Looking for the best bagless vacuum for pet hair?
What Are Bagless Vacuum Cleaners
In days of old, vacuum cleaners had special bags which held all the dust and hair and Lego bricks that were picked up. But once upon a time, Sir James Dyson invented the bagless vacuum. It has a special receptacle that you can take out and empty directly into the garbage can. So never again will you be caught needing to change the bag in your vacuum cleaner and find out that you’re out. And, worse, there’s no place to buy them.
So what is the downside? Some of the cups are quite small and need to be cleaned out frequently. And some are awkwardly placed so it’s difficult to pull it out gracefully and you get dust everywhere.
Bag vacuums can hold up to 2 pounds of debris. And they have good filtration systems. Then the bag is easy to take out and dispose of into the garbage can. Some people with stronger allergies need the bagged version to better contain the dust and allergens.
Bagless vacuums are cheaper in the long term because you don’t have to purchase the bags. And some people have concerns about adding to landfill with vacuum bags.
How Bagless Vacuum Cleaners Work
Bagless vacuums tend to be smaller than bag based vacuums. Some are robotic and do the work for you. Stick vacuums require you to pull a trigger when you want the vacuum on.
They use a fan system to create a suction that pulls dirt and dust and pet hair through a series of filters. That ends up in the container that gets cleaned. Some containers are pull out and then you dump. Some are a hinge and you open it up over the garbage can.
You will need to regularly clean the filter. In mine, I just take it out and rinse it off about once a month. Then I let it air dry. The purple thing is a filter. I can easily pull it out and put it back in. It’s like cloth with a rubber gasket around it.
How Good Are Bagless Vacuum Cleaners
Bagless can be better than a vacuum cleaner with a bag because they’re easier to use. You can quickly clean them out. And you don’t have to worry about the bag.
They clean easily on hardwood, vinyl flooring, and carpeting. It’s true in my household that the suction isn’t as strong and it does not get all the dust. However, since it’s easy for me to grab, I vacuum much more frequently than if I pulled out the canister vacuum. It’s also lighter and easier for me to maneuver.
I love how I can use the attachments and vacuum the sofa as well as my car.
Are Bagless Vacuum Cleaners Good for Pet Hair?
As with all things, it depends upon the surface, the vacuum, and type of pet fur.
Long Versus Short Hair
This kind of goes for both human and pet hair. My friend has short hair and a boxer. My household has long hair and two Maine Coon cats.Her home is mostly wood flooring. My home is mostly carpeted.
So, she is able to use the robotic vacuum. I would not be able to. The receptacle on the robotic vacuums tends to be small.
I use a Dyson stick and will empty out the container about three times per floor. I live in a two story house. And I empty it out after vacuuming the stairs. I love using the long vacuum attachment on the stairs and then using a small crevice attachment along the edges.
What Are You Vacuuming
Is your home mostly carpet or tile or hardwood? Carpet will tend to hold on to dust and debris a lot tighter than flat flooring. Also, if you have long shag carpet, you’ll need a stronger bagless vacuum. Some have special boosts to increase the suction. The downside is that it drains the battery faster.
Features to Look For
Cord vs. Cordless
Vacuum cleaners with cords tend to have more power. And you won’t run out of battery if you’ve been using it for awhile.
Battery Life
If you choose cordless, you will want to take note of battery life. In the case of my Dyson stick that I purchased a few years ago, it’s about 20 minutes of constant high suction or 8 minutes of even higher suction.
Robotic vacuums are often over sixty minutes.
Motorized Brush
Most vacuum cleaners have a motorized beater brush that picks up debris more easily. It’s the bar with brushes on it that spins and moves the carpet fibers around so you can suck up the dust that gets dislodged.
Make sure you find one that’s easy to clean out. I have to clean mine after every use because there’s so much long hair wrapped around it.
Attachments
Robotic modes aren’t going to have any. However, they do all the vacuuming. So they may be a great option if you don’t need attachments.
Handheld models should have a variety of attachments. Some upright vacuums have special wands for attaching accessories.
You will probably want a crevice tool. We also use the smaller vacuum head. It also has a motorized beater brush. But it’s about half the width of the regular brush head. The non motorized head is great for curtains since it just sucks up the fur and doesn’t suck up the actual cloth.
Headlight
Canister and upright vacuums may have a special head lamp which makes it easy to see when you’re vacuuming in dark places like under a bed. It can help you look for any item that shouldn’t go in the vacuum.
Models
If you click on a model, it’ll take you to a more in depth review page on this site.
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