“Warm and fuzzy” should describe the feelings our pets give us, not the look they give to our homes. Yet pet owners often find their houses full of animals’ warm fuzzies. In addition to being a nuisance and aesthetically unsightly, hair and dander that often accompanies it can trigger allergic reactions. Vacuuming to remove this hair is the most efficient solution, but only if you have a vacuum that can handle the burden. Finding vacuums that effectively remove pet hair is a difficult task, but after so much research on the topic, we’ve learned a few things about what users need, as well as what products can deliver.
Why Is Vacuuming So Important?
The most common advice given when seeking to manage pet hair allergies (outside of “hypoallergenic” or dander-free pets), is to manage the buildup of hair and dander.
Vacuuming is preferable to other forms of cleaning like sweeping because it contains the particles being moved around. Sweeping, if done haphazardly, can remove some particles while recirculating others into the air; once in the air, they’re more likely to be inhaled and trigger allergic reactions. By vacuuming up the offending particles instead, you lower the risk of them being redistributed into the air. What other considerations should you make when seeking out a good vacuum for pet hair?
Consistent and Powerful Suction
Those vacuuming often are already aware of the quantity of hair and dander that can accumulate in a short time. A vacuum is useless if it can’t handle the volume it needs to pick up. The best way to do this is to have a machine powerful enough to generate consistent suction. Subpar vacuum performance is, more often than not, a sign that the suction power is insufficient.
Many manufacturers are designing vacuums with cyclonic air movement, allowing hair to be pulled from deep within carpet fibers. One way to determine how a vacuum might perform: See if it has a turbohead or a powerhead. The former is driven primarily by air movement, while the latter has supplemental motor power that adds extra oomph to heighten suction.
HEPA-Certified Air Filtration
Certified HEPA filters remove 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns in size. This statistic is notable because it includes common allergens like dust and pollen, but also includes airborne threats like cigarette smoke, and even bacteria and viruses. Needless to say, their power is much appreciated in the fight against allergens.
With that said, do not overlook the difference between certified filters, and ones created in the HEPA style. HEPA certification pertains to the relationship that a filter has with its casing. Without airtight construction, hair and dander could be spewed back into the air, reversing the safety it just created. Make sure, if HEPA filtration is high on your list, that your machine is labeled “HEPA certified or true HEPA.
Easy-to-Use Attachments
A litany of attachments can appear attractive when you buy a vacuum, but think about how effective they’ll be against pet hair. Choose attachments that will serve you well as you seek to remove hair from your home. Flat attachments to help reach under couches, and angled ones to reach around corners or into tight spaces, will serve you far better than bristled brushes for this particular purpose.
Surface-Based Performance
Does the vacuum you have in mind have to perform on a combination of surfaces, or one? Hair removal from wood, tile, and carpet is different. If you have multiple types of terrain in your home, your device should be able to perform on each of them. Further, if you plan to use this machine for more than just pet hair, it should be able to accomplish other tasks admirably for you to buy it.
Surface-based performance can be tied to the overall weight of the machine. Many believe that tough terrain like thick or lush carpeting requires a heavy vacuum to address soil effectively, but we are seeing more powerful vacuums that are incredibly light, to boot. You can get high performance from a device without it having to exhaust you as you use it.
You can win the battle against pet hair in your home with the right vacuum on your side. As you select your perfect machine, an eye toward effective filtration, powerful suction, surface-based performance, and the right assistance through attachments can set you up to breathe easy in every room of your home.