This is useful if you want to do a lot of above-floor cleaning, such as removing dust or debris from stairs, ceilings, and upholstery. Our Best Upright pick, the Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum, has a detachable canister that we enjoyed using while cleaning stairs and upholstery. To make use of this feature, just remove the detachable pod, and carry the canister with you. Use the hose of the vacuum and the appropriate attachment to reach elevated areas of your home and clean them thoroughly.
We then narrowed down our top performers and sent each vacuum to at least one real home with real pets. Each vacuum was set up and taken through several testing trials to rate and compare features and shark robotic vacuums functionality. With weekly use, the main collection canister within the dock station typically requires emptying once a month. The condensed contents pop out quickly and do not produce a dust cloud.
Some of the experts we talked to said that if they could recommend just one vacuum, they’d recommend a Miele canister vacuum cleaner. To test for ease of maintenance, we tried to clog and tangle each machine with shredded copy paper, Cheerios, Lego pieces, and toy dinosaurs. We also took apart a few of the vacuums to see how difficult it would be to unclog them. We found that the cheaper vacuums we tested came apart in fewer places, making it harder to access clogs. We sprinkled some baking soda next to corners and baseboards to test how each vacuum tackled those. Some models got everything out of a corner with no effort, because they had air channels built for that purpose, and others left some debris behind or picked it up only after several passes.
Though it’s billed for pet owners, it’s got enough suction power for everyone’s cleaning needs and could certainly function as your home’s main vacuum. In addition, if you have carpeted flooring, you need a vacuum with a powerful motor and good suction. Allergy sufferers should opt for an excellent filtration system that includes HEPA to pick up all the dirt and debris on the floor and keep it out of the air. If you’re looking for a versatile vacuum but don’t want to spend a lot, the Shark HV322 is an ideal choice.
It was especially effective at pet hair removal, and great for getting kibble off of hard floors (though slightly less so on carpet). With the vacuum ringing in under $100, we deemed it to be a good value considering its effectiveness. Plus, this pet hair vacuum is so quiet; it never got above shark robotic vacuums 66 decibels, even on the highest setting. Our team thought it was especially convenient for cleaning couches at waist level, and also liked how quick and easy it was to put together. If you’re looking for a new full-sized vacuum, there’s no shortage of reasons to consider an upright.
Any vacuum cleaner is fine for pet owners, but a motorized brush head can be really useful on certain types of carpets and upholstery. But they’re often more or less the same as any non-pet vacuum cleaner, just with an additional mini-brush tool for tackling pet hair that’s clinging to upholstery. Plenty of non-pet vacuums have that tool, too, including many variants of the Shark Navigator, so you don’t need to go out of your way to find a vacuum cleaner marketed to pet owners. That said, we have some thoughts on how to stop tufts of pet hair from piling up on your floors. All of the Shark Navigator Lift-Away models in the NV350, NV360, or NV370 series are essentially the same vacuum cleaner, just with minor differences in their tool sets, colors, and button placements.
This attachment will work well on furniture, linens, and even your car seats and floor mats. We were also impressed by this vacuum’s ability to suck up pet hair without any becoming tangled in the pet hair brush tool. If you’re looking for the powerful suction of an upright vacuum but the convenience of a cordless stick vacuum, this is the one for you. And with such a long battery life, you could vacuum your apartment multiple times or clean an entire two-story house before having to charge it.
The latter option is recommended as it features an anti-allergen complete seal technology and HEPA filtration. If you’re worried about attracting allergens, you might want to invest in a crevice tool and a multi-tool. If you have a dog, you’ll want to consider buying a full shark canister vacuum size powered lift-away vacuum from Shark. It has the extended reach bar and anti-allergen complete seal technology, so pet dander and bacteria won’t get sucked back up. A full-size lift-away model also has a powered lift-away canister for cleaning hard-to-reach places.