In the world of vacuum cleaners, especially in 2026, we’ve truly never had it so good. With continued innovation, driven by competition from brands across the globe, there’s a ton of variety available to people of all budgets and home sizes, but if you’re someone who lives with a pet or two then having a vacuum with a more powerful edge is essential. To truly stay on top of all the shedding our furry friends leave behind, you’ll need one of the best vacuums for pet hair.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s worth explaining exactly what pet-friendly vacuums are all about. Instead of the rest of the pack, which can be found in our guide to the best vacuum cleaners overall, these models have brush heads that are better equipped to collect and sift through pet hair, stopping it from getting all tangled up and creating issues down the line.
Because pet hair can be quite thick in certain cats and dogs, these vacuums also have fairly heavy-duty motors to allow for a high level of suction. On top of this, you might find accessories included, such as brush heads that are better equipped to vacuum pet beds. Some vacuums even boast HEPA filters to avoid unwanted smells from being agitated and added to the atmosphere, but this is a rarer feature.
The one issue to bear in mind is that, in order to access all of these extra features, consumers are expected to hand over a bit more than they would for a typical vacuum. This isn’t always the case as there are now more budget-friendly options within this sector, but for helping you to stay on top of accumulating pet hair, we’d argue that it’s worth the expense.
Regardless of the budget you have to work with, you can rest assured that every model featured on this list has been tested by one of our tech experts, so you can’t go wrong, no matter which one you get. If you’re tempted to go down the automation route and take a lot of the cleaning process off your to-do list then you can do exactly that with our list for the best robot vacuum cleaners. Similarly, the best cordless vacuum cleaners are perfect for stowing away when you don’t have much storage space to work with.
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Learn more about how we test vacuum cleaners
Every vacuum cleaner that we test goes through exactly the same tests. We use both real-world tests and technical measurements to tell the good from the bad. First, we measure suction power in Air Watts (AW), which is a combination of suction and airflow. This lets us compare the raw power of each cleaner.
Actual performance depends on a lot of factors including the quality of the accessories and the ability of a vacuum to agitate dirt. For that reason, we take before and after pictures of dust collection on carpet, hard floors and with pet hair.
We don’t weigh the before and after results, as this test is notoriously difficult to do properly, as vacuum cleaners will pick up fibres from the floor that will add to the weight collected. And, without a super-sensitive set of scales it’s impossible to measure fine differences between machines.
If you want to learn more, please visit our detailed page about how we test vacuum cleaners.
The Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro IA324UKT already stands on some excellent foundations as the previous-gen version (which lacks the Pet Pro moniker), is still a fantastic vacuum, even if it can be a little heavy at times. This more recent revamp shakes up the design in a handful of meaningful ways and, as you might expect, is well equipped to tackle pet hair.
The first thing you’ll notice about the IA324UKT, especially if you’ve spent any time with its predecessor, is that this vacuum boasts a much sleeker build. At just 3.22kg, this vacuum is far easier to push around and you’re less likely to encounter fatigue which is really the last thing you want to come up against when giving your home a proper clean.
There’s now a built-in light on the head of the vacuum too which can reveal a lot of hidden dirt and debris that’s collected on your floor, making sure that nothing gets missed as you go. What really comes in handy for pet owners is the MultiFlex stem that allows the vacuum to bend seamlessly and reach under sofas and low tables. If you have pets that like to hide away in these placed then this gives you a chance to pick up any shedded hair there.
As you might expect from a Shark vacuum, performance is stellar across the board. It can peak at 322W when setting the suction to the highest mode, which is more than enough to tackle serious messes. During our flour test, not only did the vacuum do an incredible job of making sure that nothing was left behind, but it also scooped up a whopping 95.9% of debris right up to the edge of a skirting board.
Hard floor performance is equally brilliant, so there isn’t really an issue that you won’t be able to tackle if you have the IA324UKT in tow. Unfortunately, trying to empty the dust bin manually can be a bit convoluted, so if you have a budget that can cover it, we recommend spending just a bit more to pick up the optional automatic self-emptying dock. You can thank us later.
Although we’re big fans of cordless options like the Dyson V16 Piston Animal for how easy they are to use in a pinch, for more involved cleans that require some heavy-duty features, the Vax LiftOut Multi Pet-Design is a great option to buy.
When putting the Vax cleaner to the test, we picked up on an impressive 151AW suction power which, despite being slightly less than certain competitors like the Hoover HL4 Pet, is able to achieve that suction at a more economical rate, using just 600W.
In our dust test, the cleaner was able to scoop up roughly 97% of the debris when moving it forwards and backwards, and it performed to a similar degree when dust was scattered right up against the skirting board. Pet hair and human hair didn’t stand a chance either, and thanks to the design of the brush, it was all funnelled automatically into the onboard bin.
As great as the Vax LiftOut Multi Pet-Design is for the more open areas of your floors, where the appliance really comes into its own is when you need to tackle the parts that are tucked away under furniture. With the included LiftOut mechanism, you can separate the bin and motor from the floor head, making it simple to vacuum under the sofa, or on smaller surfaces such as the stairs.
If you have a large household to clean then you’ll be glad to know of the massive two-litre bin that’s included. With that much space in tow, you have the freedom to clean for longer in a single session, instead of having to stop things mid-way through and empty the bin before tackling whatever’s left.
If you live with quite a few pets and need a heavy-duty cordless solution to stay on top of all the hair-related mess involved then look no further than the Dyson V16 Piston Animal. This won’t be an option for most folks given its price tag of £749.99, but if you can stretch your budget to meet it then the V16 Piston Animal is well worth the investment.
The highlight of this vacuum is that it comes with an all-new motor that cranks up the degree of suction available. In our tests, we picked up on a whopping 401AW when running the vacuum on Boost mode, which is practically unheard of for a cordless vacuum and leaves the competition in the dust.
To save you from using the vacuum with that much power too often and completely draining the battery as a result, the V16 has an ingenious auto detect mode that works brilliantly, taking out the guesswork from your cleaning by intelligently analysing the floor as you go.
When testing out this suction power on both carpet and hard floors, we were massively impressed by what the V16 could achieve. For example, when spreading 10g of flour on our test carpet, the V16 had no issue with collecting practically all of the mess in just a few swipes, even right up to the skirting board.
For collecting hair, the conical nature of the brush allows pet hair to shuffle off at the ends and be stored in the dust bin, saving you from needing to manually extract any hair after the fact. You can even use a compacting tool to push down on the contents of the bin and create more space as you go.
If you’re looking for a vacuum that delivers consistently powerful cleaning performance, is easy to manoeuvre and makes light work of tricky jobs like picking up pet hair or cleaning hard-to-reach spaces, then the Dyson Ball Animal Multifloor is a great choice.
Weighing 7.6kg, the Dyson Ball Animal Multifloor is heavier than most of the best cordless vacuum cleaners, however the large ball at its base ensures the vacuum is easy to push around. In fact, we hailed this as the “most manoeuvrable plug-in vacuum cleaner” we’ve tested.
Its anti-tangle floor head is fitted with cleverly arranged bristles which prevent hair from wrapping around and becoming tangled, making this a great choice for pet owners and those with long hair. Also included is a two-in-one crevice tool, dusting brush, stair tool and an anti-tangle turbine tool that’s specifically designed for tackling embedded pet hair. The latter was particularly impressive and even picked up longer hair without becoming tangled.
All tools work via the Dyson Ball Animal Multifloor’s extendable wand which we found makes it easy to vacuum higher up, particularly where the wall meets the ceiling.
Overall we found the Dyson Ball Animal Multifloor to be a powerful vacuum, able to collect between 92-94.35% of dirt across our carpet tests and 100% of mess on our hard floor tests. Most impressively, it showed no difficulty in picking up pet hair either.
Of all the models we’ve tested recently, the Hoover HF6 TurboSense is one of the best examples to show just how far the industry has come when regards to offering high-performing cordless vacuums at a very reasonable price. At £249.99, although we’ve seen it go for less at certain retailers, you’re getting an impressive amount of power that can tackle pretty much anything you care to throw at it.
The real draw here is the suction power, which we measured at 28AW on the lowest setting, and does the job for general maintenance of your floors, but crank that up to the mid-range level and you’re looking at 125AW – more of what you’d want most of the time. For instances where there’s a serious amount of debris that needs cleaning, the highest setting capped out at 336AW which is almost unbelievable for a vacuum of this price.
Within that context, the raw performance of the HF6 TurboSense isn’t that far off the Shark IA3241UKT or the Dyson V16 Piston Animal. What this translated to in our testing was that, for all of our on-hand debris including flour, rice and hair, the vacuum did an incredible job. Crucially, hair doesn’t get trapped in the brush head so for taking care of shedding left behind by pets, it works wonders.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that, in order to keep the power so high and the cost so low, the one area where Hoover would have had to make concessions is in battery life, but you’d be wrong. Absolutely trouncing a lot of the competition here, the HF6 can run for up to 100 minutes under the right circumstances. Even when toggling the boost mode, we still got the vacuum to last for 16 minutes and 50 seconds which isn’t bad at all.
The only area where the HF6 TurboSense did let us down is with edge cleaning. This won’t be an issue for most messes but if something has gone right up to the skirting board then we recommend getting out the crevice tool as you’ll need it to do the job right. Otherwise, this is a fantastic cordless vacuum that offers outstanding value for money.
If you’re thinking about offloading a fair amount of the cleaning process because you’re strapped for time or have more pressing responsibilities that need sorting, then the Roborock Saros 20 is by far one of the best robot vacuums you can buy if you’re a pet owner. This powerful automated cleaner can do a bit of everything, but it ticks all of the most important boxes so that you can get on with your day.
Starting with the power at hand, the Saros 20 is capable of 36,000Pa suction which, in real-world terms, means that it’s more than equipped to pick up dust and hair as it monitors your floors. Crucially for when it comes to cleaning up after any shedding, hair doesn’t get stuck in the brush so you won’t have to worry about trying to manually remove it from the brush head after the fact.
In our flour test, the Saros 20 did an incredible job of making sure that no hint of the previous mess was left behind, and that extended to edge cleaning too. Where the Saros 20 really kicks things up a notch is with the mopping element. By using dual spinning microfibre pads, the vacuum is able to agitate dried in messes and remove them with ease. This is perfect for any muddy paws that have turned your floors into a right state.
In our mopping tests, the Saros 20 made short work of coffee, red wine and mud, so it isn’t hard to imagine it handling most messes without issue. The only time it ran into a bit of trouble was with trying to remove a stubborn ketchup stain, but it just took a few more passes in order to get rid of it completely.
If you live in a home with mixed flooring then you won’t have to worry as the Saros 20 can intelligently separate hard floors from carpet and adjust its settings accordingly. Your home can also be mapped out via the Roborock app, so if you only want the vacuum to tackle a few rooms at a time, you can do just that. Lastly, if you have any thresholds that might trip up robot vacuums then fear not as the AdaptLift system allows the Saros 20 to climb right over them, so long as they’re not higher than 4.5cm.
If you need a vacuum cleaner that’s both powerful enough to make light work of cleaning up pet hair across all household surfaces but is considerably cheaper than a premium option then the Bosch Unlimited 7 ProAnimal is a great choice.
We found the Bosch Unlimited 7 ProAnimal has enough suction power for everyday household tasks, which is made even easier with the included tools and accessories, although we did conclude that it doesn’t have quite the same reach as more powerful models. As it’s a mid-range option, this perhaps isn’t too surprising but still worth keeping in mind.
Even so, the Bosch Unlimited 7 ProAnimal is able to clean up notoriously difficult pet hair combed into carpet, and even long strands of human hair, without issue.
Bosch includes a selection of tools and accessories to assist in a whole house clean. The main tool, and probably the one you’ll use the most, is the ProAnimal floor head which is fitted with Bosch’s anti-tangle technology, designed to pick up hair without it getting caught in the brush, resulting in fewer troublesome blockages.
Also provided is a mini motorised tool for stairs and upholstery (which is especially useful for removing hair from pet beds), a long and flexible crevice tool to help you reach tricky areas, and even a keyboard and drawer nozzle which is made up of multiple tubes for removing dust from tricky areas.
With an impressive battery life of over 30-minutes on its lowest power mode and nearly 17-minutes on automatic mode, the Bosch Unlimited 7 ProAnimal should last long enough to comfortably clean your entire home. The vacuum is also compatible with the Power For All 18V battery range which means you can swap out batteries with other compatible devices for uninterrupted use.
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Good value
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Powerful cleaning
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Dust-free emptying
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Long battery life
For households with allergy sufferers, the Henry Quick Pet cordless vacuum uses a clever pod system that keeps dust and pollutants secure and makes emptying the vacuum that much easier.
Included with the Henry Quick Pet are six pods which are essentially dust bags. Simply slot a pod into the front of the vacuum and, when full, push the eject button to have the pod deposit itself cleanly and efficiently into the bin, ensuring no dust or debris is spilled.
The Henry Quick Pet boasts the majority of features found in its sibling, the Henry Quick, including a long battery life that can last over an hour on low power mode and the same range of accessories: a crevice tool, a two-in-one brush and a motorised main floor head.
The difference is that the Henry Quick Pet comes equipped with a motorised mini tool for pet beds and upholstery.
Overall we found the Henry Quick Pet has a slightly lower than average air watt rate in standard mode, at just 23AW, although this increases significantly to a more powerful 192AW when Boost mode is enabled.
This means for everyday vacuuming the Henry Quick Pet should suffice in standard power mode, however for more difficult cleaning such as against edges, Boost mode will need to be enabled.
We also found that while the main floor head picked up shorter pet hair with ease, any longer human hair tended to get wrapped around the brush and needed to be cut out, which is a particularly unpleasant job. An anti-tangle floor head would have been better suited.
There’s also a scent stick that can be inserted into the back of the vacuum which freshens the exhaust air, much like the Shark Stratos IZ420UKT. Although this doesn’t actually help in cleaning the floor, it does ensure the room smells fresh.
If you or members of your household suffer from allergies then the Henry Quick Pet is a great way to collect pesky dust and debris and eventually dispose of it without risking any spillage.
Dyson has put out some pretty inventive vacuums in its time, but very few have had the head-turning quality of the Dyson PencilVac. This is a vacuum so thin that it’ll have you questioning how it all works the moment you lay eyes on it – it’s a marvel of engineering, but all you need to know is that it works as intended, and brilliantly at that.
At just 38mm across and weighing only 1.8kg, the PencilVac is the easiest vacuum to manoeuvre on this entire list, and that in turn makes the process of cleaning up the leftover hair from your pets far less of a workout. With the unique conical brush head, the PencilVac can glide across your floors like no one’s business.
That same brush head, thanks to its design, is able to pick up hair and let it slide off at the sides where it can then be swooped up into the bin – there’s no need to get the scissors out and remove hair manually. In spite of its slimline stature, the PencilVac still does a great job with picking up dust, even at the edges of your floors.
Of course, because this is such a light vacuum, you don’t have to worry about carving out a decent amount of space to store the PencilVac when it’s not in use. You can easily stow it away in a cupboard where it won’t take up much space at all.
The only place where the PencilVac does struggle is in vacuuming carpets to a degree that we’re happy with. You can find much better carpet-ready vacuums like the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty IP3251UKT, so that’s worth bearing in mind before deciding on which vacuum to buy. If you only have hard floors however then this won’t be an issue, and you’ll get on just fine with the Dyson PencilVac.
FAQs
What accessories are needed for pet hair removal?
A motorised floor brush is an essential, as it agitates and loosens pet hair in carpets. For sofas and soft furnishings, look for a vacuum cleaner with a mini motorised tool.
Is suction power important for pet hair removal?
Suction power is important in so much as it helps a vacuum cleaner remove dirt, but a motorised brush is more important. Vacuum cleaner that operate on suction alone are not very effective at removing pet hair.
Will removing pet hair help with allergies?
Yes. Most people are allergic to a pet’s saliva or dead skin cells, which attach themselves to the pet hair. Removing the hair, removes the allergens also.
Should I get a cordless or corded vacuum cleaner?
Either will do the job: corded cleaners have the advantage that they can keep running and are slightly more powerful; cordless models are more convenient, particularly if you want to clean other areas, such as your car.
Test Data
| |
Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro IA3241UKT |
Vax LiftOut Multi Pet-Design |
Dyson V16 Piston Animal |
Dyson Ball Animal Multifloor |
Hoover HF6 TurboSense |
Roborock Saros 20 |
Bosch Unlimited 7 ProAnimal |
Henry Quick Pet |
Dyson PencilVac |
| AirWatts (low) |
59 AW |
– |
45 AW |
– |
28 AW |
– |
27 AW |
23 AW |
33 AW |
| AirWatts (medium) |
82 AW |
– |
98 AW |
– |
125 AW |
– |
– |
– |
56 AW |
| AirWatts (high) |
322 AW |
151 AW |
401 AW |
203 AW |
338 AW |
– |
93 AW |
192 AW |
103 AW |
| Sound (low) |
65.5 dB |
– |
63.3 dB |
– |
67.5 dB |
– |
67.3 dB |
70.5 dB |
69.8 dB |
| Sound (medium) |
68.6 dB |
– |
70.4 dB |
– |
69.5 dB |
– |
– |
– |
71.2 dB |
| Sound (high) |
75.1 dB |
73.2 dB |
75.1 dB |
67.8 dB |
73.8 dB |
58 dB |
72.5 dB |
76.5 dB |
74.5 dB |
Full Specs
| |
Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro IA3241UKT Review |
Vax LiftOut Multi Pet-Design Review |
Dyson V16 Piston Animal Review |
Dyson Ball Animal Multifloor Review |
Hoover HF6 TurboSense Review |
Roborock Saros 20 Review |
Bosch Unlimited 7 ProAnimal Review |
Henry Quick Pet Review |
Dyson PencilVac Review |
| Manufacturer |
Shark |
Vax |
– |
Dyson |
Hoover |
roborock |
Bosch |
Numatic |
Dyson |
| Size (Dimensions) |
260 x 350 x 1120 MM |
270 x 370 x 1160 MM |
250 x 1298 x 259 MM |
280 x 390 x 1065 MM |
298 x 222 x 1200 MM |
350 x 353 x 79.8 MM |
202 x 251 x 1320 MM |
240 x 270 x 1220 MM |
38 x 226 x 1160 MM |
| Weight |
3.22 KG |
6.63 KG |
3.4 KG |
7.3 KG |
5.76 KG |
– |
2.8 KG |
3.2 KG |
1.8 KG |
| ASIN |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
B09YMR9QGN |
– |
– |
| Release Date |
2026 |
2025 |
2025 |
2024 |
2026 |
2026 |
2024 |
2023 |
2026 |
| First Reviewed Date |
27/04/2026 |
15/01/2026 |
09/09/2025 |
28/01/2025 |
28/04/2026 |
26/02/2026 |
28/03/2024 |
26/07/2024 |
02/02/2026 |
| Model Number |
Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro IA3241UKT |
Vax LiftOut Multi Pet-Design |
Dyson V16 Piston Animal |
Dyson Ball Animal Multifloor |
Hoover HF6 TurboSense |
Roborock Saros 20 |
Bosch Unlimited 7 ProAnimal |
Henry Quick Pet |
Dyson PencilVac |
| Vacuum cleaner type |
Cordless stick |
Plug-in upright |
Cordless stick |
Plug-in upright |
Cordless stick |
Vacuum cleaner and mop |
Cordless stick |
Cordless stick |
Cordless stick |
| Provided heads |
Floor head, 2-in-1 tool, mini motorised brush |
Crevice tool, mini motorised brush, pet hair remover, stair tool |
Floor head, crevice tool, 2-in-1 tool, mini motorised brush |
Floor head, stair tool, Flat out head, soft dusting brush, combination tool, quick-release tangle-free turbine tool |
Floor head, crevice tool, dusting tool |
– |
Floor head, mini power brush, crevice tool, mattress tool, furniture tool, long flexible crevice tool, keyboard and drawer nozzle |
Motorised floor head, mini pet tool, crevice tool, brush |
Fluffycones floor head, 2-in-1 crevice tool |
| Bin capacity |
0.47 litres |
2 litres |
1.3 litres |
1.8 litres |
0.7 litres |
2 litres |
0.3 litres |
1 litres |
0.08 litres |
| Bagless |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
| Modes |
Auto, Boost, Eco |
On/off |
Eco, Auto, Boost |
On/off (brush bar can be turned on/off, too) |
Three power modes |
Vacuum, Mop, Vacuum and mop, Mop after vacuuming |
Eco, turbo, auto |
Standard, boost |
Eco, Standard, Boost |
| Filters |
2 (washable) |
2 (one washable, one replaceable) |
1 (washable) |
1 (washable) |
1 (washable) |
1 (washable) |
1 (integrated cleaner) |
N/A |
1 (washable) |
| Run time |
1 hrs min |
hrs min |
70 mins min |
hrs min |
100 mins min |
200 mins min |
– |
– |
30 mins min |
| Charge time |
– |
– |
3.5 hrs |
– |
3.5 hrs |
2.5 hrs |
1 hrs |
2.5 hrs |
– |
| Brushes |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
1x side brush, 1x roller |
– |
– |
– |
| Mop Option |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
Dual microfibres mops |
– |
– |
– |
| Smart assistants |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
Yes |
– |
– |
– |
| UK RRP |
£499.99 |
£269.99 |
£749.99 |
£379.99 |
£249.99 |
£1299 |
£349.99 |
£339 |
£429.99 |
| USA RRP |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
$1299 |
– |
– |
– |
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