Chief among the pesky drawbacks of pet ownership is the reality that there is pet hair everywhere. It covers everything at all times and is somehow wildly resistant to most cleanup efforts.
Floors are hardly pet hair's hangout of choice. That'd be too easy. Instead, it's on your clothes or your couch, and in a pet-shaped crop circle made out of pet hair on your bed, serving as a lasting reminder of their favorite sleeping spot. No one is questioning the plausibility of fur tumbleweeds shoving themselves into the most awkward crevices when you're not in the room, Toy Story style.
Of course, none of this is enough to make us not want pets. But that doesn’t mean we need to succumb to a house full of pet hair — not with the right squad of cleaning gadgets. A robot vacuum or upright vacuum has the floor covered for the most part, but for furniture, the car, and all of your home's awkwardly-shaped crevices where pet hair loves to congregate, a reliable handheld is the vacuum of choice.
Hot take: The best handheld vacuum is usually a convertible stick vacuum
Is a new full-sized vacuum on your radar? If so, a handheld vacuum probably doesn't need to be a side quest. Unless you're looking for a handheld vacuum to keep in the car, the wisest move is actually to just invest in a cordless stick vacuum that converts into a handheld.
This could mean splurging on a Dyson or opting for a more budget-friendly pick from Black+Decker or Samsung. Either way, pet hair that's all but woven into the threads of upholstery or the pile of carpet stands much less of a chance against the suction power that fuels a full-sized vacuum, just more centralized through attachments for cleaning on a smaller scale. Bigger, juicier batteries allow for 40 to 120 minutes of cleaning compared to the 15 minutes max churned out by a handheld.
With a convertible stick model, you'll also score a full-sized dustbin, and likely a built-in HEPA filter that traps allergens like dust mites and pet dander entering the vacuum.
So, what's the best handheld vacuum for pet hair?
Here are our top picks for the best handheld vacuums for pet hair in 2023: