Some brands will address this by tapering their brushrolls or breaking them in the middle, with the aim of quickly directing hair towards the bin inlet. Dreame even has an alternative brushroll attachment that has little blades to chop up hair so it can be more easily managed.

Why we love it: The high-filtration dust bag and HEPA AirClean filter help keep dust from being released back into the air. The power cord is retractable and all of the included tools can be stored in the canister.

Who it's best for: The best vacuums for homes with pets are those that pick up hair from all surfaces and keep allergens and odors contained. This Kenmore wins on all accounts.

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we tried them on both hard floors and carpets, assessing their performance by measuring how much of our specially formulated dust was picked up after a number of sweeps.

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When used as a mop and tasked with tackling a large dollop of BBQ sauce, it only left behind small streaks. It also has a handy ‘Auto-Retract Mopping System’, which stops your carpets getting too wet.

Lidar navigation powers some competent obstacle avoidance. During our tests, the RV30 could navigate without bumping mindlessly into furniture, building a detailed map of your floorplan as it goes, to help it clean more efficiently on future runs.

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Who it's best for: Designed to last for years, this Miele canister vacuum does an excellent job of picking up and trapping dust and dirt.

Pet owners might want to look for a model that is able to recognize their pet and either avoid it (if it's spooked by the addition of a sentient appliance to the household) or seek it out to check up on it while you're out of the house.

Robot vacuum cleaners are more advanced and more affordable than ever. Once a novelty gadget, these household helpers are now an essential piece of kit for busy homes and pet owners, ensuring your floors stay dust and dirt-free without you having to lift a finger.

On the navigation front, we'll also test the robot vacuum's edge cleaning abilities – does it get right up to the edges of rooms, or leave a margin that needs manual cleaning.

So if you just want a capable robot vacuum and are happy to empty it yourself, you'll be able to shop mostly in the budget and lower mid-range brackets.

Alistair is a London-based journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. He has tested numerous robovacs over the years for TechRadar, from brands like iRobot, Eufy and Roborock. His favourites match intelligent navigation with Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners smart design.