Any recommendations on a vacuum cleaner for cat hair?

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saluki
saluki Member Posts: 2,287
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer
Any recommendations on a vacuum cleaner for cat hair?
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  • saluki
    saluki Member Posts: 2,287
    edited March 2009

    I'm having a heck of a time trying to vacuum.  Everything is sticking to the rug like glue especially the pet hair and the feathers from the quilt.  I am so frustrated........Does anyone out there have a machine that picks up this stuff?  Any suggestions would be appreciated!

  • mittmott
    mittmott Member Posts: 409
    edited March 2009

    You can never get all the pet hair up, but the dyson is some powerful vacuum.  It's a lot of money , but I think it's worth it. 

  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited March 2009

    And, the upright Kenmore (Sear's) I have is really good!  OMG, when I see the hair in that bagless tube - YUCK!!!  I think I'll shave the hairy little bugars!

  • snowyday
    snowyday Member Posts: 1,478
    edited March 2009

    I've tried a number of vaccuums over the years my son even bought me a Kirby it didn't get rid of cat hair either. I use the lint rollers now, and get them in 6 packs at costco they work on everything, I even use them on the cats after I brush them calling massageee, and they like the way it feels and boy does it get alot of hair right after brushing.  good luck, oh and a damp wash clothe works but not as well as the sticky stuff.

  • saluki
    saluki Member Posts: 2,287
    edited March 2009

    A friend of mine has a dyson and is very happy with it. 

    Snowy, with whats going on on my carpet I'd have a broken back with a lint brush, but it sounds like a good idea above ground......

    Susan--Is your model the Kenmore progressive 35922---That got a good review from consumer reports.  is yours self propelled?

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited March 2009

    I have an irobot roomba which does great with the cat hair - but I've got hard wood floors and a couple of throw rugs - I love it because it does all the work itself - except for cleaning the filter and dumping the gunk out that it picks up. I'm not sure how well it does on carpet  - but it's great on my floors!

    Doreen 

  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited March 2009

    I have a Miele top of the line. It is amazing. I'm pulling out 5 pounds of cat hair when that bag is full! It's the only one that works for me and I couldn't even get it wholesale (I'm in sales) but I bought it anyway (over $1,000). The dealer asked what we needed to vacuum and when we told him he went right for it. It's not the most expensive Miele, but it's way up there. 

  • djd
    djd Member Posts: 866
    edited March 2009

    I have had the most success so far with the Dyson, but I am going to get hardwood floors this year because carpet is simply impossible to keep up with!

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited March 2009

    I have a central vac syst. I know it is something you cannot put in easily, but I have 3 cats, and this is the only way to go. If you ever build a home, make sure you put one in. The best thing for getting cat hair off of furniture, stairs, clothes, etc.  is rubber gloves. They work better than any of those expensive lint rollers. Just put on the gloves and wipe away!

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited March 2009

    I have 2 cats and 2 dogs.  I love my Dyson.  It is worth every penny.  I have the "animal" something Dyson.  I love it and hate it  LOVE it because it cleans so well.  HATE it because you can see how dirty your floors are.

    DJD - I also have a lot of hardwood.  This house is the first one I had with hardwood.  It also really shows the dust, and needs a lot of work to keep it clean.

  • Margerie
    Margerie Member Posts: 526
    edited March 2009

    I picked out a darker colored hardwood, next time I will pick out a dust colored floor LOL

    Another Dyson lover here.  We have 3 cats and occasional dog visitors.  Unbelievable how much dust and hair every week,......

  • Isabella4
    Isabella4 Member Posts: 2,166
    edited March 2009

    I love my Dysons.  I have 3 !!

    I have an upright upstairs, pretty basic model.

    Downstairs I have the  upright Dyson thats manouvered with the big plastic ball, this is real good on animal hair.

    I also have the Dyson Animal, smaller, fantastic on the stairs, and it even cleans out the ash from the fire if I'm in a rush.

    I also have 2 other old uprights, they work fine, but don't pick up fur well (both Hoovers) I would throw them out, they're just standing there taking up space, and I will never ever use them again, but DH goes absolutely nuts if I throw anything out, you should see his garage, someone will have a ball clearing all his junk out one day ! 

    Go for the Dysons, the 'suckage' is fantastic.

    Isabella.

  • Jaimieh
    Jaimieh Member Posts: 2,373
    edited March 2009

    Dyson~ I have 2 shedding dogs (corgi and beagle) and recently I was the one shedding and it got all of it up. 

  • Dejaboo
    Dejaboo Member Posts: 2,916
    edited March 2009

    I have had a Dyson for about 6 years.    I loved it at 1st.  But it has not held up well.  We had it in to be fixed 2 times during our Extended 4 year warranty.   It has not picked up dog hair very good now for years.  Though it is still a pretty good vacuum. 

    Good Housekeeping a couple of years ago recommended a Hoover of some kind.  I wish I remember which Model over the Dyson.   It was about 150$ less.

    Recently Target has had the Dyson in BC pink on clearance for about 250$ which is a very good deal if you can find it at a store. 

    Pam

  • kmccraw423
    kmccraw423 Member Posts: 3,596
    edited March 2009

    In the past I had 8-9 cats.  I learned to love cat hair.  I had one cat with medium length fur and I swear when you finished brushing him you could make another whole cat.

    Now my sister and I have two dogs (one is my avatar) and a cat.  Her house is pretty big so if he's shedding, I don't see it.  The dogs do not shed; therefore, have to be groomed every 6-8 weeks.  We have an Oreck.  I'm not crazy about it.

    What I would like to know is who has figured out a way to keep the litter in the box after the cat has been in there.

  • lvtwoqlt
    lvtwoqlt Member Posts: 6,162
    edited March 2009

    I have a bissell pet hair eraser, In front of the beater bar there is a part that folds down and works like a lint brush, as you pull back it picks the hair that the vacuum misses and when you push forward, the lint brush is cleaned and hair is picked up by the beater bar and vacuumed up. If you don't need the lint brush, it flips up over the top of the beater. there are also several attachments for the hose to use on the upholstery, that has silicone fingers to help pick up the hair. My Basset sheds constantly and this is the best one to pick up the hair that I have tried. the only problem is the dust cup is small and I have to empty it frequently when she is in a big shedding period. I found the link on the bissell site that explans the whole vacuum.

    http://www.bissell.com/Products/c/Pet+Lovers/p/3920/product.aspx

    Sheila

  • abbadoodles
    abbadoodles Member Posts: 2,618
    edited March 2009

    First of all, you need to use a Furminator on your cats.  A regular shedding tool will NOT do the same job.  You will get a mountain of fur out of one cat the first time you use it.  Do it in the bathroom where you can contain the flying fur.  Repeat once a week.

    Use one of those flat, green scrubbie pads for pots and pans on yourself and the furniture to get hair off. Better than any specialty tool.

    My Miele does an okay job on cat hair but my upright Simplicity does a better job. 

    Any carpet you don't love, rip out and replace with smooth flooring.  Use a wool dust mop or a Swiffer daily.

    Love your cat.

  • mzmiller99
    mzmiller99 Member Posts: 894
    edited March 2009

    Susie - about the Kenmore - yes!

    Tina - what is a furminator?  I have 5 cats - one is a Maine coon and one an angora, and the other three are just furball boys!  I can comb out a mountain of fur from the little Maine coon every day!! Which I usually do when she's on my pc table -hairy keyboard, anyone?

  • abbadoodles
    abbadoodles Member Posts: 2,618
    edited March 2009

    Here's a link to their website.  http://www.furminator.com/

    You would not believe how effective this tool is.  All my animal-owning friends (with both dogs AND cats) whom I told about this tool are thanking me profusely. 

    There is another brand which is very similar - can't remember the name offhand.  Pricing is about the same.  Check around the internet for the best price as it can vary considerably.

    My cat LOVES to be furminated, just not too long at the same sitting.

  • AccidentalTourist
    AccidentalTourist Member Posts: 365
    edited March 2009

    I have tried Dyson but Miele Cats and Dogs is the best for pet hair.

  • newter
    newter Member Posts: 4,330
    edited March 2009

    I have 3 cats and I bought my Dyson Animal about 15 months ago and absolutely love it.  It does a fabulous job and it is so easy to use.   I used to hate vacuuming and now I love it (well, I do like it a lot more than I did before). 

    It was pricey but well worth it so far. I was able to save about $100.00 at Bed Bath and Beyond with their 20% off coupon

    As my hubby likes to say "it sucks good".

  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited March 2009

    Is your name because of your cats? LOL 

  • harleyhoney
    harleyhoney Member Posts: 65
    edited March 2009

    I have the Dyson animal, I have 2 dogs. It works great!!

  • saluki
    saluki Member Posts: 2,287
    edited March 2009

    Nice to hear from you Harley........

    Okay all you Dyson Animal owners---I'm very confused which Animal ? The  DC07? DC14? DC17? DC25?  Do you use the Animal attachments or could you have bought the stripped down model and been just as well off.

     Tina- I have a Furminator but my sister has it at her house.  You have convinced me to ask for it back.

     Doreen----I have a Roomba but I banished it to the closet after my cat figured out it was a great toy.  He'd press the button and the roomba would take off under the bed in the middle of the night.  I have the original model and although its better on cat hair than the Oreck I had or the Hoover I got last year thats mega heavy and picks up nothing, the Roomba really can't cope with the quantity of hair or quilt feathers that are accumulating in the rug.-----I can see where it would be good for in between vacuumings.  

  • newter
    newter Member Posts: 4,330
    edited March 2009

    Barb,

    Yes, Newter is the nickname of a pregnant stray I brought home.  She lived 19 years and was just the best cat except for her big mouth.

  • Raye99
    Raye99 Member Posts: 1,350
    edited March 2009

    I have the Dyson Animal DC07. We bought it back in 2004 or 05. Still going strong. We have a Lab and it picks up his hair really well both on carpet and floors.  

    The only complaint I have about this model is that the attachments do not bend well and are a bit cumbersome to work with, but from what I understand, they've improved the attachments on the subsequent models. That said, overall I love the Dyson and it was worth every penny. 

  • LMDuncan
    LMDuncan Member Posts: 715
    edited March 2009

    Hi

    saw this thread and I couldn't resist adding this cute pic.

    Lori

  • saluki
    saluki Member Posts: 2,287
    edited March 2009

    Madalyn--Thanks for that site.  I have been watching Amazon but their refurbished prices haven't been as good as they were previously.  HSN had the 18 at a good price and on easy pay but they were sold out.

    I've been trying to do my homework on this since I am very limited financially.  

    In the reviews of the Dyson cannister and the DC 18 they are complaining about the attachments being unwieldy. Do you find that to be the case?  I have ceiling fans that accumulate mega dirt and I am limited with my dexterity only being able to use one arm. -----

  • BethNY
    BethNY Member Posts: 2,710
    edited March 2009

    I'm just seeing this thread for the first time. Growing up we had an animal house-- two cats, a dog, and lots of other animals, and my brother and mom had terrible allergies.

    The Gonzo pet hair lifter, is a big yellow sponge that you use DRY. You wipe it across the couches and floor and it picks up a TON of pet hair. We are huge fans of the I-Robot (roomba) vacuum in our house, but it will drive some animals bonkers with the loud noise it makes while cleaning.

    Saluki-- we've got ceiling fans with insane dirt too!!! It seems every hour there is another inch. I swear by the swiffer dusters, and the long purple arm that they attach to. It is the only thing I use on my ceiling fans, that doesn't knock all the dust to the ground.

    As far as litter boxes, I've seen it all. I had a friend who had the electric self cleaning litter box, and I thought it was loud and didn't really make much of a difference.  My mom was always trying to simplify things (with four kids, and lots of pets, she had no choice).  She would tear open the seam of a black garbage bag, and lay it on the bottom of the litter box with the sides sticking out. Then pour the litter over it, and when it was time to clean it, she would just grab the two ends of the bag, and bring them together. I'm sure they have bags that work this way, and this method is nothing new... but it always made cleaning the litter box fast and easy.

    My friend had the litter house attachment, that goes over the litter box, but honestly, I thought it made the litter smell worse. I think it trapped a lot of odor into it, but the attachment itself smelled.

    Also, the Swiffer wet jet is pretty good at picking up hair on floors prior to vacuuming.

    The gonzo sponge really works wonders on couches to get the pet hair off... and I know they are pretty inexpensive.

  • newter
    newter Member Posts: 4,330
    edited March 2009

    I love the picture of the gray cat, Lori.  Looks exactly like one of mine.  My Dyson is an Abolute Animal DC 17.  I still love it

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