Vacuums – Removing Pet Hair & Dirt

Picture of person vacuuming a hardwood floor

We love sharing our homes with our beloved pets. Many of us look forward to curling up on the sofa with Fido, a cup of tea, and a good book as a reward after a long, hard day. But as much as we cherish our furry companions, we don’t love the mess that sometimes comes with them. Keeping on top of pet hair and dirt can be very challenging, but with the right tools, the job doesn’t have to be painful for us.

The Problem of Pet Hair
Pet hair can be a real problem for us since it seems to stick to everything! Wire-coated breeds, in particular, shed a type of coat that acts almost like a needle and embeds itself in fabric surfaces making it very difficult to unearth.

Flooring is also an area that attracts much pet hair. Whether your home is carpeted or contains hardwood, tile, or laminate, pet hair is prone to accumulate there. On carpeted surfaces, it weaves its way into the carpet fibers, and on tile or laminate, it creates hairballs and dust bunnies for us to contend with!

Still, the mess is but a little inconvenience for the joy we receive from our treasured companions.

Dastardly Dirt!
Since our furry friends spend a lot of their time enjoying the outdoors, they are bound to bring dirt and debris into our homes. This is particularly problematic during changing seasons like fall and spring when the earth is wet.

Have you ever let a white dog out into the backyard only to get a brown one back? Dogs love mud! They love mud puddles, and they love digging in dirt. The joy they get just from playing in it brings a smile to our faces.

But when they come inside, that dirt has to find some place to settle, and it’s usually on our furniture and flooring.

What’s the solution?
The best solution for dealing with pet hair and dirt is a vacuum. Brooms can provide some alleviation from the mess, but because the action of sweeping causes static electricity, it can be very difficult to get it all off the floor and into the garbage. A lot of the time, we get a little bit of it and spread the rest around!

Vacuums are the best option for removing dirt and debris that our pets bring into our homes. In recent years, many companies have developed vacuum cleaners with the challenges of pet messes in mind.

Among some of the best brands available today for dealing with pet hair and dirt are:

Shark
Dyson (animal models come in both upright and canister varieties)
Bissell
Electrolux
Dirt Devil
iRobot Roomba
Each of these brands has models designed to help unearth even the most stubborn pet hair. Dyson, in particular, boasts of vacuums with powerful motors that never lose suction.

All of these options are available in a variety of styles and price points to suit any budget. Among pet owners’ favourite models are the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Vacuum, the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Lift Off 20874 Vacuum, the Electrolux UltraPower Studio, Model EL3020A, and the Shark Navigator Deluxe NV42.

In your search for the perfect vacuum, there are many things to consider. One of the most important features that helps in the battle against pet hair is a vacuum that will easily fit into tight spaces. Since most hairballs and dirt collect in corners, it is critical that you choose vacuum whose head can maneuver into more challenging areas to pick up as much hair as possible.

Not all vacuums are created equally, and if you are like most homeowners, the flooring in your home varies by type from room to room. This is also a consideration in the vacuum you ultimately choose. You want a high performance vacuum that does well on all types of flooring. Canister vacuums can be ideal for this as they come with additional attachments to allow for navigating difference surfaces. They also have the added bonus of longer hoses for use in vacuuming out couch crevices and wall baseboards.

Other features to look for are models that are light which makes them easier to cart up and down stairs and vacuums that are easy to empty and clean.

Other cleaning options
There are other things that you can do to help minimize pet messes in your home. One of the key things you can do to reduce hair buildup is to maintain your pet’s grooming. Whether you choose to take your pet to a professional groomer as needed or to brush your pet on a daily basis, it will help immeasurably to cut down on the amount of additional hair that sticks to walls, clothes, flooring, and furniture.

Dryer sheets can be used to pick up hair that sticks to fabric, and a damp cloth also works well to remove dried paw prints from furniture and other surfaces.

We love our pets, but we’re not so in love with their messes! Fortunately, with a good vacuum and some other cleaning tools on our side, we can keep the mess to a minimum, so we can spend less time cleaning and more time cuddling.