Best vacuum for lots of cat hair?

[Lauran75]

So the bagless vacuum we received as a wedding present is just NOT doing the job. I tried vacuuming our living room the other day, and had to completely empty the canister 3x. This was after my husband had taken it apart to clean out some of the hoses (as in, unscrewing stuff and disassembling a few weeks prior.)  The carpet still was not free of cat hair.

So, are there any vacuums out there which can handle a high volume of cat hair, and not require being disassembled and cleaned out in order to fully function?

We were thinking about getting a refurbished or used Rainbow, but haven't been able to find a really good deal on one yet (Craigslist, etc.) and aren't sure if that would be the best option.

It would be awesome if it worked on different types of carpeting too. The carpet in our bedroom and the living room is the same type and can be vacuumed with our current vacuum (when it isn't clogged up), but the carpet in the office and the bathroom (yes, I know - something we plan on redoing at some point) is a type that can pretty much only  be cleaned by sweeping with a broom.

[Lis]

I bought this guy when my old hand-me-down vacuum died, and I'm pleased with it. I have two cats, one short hair, but the other is the fluffiest beast you've ever met with an extremely thick coat that sheds like crazy (his vet is even perplexed by it). He's also white, and I have mostly dark carpeting and furniture, so I end up vacuuming a lot. I think this one does really well on both cat fur and litter.

I empty it after every use and I clean the bottom of the brush at least every other use... but between the cat fur and my long hair (sometimes I swear I shed as much as the cat), I want that cleaned out. My one wish was that it was cordless, but my home is small enough that I can get almost everywhere with the central outlet.

Edited to add a picture of the fur beast in question participating in an almost daily ritual.

[Lauran75]

Thanks! I was looking at Shark Navigators, but wasn't sure if they'd really be up to the job. I hadn't seen this particular one though.

[FireHiker]

We've actually had good success with our Dyson animal vac, although I assume someone will chime in opposed to the expense of a Dyson. We bought it back in early 2008 (long, LONG before MMM and FIRE discovery, but we did you a 20% of coupon at Bed, Bath, Beyond before they were excluded). We've made a couple minor (under $50 in parts) repairs over the years, but 9 years later and it is still going strong. It has outlived my long-haired cat, sadly, but I do still have a short-hair cat. (edited because I accidentally posted while I was typing...)

[startingsmall]

Thanks! I was looking at Shark Navigators, but wasn't sure if they'd really be up to the job. I hadn't seen this particular one though.

We have a Shark Navigator Professional and LOOOOVE it. Definitely my favorite vacuum I've ever had. And we have a cat and a very thick-coated 100-lb German Shepherd, so it gets a LOT of use!

[Vibrissae]

I have three cats and the same Shark as Lis does--it's pretty good! I usually do the whole (small) house at one go, and I have to empty the vacuum about once per (carpeted) room, so it would be nice if the container was a little bigger. I love how light and maneuverable it is, though.

[Mr. Green]

If you like surfaces that aren't carpet, and are willing to DIY, you can lay laminate flooring for several hundred square feet for less than a Dyson vacuum cleaner. We took the carpet out of our common areas a couple years after we moved in and cat hair clean up is now a a 5 minute task.

[Cali Nonya]

Very un-mustashian, but I have had a lot of success with the Roomba's for cat hair.  Constant dumping of the catchment and cleaning the filters / brushes; but since it runs daily, my place stays pretty clean.

And it's kind of like a pet, since every now and again you have to go through the house calling for it ....

[Lauran75]

If you like surfaces that aren't carpet, and are willing to DIY, you can lay laminate flooring for several hundred square feet for less than a Dyson vacuum cleaner. We took the carpet out of our common areas a couple years after we moved in and cat hair clean up is now a a 5 minute task.

My DH does not want to DIY flooring. We plan to get rid of all the carpet at some point. Until then, we are saving for new flooring, and need a way to keep the carpets relatively clean. I'd be happy to try DIY - his main objection is he doesn't want it to look bad if we screw it up.

[Lauran75]

Very un-mustashian, but I have had a lot of success with the Roomba's for cat hair.  Constant dumping of the catchment and cleaning the filters / brushes; but since it runs daily, my place stays pretty clean.

And it's kind of like a pet, since every now and again you have to go through the house calling for it ....

I've been salivating over the off brand one of those (still, $429 ...)

[Lauran75]

Thanks! I was looking at Shark Navigators, but wasn't sure if they'd really be up to the job. I hadn't seen this particular one though.

We have a Shark Navigator Professional and LOOOOVE it. Definitely my favorite vacuum I've ever had. And we have a cat and a very thick-coated 100-lb German Shepherd, so it gets a LOT of use!

I have three cats and the same Shark as Lis does--it's pretty good! I usually do the whole (small) house at one go, and I have to empty the vacuum about once per (carpeted) room, so it would be nice if the container was a little bigger. I love how light and maneuverable it is, though.

It's sounding like Shark may be the way to go.

We've actually had good success with our Dyson animal vac, although I assume someone will chime in opposed to the expense of a Dyson. We bought it back in early 2008 (long, LONG before MMM and FIRE discovery, but we did you a 20% of coupon at Bed, Bath, Beyond before they were excluded). We've made a couple minor (under $50 in parts) repairs over the years, but 9 years later and it is still going strong. It has outlived my long-haired cat, sadly, but I do still have a short-hair cat. (edited because I accidentally posted while I was typing...)

I've heard such mixed reviews on Dyson's. I had a Hoover that I bought in 1997, replace the belt on once, and then finally let it go in 2016 - mainly because I couldn't find bags for it anymore. Of course, I only had at the most two cats during that time period.

[Aggie1999]

Bought my mom a shark a few years ago. She likes it. With the Shark's you can get a model with a powered head. When reviewing vacuums I was surprised to find out a lot of high end ones (Dyson, etc) don't have a powered brush in the head.

As for a Roomba, you can be very Mustachian on those. They are not the most reliable so you can pick up a broken one on Craigslist for cheap. All the parts can be obtained on ebay. I bought a 500 series unit 7 or so years ago for $75 with a couple of the virtual walls. Think a $20 part off ebay fixed the issue. Been working fine since with light use. Expect to replace the battery every few years.

[Lauran75]

Bought my mom a shark a few years ago. She likes it. With the Shark's you can get a model with a powered head. When reviewing vacuums I was surprised to find out a lot of high end ones (Dyson, etc) don't have a powered brush in the head.

As for a Roomba, you can be very Mustachian on those. They are not the most reliable so you can pick up a broken one on Craigslist for cheap. All the parts can be obtained on ebay. I bought a 500 series unit 7 or so years ago for $75 with a couple of the virtual walls. Think a $20 part off ebay fixed the issue. Been working fine since with light use. Expect to replace the battery every few years.

What do you mean by "powered head"?

Are there online fix it guides for Roomba's?

[Lis]

Sharks are pretty good. I forget what powerful "kick ass" vacuum my mom used to have, but it weighed a ton and was always a hassle to carry out. She bought a Shark on a whim, figuring she'd use it to do some light vacuuming during the week and let my dad do the heavy lifting vacuuming on the weekend, but the ended up using it pretty much exclusively. The one I linked is super lightweight and easy to maneuver.

My mom got a Shark for pet hair (looks similar to the one I have) but was maybe $30 more... says she doesn't notice a difference between that one and the one I have now.

[Lauran75]

Sharks are pretty good. I forget what powerful "kick ass" vacuum my mom used to have, but it weighed a ton and was always a hassle to carry out. She bought a Shark on a whim, figuring she'd use it to do some light vacuuming during the week and let my dad do the heavy lifting vacuuming on the weekend, but the ended up using it pretty much exclusively. The one I linked is super lightweight and easy to maneuver.

My mom got a Shark for pet hair (looks similar to the one I have) but was maybe $30 more... says she doesn't notice a difference between that one and the one I have now.

Lightweight sounds good to me. :)

[Lauran75]

I found a refurbished Shark on Walmart for $119. I have a $50 Walmart gift card from a gpt site, and will earn Swagbucks back for the purchase. Sweet.

Thank you everyone!

[going2ER]

Does anyone have any experience with the Shark hand held vacs? We don't have carpet, but I do frequently, almost daily, vacuum the sofa and need something new that takes up the cat hair. I do brush my cats and one even likes to be vacuumed, however, they still shed like demons.

[Lis]

Does anyone have any experience with the Shark hand held vacs? We don't have carpet, but I do frequently, almost daily, vacuum the sofa and need something new that takes up the cat hair. I do brush my cats and one even likes to be vacuumed, however, they still shed like demons.

Not a separate hand held piece all together, but everything is right in the handle of the one I have (the long neck and head of the vacuum easily come off), and it came with a bajillion different pieces (including one that looks like it's for a keyboard?), including a smaller head that's great for the couch.

[katstache92]

I have the LG Kompressor Total Care vacuum.  It's awesome.

It's easy to empty and I don't have to do it too much.  I have a heavy shedder too and it takes care of the cat hair.

It also has a power spinning head although it's not my favorite tool, it requires a lot of cleaning.

It survived falling down a flight of stairs (I survived too, no Darwin award for me on that one, phew.)

Although, I just checked amazon and the reviews are no longer stellar.  So maybe I just got lucky and didn't get a dud.

[Aggie1999]

Bought my mom a shark a few years ago. She likes it. With the Shark's you can get a model with a powered head. When reviewing vacuums I was surprised to find out a lot of high end ones (Dyson, etc) don't have a powered brush in the head.

As for a Roomba, you can be very Mustachian on those. They are not the most reliable so you can pick up a broken one on Craigslist for cheap. All the parts can be obtained on ebay. I bought a 500 series unit 7 or so years ago for $75 with a couple of the virtual walls. Think a $20 part off ebay fixed the issue. Been working fine since with light use. Expect to replace the battery every few years.

What do you mean by "powered head"?

Are there online fix it guides for Roomba's?

By "powered head" I mean an actual motor that turned the brush in the vacuuming head. From what I read when I bought the vacuum, most Dysons and some of the Shark models only turned the brush with the air suction.

On the Roomba's, there are a few active forums with discussions, fixes, etc.

[Rosy]

Another vote for the Dyson Animal. We had an old canister vac from Sears before that and the difference was phenomenal!

This will sound like a commercial, but I had literally vacuumed the day before with the old canister vac when I tried out my new Dyson Animal. First go around the entire chamber filled up with Siamese cat hair - I had to empty the canister after finishing only two rooms!

Highly recommend - that thing has soo much suction, if you got critters, that is the one to get.

Got it on sale at Target incl attachments about six years ago, still going strong, no issues at all.

[Lauran75]

Bought my mom a shark a few years ago. She likes it. With the Shark's you can get a model with a powered head. When reviewing vacuums I was surprised to find out a lot of high end ones (Dyson, etc) don't have a powered brush in the head.

As for a Roomba, you can be very Mustachian on those. They are not the most reliable so you can pick up a broken one on Craigslist for cheap. All the parts can be obtained on ebay. I bought a 500 series unit 7 or so years ago for $75 with a couple of the virtual walls. Think a $20 part off ebay fixed the issue. Been working fine since with light use. Expect to replace the battery every few years.

What do you mean by "powered head"?

Are there online fix it guides for Roomba's?

By "powered head" I mean an actual motor that turned the brush in the vacuuming head. From what I read when I bought the vacuum, most Dysons and some of the Shark models only turned the brush with the air suction.

On the Roomba's, there are a few active forums with discussions, fixes, etc.

Thanks for the explanation!

[Cali Nonya]

If there is someone interested in an older roomba that just needs a battery PM me.  I was gifted a new one, and my older one (which works other than old battery) is just taking up space.  360 model.

[FireHiker]

Another vote for the Dyson Animal. We had an old canister vac from Sears before that and the difference was phenomenal!

This will sound like a commercial, but I had literally vacuumed the day before with the old canister vac when I tried out my new Dyson Animal. First go around the entire chamber filled up with Siamese cat hair - I had to empty the canister after finishing only two rooms!

Highly recommend - that thing has soo much suction, if you got critters, that is the one to get.

Got it on sale at Target incl attachments about six years ago, still going strong, no issues at all.

That was exactly my experience the first time I tried our Dyson, although I vacuumed with my old vacuum first, and then the Dyson right after, not even a day between. My older vacuum wasn't even particularly bad, but I was moving in with DH (then-fiance at the time), and he insisted on the Dyson since I had cats. I was amazed to see how much more it got out of the carpet. I didn't think it was necessary, but he had just put new carpeting in at his place and wanted the fancy vacuum. Rosy, if you have any issues with it, you can find replacement parts pretty inexpensively online. We had a few things that needed to be repaired, maybe around 6-7 year in? Nothing major, and easily fixable.

[Lauran75]

My Shark arrived on Saturday. I put it together and used it for the first time on Sunday. I am in LOVE with it. It was able to clean ALL the different types of carpet in our house. I had to empty the canister thing 5 or 6 times... but it was so simple to do. Then cleaning the beater bar - so simple! So ingenious!

I love how light it is too - will have to get used to not leaving it alone though, because it will fall over due to being top heavy. My DH when he saw it after I'd put it away was puzzled as to where the top of it was. lol :)

The one thing I wish was that there was a place to store the two accessories. I'm afraid they're going to get lost.