How to get the best vacuum For Shag Carpet: January 2024 Updated

Having the best vacuum for shag carpet at home will definitely maintain your shag carpet as a nice decor. With the addition of a nice feeling that you have the perfect solution for keeping your shag carpet clean.

Shag carpets are great, smooth. Gives you warm feelings adding a grand accent to your home. however, one must also be prepared when it comes to maintaining the cleanse all the time. You must go through the process though it is a very challenging job to keep the shag carpet clean.

So what can you do?

You just cannot skip the cleaning, right? Your beautiful shag carpet will turn into a dusty beast in no time.

So, what you really can do, is to buy a greatly efficient vacuum cleaner for your shag carpet.

Best Vacuum For Shag Carpet – In Depth Guide

Not all vacuum cleaners can be used to clean shag carpets. In fact, the typical cleaner that you may have right now will only give you a hard time cleaning it or might even worse.

It is likely to happen that you will end up being damaging your shag carpet. Since shag carpets have a deep pile, dirt and dust get harder to remove.

By not using the right vacuum cleaner, you are damaging your precious shag carpet that comforts your family, your child.

With all that being said, it is better to look for the best vacuum for shag carpet to ensure that you can maintain them well. Here is a list of particular shag cleaning vacuums for your this certain problems. 

Dyson DC65 Animal Complete Upright Vacuum Cleaner – (Editor’s Pick)

Hey, Why don’t you check it’s updated version? with Updated ball technology. Find it here.

Welcome to the most complete vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaners enlisted in this article, all of them are capable of cleaning shag carpet without damaging them. The point is, how efficiently they clean the shag carpet; and after that – how capable are they whenever it comes to cleaning other types of surfaces? You just do not want to keep buying vacuum cleaners for different preferences, do you? Regarding that aspect, here I am presenting you the most fulfilled vacuum cleaner that is best for shag carpet cleaning.

Regarding that aspect, here I am presenting you the most fulfilled vacuum cleaner that is best for shag carpet cleaning.

• Easy Maneuvering: The Dyson Ball technology is one of the most helpful features that you can get from a vacuum cleaner. It makes maneuvering easier which makes it possible to move the vacuum cleaner around even by using just one hand.
• Unbeatable for Shag Carpets: Designed to clean on multiple floor types, but its main strength is its capability of cleaning carpets. Especially the shag ones. the Dyson DC65 Animal is one great tool when it comes to cleaning shag carpets.
  The brush bar that is included in this vacuum cleaner makes cleaning carpets better and more effective. It can penetrate the fibers of the carpet which make us consider it as one of the best vacuums for shag carpet. Buy it.
• Anti-Allergen: It also has HEPA filtration which makes it safe to use even when there are people suffering from allergies. It does not let tiny dust to be thrown out in the air. That prevents allergy spreadability.
• Convenient Accessories: It comes with complete accessories to make the cleaning process even more efficient.Some of which are soft dusting brush, tangle-free turbine tool, multi-angle brush and a stair tool.
• Warranty: It also comes with 5 years of warranty which is absolutely more than what other brands offer.
• Pet Hair Removal: Let’s focus on its another strength. You wonder what is that? Sucking pet hair leaving every stone turned is its another strength.It works great for removing pet hairs if you happen to have one at home. The Dyson personnel put it up when naming the product. It is named Dyson DC65 animal for a reason. Here is your reason.

#2 Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional with Dust-Away

What if you get a nearer performance of the Dyson DC65 with paying a lot less? If you have performed in your mind, also the price – this vacuum cleaner is one. That is why the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional is Editor’s pick here. Strong vacuum cleaner within this price is not quite available.

• Stronger Suction: This particular upright vacuum cleaner can ensure its users to never lose suction. You know what a stronger suction capable vacuum cleaner is capable of. It will dig well through your carpeted floor and clean the dirt very well. So, Bottomline here? The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional works on hardwood floors as well as carpeted and can go deep down the pile to remove even the tiniest dust that may have been hiding over time.
• Swivel Steering: The swivel steering capabilities also make it easier to move around the house while cleaning. Swivel steering allows you to move the main vacuum unit easily while standing. And since it has 30 feet of cord length, you can make sure that you will have the uninterrupted time of cleaning as well.
• Lift Away Feature: It works as a fully functional upright vacuum cleaner but the main attraction still awaits for you. The name of the attraction is the Lift Away feature. For more convenient cleaning, It’s 5 feet hose allows you to clean more hard to reach areas and the staircase. And here is the main favorable part of the Lift Away feature. You can lift up the vacuum unit and use the hose isolatedly.
• Pet Hair Brush and Other Accessories: The pet hair brush comes conveniently too if you have pets at home that leaves a lot of hair every day. About the pet hair brush attachment, it actively picks up all the pet hair efficiently. The main Shark navigator lift-away professional unit lacks in this aspect comparing the Dyson DC65 Animal. But the pet hair brush attachment is provided to imply in this regard. Cheers!!! You also get the crevice and dusting tool in the package while 2 microfiber pads are also included.

#3 Oreck LW100 Magnesium SP Bagged Upright Vacuum

Weight is the main considerable fact here. The Oreck LW100 is designed mainly for keeping the weight in mind, while performance on shag carpet comes next.

It does not perform like the above two vacuum cleaners, you might have to pass the vacuum cleaner over your carpet one or two times more to fully clean your shag carpet. But you won’t mind doing this because of its very lightweight.

• Different Carpet Type Supported: Looking for the best that does not limit you only to that feature? Try the Oreck LW100 Magnesium.This vacuum cleaner works great on different types of the floor such as bare and shag, rugged or normal carpeted surface.
• Two Speed Cleanser: This vacuum cleaner has 2 speeds that you can choose from when dealing with carpeted floors. The high speed works well on carpets while the lower speed is best for rugs.The Oreck Magnesium won’t support you as like the previous two asserted above in term of time. It will take a little bit long but it will go there eventually.
• Lightweight: This bagged vacuum cleaner is designed very lightweight yet powerful. Oreck designers use clothed finishing wherever they could, this allows the vacuum to be very lightweight.Additionally, the material used to build the frame that structurizes the vacuum, is magnesium. Magnesium is known to provide more sturdiness than usually what is used, with a lesser weight.This type of weight and performance ratio is applaudable.
• Long Cord and Easy-Go Design: Its low profile design makes cleaning under most furniture easily. And since it is equipped with very long cord (30-feet), it saves you the hassle of transferring from one outlet to another.
• Side Brushes: The Oreck LW100 magnesium vacuum features side brushes. This allows a user to clean the corners or the edges of the room very efficiently with only one pass. Pass the cleaning head adjacently to the corners, most of the time you won’t be needing to give separate attention to the edges.

#4 Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet

You can see this particular vacuum cleaner as an upgrade of Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional vacuum cleaner, featured 2nd in this article. The main addition here is the capability of picking pet hair up with the least effort.

The shark navigator does not have a rotating brush inside it, which is a must to collect pet hair. But it did alright with the pet hair brush attachment.

However, if you own a pet and want the most effective solution for pet hair out of your shark vacuum cleaner, the Shark Rotator Powerd Lift-Away TruePet is what you need. It has a rotating brush in it.

• Multi-Type in One Vacuum Cleaner:  Like all other Shark lift away vacuum cleaners, the Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet also works in 2 ways for better cleaning experience. It is both upright and a canister vacuum cleaner at a time in one vacuum cleaner.
• Multi-floor supported: It is a great vacuum cleaner for bare floors, especially when used with the microfiber pad. It also has moderated powerful suction when it comes to dealing with shag carpets. Its never loses suction technology makes it count to be the best for carpet in its category.
• Easy-to-Reach Speed Switcher: The controls are located at your fingertips which make switching from one type of floor to another. This helps to avoid bending down. It is a very handy feature, especially for those who may already have existing back pains.
• Illumination at Night: The LED light in front of the head makes it easier to see in darker areas or under the furniture.
• Swivel Steering: It also features a swivel steering technology. You know what swivel steering is and what it is capable of. It will save you a lot of time when cleaning different parts of the house. You can reach crucial parts of your house with ease. You won’t be needing to letting go of the vacuum and hold again just to reach difficult positions, will save you a lot of time while cleaning the whole house at once.

#5 Panasonic MC-UG471 Bag Upright Vacuum Cleaner – Corded

Here’s another complete vacuum cleaner for shag carpets. And it is very cheap. It has all the attributes needed to clean a shag carpet completely. And whether you like it or not, heavyweight is one of the attributes needed. In that term, the Panasonic MC-UG471 is another complete solution for your shag carpet.

It will clean your shag carpet by gaining an extra favor from its heavyweight. Of course, it will make you sweat while vacuuming using it, but it is needed if you want your shag carpet to be completely devoid of dust.

The thing I like the most about this vacuum is, the designers of this vacuum know that the vacuum weighs more than the others, They make other conveniences as much possible as they could. Like automatic cord rewind, wide cleaning head to minimize the cleaning time. It is hard to maneuver a heavy vacuum cleaner to move around for a long time. They do everything they could to minimize the cleaning time.

• Complete Shag Carpet Cleaner: Let’s talk about an utter truth while you try to clean your shag carpet. Shag carpets contain deep pile, they require the vacuum cleaner to be heavy to be cleaned properly. Heavy vacuum cleaners sit on top of the shag carpet with all of its weight and clean perfectly. There is no doubt that when it comes to cleaning carpets, a vacuum cleaner must have the right qualities in order to clean its deep pile effectively. I must say that The Panasonic MC-UG471 Bag vacuum cleaner have those qualities.
• Air Turbine Brush: The Panasonic MC-UG471 Bag Upright Vacuum Cleaner not only works on cleaning different types of floors but also removing pet hairs with its air turbine brush that comes in the package as well.
  As you might know, rotating brush in the cleaning head is a must to pick up pet hair successfully. You are getting a more advanced technology than that. Air turbine brush is a combination of rotating brush and air pressure. The air pressure shakes the shag carpet hard to stir the hidden pet hairs while the rotating brush picks them up. Air turbine brush is currently the most advanced technology being used in a vacuum cleaner to treat pet hairs hiding in carpets. This means it consumes the least time to pick pet hair. Eradicate pet hairs with one pass.
• Wide Cleaning Head: It has a 15 inch of cleaning path. Wide cleaning head means covering the whole room with less passing which makes the cleaning time lesser. Actually, it is the most complete vacuuming solution for both shag carpet and obviously for pet hair. It weighs more than other vacuums, that is the only problem.
• Anti-Allergen: This vacuum cleaner also has HEPA filtration that traps dust and dirt especially on carpets and makes the place safer for those with allergies.
• Premium Accessories: This Panasonic vacuum cleaner also comes with QuickDraw tools that include a stretch hose, crevice tool, dusting brush and two standard wands which make the cleaning process easier.
• Versatile Pet Hair Solution: The demonstration of the Air Turbine Brush’s power again. It is not like that you always possess a calm and quiet pet. What if the pet you own, is an impish one. Probably you are the one who is in possession of such, a very adorable yet very naughty cat. You will know how weird the places can be, where you find pet hair. It can be the junction of your stairs, or at the pinnacle of your curtain. Air turbine brush will help you in this regard. The air turbine brush collects pet hair from different type of surfaces very accurately, say from stairs or some upholstery.
• Automatic Cord Rewind: Here’s why this vacuum cleaner is one of my all-time favorites. It is true that this vacuum is heavy, but this weight is a good thing when you try to clean shag or thick carpets. Moreover, the Panasonic designers have made many other conveniences available to mitigate this weight issue. Just like here, it comes with a 24 feet power cord and has automatic rewind feature. Just a press of a button and the whole cord will be housed inside the main vacuum unit all by itself

#6 Miele Classic C1 Olympus Canister Vacuum Cleaner, Lotus White – Corded

This specific vacuum cleaner here is for canister lovers. We all have our things and possess a different type of tastes. I do not blame you if you personally like canister vacuum cleaners. And why not like a canister vacuum cleaner? you do not have to carry around the bulky vacuum unit all the time you cleaning. What can be easier?

But the problem is canisters do not perform that much like the uprights whenever you need a vacuum cleaner for your shag carpet. Anyway, most of the limitations are averted here that a canister owns. So, if you are a canister vacuum cleaner lover, you can choose one between this or the upcoming next vacuum cleaner.

• Multi Floor Resolution: Canister type of vacuum cleaners can also be a great tool to keep your shag carpets clean.
  The Miele Classic C1 Olympus is a multi purpose cleaner that works on both carpeted and hardwood floors. Users can easily switch from cleaning bare floors to carpeted ones by a simple click on its rocket switch.
• Rotary Dial Power Selector: It also has a rotary dial power selector to make necessary adjustments to the power that you need, depending on the type of surface you are cleaning. This unique feature makes this canister vacuum cleaner a wise choice for shag carpets. As you know, shag carpets require extra care. You just cannot boost up the power and steer the vacuum over your shag carpet. It can be done on normal carpeted surface but your pricey shag carpet is not any ordinary carpet. The power need s to be moderate while cleaning shag carpet. And the Rotary Dial Power Selector does exactly that favor to you. You can select an appropriate speed for your shag carpet.
• Durable: The wand here is made of stainless steel. The steel body ensures the sturdiness while the stainless confirms rust free body. Moreover, the stainless steel wand also helps to reach hard to reach areas and allows you to clean the walls as well as ceilings.
• Anti-Allergen: The Miele Classic C1 Olympus also uses HEPA filtration to collect allergens and dust. Additionally, its AirClean filtration can capture 99.9 % of dust particles that may cause damage to the lungs while its huge handle makes it easy to clean hard to reach areas all the time.
• Useful attachments: Rotating brush is not installed into the cleaning head. So it cannot pick up pet hairs effectively. But to exclude the problem, brush attachment is with the package. It will not support you like Electrolux EL4335B canister vacuum cleaner would do, but using the brush attachment – performance on pet hair is okay here. Upholstery and crevice tool attachment is also available.

#7 Electrolux EL4335B Corded Ultra Flex Canister Vacuum

This Electrolux Ultra Flex Canister Vacuum is designed to work on shag carpets with superior performance. It is much easier to use, more powerful than the Miele Classic C1, and obviously with a very beautiful outfit. But you have to pay a little bit more to get all these.

If you are a canister lover, do want to remove pet hair from your shag carpet, and obviously want to go premium, this vacuum is for you.

• Adjustable Power Suction: With its adjustable power suction, users will be able to select the right power that they might need depending on what they are cleaning. It is an important feature for shag carpet which is described in the above sections. Moderated speed selection available for shag carpets.
• Brush Roll Clean Technology: This canister vacuum cleaner has rotating brush inside its cleaning head. So, it will collect pet hair very efficiently. But that is not what Brush Roll Clean Technology offers. If you already own a vacuum cleaner with rotating brush inside its cleaning head, you might know that rotating brushes must pick pet hairs but sometimes they get all tangled up. The brush roll clean technology features a self-cleaning function where it removes all of the accumulated tangles and dirt from the brush with a touch of a button.
• Easy movement: Whenever it is a canister vacuum, moving around the vacuum unit can be arduous sometimes. At first, it is nothing but when you are about to launch a relatively long vacuuming session, the weight of the main vacuum will make you sweat. But here, moving around the Electrolux Ultra Flex Canister vacuum cleaner is very easy as it has a large wheel to roll and the back part contains a handle for easy moving. You can either pick up the main vacuum unit by simply lifting it up, it is not that heavy. You can also roll the wheel by pushing or pulling it using the handle. Your choice.
• Bottom Opening Dust Cup: On the other hand, its dust cup can easily be emptied by opening the bottom part which promotes less dust and dirt escaping to the air. Emptying the dust cup can be a mess. Most of the time, some portion of the dirt that you picked up earlier get loose when you try to empty the cup. That can be avoided here.
• Washable HEPA Filter: It features a washable HEPA filter, users are not required to replace them very often. Replacing the filter is not a big deal but why bother when you pay such amount. You should look for the most convenience and that is what Electrolux EL4335B offers here.

#8 Bissell Powerforce Helix Technology Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner

The Bissell Powerforce is another vacuum cleaner that works great on carpeted floors as well. Price is the main issue here. It is cheap. If you want a cheap cleaning solution for your shag carpet. You can consider the Bissell Powerforce Helix and the remaining two vacuum cleaners of this article

• Five Height Adjustment Setting: It has 5 height adjustments that make it easier for the user to adjust depending on their most convenient settings. It is the height of your carpet we are talking about. Select high carpet from control and you are good to go. The vacuum cleaner is all set for your shag carpet.
• Dirt Separation System: The dirt separation system from Bissell Powerforce helps the vacuum cleaner capture the tiniest part of dust to avoid any allergic reactions from the people living in the same house.
• Large Dust Cup: This vacuum cleaner is a bagless type with large capacity dirt cup which lessens the need to empty them every now and then. It is a very good point to be noted because cleaning the dust cup quite often is irritating. But it makes the vacuum cleaner a bit bulky. So, if your vacuum requires sneaking under furniture, this might not be the vacuum you should look for.
• Washable Filter: It also features washable filter so that the user can use it again after cleaning them. No need to change the filter every now and then.
• Lightweight: This particular vacuum cleaner weighs only about 10lbs. Very lightweight, making it a perfect choice for older persons. Told before about the 5 adjustable height system of this. additionally, since it is so lightweight, old people should buy it.
• Attachments: It also does not have rotating brush inside. Cannot pick up pet hair easily. However, there is brush tool to make things a bit easier. But you will have to admit it, it cannot beat the preset rotating brush.
  Crevice tool and upholstery attachment are available.
• Air freshener: An air freshener is included in the package. Not the best feature to tell. But it is my duty to let you know everything. So there you go, it has air freshener included with the package.
• Cheap: The Bissell PowerForce Helix is very cheap. If you are on a budget and looking for a good vacuuming resolution for your shag carpet. It is one of the cheapest vacuum cleaners that offers shag carpet cleaning.

#9 Kenmore Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

This may be one of the most affordable in this list but it can still perform well when it comes to doing its job and great features. The Kenmore Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner offers a powerful suction that works great for different types of floor.

• Five Height Adjustment Settings: Five height adjustment settings is also available here. The Kenmore Upright Bagless Vacuum cleaner is designed to clean different type of carpets of different heights. For those, who skipped the above vacuum cleaner’s review, the height mentioned here is the height of the carpet. The carpet height selector is located on the cleaning head.
• Easy to Empty Dust Cup: It has an easy to empty bagless chamber that helps do the cleaning job more efficiently. This also saves you the messy part of emptying your cup plus saving you from spending more on replacing the bags all the time.
• LED Headlight: Cleaning in darker areas such as under the furniture is also made easy as it features a LED light for you to be able to see the dirt that needs to be removed. Well, in this price range, here is another plus 1 for the Kenmore Upright Bagless vacuum cleaner.
• Accommodating Attachments: Furthermore, you will also receive different attachment types such as crevice tool, extension wand and the dusting brush that will enable you to clean other areas in the house. The extension wand, in my opinion, is a very handy attachment. You can clean your curtain with ease with this Kenmore Upright Bagless vacuum cleaner.
• Cheap: I forgot to mention that it is darn cheap. Or did I? This vacuum cleaner is being sold under $100. A vacuum cleaner that has preset settings for carpets with different type and height. I’d rather say it is a very good deal.
• Useful attachments: This vacuum cleaner does not have rotating brush installed within it too. Difficult time collecting pet hair up. Anyway, brush tool is there. Additionally, Extension wand and crevice tool are available.

#10 Dirt Devil Vacuum Cleaner Dynamite plus Corded Bagless Upright Vacuum with Tools

Welcome to the last vacuum cleaner of the list. For your intimation, last does not mean the worst. I put this Dirt Devil vacuum at the very last to gain extra consciousness from you.

A Little talk about Dirt Devil first. Dirt Devil is very famous for offering premium features while the price is very low. It is the cheapest vacuum cleaner of the list, and you know what? It has everything a vacuum cleaner needs. I do not know how they gather all these into one maintaining this little price tag.

It has rotating brush inside it, it is very lightweight, it has automatic cord rewind, the handle here can be retracted thus making it a handy handheld vacuum cleaner, a 25 inch long power cord to clean without changing the power connector often – and all these you get paying the least price. Obviously, durability is an issue here, but I cannot complain when the price is within this range.

So, If you are looking for a carpet vacuum cleaner that’s lightweight and does the job well then you might want to consider the Dirt Devil Vacuum Cleaner Dynamite as one of your cleaning tools. Let’s hear more about its features.

• Cheap: I must focus on the cheap price here. It is the main feature of this vacuum cleaner. Well, you just cannot expect a vacuum cleaner to perform as other high end vacuum cleaners at this price point. But it does beat all other vacuum cleaners of this price, maybe some other vacuum cleaner with slightly high price tag than it too. The point is, you are getting a very cheap vacuum cleaner which cleans your shag carpet.
• Very Lightweight: The Dirt Devil Vacuum Cleaner Dynamite Plus weighs under 9 lbs. If you compare such weight with other vacuum cleaners, you can determine how light this vacuum cleaner is. And since its handle can be retracted (more about this on the next section), you can use it as a portable handheld vacuum cleaner too when the handle is shortened.
• Retractable Handle: Its retractable handle also makes it a portable cleaner that you may bring anywhere you might need it. The handle can be shortened as your wish. Was told about this feature in the above paragraph. Teaming up with the lightweight feature of the vacuum, this handle tweaking option also makes this vacuum cleaner into a fully functional handheld vacuum cleaner.
• Revolving Brush – Good For Pet Hair: The revolving brush, together with its powerful suction makes cleaning shag carpets effective. Shag carpets tend to be more stubborn than other types as the piles are deeper and collect more dust and dirt over time. This cheap vacuum cleaner can clean shag carpets. It is designed to do that, and with the help of revolving brush, it can collect pet hair very effectively.
• Long Power Cord: The Dirt Devil Vacuum Cleaner Dynamite has 25 feet of the power cord for more convenient usage. And with less than 9 pounds of weight, cleaning your stairs will also be made easier while the dirt cup can be emptied without a mess after it gets full.
• Automatic Height Adjustment: This vacuum cleaner automatically adjusts the motor speed according to the confronted carpet height. The automatic height adjustment is a great feature to do the job of cleaning different floor surface easily. You do not have to do anything, no manual height adjustment, no nothing. However, it is not powerful shag carpet cleaner like the above mentioned. But it does the job and cleans other types of surface too. Over and above, when it comes to storing the vacuum cleaner, it would fit most cabinets too as the handle can go as short as 31 inches.

Final Words

Choosing the best vacuum for shag carpet may take a lot of consideration as they also require some special care to be able to keep them clean all the time. Shag carpets tend to accumulate more dust or dirt because of its design which has a deep pile. In the list that we have above, some of the points that you have to consider first would be the ability of the vacuum cleaner to penetrate through the carpet. This would be the best way for it to suck all the dirt hidden inside the carpet.

The next thing to consider would be its versatility. Most households would still have other parts of the house with a different type of floor surface. Choosing a vacuum cleaner that can be used to clean both will save you a lot of money than buying a different equipment to work on different floors. Also, deciding on whether you wanted to go with a bagged or bagless type of cleaner is also necessary while it is recommended that you select a corded vacuum cleaner so that you will have enough time cleaning them.

The vacuum cleaners that were mentioned have different price range which means that it’s best to set a realistic budget if you are planning to buy one anytime soon. This will help you narrow down your choices and be able to get the brand or model that you really need for your shag carpets.