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 couch, and collecting as little dust bunnies on your wood floor. Heck, there’s probably even a pet hair circle on your bed, a lasting reminder of their favorite 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 hand vacuum.
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 couch. That’s what hand vacuums are for.
Hand 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 hand vac 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 hand vacuum with a docking station.
Hand 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 hand 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 hand 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 vac that’s built to tackle pet hair, there are a few features you’ll want to consider:
Ergonomic design: You hold a hand 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 hand vacuum is portability, so when you’re shopping for a hand 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 hand vacuum, you’re going to want to pay close attention to battery life. Because most hand vacuums are designed to be small, many of them can’t hold a charge for too long. But if your hand 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 hand vacuum, make sure you look for one with strong suction power.
Attachments: A good handheld vac won’t have just one tip. Instead, it will come with a variety of specialized tools to help you clean specific fabrics, crevices, or material types with ease. Look for handheld vacs with motorized brushes to pull pet hair up off fabric surfaces, crevice tools for your couch 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.
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. Here are our picks for the best handheld vacuums for pet hair:
via Tingle Tech