The best HEPA vacuum cleaners for mold and allergies

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Mold spores and other types of microscopic allergens pass right through a regular vacuum cleaner’s filtration system, thus making them inefficient at keeping your home mold and allergen-free. A HEPA, on the other hand, is specifically designed to capture these tiny particles.

Here we will review some of the best HEPA vacuum cleaners for mold and pet hair and share some more information about them.

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What is a HEPA vacuum cleaner?

What sets a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) cleaner apart from the more conventional types of vacuum cleaners is its use of HEPA filters. These specialized filters can trap 99.97% of all air contaminate particles – including mold spores. They cost a bit more than the conventional cleaners but are well worth it if you have a mold spore or allergy problem.

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Do I really need one?

If you struggle with pet hairs, allergies, or regular mold outbreaks, then the answer is yes.

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Types of HEPA vacuum cleaners

There are 5-types – each with its own sets of pros and cons.

Upright: These types are somewhat bulky but easy to use. They’re ideal for vacuuming large, flat spaces, and most are powerful enough to easily suck up pet hair embedded within carpets. They’re also heavier and less portable than the other types. If you’re planning on getting an upright, then make sure that it comes with attachments that will allow you to vacuum staircases, as well as nooks and crannies.

Stick: Stick vacuums look a lot like the upright types, but are a lot more lightweight and portable. Most are bagless and require a lot more emptying than uprights.

Canister: Canister vacuum cleaners consist of the canister unit on wheels, a hose, and a wand. Most collect vacuumed dirt in a bag for easy disposal, and additional attachments for nooks and crannies come included as standard.

Handheld: Handhelds are great for small cleaning jobs such as spills or giving upholstery and drapes a quick vacuum. They are great for small tasks. Learn more about them here.

Robot: Robot HEPA vacuums, just like the handheld types, are great supplemental vacuums. They run on autopilot and remove mold spores, allergens, and loose pet hair – thus making cleaning with your primary vacuum a lot quicker and easier.

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Features to look for in a HEPA vacuum cleaner

Choosing the best possible HEPA vacuum cleaner can be confusing, especially for a first-time buyer. That is why we have listed the following features to consider.

Weight

The weight is something important to consider when choosing a HEPA vacuum cleaner. After all, you will be pushing it and possibly be carrying it around.

Bag or bagless

Bags are the better option because otherwise, you have to be extremely careful when emptying the dirt container. It’s best to empty bagless bins into an outside dustbin unless you want to reintroduce those same mold spores and allergens back into your home again.

Pre-filter

HEPA filters can be expensive to replace. A pre-filter is located in front of the HEPA filter and captures the slightly larger particles before it reaches the HEPA – thus keeping it cleaner for longer and extending its life.

True HEPA

If you are after a real HEPA vacuum cleaner, then don’t be fooled by “HEPA-like” and “HEPA-type” vacuum cleaners. Yes, they have far better filtration systems than regular vacuum cleaners, but if you want the real thing, then always choose a True HEPA.

Add-ons & attachments

Mold spores, pet hairs, and dust don’t just favor carpets alone because these and other allergens are commonly found on upholstery, wooden floors, and other surface areas too. Therefore, it would be best to choose one that comes with all the necessary attachments that will allow you to vacuum various hard-to-reach places.

Noise

Some vacuum cleaners can be loud. Very loud. Consider getting one that has a low decibel output.

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The best upright HEPA vacuum cleaners

Kenmore Intuition BU4022

The Kenmore Intuition BU4022 is fairly lightweight and impressively versatile for an upright vacuum cleaner – as a matter of fact, there is no job that it cannot do.

It has a special feature called Lift-up Technology where you detach the handle from the body with the push of a button so that it becomes a powerful handheld that can vacuum stairs, car interiors, and hard-to-reach places.

Double motors provide impressive suction power, and all dirt passes through three filters that capture 99.97% of all particles, including mold spores. Everything is captured into a sealed bag, so no mold spores, dust, or allergens are re-released back into your home. Also, a bag-fill indicator light will automatically let you know when it’s full.

Another interesting feature is the bare floor button that you press as you move from carpet to hardwood floors. This turns the rotating agitator off without disrupting any of the internal airflow – thus maintaining suction power without any interruptions.

Included accessories: A 3-in-1 combination tool, upholstery tool, Pet HandiMate tool, and 6x HEPA bags.

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BISSELL 2999 MultiClean Pet Vacuum with HEPA Seal System

The Bissell 2999 MultiClean Pet Vacuum excels at sucking up pet hair from hard floors, carpets, and upholstery. Better yet, pet hair doesn’t get entangled in the filters and instead pools around the tank. And it’s just as efficient at removing mold spores and allergens as small as 0,03 microns in size.

Everything the vacuum sucks up collects inside of a sealed tank, and you release the dirt with the press of a button – so no getting your hands dirty.

It’s also versatile because the wand detaches easily to give you 12 feet of reach to clean hard to reach places. Not to mention, a Pet Turbo Eraser tool and a 2-in-1 dusting brush/crevice tool.

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Hoover UH71100 Windtunnel

The Hoover UH71100 Windtunnel has a 5-level height adjustment for comfortable use and is fully capable of thoroughly cleaning every surface area of your home, including the hard-to-reach places because of the 12-foot extension wand.

It makes use of cyclonic filtration, which ensures that it effectively sucks up pet hair, mold spores, and other types of microscopic allergens without losing suction power – with a pre-filter so that the HEPA filter lasts longer. More interestingly, it uses ScatterGuard Technology, which prevents dirt and other small bits and pieces from scattering around when trying to vacuum them up.

Also, all dirt is collected into a large sealed 1.5l dirt cup.

Included: The Hoover HEPA vacuum cleaner, extension wand, crevice tool, multi-purpose hand tool, and a dusting brush.

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The best HEPA stick vacuum cleaners

NEQUARE S181 Self-Standing Stick

This model from Nequare is one of the most advanced stick HEPA vacuum cleaners available.

It’s incredibly lightweight at 2.5lbs and has an impressively powerful 600w motor capable of producing 20,000pa of suction power. Oh, and it’s surprisingly quiet too!

The wand detaches to become a powerful handheld cleaner, and a 4-stage filtration system ensures that it catches and holds even the smallest of particles for a cleaner and allergy-free home.

The cleaner also stands by itself in the upright position – so no need to lean it against walls and risk having it fall over.

However, here’s the downside – this vacuum can only be used on low-pile carpets and hard floors. Using it on wet floors and high-pile carpets is not recommended.

Included: The HEPA stick vacuum, a small brush, and a crevice tool.

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ORFELD EV660R Stick Vacuum

The ORFELD EV660R stick HEPA vacuum cleaner has powerful suction with its 120w 2-ball bearing motor.

Also, it’s cordless and runs on a 2,200mAh 6-cell battery which gives 40 minutes of continuous vacuum time on Eco-mode and 20 to 25 minutes in normal mode. To recharge, simply place it onto the charging port.

The stick is foldable for easy compact storage and is perfectly capable of standing upright by itself.

It’s suitable for use on all types of floors and even has a 180° folding handle that allows you to vacuum under beds and furniture without having to move anything around. Not to mention the LED lights that illuminate dirt in those dark places so that you don’t miss a thing.

And if you need to vacuum upholstery, vehicle interiors, or tight places, you’ll be glad to know that the stick easily detaches and becomes a handheld.

You will also save money in the long term because the filters are washable.

Included: Cordless stick vacuum, 1x replaceable HEPA filter, charging base, charging support stand, battery charger, crevice tool, and brush tool.

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ROOMIE TEC Cordless Stick Vacuum

The Roomie TEC HEPA stick vacuum is battery powered. It provides 35 minutes of vacuuming time on eco-mode and about 15 minutes on max-mode. It’s not a lot of battery life, especially when compared with the aforementioned ORFELD EV660R. However, you can buy a spare battery and swap them around if you have a lot of vacuuming to do.

It’s suitable for use on all types of floors and the stick handle unfolds to lower it so that you can easily vacuum under low surfaces without hurting your back.

6 LED lights illuminate dark spots and all dirt is collected into a bin with a one-click disposal feature so that you don’t have to get your hands dirty.

Included: HEPA stick vacuum, wall-mount accessories, battery pack, AC power adaptor, and a crevice tool.

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The best HEPA canister vacuum cleaners

Kenmore 81615 600-Series Pet-Friendly HEPA Canister Vacuum

The Kenmore 81615 is a bagged canister vacuum that can clean all floor types, as well as upholstery and vehicle interiors.

Twin motors provide powerful suction that lifts even the most stubborn pet hair, while a triple HEPA filtration system captures 99.97% of all particles.

In addition, it has a lightweight and adjustable telescopic wand and a retractable power cord.

Included: Canister vacuum, dirt brush tool, crevice tool, and a bare floor tool.

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Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Canister Vacuum

The incredible-looking Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Canister Vacuum looks as if it came straight out of the Jetsons. Not only that, but it has some rather unique features which set it apart from the others on the list.

Firstly, it has dust separation in its vacuum system, which means that you will never have to replace or even wash filters again.

The second neat feature is its ability to self-right itself if knocked over; this is thanks to its unique shape and design.

Thirdly, the ball-shaped vacuum automatically twists and turns as you maneuver it around furniture – making the task of vacuuming easier.

Please note: The Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal doesn’t make use of HEPA filters. Instead, it creates centrifugal forces of up to 313,000G to fling microscopic particles such as mold spores and pollen into its sealed bin.

Included: Dyson vacuum cleaner, bristle brush, stair tool, tangle-free turbine tool, and a combination tool.

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The best robot vacuum cleaners

Eufy by Anker BoostIQ RoboVac 11S

The RoboVac 11S has powerful 1,300pa suction, cleans and charges itself on autopilot, features a triple HEPA filtration process, and it’s quiet – no wonder it’s the best-selling robot vacuum on Amazon.com.

It has BoostIQ, which is a feature that automatically increases the suction power whenever needed. It also has drop-sensing technology that prevents it from falling, while the infra-red sensor makes sure it doesn’t bump into objects around the house.

Its 0.6l dust box is pretty large for a robot vacuum, and it has large wheels so that it doesn’t get stuck.

You can expect about 100 minutes of cleaning time per charge, but no need to worry because the RoboVac 11S takes itself back to its charging port for recharging whenever its battery is running low.

Included: The RoboVac 11S, controller with batteries, extra filters, AC power adapter, a cleaning tool, and charging base.

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Neato D7

The D7 from Neato Robotics has tons of features.

It uses LaserSmart technology to navigate your home and automatically activates its turbo mode for extra suction power whenever it encounters pet hair.

You can set it to do the whole house or just spot cleaning, set schedules, and virtual no-go lines.

The Neato D7 has a longer run time (120 min) and shorter charge time (150 min) than the aforementioned RoboVac 11S – which makes it better suited for larger homes.

It has a 0.7l bin capacity and HEPA-style filter, while its D-shape design allows it better corner cleaning abilities than the regular round robot vacuums.

The best part is that the Neato D7 has Smart Home integration and can be controlled from anywhere with the Neato App.

Included: D7 robot vacuum, charging base, 6′ power cord, an ultra-performance filter, lithium-ion battery, 2x 6.5-foot boundary markers, a spiral combo brush, and a cleaning tool.

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