To that end, we highly recommend that you pick up a handheld vacuum. Lightweight, portable, and easy to use, handheld vacuums allow you to move around the house and clean up any spot that you happen to find hairs in.
In this article - The best handheld vacuum for pet hair: Best products of this year, we'll explore a few great models that we think are worth buying in 2022.
1. Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+
The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is our top pick for one reason: it works excellently on both bare surfaces as well as carpeting.
Suction power is strong enough to reach deep into carpet piling and pull out stray hair strands. We have tested it on high-pile carpets and the UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ still managed to deliver. The result is quite surprising, considering the size of the vacuum.
The design, as expected from a handheld vacuum, is lightweight. Shark has made sure to design the body so that it is slim enough to reach into hard-to-access corners.
It is a cordless vacuum, so you can bring it along and clean anywhere without having to worry about finding an outlet. When to replace carpet nutes before running dry. Afterward, it takes 2-3 hours to recharge.
Another concern about this vacuum is that it doesn’t come with a HEPA filter. This can be a deal-breaker for people with allergies.
Despite having a few flaws of its one, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is still a great vacuum worth getting, especially if you have a lot of carpets around the house. Besides cleaning it up, the vacuum will also help your carpets last longer (for more information, check out this article on “How long does carpet last?”)
2. BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Handheld Vacuum (BDH2000PL)
The BLACK+DECKER (BDH2000PL) handheld vacuum has a very special design. It comes with a 200° pivoting nozzle, giving you better flexibility as you clean. With it, you can pull hair from small corners, reach onto tall shelves, and clean up the underside of furniture with greater ease.
In terms of performance, you have nothing to worry about here. The BDH2000PL has good enough suction to be able to pick up pet hair without needing any extra tool.
The vacuum itself is lightweight, weighing only around 3 pounds. It is also very compact. The body can be folded up for easier storage once you’re done vacuuming.
It is a cordless vacuum but, unfortunately, similar to the Shark UltarCyclone Pet Pro+, it is hobbled by a short 10-minute battery life. Once the battery runs dry, you will have to plug it in for 2-3 hours to return it to full charge.
3. Dyson Humdinger
The Dyson Humdinger — like every other Dyson products — is a costly investment. However, if you have the cash to spare, it is easily the best handheld vacuum for pet hair that you can possibly buy right now.
Lightweight, super portable, and has excellent suction performance against every kind of dirt and debris (pet hair included). The Humdinger can clean on bare surfaces like hardwood and laminate floors as well as carpeted floors.
The vacuum weighs 2.1 pounds, so you’ll be able to carry it around the house with ease.
It is cordless, of course, and comes with two performance modes. The default cleaning mode will give you over 30 minutes of clean-time. This mode is well-suited for cleaning bare floors and tidying up the beddings of your pets. For more intensive tasks like cleaning carpets and rugs, a MAX mode is available. It will ramp up the suction power significantly. However, the battery can only sustain MAX mode for around 10 minutes.
One drawback that we observed with the Humdinger is that it has a relatively small dust cup. You will have to empty it quite often.
4. Shark Rocket Pet Pro IZ163H
The Shark Rocket Pet Pro IZ163H is actually a stick vacuum. However, when needed, you can snap off the long suction wand and convert it into a handheld vacuum.
When it is in handheld configuration, the IZ163H is very light (around 3.4 pounds). While it is not as light as vacuums like the Dyson Humdinger, the weight is still good enough that it shouldn’t pose an issue when it comes to portability.
Performance is very good. We recorded excellent cleaning efficacy on bare floors. The vacuum sucked up every trace of pet hair. The IZ163H performs just as well on carpeting, sucking up every piece of pet hair on our low-pile and high-pile carpets.
The Shark Rocket Pet Pro IZ163H is a cordless vacuum. It has multiple cleaning modes. In the default power setting, the battery can last for up to 40 minutes. If you need some extra power (for cleaning carpets), you can set the vacuum to MAX mode to get a suction boost. In return, total battery life will be reduced to around 10 minutes.
5. Bissell Pet Hair Eraser, 33A1
This is a very old handheld vacuum. But old doesn’t mean it’s no longer gold. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser 33A1 still holds up very well in 2022.
Cleaning performance is excellent. It is the reason why Bissell still sells the 33A1 today. The suction produced by the 33A1 can sweep up pet hair in a jiffy, even from thick carpets.
The vacuum weighs 5 pounds in total, which is quite heavy for a handheld vacuum. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t impede your movement around the house. What sets this vacuum apart from the rest of the models on this list is that it is a corded vacuum. The 33A1 comes attached with a 16-foot power cord. You’ll have to be mindful of where you go and always search for outlets, which is definitely annoying and inconvenient.
However, we think that the performance it offers in return and the very budget-friendly price will make it a good purchase if you’re looking for an affordable pet hair vacuum.
Conclusion
These are our top 5 selections for this year’s best handheld vacuums for pets! Whichever model you end up choosing, we’re certain that they’ll keep your home clean and all of your pet’s shedding under control.
Up for some extra reading? The next article on the queue is: When to replace carpet