Giving your pet the belly scratching of a lifetime is all fun and games until you see that airborne cloud of fur that’s undoubtedly going to join your floor’s shedding collection.

SEE ALSO: The best Dyson vacuums: A guide to the latest versions of stick, ball, and handheld cleaners



From your couch pillows to your carpets, pet hair gets everywhere — and it’ll stay there if all you send after it is a vacuum with mediocre suction or an incompetent brush. To tackle pet hair, you’ll need a vac that’s strong enough to comb pet hair from carpets and get it to the bin without clogging. HEPA filters are standard in many newer vacuums and a must for pet owners dealing with allergies. And if you’re opting for a robot vacuum, only a select few models with a combination of these key features will actually make for minimal effort on your part.

Here are the best stick, upright, canister, and robot vacuums for pet hair in 2021:

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