This vacuum does not come with a purpose-built pet-hair tool, but in our tests, its wiry brush tool did the job just fine. Two Wirecutter staffers use the BDH2000PL as their sole vacuum in their studio apartments; one noted that it works well in getting hair off her velvet sofa and footrest. It can’t reach many awkward spots or get much hair off upholstery, but it still manages to capture most common household debris.
This stylish, bagged upright vacuum has formidable cleaning power and is adjustable, versatile, and agile. Some models have a feature alerting the user when the dust bag or container is full, which impairs the vacuum’s ability to clean. Some such shark pet vacuum models that are bagless simply have a clear bin, letting you see when the bin is full. Shows how well a vacuum picked up sand without dispersing it on bare floors. Indicates how much embedded sand a vacuum lifted from a medium-pile carpet.
Like the Navigator Pro, this vacuum features a detachable pod that can be used to clean stairs, furniture and windowsills. The vacuum also converts into a stick for lightweight cleaning, and features specialized odor neutralizing technology to keep your home smelling fresh—a nice perk when pets are around. The machine’s HEPA filter and Anti-Allergen Complete Seal pulls in and traps 99.9% of pet dander, dust and allergens. With its powerful battery and sealed HEPA system, the Dyson Humdinger operates more like the top half of a Dyson stick vacuum than a traditional handheld vacuum. While we haven’t tested this specific model, we’ve tested Dyson’s previous Car & Boat handheld vacuum along with enough Dyson stick vacuums to know how well they clean and how easy they are to use and maintain.
As with its performance on low-pile carpet, a small amount of debris gets stuck at the lint strip at the back of the floorhead rather than getting sucked into the dustbin. This is the age-old question for vacuums regardless of whether you have pets. For ease of movement, cordless vacuums are great because they’re lightweight and easy to use.
A double-roll power head (a feature that other brands have now copied) cleans carpets and picks up dirt, debris and hair from hard floors without the need to switch nozzles. Its impressive sealed system and HEPA filter capture and retain even the tiniest particles and an odor-neutralizing capsule limits dank and dusty odors inside the vacuum. Shark’s Lift Away pod conveniently and easily transforms the upright into a portable canister or low-reaching stick vacuum, and the dust cup and filter are easy shark stick vacuum to remove, clean and replace. The NV356E S2 Shark Navigator Professional is packed with features to help you tackle pet hair, whether it’s lurking on your floors or upholstery. This upright vacuum boasts swivel steering to make it easy to cruise around corners and furniture, along with a brushroll shut-off to seamlessly switch from hard floors to carpeting. The special detachable pod can be toted around and used to clean pet hair and debris off of stairs, furniture and other areas off the floor.
Shark has long been a go-to brand in the vacuum industry, and it offers a line of vacuums specifically designed for pet owners. To find the best Shark vacuums for pet hair, we tested almost 30 models in our Des Moines, Iowa testing lab. Of all the Shark vacuums we tested, the Shark IZ462H Vertex Ultra Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum really stood out for its smooth maneuverability, helpful features, and powerful suction. For a lower-budget alternative, though, the Shark NV151 Navigator Swivel Pro Complete Upright Vacuum offers strong suction and a larger-than-average dust cap, making it another solid pick.
It’s equipped with swivel steering (for grabbing those bits of hair in the corners), a super powerful suction, and an easy-to-empty dust bin that doesn’t require one of those old-fashioned bags. The Shark Cordless Pet Plus Vacuum comes with specialized pet tools, such as the Motorized Pet Tool and Crevice Tool, for targeted and efficient pet hair removal from furniture, stairs, and hard-to-reach corners. The cordless design offers unmatched flexibility and convenience, allowing you to move freely from room to room without the hassle of cords or outlets. The lightweight construction and easily detachable handheld option make it perfect for quick clean-ups and above-floor cleaning. This model is no longer a pick because of its relatively short, 11-minute battery life, and because we found it noisy. Though it was great at picking up larger debris, it did not excel at picking up baking soda from a medium-pile carpet (possibly because the filter got clogged).
Bet you weren’t thinking about pet hair when you picked out your fur baby, huh? The ultra-lightweight Rocket Deluxe Pro Corded Stick Vacuum converts into a handheld vacuum for easy floor-to-ceiling cleaning. Some readers have asked us about handheld wet-dry vacs from DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Ryobi. We have not tested them, but they appear to be well suited for cleaning up the type of metal debris that you’d find near a workbench and that wrecks some regular hand vacs.
After more than 50 hours of testing cord-free models, we landed Tineco Pure One S11 as the best cordless stick vacuum for most in 2024. Shark offers the full range of vacuums, including corded, cordless, robot and handheld, giving you plenty of options to choose from. If you’re looking for a great overall vacuum, consider the Shark Navigator Professional Lift-Away NV356E. It seamlessly cruises around carpet and hard floors thanks to its swivel steering, and it has a lift-away design for portable cleaning. If you want hands-free cleaning, the Shark AI Ultra Robot is a great option—it’s controlled by an app on your phone and even empties itself.
Specifically, we run a rigorous slate of tests to determine each cleaner’s capabilities when it comes to picking up a variety of messes on a variety of different floor types. In fact, I’ve been using the Shark Cordless Vacuum Detect Pro (on sale for $349 at Walmart), which does an excellent job of picking up dust, hair, and debris from carpets and hardwood floors. Additionally, it has an auto mode that automatically increases the suction power when vacuuming carpets or difficult to reach areas. The vacuum also has a HEPA filter to trap allergens and dust inside of the unit.