6 days ago
56
Having pets is one of the best things in life. A cute little guy who’s forced to live with (and love) me? Sign me up. One downside, though, is the constant shedding. Fur is particularly tough to clean up. If it’s short and coarse, like my cat Basil’s, it gets easily embedded in fabrics and carpet; if it’s long and fluffy like my cat Clover’s, it flies away to accumulate in hard-to-reach corners. But whatever your situation, there’s a vac for that!
The technology has improved by leaps and bounds in the past two decades, and vacuums come in all shapes and sizes. I and a few of my pet-owning colleagues have tested a ton of vacuums—from traditional corded models to cordless, handheld, robotic, and even 2-in-1 vac/mop combos—to find out which ones are best at sucking up fur and dander.
We recommend our favorites here, but we’re continually testing more, so check back often. And be sure to check out our related guides, like the Best Hand Vacuums, Best Dyson Vacuums, and Best Robot Vacuums.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.
I tested these pet hair vacuums for a week if not more (I’ve been using both the Dyson cordless and handheld for months now), and I’ve used them on nearly every surface in my house—including the cat trees and behind my two cats’ litter box. When testing began, I lived in a large house with three cats and a dog (more hair in a larger area), and for the latter half of testing, I lived with two cats in a small apartment (slightly less hair in a smaller area with less places for hair to hide).
I also tested every attachment on problem areas like carpeted stairs, crevi...
English (US)