Table of Contents
Why is it important to vacuum?
Vacuuming to remove fleas
Where should I vacuum clean in my home?
Our fave vacuum cleaners
The best vacuum for you!
Overall cleaning tips pet owners
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Best vacuum cleaner for pet owners
- By Emma
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- October 22, 2025
- 4 MIN READ
Pet hair coming out of your ears? We’ve rounded up the best vacuum cleaners to zap up all that fluff (and any pet fleas, if you have them). Scroll to which vacuum cleaner we think is the holy grail for any pet parent this year!
Why is it important to vacuum?
Vacuuming regularly is a staple to keeping your home clean and hygienic. When it comes to having pets, vacuuming helps remove any pet fur, clean up after they’ve shredded that toilet roll and can be a big help if you get infested with pet fleas.
Vacuuming to remove fleas
It’s not just pet hair that needs sucking up by a vacuum cleaner, but pet fleas can be a problem too. If you find fleas in your home, you need to take a multi-action approach. Start with treating your pet with vet-strength flea treatment, like the Itch Flea Treatment for Cats and Itch Flea Treatment for Dogs which kills fleas in 24 hours and targets all stages of the flea life cycle to eradicate an infestation, fast. It is key to use a household flea spray if there are fleas in your home (because 95% of the flea population live in your home, not on your pet). Pair this with a strong cleaning routine, you will soon see fleas disappear. The Itch Flea House Spray has a flea-blasting formula to help turf out the little blighters from the very first spray.
Here’s a step-by-step visual guide to get rid of fleas in your home with flea spray and vacuuming.
Where should I vacuum clean in my home?
Carpet
Carpets are a favourite hiding place for fleas and their eggs for the warmth. Use a vacuum with strong suction and a rotating brush to agitate the fibres so eggs and larvae are lifted out. Go slowly and make several passes in different directions to reach deep down. Empty the bin or change the bag immediately after (ideally seal the contents in a bag before binning) to stop any survivors escaping back into the house.
Hard floors
Most people don’t realise fleas can still be an issue on hard floors as they like to nestle in the cracks and crevices. Use a hard-floor setting or a soft brush head that collects dust and eggs without scattering them. Some models have specialised hard-floor heads that skim debris and reveal micro-dust with a laser.
Soft furnishings (sofas, bedding, curtains)
Soft furnishings are flea hideouts. Work methodically, paying close attention to seams and under cushions. For pet bedding, washable covers are best but try vacuuming before washing to remove as much as possible.
Our fave vacuum cleaners
There are lots of different brands and vacuum types that will certainly do the job for any pet owner, but we thought we’d narrow it down to our top four.
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1
Henry Quick PetPraised for its sturdy and roomy design, the Henry Quick Pet is made specifically to suck up any bulk debris and fur from your carpet. It’s low faff and often more affordable than premium cordless models. We have to say though, it’s not the lightest or most refined for stairs and upholstery.
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2
Vax Air Stretch Pet MaxThe Air Stretch Pet Max gives good brush roll power, handy tools for pet hair, and a long reach for sofas and stairs. Often bagless, it’s convenient but you’ll want to be tidy when emptying the bin, especially if you are cleaning during a flea infestation. We’d recommend always emptying the vacuum straight into an outside bin.
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3
Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet ProShark’s Stratos is specifically designed to handle pet hair, featuring anti-hair-wrap technology to collect your pet’s fur without any of the tangling. It’s certainly lightweight and manoeuvrable, with accessories that make it easy to clean up every part of your home.
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4
Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute LightweightDyson’s V12 is a nimble, high-tech cordless vacuum with clever suction and features like a hair-counting display and laser-detect on hard floors. It’s excellent for quick touch-ups and looks very slick in the corner of a flat. It can be pricier and its bin is small, so frequent emptying is on the cards, which might not be ideal when cleaning repeatedly during a flea infestation.
The best vacuum for you!
The Shark Stratos stands out for pet owners for three big reasons:
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Anti-hair-wrap technology. Pet fur is the common enemy. Traditional brush rolls can quickly become a tangled, choking mess of fur, reducing performance and demanding fiddly maintenance. This hoover keeps hair from wrapping around the brush bar, so suction stays high and cleaning stays efficient. Less time dismantling and more time hoovering.
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Balanced performance across surfaces. It handles carpets, hard floors and upholstery with equal aplomb. You can switch heads and tools without losing momentum, making flea-focused routines far less of a chore.
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Practical design for real homes. It’s manoeuvrable, relatively light, and the pet-focused attachments are genuinely useful. Emptying and maintenance are definitely user-friendly, which matters when you’re cleaning as much as you!
Overall cleaning tips pet owners
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Vacuum high-traffic areas at least 2–3 times a week if you’ve got heavy shedders. If you find fleas in your home, hoover 3-5 times a week during an active infestation and continue to hoover for up to 2 weeks after the infestation to ensure you get rid of every last critter.
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Always empty the bin or change the bag straight after hoovering pet spaces and seal it if you suspect you are dealing with fleas.
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Use attachments for upholstery and crevices; seams and edges are flea hotspots.
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Combine hoovering with regular pet grooming as less loose hair = less work.
Protect your home from fleas.
95% of fleas live in your home environment, not on your pet.
To break the fast and furious flea life cycle, treat your home with Itch Flea Home Spray. In one blast, it will help turf out the little blighters — and any dust mites too — as well as put a halt to the development of flea eggs and larvae for up to 12 months.
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