Vacuuming isn’t the most enjoyable of household chores and it’s even more of a pain when you have pets. Dog and cat hair loves to work its way deep into your carpets and upholstery and you often need to vacuum over the same area several times to really get rid of it.
Best Cordless Vacuum for Pet Hair
- Black & Decker 27 WH Pet Dustbuster
- Bissell Pet Hair Eraser
- Vax Gator Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
- Dyson V7 Animal Cordless Handheld Vacuum
A number of manufacturers are now making vacuums that are designed specifically for removing fur which is good news for pet owners. Most people with cats and dogs find that their pets tend to hang out in the same areas all day. Sofas, staircases and window sills are popular spots for our furry friends and we don’t always want to have to drag out the vacuum cleaner every time we need to remove a patch of pet hair.
That’s where the Best Cordless Vacuum for Pet Hair come in. It’s a lot easier to just whip out one of these small gadgets and quickly clean your pet’s favourite snooze spot. Cordless vacs are also great for using in your car or on stairs where it can be especially difficult to manoeuvre heavy vacuum cleaners and negotiate electrical leads.
I’ve tested out a number of the most popular cordless vacuums, looking specifically at how well they pick up pet hair from a variety of different surfaces. I’ve weighed up the pros and cons of each one and evaluated this against the price of each unit to figure out which is the best cordless vacuum for pet hair removal.
Black & Decker 27 WH Pet Dustbuster
When it comes to vacuuming, pet hair is quite different from most other debris and that’s why specialist products are sometimes necessary for dealing with fuzz.
Black & Deckers’s mid-price Pet Dustbuster is a rechargeable, cordless vac which is specifically designed for this task. This nifty little machine is lightweight and easily manoeuvrable around small spaces, picking up even embedded pet hairs from all kinds of hard and soft surfaces.
The cordless dust buster will run for up to fifteen minutes and can be recharged in four hours. It has a wide mouth design for general use and a detachable pet hair head which is great for collecting cat and dog hair. The unit also comes with a flip-out brush tool for corners and small spaces.
There are lots of things I like about this gadget. First off it looks good. The purple and grey design has a cute paw print on the front and it’s small enough to sit unobtrusively in a corner or on a countertop while charging.
I also like that the display on the machine lets you know how much battery is left and doesn’t just cut out or shut down like some other cordless vacs. It weighs just over 2 lbs and is one of the lightest dustbusters you can buy.
The transparent dustbowl lets you see just how much hair you are picking up and I was surprised how much it collected in just a short space of time. My cushions, sofa and rug were noticeably cleaner after use and the results were better than with a normal vacuum cleaner.
Black and Decker’s smart filter lets you know when it needs to be cleaned and doing so is really easy. You simply unscrew the filter which takes just seconds, pull out the debris and rinse the filter under running water. The dustbowl is also simple to empty and can also be rinsed.
Black and Decker’s Dustbuster is also suitable for use in your car, although the lack of a hose attachment might make it tricky to get into small spaces and under seats.
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back to menu ↑Bissell Pet Hair Eraser
Bissell’s mid-price pet hair eraser is a compact and lightweight cordless vac which uses a motorised felt brush roll to pull and suck pet hair off all kinds of surfaces. This little vac is purposely designed for pet hair and gives you 230 volts of power and a run time of up to 15 minutes.
The unit comes with a detachable motorised foot for pet hair along with an upholstery nozzle which gives you enhanced suction on soft furnishings and a crevice tool for getting into small spaces.
Bissell’s clear dirt container shows you when it needs to be emptied and doing so is really simple. You just click and twist the dustbowl and empty it into your bin. You can also remove and clean the filters easily which gives the machine a longer life and helps to keep it working at top performance.
I used the Bissell on my sofa and armchairs and I also gave it a run around the car. The felt brush design is extremely effective, picking up even the tiniest embedded hair, although you may find that you have to go over the same area a couple of times to pick everything up.
While I was delighted with the results on both my interior and car upholstery, I did find it a little tricky to get into small spaces in the car. It ran for about 10 minutes before it began to lose power.
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back to menu ↑Vax Gator Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Vax’s mid-range cordless vac is another purpose-built gadget, designed to lift pet hair and other debris from a range of surfaces. This cordless, rechargeable unit gives you 18 volts of power and can run for up to 20 minutes on it’s lowest setting. It comes with a crevice tool for use in tight spaces and a motorised stair tool.
The Vax is cleverly designed and looks good. A really nice design feature is the fact that you can empty the dustbowl through the mouth of the cleaner without having to unscrew or dismantle any part of the machine. You simply hold the cleaner over your bin, press the dirt release button and shake the unit slightly.
The Vax Gator started off with good suction power but I found that within just a few minutes, this started to wane. At 4 lbs, this dustbuster is on the weighty side and it does start to feel heavy in your hands after you’ve been using it for a while.
It didn’t take long for the filter to clog up, and I had to clear this on its very first use which I didn’t expect. That said, it’s very easy to release the filter and to clean and replace it.
The Vax Gator Pet Cordless Vacuum cleaner comes in two colour options; Silver & Black or Orange & White. It is available on Amazon and from a number of high street retailers.
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back to menu ↑Dyson V7 Animal Cordless Handheld Vacuum
I was very excited to try Dyson’s V7 Animal as this little unit has quite the reputation!
First off, the V7 is very different from the other cordless vacs I’ve reviewed above. This is a stick model which you use in a similar way to a standard vacuum cleaner.
A big advantage of this design is that you can easily operate the vac standing up and there’s no need to get down on your hands and knees in order to get under sofas and coffee tables etc.
The V7 packs a real punch. You operate it by holding down a trigger on the handle and it gives you two power options. At regular power, the machine will run for a solid 20 minutes but it also has a max power option and if you select this, you’ll only get 6 minutes from your battery.
I was extremely impressed by the power and performance of this cordless vac. It did an incredible job on carpets, upholstery and cushions. I used the Max Power setting on dog bedding where it lifted virtually all the hair. But where this unit really excels is on the staircase.
The unit is so light and easy to manoeuvre and the solid stick design means that you can easily vacuum steps without having to bend down or twist into awkward positions. It’s ergonomically designed and easy to hold and carry. When you do need to get into small spaces, you can easily remove the wand (or stick) and use this as you would any other cordless vacuum.
The Dyson V7 comes with a small floor head for stairs as well as a crevice tool, and hard and soft brushes for upholstery and other soft furnishings.
This really is a premium priced product and entails a significant investment. However, the price of the V7 really is justified by the performance of the unit. You can use this gadget for a whole range of cleaning chores around the house so it’s more than just a pet hair vacuum. It performs really well, doesn’t clog and it is very simple to empty.
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back to menu ↑The Verdict
One cordless pet vac stood out head and shoulders above the rest of the products that I tried out. The Dyson V7 really was a dream to use and did an absolutely brilliant job everywhere I used it. However, the price of this vacuum is prohibitively expensive for a lot of people. That’s why I am going to give Bissell’s pet hair eraser a very close second.
The Bissell does a great job at removing the vast majority of pet hair from all kinds of surfaces around your home for less than half the price of the Dyson V7 with the added benefit of being small enough and light enough to use anywhere in your home or vehicle.
back to menu ↑Buyers’ Guide for Cordless Pet Hair Vacuums
There are a number of things to look for when choosing a cordless pet hair vacuum.
As well as the obvious things like battery life, power and warranty you need to be aware of a few important aspects of these specialised cleaners. I’ve outlined these below:
Filter
The filter of a pet hair vacuum should be robust and able to handle long and short hair. Chances are that at some point, particularly if you have long haired pets, the filter on your cordless pet vacuum will become blocked That’s why you should look for a vac with a filter that is easy to remove, clean and replace. Avoid models which require you to dismantle the unit to take out the filter.
Easy emptying
Since cordless vacs have small dustbowls, you will have to empty yours regularly. Choose a model that’s quick and simple to empty. Most cordless vacs will release the dustbowl at the touch of a button and some even let you empty out the stored dirt through the mouth of the cleaner. Beware of units with cheap plastic clasps and fastenings which could crack or break after a while.
Attachments
The majority of cordless vacs come with a selection of attachments for carrying out various tasks. A crevice attachment is a valuable aid for removing pet hair, particularly when you are cleaning upholstery or in your car.
Flexibility for different household tasks
Chances are, you’ll want to use your cordless vacs for other tasks in the house as well as for cleaning up pet hair. Choose a model that is easy to carry and manoeuvre and which won’t cause discomfort if you use it for prolonged periods of time. If you plan on using your cordless pet vac in the car, make sure that you choose a model that will let you reach under seats and into small spaces within your vehicle.
I hope that these product reviews and my tips help you to pick the best pet hair vacuum for your home.
Enjoy!
