Ah, pets. They give us so much: unconditional love, affection, companionship, entertainment – and hair. So. Much. Hair.
Short of getting a non-shedding dog or hairless cat, a good vacuum is your best defence against the seemingly never-ending clumps of hair that accumulate in pet-friendly homes. But not all vacuums are up to the challenge.
Whether you're considering a robot vac, a stick vac, or a regular barrel vac, choosing the right model can mean the difference between a clean home and living knee-deep in fur.
We'll reveal some of the best fur busters from our tests, and tell you which vacuums to avoid.
On this page:
- The worst vacuums for removing pet hair
- Three of the best barrel and upright vacuums for pet hair
- Three of the best stick vacs for pet hair
- Three of the best robot vacs for pet hair
Vacuum expert Adrian Lini puts robot, stick and barrel vacuums through their paces in our labs.
Dishonourable mentions
Don't assume that any vacuum that has the word 'animal' in the name is going to ace cleaning up Fido's fur.
A number of products across our cordless and barrel/upright vacuum reviews specifically refer to animals, but their ability to deal with pet hair varies.
Here are some specialty 'pet' vacuums that performed worse than some regular vacuums, along with their pet hair removal scores:
- Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Turbo 2454F ($399): 60%
- Electrolux Ease C4 Animal EC41-ANIM ($349): 70%
- Hoover ONEPWR EMERGE Pet Cordless Vacuum ($599): 70%
Here's why choosing the right vacuum is important: the robot vac on the left barely picks up any pet hair, while the robot on the right leaves the floor virtually hair-free.
The worst vacuums for removing pet hair
They may not be pet-specific vacuums, but these ones were no match for pet hair in our tests. You'd almost be better off picking up the dog hair tumbleweed by hand.
Here are the vacs that well and truly lost the fight against the fur:
This Big W vacuum is no match for pet hair.
Barrel and upright vacs:
- Big W Contempo Bagless Vacuum Cleaner BW-1602 ($49): Pet hair removal score: 10%
- Big W Contempo Compact Vacuum Cleaner 1800W ($85): 20%
- Akitas Neon Multi Cyclonic 2400W Bagless Vacuum Cleaner AK155 ($100): 30%
This Dyson received the lowest pet hair removal score of all the vacuums we tested.
Stick vacs:
- Dyson Omni-Glide ($749)*: Pet hair removal score: 10%
- LG A9 Ace ($399): 10%
- Dirt Devil Cordless Vacuum DSV22G2 EC223602245 ($99): 20%
- Makita 18V Mobile Vacuum Cleaner Kit DCL180 ($229): 40%
*The Dyson Omni-Glide is designed for hard floors only, but our pet hair removal tests are conducted on carpet. However, the Omni-Glide didn't actually perform well in our hard floor tests either, scoring just 63% on this test.
It might 'Scout' for pet hair, but this Miele couldn't find much to pick up in our tests.
Robot vacs:
- Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision ($1299): Pet hair removal score: 20%
- Arlec Grid Connect Smart Robotic Vacuum Mantaray ($249): 20%
- Ecovacs Deebot U2 ($399): 25%
Three of the best vacuums for pet hair
We've sifted through CHOICE's extensive testing data to find hair-raising vacuum cleaners from the top, middle and bottom price points of the market.
They're not the only high-performing fur-busters we've tested, but they'll give you a starting point from which to continue your search.
Remember, a vacuum that scores well for pet hair removal might bomb out on our other tests
And remember, not all vacuums are created equal – a vacuum that scores well for pet hair removal might bomb out on our other tests.
Some of the vacs below aced our other tests and are recommended by our experts; others are one-trick ponies and are inconsistent across other cleaning tasks.
Want to know which is which? Our members have access to all of our detailed vacuum test data, so if you want to sort the stars from the suckers, consider becoming a CHOICE member.
Three of the best barrel and upright vacuums for pet hair
The Shark Navigator Pet is one 'pet' vac that actually is appropriately named.
The more affordable upright that halts hairballs:
Shark Navigator Pet ZU62ANZ 12
- Price: $350
- Pet hair removal score: 90%
The mid-range bagged vac that finishes fur:
- Price: $549
- Pet hair removal score: 100%
The pricey performer that puts pet hair in its place:
- Price: $1049
- Pet hair removal score: 100%
"If you're a pet owner wanting a barrel or upright vacuum that'll blitz the pet hair, look for one that has a powered head and opt for a bagged, rather than bagless model," says CHOICE vacuum expert Adrian Lini.
Three of the best stick vacs for pet hair
Stick vacs are perfect for quick cleans to keep the dirt at bay until you can get in there to do a proper job with your barrel or upright vac.
For that reason they're fantastic for pet-friendly homes: they can help you keep on top of the fur so it doesn't get out of hand in between deep cleans.
Stick vacs really shine on hard floors. In our current stick vacuum review, around half of the vacs we tested score 75% and higher for hard floor cleaning, so if you have furry friends and floorboards, a stick vac could be a big help.
Unfortunately not all stick vacs fare so well on carpet, so you'll have to be a little more picky if you want to keep your rugs free of cat hair confetti.
If your budget for a pet-friendly stick vac is over $1000, this Dyson could be a good option.
The affordable option that halts hairballs:
Kmart Anko Cordless Stick Cleaner
- Price: $129
- Pet hair removal score: 90%
The mid-range marvel that finishes fur:
Shark Stratos Cordless Pet Pro Vacuum with Clean Sense IQ
- Price: $800
- Pet hair removal score: 100%
The pricey performer that puts pet hair in its place:
- Price: $1199
- Pet hair removal score: 100%
Three of the best robot vacs for pet hair
In disappointing news for pet owners who were hoping a robot vac would free them from the endless task of cleaning up fur, very few of the robot vacuums we've tested perform well in our pet hair removal test.
Only one robot managed to achieve a score of 80%, but the remaining 15 scored 70% or less.
The best fur-busting robot costs $549, which is actually fairly cheap for a robot vac. (The most expensive in our tests is a cool $1999.)
Very few of the robot vacuums we've tested perform well in our pet hair removal test
Unfortunately you get what you pay for with this reasonably-priced robot: its abilities in other areas were on par with its low price tag.
It underwhelmed when vacuuming corners and edges and struggled to pick up dirt from carpet, with our experts rating it as 'very poor' for this test. And it definitely didn't clean up in our mopping test, scoring just 20%.
This just goes to show that buying a vacuum based on just one metric can leave you out of pocket and up to your elbows in pet hair.
But our detailed robot vacuum reviews include scores for a range of tests so you can find the right bot for your particular needs.
Have tiled floors and a dog that sheds a lot? Look for a vacuum that scores well for pet hair removal and picking up dirt from a hard floor.
Need a bot that can mop up your pooch's drool puddles? Check each robot vac's mopping performance score.
All of these details and more are available exclusively to CHOICE members. Plus, you can access expert reviews for more than 200 products, so you won't get stuck with a dud again.
It'll tidy up the pet hair, but this Xiaomi won't clean much dirt from your carpet.
The affordable option that halts hairballs:
- Price: $599
- Pet hair removal score: 80%
The mid-range marvel that finishes fur:
- Price: $1699
- Pet hair removal score: 70%
The pricey performer that puts pet hair in its place:
- Price: $1999
- Pet hair removal score: 70%
How we test
Here at CHOICE, we're sticklers for detail, so we use real pet hair for our testing. We get our pet hair from Woof Cat & Dog Grooming in Bondi, Sydney.
Our tester embeds cat hair in carpet and then vacuums it to a set pattern and speed. The score is calculated on the basis of how much hair is left behind after the test.
Still curious? Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners at CHOICE.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
