Here's one to all you pet owners out there. Unplggd reader Brent asks: "I was curious if you could ask everyone about what vacuum cleaners or tech they use to keep their animal fur and dander under control? I recently got a dog and while I love the little guy, keeping all that hair from sticking to my clothes and socks is becoming a real chore. Please help!"
It may be some time until we see self-grooming puppy sweaters or cat hairball magnets, so your best bet is probably sticking with vacuum cleaners. But that doesn't mean you have to stick with traditional. Roomba makes a nice set of automated ones that cater right for your market:
Above, the Roomba 562 available for $370 takes control of the pet room.On the other hand, if you're comfortable with vacuuming your pets, Dyson makes a fabulous model (the DC31) that we've personally reviewed and loved:
The Dyson DC31 Animal Hand Vacuum is available for $270.Word of advice. If you're considering using a vacuum to groom your pet, be sure to hold onto that receipt just in case your pet (unsurprisingly) starts to freak out at the thought of having a machine suddenly doing its grooming instead of a normal brush. Although we might enjoy Dyson for its playful industrial design aesthetic, that doesn't guarantee your pets will see it the same.
Got a recommendation for Brent? Let him know below!
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Two things always work for me... Buy a Fruminator, made a huge difference at my house, I just groom my dog a little bit each evening, really keeps the hair problem down. Secondly I use one of those disposable pet hair removal things (bad I know, wish they made a non-disposable one) Just for quick touch up though out the week. I am more inclined to use these two, low tech, methods to keep down the pet hair and dander than to haul out vacuum cleaners to do a quick clean up...
Any who... less hair in the house, less hair on the clothes..
ditto @norahl on the furminator.
We've got a husky and a Dyson Animal upright. I can't imagine life with that dog, without the vacuum.
We have a Shark hand-held vacuum that works great (with the brush attachment) for cat hair. For a really thorough clean, you can fill a bucket with water, put on a rubber cleaning glove, and dip your hand in the water. Then wipe your wet, gloved hand over the furniture. Works like a charm.
I have the compact Dyson ball upright and it is amazing what that vacuum cleans up - it keeps the pet hair in check and my area rug looking like new two years later.
I just got a Dyson, and it kicks butt. I had not realized how bad the fur in our carpet was until that thing pulled it out. I got it at Costco for close to a $100 less than Walmart had it, and Costco's return policy made me feel safe buying it in case it didn't work.
Works great.
We've got a dog who sheds a lot and we have the Roomba shown in the picture. We can fill the Roomba canister pretty much every day when we remember to run the thing. We love it but you still need the regular vacuum too for once weekly deep cleaning if your dog sheds a lot.
I use my Dyson Ball HEPA upright for vacuumig my dog's (constant) fur up. It is great! SOO worth the money. I had a Bissel Pet hair one before and it was useless.
I'll have to say that the recommendation of the 562 Roomba is spot on. I have 2 huskies, a 60+ hour a week job, and a husband who doesn't know how to work the vacuum cleaner (really!).
I bought the Roomba a few weeks ago and he goes out every day at noon and vacuums the living area. I am always very surprised at how clean the house is now! There is never dog hair on the floor...
The only draw back is that it doesn't have the quality filters that my vacuum does, so my friends with allergies had problems the day they came over right after the vacuum did his job. so I cancel the cleaning on those days now.
They have a Roomba designed for pet owners that's worth considering. I have the 530 and I takes care of my cat's hair no problem. I run it 2 or 3 times a week. Only issue it has is sometimes it blows away a tuft of hair as it approaches it :(
We're lucky enough to have wooden floors, so when the bunny is shedding (which sometimes feels like constantly) we only have a rug to get rid of all the hair. I can't see the point in buying an expensive vacuum for something so small so I 'wax' it with duct tape! Works like a charm!
I have a 250 square foot apartment, and 2 cats. The roomba was the best money I ever spent - BUT you don't just get to forget about it. I have to clean the brushes after pretty much every run. This of course only takes about 5 minutes - and can be done in peace and quiet. If anyone does get one - the best advice I can give is a great pair of tweezers! Makes cleaning the ends of the brushes so much easier.
Thanks for all the recommendations, guys. I think I may be okay with getting a pup now!
i was on this same mission once i got my beagle. she sheds an insane amount of hair, luckily i was able to mitigate the mess w/2 things;
- roomba 53101, i run it once a week.
- full body shaving @ the groomers, this is once a month.
the diference is incredible! however i have tiled floors, not sure how the roomba works on carpet. i've been on this plan for the past year and it works for me. ditto on cleaning of the bristles & wheels, it's a quick fix so dont skip out on it, makes a big diff. on how it runs.
good luck w/your new pup! :)
I use a furminator and then use a Dyson bagless vacuum at least once a week and it really has kept the amount of pet hair down.
does the roomba work ok on just concrete?