Best Cordless Vacuum for Pet Hair: Stick & Handheld Top 5 Picks

When you've picked out the type of vacuum that's going to do the best job for your situation, you can move on to the important considerations you want to keep in mind when you're looking at cordless vacuums. Your vacuum most likely won't have all of these features, but you can find one that has most of them.

Attachments

A lot of cordless upright vacuums come with optional attachments that can help you reach into all of the little nooks and crannies around your home. A hose attachment with a brush head can make it very easy to vacuum your stairs or your furniture.

Other useful attachments include a narrow suction head that will help you get into corners or between appliances, upholstery or drapery head and additional hose attachments that help you reach higher areas of your home.

Battery Run Time

Since this vacuum isn't plugged into a power source and it runs on battery power, you want to make sure that your vacuum gets enough run time out of a single charge so that you can complete your vacuuming. Unfortunately, it takes a larger battery to get a longer battery life, and this adds bulk and weight to your vacuum.

Most stick-style vacuums give you between 20 and 30 minutes of run time on a single charge, and this includes running a motor powered brush roll and having a good suction. You may want to look into models that come with two batteries so you have a backup you can swap out when the first one dies.

Brush Roll with Motor Power

Certain dog breeds have a rough layer of their fur, and this rough layer can wind around your carpet fibers and make it very hard to get out. If the vacuum's motor powers your vacuum's brush roll, it will work with the suction power to loosen and remove the stuck in pet hair.

Also, if it has motor power, it'll continuously agitate as long as the vacuum is on. This helps to loosen up any stuck in pet hair, and it doesn't require you to do anything but turn the vacuum on and run it over your carpet.

Charging Time

We mentioned that most cordless vacuums give you between 20 and 30 minutes of run time on a single charge, but how long does it take your vacuum's battery to charge? The last thing you want to do is get stuck when you're halfway done vacuuming because you ran out of battery.

Along with how long it takes your battery to charge, look for a quick charge feature. This can shorten your downtime, and it's great to have if you don't have a backup battery on hand when your vacuum's battery dies.

Docking Station

Your vacuum's docking station usually attaches to the wall, and this is how you charge and store your vacuum when you're not using it. A lot of these docking stations are compact, and you don't want something that sticks out from your wall.

Your docking station should be easy to assemble and put up, and it should also be easy to secure your vacuum to it when you want to charge it. This docking station should also be easy to remove from your wall if you're going to change the location as well.

Filtration System

An effective way to remove allergens and pet dander from your home when you vacuum is to buy a cordless vacuum with a good filtration system. In particular, HEPA filters can remove 99.97 percent of contaminants in the air, and this includes other contaminants up to 0.3 microns.

This filtration system can also pick up and filter out pet dander, and this can reduce the number of dust mites in your home because they feed on any leftover pet dander. These particles get stuck in the filters, and you can remove them from your home to increase your indoor air quality.

Lightweight Design

One of the biggest draws of buying a cordless vacuum is that they're usually more lightweight than corded models. This lightweight design makes them easier to maneuver and carry around your home.

You do want to check that the battery won't add a lot of extra weight, but you do want a more powerful battery so double check the weight. Also, check the attachment weight and how easy it is to carry upstairs.

Suction Power

Your vacuum has to have powerful suction to be able to pick up your pet's hair, and a cordless vacuum can be more limited than a corded one because it doesn't have as much power. You want a vacuum that has a higher battery voltage because this will determine how powerful the suction is.

The top cordless vacuums typically have batteries with voltages ranging from 20 to 25 volts, and the closer you get to 25 volts, the more suction power your vacuum will have. If your vacuum doesn't have enough suction, you can miss a lot of pet hair no matter how many times you vacuum.

This cordless vacuum comes in two different choices including a model with an extra battery. It uses wind tunnel technology that creates a powerful channel that helps the vacuum lift embedded pet hair, dirt, and debris.

You get an extreme recline handle that lets you quickly and easily get under your furniture without having to move it around. It also has edge cleaning bristles that scrub the carpets to get stuck-in debris as well as bristles that reach right to the walls and edges to get any caught pet hair.

This upright vacuum allows for multi-floor cleaning, and it's easy to switch between hardwood floors to carpets as you vacuum. There is a fuel gauge that alerts you when the battery is low, and it helps you keep track of how much time is remaining before you charge it.

People who bought this vacuum liked that it had edge bristles to allow them to get tight to the walls. They didn't like that they had problems with the warranty or that the charger didn't last over a year.

This slim vacuum features a very light and durable design that's easy to maneuver and use around your house. It has multi-flex technology that lets you reach under furniture, appliances, and in corners easily.

You'll get DuoClean technology, and this technology features two different brushes that reach deep into carpets and polishes hard flooring at the same time. You can purchase a second battery so you can upgrade your system and run your vacuum for twice as long without having to wait.

This vacuum converts to a handheld vacuum quickly and efficiently so you can vacuum the stairs or drapery or you can pick it up and take it with you. It comes with several accessories including a pet hair attachment, upholstery tool, duster crevice tool, and more.

People liked that this vacuum could convert from a stick vacuum to a handheld unit quickly and easily. They didn't like that the vacuum only comes with one battery and that you have to purchase a second battery if you want to upgrade it.

When you use this vacuum without the motorized tools, you can get up to 40 minutes of run time on a single charge. This vacuum has a versatile and lightweight design that conserves the battery and doesn't use it until you hit the instant release trigger.

The bristles are made out of a stiff nylon material, and they're designed to get deep down into your carpet fibers and remove stuck in pet hair. The entire vacuum has a HEPA filtration system that works to trap and hold dust, allergens, and pet hair, so you get a cleaner indoor air level.

You get a powerful V8 motor that works with the battery to create powerful suction and clean deep down in your carpet fibers. There is also a slightly larger collection bin that reduces the number of times you have to empty it.

People who bought this vacuum liked that it has stiff nylon bristles that drive down into their carpets for a deep clean. They didn't like that the charging port is located right where your hand naturally sits.