what makes a vacuum cleaner good for pets?

The founders of Lupe both have pets (a long-haired dog and fluffy cat). Meet Bollo, a very handsome, but very annoying and furry cat.

Bollo the furry cat

He’s constantly shedding fur the consistency of candy floss (aka Cotton Candy in the US) and it makes Pablo’s house look like santa’s grotto all year round. Worst time is in the spring when he sheds his winter mane (up to 4 inches long).

Cats and dogs also shed allergens- in hayfever season, that combined with cat allergens sends Pablo’s immune response in to overdrive.

Tackling the downsides of our furry friends is something a good vacuum cleaner can help with, and a bad one can make things worse.


A GOOD vacuum cleaner will:

  • - Get all the fur off the floor and into the vacuum cleaner quickly
  • - Not jam with fur
  • - Trap all the allergens.

    A BAD vacuum cleaner will:

    • - Bunch all the fur up into rolls that you need to go over a gazillion times to collect
    • - Send all the allergens back out into the room
    • - Stir all the other allergens in the house around make things worse for your nose.


      In a previous journal post, we discussed the importance of filtration, and how the vast majority of cordless machines (especially mid range and below) don’t cut the mustard in this respect.

      If you have pets and allergies- at Lupe, our view is that HEPA is an essential specification item- that’s why we specified it on the Pure Cordless vacuum cleaner. Please see that journal for more information.


      For good pet hair pick-up- you need an active brush-bar. The Pure Cordless features a motor-driven brush-bar that deals with any hair with ease. Some vacuum cleaners will use an air/turbine driven brush-bar- these are okay but they can often be overwhelmed by hair and fur (Bollo’s fur has caused the demise of more than one of Pablo’s previous vacuum cleaners before the Pure Cordless).

      One of the features of the Pure Cordless we’re keen to stress is that our all-floor head works on, well, all floors. Competitors may have different heads for different surfaces, and only one of them may work well with hair. Do people really keep switching the heads on their vacuum cleaner as they go round the house? Or do they choose one and leave the rest cluttering up a cupboard somewhere? Sometimes one head is really better than two.

      When it comes to furnishings and tight areas, the Pure Cordless has a dedicated accessory tool that features a lint picker to gather up the fur left by pets. We included a tool holder that allows the accessory tools to stay with the machine as you use it.

      Pure Cordless crevice and upholstery tools

      More of a cat-specific issue- but curtains also get caked in fur. Its not a good look. Lupe's upholstery tool comes into its own again, as well as it’s three power modes so you don’t end up sucking the curtain in with the fur! Should that still happen, then it features a blockage detector that shuts the machine down quickly.

      It's also important to keep on top of filter maintenance. All bagless cordless machines have filters that should be regularly washed (yes that’s right, we said it out loud). If you are an allergy sufferer we recommend washing both filters every month.

      The team at Lupe spent a long time developing a vacuum cleaner that we call “The Cordless Fully Realised”- and to us, dealing with pet hair was a big part of that. Now the Lupe is on the market we’re pleased to see pet owners of all kinds enjoying next levels of clean!

      Pure Cordless pet friendly vacuum cleaner

      Image of kid inside cupboard next to Lupe Cordless Vacuum
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      Built to Last

      In an industry obsessed by sales numbers and profit margins, the Pure Cordless is unfashionably long lasting.

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