Most pets end up with the run of the house. Come on, admit it! This means you need to know how to get their hair off of the floor, furniture and so on.

Despite all of the positive things we get from our ownership of pets, there are some problems. One of the common problems of dog and cat owners is the shedding of hair. Many dogs and cats tend to shed hair on a seasonal basis. Much of the coat falls out during the hotter months, and grows thicker in the winter. This is an amazing thing when we are viewing it as an evolutionary defense mechanism against cold weather, but for a homeowner it is nothing less than a major hassle.

The shedding of pet hair creates a major cleaning problem especially on carpets. Pet hair is very light and contains natural oils that cause it to adhere to carpet fibers. In most cases, an upright style vacuum cleaner with a motorized brush does the best job of removing the hair from the carpet. Another problem with pet hair is that many people are allergic to either cats or dogs or in some cases to both. The pet hair left on couches or chairs and in the carpet will cause a reaction for guests even when the pets have been physically isolated before the visit.

The United Kingdom has always been a bit ahead of the United States in the area of pet care. It is no surprise that when searching for information on the best pet hair vacuum cleaner, information on testing procedures done there should turn up first. One such test evaluated several models on their ability to remove pet hair from a carpet. Uprights scored the highest on the test overall although the Miele Dog and Cat model TT, which is a cylinder style, was the overall winner clearing the test area in 23 seconds. The best upright was the Hoover Dust Manager DM4493 at 26 seconds. It was interesting to note that several of the models tested performed so poorly that they were not even given a time score. It was assumed after a certain point that the consumer would have just given up in disgust.

The Dyson DC07 Animal Vacuum Cleaner might be the best choice in the world based on the reviews of hundreds of users. It is approved for allergy sufferers and has a lifetime HEPA filter. It has very powerful suction and scored at 52 seconds in the above test. Although this was double the best score, it gains popularity with consumers because of its Animal Turbo Tool which is a hand held attachment with a turbo brush for getting into tight spaces or cleaning furniture. The DC07 has a list price of $600, although it can usually be found for considerably less with a little shopping. Think auction and discount online sites.

This test should prove one important fact. The bargain priced vacuum cleaner is not going to have the suction or the motorized brush that is capable of picking up the majority of pet hair. If you have a carpet in your home and pets that stay indoors, you are going to have to be prepared to make a major investment in a vacuum cleaner designed to deal with this problem.

Hal Storm is with PetStoreYeti.com - your free resource for pet stores, services and pet information.