Living with pets is pretty great. Whether you have a cat or a dog, your life is probably better with them in it. But there’s one big downside: pet hair — on everything, all the time. It’s in your car, on your clothes, on your sofa, and collecting as little dust bunnies on your wood floor. There’s probably even a pet hair circle on your bed, a lasting reminder of their favourite sleeping spot.
Of course, you love them anyway, but that doesn’t mean you need to give up and accept a house full of pet hair. You have options, like buying a good handheld vacuum.
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Why are handheld vacuums best for pet hair?
Traditional and robot vacuum cleaners are great, but let’s be honest, they don’t let you really get down into small corners or the small, dark crevices of your sofa. This is where handheld vacuums shine.
Handheld vacuums are ideal for pet hair because they’re generally small and lightweight, allowing you to walk around the house and attack any hairy spots you find without having to drag a heavy vacuum around with you. A small handheld vacuum can work great on your stairs, in your bedroom, or even in your car.
Some pet vacuums are also modern and stylishly designed so that you won’t even mind leaving them out around your home so that you can grab them whenever you need them. This is especially true if you get a handheld vacuum with a docking station. Handheld vacuums are also quieter than traditional vacuums, which means they’re less likely to scare your pets, and you’re more likely to use them.
Best of all is that many handheld vacuums are cordless and cost way less money than traditional cordless vacuums. This makes them even more convenient for your home and car. It also means you can use them on your clothes, too, because let’s be real, a handheld vacuum is way better than a lint roller at getting pet hair off your coat when you hang it up by the door.
What makes a vacuum cleaner good for pet hair?
If you’re shopping for a handheld vacuum that’s built to tackle pet hair, there are a few features you’ll want to consider:
Ergonomic design — You hold a handheld vacuum in your hands, which means you want to buy one that you can hold easily. Look for one that has an ergonomic handle so that you can hold and control it easily as you vacuum up your home.
Weight — The whole point of a handheld vacuum is portability, so when you’re shopping for a handheld vacuum, you want to make sure it’s lightweight and fits comfortably in your hand. Of course, everyone has a slightly different definition of what “lightweight” means, but in general, you want to make sure your arm doesn’t tire out faster than the battery.
Battery life — Unless you choose to go with a corded handheld vacuum, you’re going to want to pay close attention to battery life. Because most handheld vacuums are designed to be small, many of them can’t hold a charge for too long. But if your handheld vacuum loses battery quickly, you’ll find yourself constantly needing to recharge it, which can get frustrating very quickly. Some vacuums will even come with removable batteries, allowing you to swap out the battery if it starts to die, which allows your vacuum to last longer as a whole.
Suction power — It goes without saying, but a vacuum with weak suction is pretty useless, especially if you’re trying to clean up pet hair. So when you’re looking for a handheld vacuum, make sure you look for one with strong suction power.
Attachments — A good handheld vacuum won’t have just one tip. Instead, it will come with a variety of specialised tools to help you clean specific fabrics, crevices, or material types with ease. Look for handheld vacs with motorised brushes to pull pet hair up off fabric surfaces, crevice tools for your sofa cushions or crevices in your car seats, or pet hair brushes.
Warranties — Vacuums break, no matter how good they are. That’s why it’s always a great idea to get one with a warranty so that you can protect your investment and get it fixed if something goes wrong.
Storage — Some of the smaller handheld vacuums come with convenient charging docks so that you can easily store and keep them charged all in one place. The best docking stations will also have spots to stash all your vacuum attachments and accessories.
You’ll also want to think about things like price and design, but keeping these things in mind is a good place to start.
What is the best handheld vacuum for pet hair?
There are lots of vacuums on the market right now, so it can be tough to find “the one.” That’s why we’ve done the research for you and rounded up the very best vacuums you can buy today.
These are the best handheld vacuum cleaners for pet hair in 2022.