If you have a family member that has long hair it can be problematic to clean it up. This is because long hair tends to become tangled around the brush bar of your vacuum cleaner. If you have ever flipped your vacuum over and had a look at the brush bar you will see hairs wrapped around the brush bar and they start to build up. Once this build up is too much for your vacuum you will see a dip in the performance of your vacuum. This is because the vacuum’s brush bar performance is affected by the build-up of hair wrapped around it.
This presents a problem for a home that has long haired residents, both human and of the four-legged variety. How can you keep your home clean and not cause damage to your vacuum? You either have to constantly clean your vacuum cleaner by hand or you need to find a special tool to clean up long hair. So what is the best vacuum to pick up long hair?
Looking for a Vacuum to Pick up Long Hair?
1. Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Vacuum Model 1650A
What makes the Bissell model 1650A vacuum cleaner, called the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser, one of the best vacuums for long hair cleaning? One of its unique design features is a brush roll that almost cannot clog on long pet hair, which even some pet specific vacuum cleaners choke on. It also doesn’t have hair balls clog its hoses and dirt cups, while it is easy to empty.
This pet hair specific vacuum cleaner costs around $250, and it is rarely on sale. You pay more for the Febreeze branded vacuum cleaner filters, but it does a better job of absorbing odors so than a unit that is only allergy and asthma friendly. This vacuum is well sealed, so it won’t pick up pet fur and then leave behind a path of fine dander that actually aggravates breathing problems.
This vacuum cleaner weighs a around 18 pounds. It isn’t self-propelled, so it requires a some arm strength to push and move, though it is otherwise highly maneuverable. Conversely, the unit lets you switch to its cleaning wand and use that to clean your drapes and stairs.
It is a durable design that requires little maintenance and comes with a five year limited warranty.
2. Dyson Tangle Free Turbine Tool
Then there is this unique tool created by Dyson that picks up long hair and ke
eps your home extremely clean. The Dyson tangle free turbine tool is designed to pick up both long human hair and pet hair without becoming hopelessly tangled. If you already own a Dyson, you can just purchase this tool to add onto your existing vacuum cleaner. This tool is included with the following Dyson upright models or purchase separately to add to your current Dyson vacuum.
3. Dyson DC65 Animal / Complete
4. Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Plus Allergy
5. Dyson DC50 Animal
6. Dyson Dc41 Animal / Complete
The tool is compatible with all upright and canister Dyson models from DC23 and up (except DC24 and cordless models).
The Dyson tangle free turbine tool has two counter rotating heads that contain brushes designed to remove dirt as well as hair from both upholstery and from carpets. The heads are flexible and bend to stay in contact with the floor and other uneven surfaces. The heads are positioned in such a way that the brushes reach to the side of this tool and to the front. This helps to draw hair in from every possible direction. There won’t be any hair in your home that can escape the efficiency of this tool and that is the best possible outcome for those who have grown tired of hairy sock syndrome – where your socks are completely covered in hair from wandering around on your carpets that are full of human and pet hair.
Many people want to find the best vacuum to pick up the hair from their long haired dogs and cats, but when you purchase the Dyson tangle free turbine tool you can release more hair straight into the bin than any other available mini turbine tool on the market. Now you can stop flipping your power head over and getting out tweezers and other things necessary to remove hair. The tangle free turbine tool takes care of all of the issues of tangled hair. Everyone knows that Dyson pet vacuums are excellent products, and with this accessory your vacuum will be unstoppable when it comes to removing every possible type of long hair that might be in your carpet or on your floor.
Jackie says
Hallelujah !!!!! THANK YOU !!!! I definitely have a hair phobia to the point of me being afraid to take off my shoes in my own home. My son’s girlfriend visits quite often. As soon as she steps in my house, her hair falls out EVERY WHERE ! It drives me crazy. Plus it’s so unsanitary. Hair in the kitchen, living room, bedroom. I will RUN not walk but RUN to get this vacuum cleaner! THANKS DYSON!!!!
AB says
Which one did you get? Did it work well. I too have a huge hair phobia.
Suzanne Steele says
I have long coarse hair and curly, so it will stick to the carpet more. i would like to know if you would be able to give any advice if you would be able to give me any advice if you have a product that would be able to help me with? I still have the Dyson that I bought in 2000, I have also bought a Vax turbo machine, both block up because of my hair. any advice would be very helpful to me.. .
thank you.
Dyson tangle free tool would be the best choice for cleaning long human or pet hair. The Tangle-free Turbine tool is compatible with all Dyson upright and canister vacuums from DC23 onwards, except DC24 and cordless models. Good luck!
Sandra Mitsler says
I really truly hate my Dyson DC14 Animal. I have long hair plus two cats…If you use the carpet setting the hair gets caught in the roller and Dyson told me I’d have to use the “floor” setting instead and that the roller couldn’t be removed. Why would you make a vacuum with a roller that can’t be removed easily? Crazy…
We did search YouTube and found instructions on how to remove and clean the roller, but it’s a long drawn out process and not very easy to do. This is unacceptable.
As with everything else in this world, if it’s good for you or “works great and is the best” it costs more. Even a replacement battery for my handheld Dyson costs a third of the price of the vacuum.
And it looks like the item you are recommending won’t work with my Dyson, so I’ll have to keep searching for a better, reasonably priced, vacuum…
Vanessa says
Wondered if u found a better vacuum I have the dyson dc14 have had for 1 year now and it’s been repaired 3 times because of 5 girls in the house. I’m fed up they told me to vacuum the whole house with the turbine attachment. I was taking the rollers off once a week, striped the little screws from taking it apart so much and it still broke ugh!
Bob says
I have two long hair dogs and I have to take the brushes completely out and then using an allen wrench take the posts supporting the brushes off to get the hair that is wrapped around the motor and burning. It is a pain the first time you do it but after practice it takes about 5-10 minutes. This does not count removing the hair from around the brushes. My wife does that and that takes some time. IMO a very poor design that allows hair to get wrapped around the motor. I am sure there are a lot of people who don’t go through this effort so either buy new expensive parts, pay some one to fix it or don’t use this vacuum for long hair. FYI bissell does the same thing but is much harder to remove the hair wrapped around the motor. The good thing about that vacuum is it doesn’t wrapped around the brushed but then it doesn’t clean as deep.
Solane says
I am in the same boat and also have the Dyson DC14 Animal and deal with the issue of wrapped up hair in the beater bar. It is such a pain to remove and my husband gets mad each time I ask him to cut the hair off! I need a better alternative for something that has good suction but won’t be a hassle removing hair. Everyone speaks highly of the sharks so I may read into those a bit more. I already spent a bunch on my dyson so I hate to jump and buy something else that I will dislike, hopefully there is a better alternative!
Vanessa says
Did you find anything better? I’m looking! Fed up with dyson dc14!
Ann says
I am finding your comments very helpful, I am looking at buying a new vacum but have my reservations about getting a Dyson because they are so expensive and having used them at other people’s homes, I don’t know what all the hype is about Dyson because I certainly wasn’t impressed. I was just wondering if you ever found anything better?
Mark C says
My wife has long hair down to her lower back and we have 2 Border Collies. We’ve had an Oreck, a Hover and a Dyson DC14 pet over the past 20 yrs. She loved the Dyson the most we felt it cleaned the best and had the most power. But like everyone else said the beater bar was an enormous pain to clean. I had to clean it at least once a month. I got so tired of it we sold the vacuum. We found 2 brands vacuums with something called “Brushroll Clean”. They are both half the price of a Dyson. “Brushroll Clean” is the only thing I’ve found that truly resolves the hair around the beater bar problem. We don’t like it as much as the Dyson but the hair problem has finally been solved.
Some of the Electrolux models come with a self cleaning brush roll technology, and according to some reviews it works pretty well. I personally have not used it. Here is a pet specific vacuum model - Electrolux Ergorapido Petcare
We found that a thread cutter for sewing is the perfect tool to handle hair clogging the brush on our Dyson.
https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1dbZTJXXXXXbAaXXXq6xXFXXXu/4Pcs-lot-Steel-Plastic-Handle-Craft-font-b-Thread-b-font-Cutter-Seam-Ripper-Stitch-Unpicker.jpg
Jen Manning says
I am the one with my own long hair problem. I shed a lot more than the dogs and it wraps around my Shark so badly have to cut it off every time I use it. Shark vacumes do not let you take roller brush out so have yo cut it off with a razor blade or scissors. What a pain. If I skip a time or two machine stops working and they have to send me the whole lower half including motor which has happened 5 or 6 times. I can not keep it working. Wonder if new Bissell would work any better? Looks like it would work for short hair, but mine wraps around many times. What is the consensous?
Marcia says
It is all very well to say to get the dyson tangle-free turbine tool, but it is pretty small. I cannot see myself vacuuming the entire house with it (and long hair is lurking everywhere!) get your act together dyson!
sarah says
I was sick of constantly having to de-hair the rollers on my gtech - the worst purchase ever. HOWEVER I did find that putting the brushes in water once removed and before cutting/snipping made the hair come off in one clean sheet rather than strand by strand. So took 2 minutes to clean not 20 ! Hope this helps.
Julie says
I have the original gtech - is yours the same? How easy is it to remove the brush bar to clean? Having 2 girls with long hair I loathe having to cut the hair out every couple of weeks. What a waste of 20mins every time!
Jayne Jewitt says
Updates?
I have read everyone’s comments and while they are all brilliant advice I’m still trying to find a vacuum that pick’s up my long hair. I don’t have any pets but my hair loss is bad enough.
At the moment I am using a long handled brush with the rubber bristles on which is absolutely exhausting and backbreaking. I have even used a hard bristled scrubbing brush for visitors.
I haven’t got the money to waste and so was wondering if anybody had any updates at all, please?
Thankyou.
Mark C says
I love how they keep talking about how great the little attachment for a Dyson is. Why is it they can’t understand we are not going to vacuum all the carpet in the house with that tiny little thing. We’re looking for a vacuum not an attachment. My wife has long hair down to her lower back and we have 2 Border Collies. We’ve had an Oreck, a Hover and a Dyson pet over the past 20 yrs. She loved the Dyson the most, we felt it cleaned the best and had the most power. But like everyone else said the beater bar was an enormous pain to clean. I had to clean it after ever use. I got so tired of it we sold the vacuum. We found 2 brands vacuums with something called “Brushroll Clean”. They are both half the price of a Dyson. How come neither one of those brands are listed? Brushroll Clean is the only thing I’ve found that truly resolves the hair around the beater bar problem. We don’t like it as much as the Dyson but the hair problem has finally been solved.
Robin B says
Mark C, what brand has brushroll clean? My daughter has waist-length hair, and cleanup is a nightmare.
Hair Slater says
I am also curious what success anyone has had & what brand they are using? I have hair passed my waist, three daughter’s with beautiful hair passed their derrières, my nickname is even Hair. I have a Shark, I have a love/hate relationship with the machine. I absolutely love it for ANYTHING besides picking up our hair. I vacuum everyday, & I have to clean the roller EVERYDAY! For those people who said once every three weeks is a pain, imagine everyday!!?? I would love any helpful feedback.
SM says
Hello another one keen to have any good reviews for long human hair. My Tech basically exploded due to too much hair caught in the roll. Brush roll clean sounds great. Can you advise the specific vacuum you have and how its working? The other option is one that you can take the roller out very easily and clean (rather than the time consuming cutting and pulling)?
corey says
I would reccomend a shop vac personally…but if you want something not so noisy and more for “around the home then the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Vacuum is my second choice…2 long ahir cats, a sheppard/husky dog and my partners mid back length har have not been a problem
Patty Estrada says
I think that manufacturers need to test their product o. Husky fur. If it sucks that up then it will suck up anything.
Need new vaccim says
Why is it so difficult to find a reasonable priced vacuum with great performance? We are three girls with long dark hair - enough said. Our Shark broke and am in the hunt for a new vacuum. I am so fearful of spending so much in a vacuum that will eventually break and cause a pain to clean the hair. I understand we need to maintain the vacuum but for the price, I’d expect the vacuum to maintain itself. Any other recommendations?