We have tons of dog hair in our house. We vacuum once a week with our low-cost Bissell CleanView but it overheats (so the belt now slips off the rotor) and I just don’t think the suction and filter system really works for our needs long-term. We end up burning out the vacuum after two years and last week it overheated leading to the slipping belt (heat+plastic+tension=clutch ~|| brush).
What would be a good vaccum for our needs?
FYI, I reported the thread so it can be moved to IMHO. But I’d recommend that you look for the Consumer Reports issue in which they rated vacuum cleaners and see which was recommended for use with pet hair.
Dyson.
You may want to try brushing your dog(s) more regularly than you currently are so that they aren’t shedding as much into your living space. That should reduce the amount of dog hair you have to vacuum.
Would a Shopvac be better on dog hair? I was thinking that since there’s no belt or beater bar involved, it might keep working longer.
When we moved into an apartment with carpet, we bought a Kenmore Intuition upright (31100) for $200 based on recommendations from both Consumer Reports and Good Housekeeping, for what that’s worth. We have 2 very sheddy cats and it got the job done.
Are you vacuuming wall to wall carpet? The best vacuum for your needs depends on the surfaces you’re cleaning. For instance, with all wood and ceramic flooring, a good dust mop every other day plus a cheap Dirt Devil for the baseboards (blinds, ceiling fans, walls) is all I need. Small rugs get hung on the railing and whacked. If I had carpeting, I would need a much better vacuum with lots of suction and a strong beater bar.
Read Consumer Reports, it actually tests with pet hair.
BTW, Dyson doesnt do as well in their tests as the ads will make you think.
Note that a Kirby is NOT worth the money. but they are kinda bullet-proof, so look for a used one cheap. I have seen them selling for $50.
My ex wife has three cats and a dog, and she swears by her dyson, FWIW. The place I moved into has a built in vacuum, which makes every other vacuum I’ve used, including the dyson, look like a toy. They’re not cheap, but they suck like a (insert juvenile metaphor here).
I recently got a Shark Rotator Pro. Not the prettiest or cheapest (~$250) but extremely, extremely effective.
It’s light, maneuverable, and has extremely good suction. Cleaning up after my shed-crazy corgi is finally possible; my old Dirt Devil could never keep up. It also has an extremely slick design that converts to a canister.
I recommend that you buy an old Filter Queen 31 series vacuum. The canister and powerhead motors are strong, the filters work exceptionally well, parts are still available, and it’s rebuildable for the most part. Expect to pay $100 to $400, depending on how much work it needs or if it’s been rebuilt.
Pick up a nylon (rubber?) tooth dog grooming attachment also.
A used Sebo or Miele.
Dysons and the other plastic-wonder vacs are great until the seams and joints start failing, and as noted, they don’t test nearly as well as their ads suggest and their net value is a lot less than some modestly-priced vacs. (If you’re really going to spend $5-600 on a vacuum, get one of the old-line European models like Sebo, Miele, not something that looks like a prop from Star Trek.)
Many vacs are great out of the box, but slowly lose seals, suction, joints etc. and in place of no bags, need costly filter replacements instead. You want one that works well to start with, doesn’t wear out or leak, doesn’t have any features invented later than 1975, has plenty of power and uses a common bag size. It will suck up dirt, pet hair and debris for 20 years at minimal overall cost.
Seconded. I got what Consumer Reports suggested (a Kenmore with a bag) and it’s still sucking hard after about 5 years. Great for pet hair - has moved from doing great with my old dog’s long hair to even better with the short (but profound).
I checked recently for a friend and Kenmores are still at the top of their lists. Dysons not so much.
My experience, FWIW.
I burned through (literally - burned out motors - burned pet hair is a bad smell people) 2 upright Kenmores. I was averaging 1 every 18 months or so. My Dyson has been a wonder. It really picks up the pet hair, no burned out motors.
I have a Newfoundland, a Bernese and 3 cats. Not everyone has my level of shedding to deal with, but if you have a long haired animal situation, I recommend the Dysons.
One option that works well: for a low price ($10-$20) you can buy a ‘pet grooming brush’ that attaches to any vacuum that has a hose/wand feature. You then use that on the vacuum to groom your pet – it works like a comb or brush, but the vacuum sucks up the loose hair. Using that on your dogs a couple times a week will really make your regular vacuuming much easier. At first, take it slow to get your dogs accustomed to the noise & suction of the vacuum brush. But after a few times, most dogs enjoy this and will look forward to vacuum grooming sessions.
You can also buy portable, hand-held vacuums designed for use on pets. The good quality ones are expensive, though. I have a friend who claims he does just as well buying cheap used hand-held vacuums from yard sales or Craigslist and using them until they die.
in my experience, “professional” vacuums fall into one of three categories:
Only #3 is cheap, and they’re cheap because they’re useless pieces of shit.
My Dyson is running like a champ after 10 years of almost daily use and minimal maintenance (cleaning the filter and canister once a year). They may be expensive, but I think it’s paid for itself. FWIW, it replaced my Kenmore which crapped out after 8 years having had 2 trips to the repair shop and rebuilding the power head motor myself.
We’ve had fantastic results with a Shark Rocket Pro. We have shedding birds and my wife has long hair that clogs vacuum brushes. It picks up all of it easily. It’s also much cheaper than anything remotely as good.
5-6 years ago I bought a Kenmore Intelliclean. At the time, consumer reports rated it equal with the Dyson, but cheaper. The main feature I chose it for was it has direct drive. No belts. Long hair and pet hair never jam up the beater bar. It’s the first vacuum I’ve had last more than a year or two. Still works perfectly.
I adore my Rigid over the shoulder shop vac. It was about 100 and, while it's meant for garage or outdoor use, the suction is incredible. It even comes with household attachments and a paper filter. I got tired of 300-400 vacuums lasting a year or so…I’ve got four dogs and this vacuum sees a lot of use