There's been a large increase in demand for new pets, but whether you have a new "pandemic puppy" or you've had a furry companion for years, you probably also know about shedding and pet hair.
The testers at Consumer Reports did some digging to find out which vacuums are more purr-fect for picking up pet hair than others.
Kira Delaney and her husband adore the puppy they got at the start of the pandemic - but they don't love the fur he leaves behind."A lot of his fur gets kind of pushed into the corner, whether it's from the fan or us just moving around, so we have to be very mindful of kind of catching all the fur,” Delaney said.
If your dog or cat is sharing more than just unconditional love, Consumer Reports testers have found out the vacuums that will do the best job getting your furry friend's fur off the floors.
How do they do it? Testers embed measured amounts of Maine Coon cat fur into medium pile carpet, using a heavy metal roller.
"We use Maine Coon Cat fur because it's long and thick and has a clingy quality that makes it difficult for our test vacuums to pick up,” said Alex Nasrallah, Consumer Reports Engineer.
Each test vacuum is run over the fur until it is gone. The best ones remove it using fewer strokes, and the remaining fur that's left in the brush is weighed.
"Poor performers get the fur caught up in the brush roll, or will leave it behind on the carpet,” Nasrallah explained. Here are some of CR's top performers.
For uprights, consider the Dyson Ball Animal 2. It is bag-less and excels at picking up pet hair and dust. The Miele canister gets excellent ratings for picking up pet hair and cleaning bare floors. It is among the best of the tested models at containing dust particles.
The Shark APEX UpLight Liftaway is a corded stick vacuum that does an excellent job lifting pet hair from carpeting. It has a built-in mechanism that helps to remove hair from the brush roll, and it's good for couch cushions where your furry friend might hang out.
