview

Manufacturers often put a couple of stickers on top of a standard vacuum, and market it as “pet-friendly”. Whereas in reality, these vacuums are no different from their standard counterparts, with the exception of a couple attachments. Such is not the case with Miele – these people make products that perform as advertised, and last for decades (literally). For example, let us look at the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog vacuum. Do you know why they call it the Cat & Dog? Of course, it comes with full body sealing and HEPA filtration. But so do many other premium grade canister vacuums from other manufacturers. If you spend over 600 bucks on a vacuum, it probably features full-body HEPA filtration.

However, the C3 Cat & Dog goes one-step further by incorporating an Active AirClean 50 filter.  It is the combination of a standard air filter with an active charcoal filter cassette. Not only will this remove suspended particulate matter from the air flowing into the vacuum, but it will also get rid of the foul odors floating around inside your house. All the unwanted cat and dog smell is extracted from your air, while the motorized cleaner head gets rid of pet dander and hair embedded within your carpets. The result is a home that is free from pet hair and foul odors. You get to enjoy playtime with your fluffy friends, while the Miele C3 Cat & Dog takes care of all the nasty stuff for you.

And that’s not all – this vacuum cleaner comes with a specially designed motorized cleaner head, which is equipped with a vibration mechanism. The floor plate will vibrate as the cleaner head moves over a carpet or rug, and the vibration effect causes embedded debris to dislodge before the head even arrives at their location. Add a belt-driven brush roll, which digs into carpets, and you have yourself one of the best pet hair removal tools in the entire vacuum cleaner industry. It comes with a 5-step height adjustment system, so you can use it on hardwood floors, low pile carpets, medium pile carpets, and even plush carpets that are an inch thick. Whenever you need to pause, just pull up the wand into its upright position, and this will automatically put the vacuum in standby mode. It also comes with a clip on the back, which serves as a parking spot for the floor nozzle and extension wand.

You can effortlessly swap out floor nozzles by hitting the foot-switch pedal near the joint between the nozzle and the wand. There are three omni-directional caster wheels on the bottom, allowing you to transition between carpet and hard floor with ease. An all-round rubberized bumper protects your vacuum from scratches and dents whenever you drag it into a wall or furniture. There is a one-touch cord retraction system, which rewinds the 36-foot long power cord with just one press of the footswitch.

In terms of attachments, you get quite a few of them on purchasing the C3 Cat & Dog model. There is the ElectroPlus Floorhead (SEB 228), which is equipped with height adjustment and a vibration system to help dislodge dirt and debris from floor mats or carpets. Then, you have the Mini Turbo Brush STB 101 (suction-powered), which is perfect for removing pet hair from sofas, stairs, cars, etc. A unique hard floor cleaner head is also provided, model no. SBB 300-3. This is a pure suction head, and does not use a brush roll. It is designed for all types of hard floors (parquet, linoleum, vinyl, laminate, tiles, etc.). Finally, you have the upholstery and crevice tools that come standard on all Miele canister vacuums.

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Dyson V6 Top Dog (HEPA)

Best handheld vacuum for pet hair (with HEPA Filtration).

Features:

• Powered by the Dyson digital motor V6 : Fast, small and light, the motor spins at up to 110,000rpm to create powerful suction.
• 2 Tier Radial cyclones : 15 small cyclones create strong centrifugal forces, to capture dirt and debris.
• Up to 20 minutes of fade-free power. The motor will not slow down as the battery drains. Once it reaches a specific threshold the vacuum cleaner stops. Consistent power wherever you need clean.
• Mini motorized tool : Motorized brush bar tackles hair and ground-in dirt, in tight spaces.
• Crevice tool : Designed for precise cleaning around edges and narrow gaps.
• Two power modes : MAX mode for up to 6 minutes of extra power, and Powerful mode for extended, daily cleaning.
• One-click bin emptying : Push the button to release the dirt.

Overview

To this day, many people consider the older V-series models from Dyson to be the best handhelds out there on the market. But why do they prefer the older models, when the newest V10 series is equipped with more powerful motors and a brand new bin emptying system? Well, the answer to that is quite simple – handhelds are all about being lightweight. If you look at the older Dyson V-series models, you will notice that even though the vacuums feature weaker motors, they weigh less compared to newer Dyson cordless vacuums.

Not just that, but the older models are actually more compact because of the vertical bin placement. Dyson says that the V10 series achieves 20 to 25% higher airflow because of its superior motor and parallel bin design. However, the parallel bin means that you will have to remove the extension wand every time you want to eject the waste. It also makes the vacuum longer, and less easy to maneuver as debris begins to fill up inside the bin, since all the weight is so far forward from your point of grip with the handle. In short, the older Dyson cordless models are smaller and lighter. Nevertheless, they still offer impressive suction power, even by modern standards.

The V6 generates 100 air watts of suction with its DDM version 6 (Dyson Digital Motor). It has 2-tier radial cyclone technology that packs 15 tiny cyclones in a concentric stack to maximize dust removal capabilities. In case some microscopic dust particles manage to escape through the cyclonic separation, they will end up inside the post-motor HEPA filter. Unlike newer models, which have three different speed settings, the V6 only comes with two settings – Powerful (28AW) for everyday cleaning, and MAX mode (100AW) for 6 minutes of heavy-duty action. Battery life is 20 minutes on the first mode, and recharging takes 3.5 hours – the same as Dyson V10 vacuums.

Accessing the washable HEPA filter is easy, just unscrew the cap on the top of the bin, and you will find the cylindrical HEPA filter. Rinse it under some cold tap water, let it dry for 24 hours, and pop it back into the V6. Not only is the V6 smaller than the newer Dyson cordless models, but it is also much lighter at just 3.6 pounds, compared to the 5.9 pounds of the V10. It incorporates the same one-touch bin emptying mechanism that you will find on newer Dyson cordless vacuums, but we find the bin emptying process to be much easier on the V6. Partly because of the smaller overall size of this vacuum, which makes it much easier to hold steady.

Besides, the wand does not have to be removed when you empty the bin. Just pull the red latch on top of the unit, and you will open the bin trapdoor, while the bin itself slides down the trigger guard, emptying all of its contents within seconds. However, since this model does not have the hygienic emptying system, you will have to pry out clogged up dirt and debris from the inner shroud with your bare hands. Future cordless models fixed this issue by adding a red colored plunger-like device between the bin and inner cylinder, which wipes the shroud clean as the bin drops down.

The V6 Top Dog also comes with three attachments – a motorized pet hair tool, a crevice tool, and a combination upholstery/ dusting tool. The motorized pet brush is what we want to focus on, since it is the tool that you will use the most during the lifetime of this handheld pet vacuum. Just like Dyson’s larger motorized floor cleaning heads, the mini motorhead comes with a rotating brush bar that has nylon bristles attached to it in a helical pattern. There is a compact electric motor at the back which drives this brush bar, spinning it at high speeds.

When you pass this motorized head over a carpet, its spinning bristles will dig into the fibers of the carpet and pull out pet hair that has been stuck in there since days or even weeks. Even carpets that witness medium to heavy amounts of traffic can be cleaned with the motorized tool of the V6 Top Dog. But you must engage MAX mode (100 air watts) while dealing with thicker rugs or carpets. After all, this is a handheld vacuum weighing under 4 pounds.

It obviously can’t match the larger models in terms of performance, and has a limited run-time. Which is why, we advise that you use the V6 on low pile carpets only, and on upholstery. This vacuum is strictly an upholstery/ stair cleaner. It will not work well on hard floors, and has a very limited range because of the short battery life in full power mode (goes from 20 minutes to just 6 minutes on max power mode).

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BLACK+DECKER PowerSeries PRO 

Model : HCUA525JP. Cordless 2-in-1 Stick Vacuum for pets. As far as value goes, this one is hard to beat. Should be at the top of your list for the best affordable vacuum for pet hair. 

Features:

• Quickly get through cleaning with our most powerful cordless vacuum series* to date (Comparing all BLACK+DECKER models released before 2018)
• Up to 60 minutes of runtime* (With canister only in low speed)
• Versatile, 2in1 vacuum for floor-to-ceiling cleaning – just grab and go with easy portable canister
• Anti-tangle rubber bristles quickly lift out hair trapped in deep in carpets and hard floor
• With the dust compactor feature, you can create more space in the canister to extend cleaning time before your next empty
• Empty dirt and debris in a trash bin with the touch of a button
• SMARTECH features make cleaning easier: AUTOSENSE automatically adjusts suction from bare floor to thick carpet to optimize runtime, BATTERYSENSE shows you how much battery remains, and FILTERSENSE alerts you when it’s time to clean the filter
• Swivel steering enhances maneuverability
• Low-profile design for cleaning hard to reach areas
• With the touchscreen controls, adjust suction speed, enable AUTOSENSE, and control LED light
• LED light illuminates cleaning surfaces
• Brush bar detaches easily for quick cleaning
• 3-in-1 accessory tool: 6-inch nozzle, crevice tool, and upholstery brush
• Extension wand and 4-foot hose for overhead reach and versatility

Uses:

• Deep clean high pile carpet as well as hard floors
• Rubber bristles quickly lift out pet hair trapped in deep in carpets and hard floors
• Extended wand allows you to easily tackle hard to reach areas
• 3-in-1 accessory tool allows you to tackle messes anywhere, from your couch to your baseboards

Includes : 2-in-1 cordless vacuum (HCUA525JP), Jack plug charger, 3-in-1 accessory tool,  washable filter kit (CUASF10), scented tablet (CUASF10), 9″ Pet crevice tool, 5″ Pet brush

Overview

Normally, when you hear the name BLACK + DECKER, the first thought that comes to your mind is power tools such as cordless drills, saws, etc. Then, you think about their gardening products such as lawn mowers, trimmers, etc. But wait, they even make vacuum cleaners? Well, there are so many established brands in the vacuum cleaner industry that even a well renowned name such as BLACK + DECKER is sometimes overlooked. You probably don’t see their vacuum cleaner ads as often as you would see a Dyson or Miele ad for vacuum cleaners.  Nevertheless, BLACK + DECKER has built up a reputation for providing reliable tools at affordable prices.

They don’t make flashy products or headline the industry when it comes to innovation, but consistency and quality has always been their main strength. We have yet to see a single BLACK + DECKER product that is considered bad for the price, no matter whether you talk about their cordless drills or coffee makers. So do they carry over the same strengths into their vacuum cleaner business? Currently they only manufacture stick, upright, and handheld models, but it seems that BLACK + DECKER is doing a very good job with their somewhat limited product lineup.

In this review, we shall look at the BLACK+DECKER PowerSeries PRO HCUA525JP (tell you what, they really need to work on their naming scheme). It is a stick vacuum, and happens to be the cheapest pet vacuum on our list. It is cheaper than even the Dyson V6 Top Dog, which is an older generation handheld cordless vacuum.

But being cheap doesn’t automatically make something good, does it? How does the PowerSeries PRO HCUA525JP stack up against some of the other stick vacuums from competing manufacturers? Well, we can tell you that it completely blows away the competition in terms of features and performance. No other cordless vacuum under 200 dollars has this kind of suction power, and it even comes with a 60-minute runtime! Dyson V10 Absolute vacuums have the same runtime as this BLACK + DECKER, and they cost more than 3 times as much.

By removing the cord, BLACK+DECKER also made their vacuum lighter – at 8.25 pounds, it almost as light as the Oreck Magnesium RS. To put things in perspective, the Oreck Magnesium RS was designed from the ground up to be the lightest, most simplistic upright vacuum on the market. It doesn’t even have a secondary cleaner head, or an extendable wand, and is corded (weighs 8 pounds WITHOUT the cord). The PowerSeries PRO HCUA525JP weighs only 0.25 pounds more, despite featuring a lithium ion battery, a removable canister, a 4-foot hose, and a detachable wand that accepts multiple attachments.

Did we mention that this cordless vacuum comes with a bunch of advanced sensors strapped underneath the body? One sensor automatically adjusts suction power when you switch between surfaces. There is another sensor, which detects battery levels and alerts you when it is time to recharge. A third sensor monitors the dirt accumulation within the filter, and notifies you whenever it is time for cleaning.

VIDEO | Watch this Short Commercial of the B+D PowerSeries PRO

https://youtu.be/-hpdrEl3ASQ

You see, features like these would normally be found only on premium vacuums that costs upwards of 500 dollars. However, this is BLACK + DECKER, a new player in the vacuum cleaner market trying to create a name for themselves.  Therefore, it is obvious that they will try to cram a bunch of features into premium models and price them aggressively, to highlight their technological prowess.  You can manually adjust suction power with the smart touchscreen controls, and there is an LED light on the cleaner head that helps whenever you are working in low light conditions, or around dark corners.

One neat little add-on that we absolutely love is the dust compactor. When the bin is getting close to full, use the compactor to compress all accumulated dust and debris. This frees up space inside the bin, allowing you to pack more debris before you have to clean the container. And since all the debris is highly compressed, there is no dust cloud when you empty the bin.

If you want to clean the ceiling, just detach the container and hose assembly from the main body, and your reach is increased by nearly 7 feet. Noticed a bunch of pet hair lying on the stairs? No problem, the PowerSeries PRO HCUA525JP is cordless and weighs just 8 pounds, so you can easily carry it around while working on stairs. It also comes with a 3-in-1 attachment that functions as a crevice tool, dusting brush, and upholstery cleaner. The motorized cleaner head is perfect for all kinds of surfaces, from hard floors to high pile carpets. Suction power (50 air watts) is the only weakness of this stick vacuum, but as long as you don’t plan to use this machine for heavy-duty cleaning, it will do just fine.

Tech Specs (BLACK+DECKER PowerSeries PRO) :

• Battery Type : Lithium-Ion
• Dustbin Capacity : 1 Liter
• Product Dimensions (HxWxD) : 33.67×11.8×8.9 in
• Run-Time : Up to 60 min.
• Suction Power : Up to 50 AW
• Weight : 8.25 lbs

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4 Types of Vacuum Cleaners

Vacuum cleaners operate on the same basic principle – suction. However, they come in various shapes and sizes to better suit certain types of workloads. For example, a stick vacuum is great for reaching into nooks and crannies but isn’t the best choice for vacuuming carpets and hard floors. Similarly, the power of a canister vacuum makes it an ideal choice for heavy-duty vacuuming, but the size and weight means that you can’t just whip it out anytime you want to do spot vacuuming. We shall now take a closer look at the four different vacuum cleaner designs, and review the advantages as well as disadvantages of each one.

Handheld Vacuum — Grab and Go

These are the most lightweight, compact, easy to use vacuums on the market. They typically weight under 6 pounds, with the majority of them weighing between 3 to 5 pounds. Expect anywhere between 40 to 100 air watts of suction from an average handheld vacuum. Available in both corded, as well as cordless models. We believe that unless you are on a really tight budget, you should always try to get a cordless handheld instead of a corded one. Why? Well, handhelds are meant to be portable and easy to maneuver. That is the core design principle behind these vacuums – something that enables you to reach every little nook and cranny with ease.

With corded vacuums, you are always tethered to a socket and have a limited amount of range. Not to mention, the feeling of carrying something around with a long cord dangling behind isn’t very pleasant. And when you are working in tight, crowded spaces (as is the case with handheld vacuums), the cord can get tangled up, resulting in a mess.

Besides, cordless vacuums are rapidly catching up to corded models in terms of performance and reliability. In fact, there are several cordless handheld vacuums out there, which offer insane amounts of suction power in a relatively compact package, if you are willing to spend a little extra money. Take the Dyson V10 Absolute for example – 150 air watts of suction, which is comparable to some full-sized upright vacuums.

If you want a cheaper cordless handheld that you can use to clean up car interiors and upholstery, try the BLACK+DECKER BDH2020FLFH MAX Flex vacuum. It is a handheld vacuum that comes with an extendable 4-foot hose, and a full-size floor nozzle, which can be used to clean hard floors. If you are purchasing a cordless handheld vacuum, make sure that it uses a Lithium ion battery. Older models that use Nickel Cadmium batteries are prone to power fading, and suffer from shorter battery lives.

Pros

• Easy to maneuver, extremely lightweight
• Great for spot cleaning
• Cheaper than a full-size vacuum
• Usually quieter than canister or upright vacuums

Cons

• Lack power
• Not great for cleaning hard floors or carpets
• Less attachments/ tools, so lower versatility

Most of them do not come with motorized brushes, so they are not great at dealing with pet hair in carpets and upholstery (with the exception of a few, such as the Dyson V7 Trigger handheld vacuum)

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Stick Vacuums — A Broom with Suction

With a stick vacuum, you get the portability of a handheld along with the versatility of an upright. They serve as a happy compromise between power and maneuverability. Unfortunately, most stick models are not known for their suction. In fact, the suction of a stick vacuum is closer to a handheld than it is to an upright. But unlike handhelds, stick vacuums do tend to come with a fair amount of accessories.

You will get dusting tools, crevice tools, and even motorized brush heads for cleaning up pet hair from upholstery and carpets. Talking of pet hair, we would take a stick vacuum over a handheld any day of the week if the job were to get rid of pet hair from furniture and carpets. As usual, stick vacuums are available in both corded as well as cordless models. You will find bagged and bagless stick vacuums.

Some models like the Dyson V10 Motorhead can transition between stick and handheld modes with ease, since they come with removable extension wands. Remember not to clean plush or deep pile carpets with stick vacuums, since they lack the suction power to dig out all the dust and pet hair that is stuck deep inside the long fibers of thick carpeting. Sticks are perfectly fine for low pile or commercial carpets, and most of them come with specialized attachments for cleaning hard floors. If you live in a small apartment, or just want a vacuum that is easy to maneuver, get a stick.

Pros

• More powerful than the average handheld
• Come with multiple attachments, so you can use them in different parts of the house
• Premium stick vacuums come with motorized cleaner heads, which is great for dealing with pet hair in carpets and rugs
• Some stick vacuums feature removable wands, so you can convert them into a handheld
• Very easy to reach around corners, and under furniture, thanks to their low-profile design

Cons

• Less powerful than upright vacuums
• Still at a disadvantage in terms of accessories and attachments, when compared to full-size vacuums
• Most of them do not feature onboard storage for tools, so you will have to run to the cupboard or closet every time you want to switch attachments

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Upright Vacuums  | The Most Popular Vacuum Type

Most households use upright vacuums, since these offer the power and versatility of a canister in a much smaller and easier to use package. Modern upright vacuums have evolved into sleek, highly versatile cleaning machines. There was a time when upright vacuums were regarded as carpet cleaners, and not much more than that. They lacked many of the features that you find on canister vacuums, such as onboard accessory storage or automatic cord rewind.

Now, if you pick any upright vacuum above $300, it will most likely have a detachable wand and hose system that you can use to get under furniture and around corners where the main cleaning head will not fit. Uprights are available in many flavors – corded, cordless, bagged, and bagless. Many bagless models are equipped with “Lift-Away” mechanisms, which allow you to detach the canister and hose, then carry them about 5 or 7 feet away from the main body, while still being able to operate any motorized tools which are fitted onto the wand.

A good example of that is the Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away vacuum, model NV803. It comes with dual brush rolls in the cleaner head, allowing you to sweep in larger debris with ease. In addition, the Lift-Away feature means that you can pop off the dust canister and carry it around with you, while power is still being supplied to the motorized attachment on your wand. This feature comes in extremely handy when you are trying to clean stairs or ceilings, since you do not have to carry the entire 15-pound vacuum with you all the time.

Pros

• Amazing performance in a relatively compact package
• Lots of accessories and tools
• Good for both hard floors and carpets
• Brilliant choice for pet owners, since upright vacuums usually come with motorized brushes and HEPA filtration
• Convenience features such as LED headlamps, automated cord rewind, detachable wand and extendable hoses

Cons

• Limited capacity to hold debris when compared to canister vacuums
• Some upright vacuums are quite hard to get underneath furniture
• Less range than a canister

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Canister Vacuums | Extreme Power for Extreme Tasks

These big boys will suck up everything with their insane power, and extra-long reach. Canister vacuums are also known as cylinder vacuums, a throwback to the days of old when all canisters were shaped like cylinders. You probably won’t find any cordless canisters out there, since they are designed with no compromise on range or performance. Canister vacuums always come with a generously sized assortment of tools and attachments, allowing you to vacuum every nook and cranny of the house.

You can reach underneath the lowest couches and sofas, sweep the whole area underneath your king-size bed, clean up the cobwebs from fan blades, and suck away all the dust from window blinds. And let’s not forget the most important thing – removing that stubborn pet hair from your carpets and rugs. With a canister vacuum, you can dig out every bit of doggy hair and cat litter from even the thickest of rugs. Almost all canister vacuums come with some kind of specially designed motorized brush tool for cleaning carpets and rugs, and you will get a secondary floor head that is intended for dealing with hard floors.

Pros

• Powerful, capable of sucking all the dirt and hair out of the thickest rugs and carpets
• Wide range of tools and accessories for dealing with every spot in your home (fan blades, underside of furniture, crevices, electronic appliances, window blinds, curtains, corners of walls, hard floors, carpeting, area rugs and floor mats, etc.)
• Canister vacuums can hold more dirt and debris compared to uprights and handhelds, so you spend more time vacuuming and less time emptying the bin/ bag.
• Premium canister vacuums have remote controls built into the handle, along with onboard accessory storage, variable speed settings, full-body HEPA filtration, and automatic cord rewind.

Cons

• Heavy, not the best choice for cleaning stairs
• Canisters vacuums consume more power and make a lot of noise

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How a HEPA Filter Works

There are vacuum cleaners, and then there are vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters. While ordinary vacuum cleaners simply “rearrange” the dust and pathogens floating around in your room air, a vacuum with HEPA filtration will suck the particles in and trap them inside forever. This ensures that you breathe clean, pathogen-free air, ensuring a healthy future for your family. But how does a HEPA filter work? Well, HEPA is an acronym for High Efficiency Particulate Air. The thing with ordinary air filters is they claim many things, but there is no factual way to determine if they actually live up to those claims.

To be considered a true HEPA filter, some very rigorous tests must be passed. The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology states that a filter must be able to trap 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger, in order for it to be classified as a “HEPA” filter. While there are many HEPA filters out there which can trap particles smaller than 0.3 micron, this is the minimum requirement in order to receive the HEPA certification.

You might be thinking, “What is a micron?” Well, it is a unit of length, just like a centimeter or millimeter. Just much smaller, since one micron = 1 millionth of a meter. Microns are used to denote the size of microscopic particles that are normally invisible to the naked human eye. Even with perfect vision, you cannot see anything smaller than 10 microns.

Spores	3 to 40 microns
Mold	3 to 12 microns
Bacteria	0.3 to 60 microns
Car emissions	1 to 150 microns
Pure Oxygen	0.0005 microns
Thickness of paper	70 to 80 microns
Diameter of human hair	17 to 181 microns
Thickness of plastic wrap	10 to 12 microns

Now that you know what a micron is, and the requirements for a filter to be classified as “HEPA”, let us discuss how they work. When you open up your vacuum cleaner and remove the HEPA filter cartridge, you will notice that it looks like a pleated paper mat. However, it is actually a dense, randomized mesh of glass fibers. Or to be more specific, a mesh of boron silicate microfibers. The mesh of boron silicate is made in a process very similar to paper manufacturing.  Flat sheets of boron silicate fibers are pleated to increase the surface area of the filter, and in high quality HEPA filters, you will notice aluminum baffles between the pleats that are provided to direct airflow and maintain structural rigidity.

The mesh is placed inside a plastic housing, with a seal between the filtration media and the protective cover. This seal can be made from foam or rubber, although premium filters will always use rubber seals for maximum protection. Unlike conventional strainers or mesh filters, where only particles larger than a specific size are stopped, HEPA filters rely on three different methods for capturing extremely tiny objects.

The first method is “interception”. As the air flows through a HEPA filter, tiny particles are floating around in the gas stream. When these particles flowing through a gas streamline get within one particle radius of a glass fiber, they touch the fiber and are stopped right there. In order for a particle to be captured through interception, it must move close enough to be within one length of itself from the glass fiber. Most particles caught through interception are 0.4 microns or above in size, although it has been observed that smaller particles between 0.1 and 0.4 microns are also trapped through interception.

The second method is called “impaction”. This mostly works on larger particles only. When a heavier or larger particle is flowing through the mesh of fibers, it cannot adjust to sudden changes in airflow. Because it cannot change directions fast enough, the inertia of the particle will carry it forward and straight into a glass fiber where it is now trapped. Impaction only works on particles that are 0.4 microns or larger.

The third and final method is “diffusion”. Gases are composed of several molecules floating around with gigantic intermolecular spaces between them. The size of the molecules themselves is insignificant compared to the space between the molecules. That is the reason why gasses can be compressed so easily, and contain such small amounts of mass with respect to volume. The diffusion method of capturing particles is based on the Brownian theory of motion for gas particles. Instead of moving around in straight lines, these gas molecules are constantly traveling in random zigzag patterns.

When any particle smaller than 0.1 microns collides with one of these zigzagging gas molecules, it too will start moving around in random paths, eventually running into one of the microscopic glass fibers, where it gets stuck permanently. The smaller a particle and the slower the flow of gas, the more chances it has of being stuck in the filter mesh. Ironically, particles smaller than 0.1 microns are more likely to be captured by the filter (thanks to diffusion), when compared to slightly larger particles, which is why HEPA filters are tested to see if they can capture 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns in size – not because they cannot deal with smaller particles, but because 0.3-micron objects are harder to catch.

Many pet vacuums will also feature full-body HEPA filtration. What that means is, as soon as air enters into the vacuum it has no way of escaping outside until it passes through the post-motor filter, and is ejected from the exhaust side. This ensures that you are breathing highly purified air, free of allergens and dust. Vacuums with whole-body HEPA filtration have rubber gaskets and tight seals on every single joint, along with heavy amounts of insulation to reduce motor vibration and noise.

If you own multiple pets and have children in the house, we highly recommend that your purchase a vacuum with full body HEPA filtration, that is also certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. A nice example of such a vacuum is the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal + Allergy. Pet dander can cause allergic reactions is some people, and pet hair is a big no-no inside your house since it serves as a breeding ground for mites. Mud and soil is a common sight inside homes with kids and pet dogs, so make sure you get a vacuum that is designed to deal with such stuff.

Some vacuums take the filtration one-step further by adding an active charcoal filter that removes volatile organic compounds from the air, removing foul odor that emanates from pet animals. The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog canister vacuum is equipped with an Active AirClean 50 filtration system, which consists of a standard air filter in combination with an activated carbon filter for removing foul odors from your home. Remember – HEPA filters remove particulate matter from the air, but they cannot deal with odors caused by organic gaseous compounds. To remove organic odors, you must have an activated carbon filter, and those are normally found in air purifiers only.

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Features to Look for in a Pet Vacuum

Motorized brush

Most vacuums that are marketed to pet owners tend to have some sort of cleaner head with a rotating brush roll inside. However, do not be fooled into thinking that a vacuum cleaner will deal with pet hair and dander just because it comes with some kind of brush in the floor nozzle. We have found out that motorized cleaner heads are more effective compared to turbo heads, and especially suction heads. It is very simple to understand, out of the three types of cleaner heads you can buy for your vacuum, only one comes with its own built-in power source.

Suction-only heads are useless on carpets and rugs, because suction alone isn’t strong enough to dig out deeply embedded cat and dog hair from within the tangled fibers of a carpet. A rotating brush with hard bristles will beat up the carpet fibers, straightening them out as it passes over them. This will help dislodge any pet hair, which was previously trapped, allowing the suction of the vacuum to pull it in.

The main reason pet hair is so hard to remove from carpets is because it gets tangled and hidden deep within the pile of the carpet, thanks to people (and the pets themselves) walking over the carpet. If a carpet witnesses high amounts of traffic, i.e. a lot of people walk over it each day, the hair will be even harder to remove. Shag carpets are extremely notorious for being pet hair magnets.

In order to successfully remove hair and bits of dead skin from deep within high pile carpets, you need a powerful motorized cleaning head. Vacuums such as the Dyson Big Ball Animal and Shark APEX DuoClean are perfect for heavy y duty carpeting. The Shark DuoClean head is one of the best floor nozzles in the entire market, since it deals with both hard floors and carpets. Unlike conventional cleaners heads, the Shark DuoClean comes with two separate brush rolls packed into one cleaner head.

Both of these brush rolls spin parallel to each other, the one on the front is smooth and velvety, it sweeps in large debris such as cheerios or rolled oats. The brush in the back is coated with hard bristles arranged in a helical pattern, this is the brush that beats the fibers in carpets and rugs, digging up pet hair and dander so that the suction can take them into the vacuum. Dyson “Animal” vacuums come with a tangle-free turbine tool that is the single best tool on the market for removing pet hair from upholstery.

You will notice that most mechanized brushes tend to get clogged up with hair after a bit of vacuuming, which is natural since the bristles dig into hair and some of the hair gets stuck on the bristles. You have to manually remove the brush bar and cut away the entangled hair rolls before you can resume vacuuming. Which is why, we recommend that you purchase a vacuum with an easy to remove brush, so you can clean it up faster. But you don’t have to worry about cleaning the brush if you own a Dyson vacuum with the tangle-free turbine tool.

Instead of using a single roller type brush, the tangle-free turbine tool is equipped with dual counter-rotating flat brushes, mounted next to each other in such a way that they never get jammed. Not only do they sweep in the longest of hairs without clogging up, but these brushes also clean each other with every rotation. The tangle-free turbine tool is perfect for upholstery and carpeted stairs. If you want this tool, you can either purchase it separately or buy a Dyson vacuum that comes with the tool by default.

Every Dyson with the “Animal” label on it comes with a tangle-free tool. Take a look at the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal if you are interested. Every manufacturer has their own little trick to getting the most dirt and hair out of carpets. For instance, Miele ElectroBrush cleaner heads come with a specially designed brush bar, which is designed to vibrate as it passes over carpets and rugs. This vibration dislodges hair and other particles from within the carpet fibers, enabling the vacuum to suck it all up much more easily.

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HEPA Filtration

Pets shed hair, and their skin is a breeding ground for various types of dust mites. In any home with kids and pets, you always want to make sure that the air is free from allergens and dust particles. Ordinary air filters don’t do a very good job of capturing microscopic particles, and a vacuum without HEPA filtration is simply rearranging the debris around your house. Sucking up pet hair and dander is not enough, a true pet vacuum also functions as a discount air purifier, ridding the ambient air from bacteria, fungal spores, dust mites, etc.

Purchase a vacuum with HEPA filtration if you are concerned with maintaining a healthy atmosphere inside your home. This is especially important for homes with asthmatic residents – pets and asthmatic/ allergic people do not go together very well. A vacuum with whole-body HEPA filtration is crucial if you are allergic or someone in your house suffers from diseases in the respiratory tract. All Dyson Animal vacuums are certified asthmatic-friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

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Full-body HEPA filtration

This means that no air can get in or out of the vacuum cleaner while it is working. Any allergens or pathogens that are sucked into the cleaner will be trapped by HEPA filters, and there are no leaks or cracks in the joints for them to sneak out. Similarly, no outside air is allowed to get in, otherwise that would introduce extra impurities into the filtration system, undermining its cleaning effect. Full-body HEPA filtration guarantees that 99.97 percent of all particles 0.3 microns and above are captured by the vacuum cleaner. This feature costs more than standard HEPA filtration, and is recommended for homes with allergic or asthmatic people.