Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the battery last on the PetPro Compact?

The removable lithium-ion battery is rated for about 22 minutes on low and 14 minutes on high.

Is this vacuum effective for pet hair in a small apartment?

Yes, it’s called ‘The Tumbleweed Tamer’ for a reason — the mini motorized tool cleans cat hair off upholstery and the motorized brush roll handles pet hair on hard floors and low-pile rugs.

What kind of flooring does the PetPro Compact work best on?

It works great on hard floors like tile and laminate, and on low-pile rugs, but struggles on thick shag or high-pile carpets.

How much does the PetPro Compact weigh?

It weighs only 6.2 pounds, making it easy to carry up stairs and maneuver around furniture.

Pet Hair + Tiny Apartment? Here’s What Actually Works

Look, I love my animals. We’ve got a dog that sheds like it’s prepping for winter in July, two cats that treat every sofa cushion like a scratching post, and a seven-year-old named Sparkles who leaves more crumbs on the floor than the dog. But when you live in a 650-square-foot apartment, a full-size upright vacuum is a non-starter. You can’t store it, you can’t maneuver it around the coffee table, and by the time you pull it out, the moment for cleaning has passed. So I spent months testing everything from compact canisters to stick vacs, looking for something that could keep up with pet hair without making me want to throw it out the window. The winner? Sparkles dubbed it “The Tumbleweed Tamer” – and honestly, that name stuck.

Key Specs & Features

The vacuum I landed on is a cordless stick model – the PetPro Compact – that’s built specifically for small spaces with multiple pets. Here’s what’s under the hood:

  • Cordless, with a removable lithium-ion battery (rated for about 22 minutes on low, 14 on high)
  • HEPA-rated filtration with a washable filter
  • Motorized brush roll that can be turned off for hard floors
  • 0.6-liter dustbin with a one-touch empty mechanism
  • Included tools: crevice tool, upholstery brush, and a mini motorized pet tool
  • Weight: 6.2 pounds
  • Wall-mountable charging dock (which I screwed into the hall closet door frame)

It’s not the most powerful vacuum I’ve ever used, but in a tiny apartment, raw suction isn’t the only thing that matters. What you need is a vacuum you can grab in ten seconds, run over the area rug, and put away. That’s this machine.

Who Is This For?

If you have a small apartment (under 800 square feet), one or more cats or dogs, and you’re sick of tripping over a bulky vacuum, this is your tool. It’s also ideal if you’ve got mixed flooring – tile, laminate, and a low-pile rug or two. The PetPro Compact is a disaster on thick shag or high-pile carpets; the brush roll struggles and the battery dies fast. But for the typical apartment layout, it’s a dream.

I’d also recommend it to cat owners specifically because cats are messy in ways dogs aren’t. They kick litter everywhere, they drag hair onto the sofa, and they somehow create dust bunnies under the bed that look like tumbleweeds. The crevice tool and mini pet tool make getting into corners and crevices easy. Sparkles likes to say, “Daddy, it’s like a leaf blower for cat hair.” She’s not wrong.

Pros & Cons

  • Pros:
  • Lightweight and easy to carry up and down stairs
  • Excellent on hard floors – the brush roll off setting prevents flinging debris
  • HEPA filter genuinely reduces dust; I sneeze less after vacuuming
  • Quick-empty dustbin doesn’t make you touch the hair (important when you’re already grossed out by the fur ball)
  • Quiet enough to use while Sparkles is doing homework in the next room
  • Mini motorized tool is fantastic for upholstery – gets cat hair off the couch without needing a lint roller
  • Cons:
  • Battery life is tight – if you try to do the whole apartment on high power, you’ll run out before the bedroom is done. I do a quick pass on low and then use high for spot treatments on pet hair.
  • Small dustbin fills up fast. With two cats and a dog, I empty it every time I vacuum. That’s every other day.
  • The motorized brush roll tangles easily with long hair (human and pet). I have to cut hair off with scissors about once a week. Not a dealbreaker, but annoying.
  • Not great on thick rugs. The suction isn’t strong enough to pull deep hair out of plush carpet. If you’ve got wall-to-wall shag, look elsewhere.
  • Price. It’s not cheap – around $350 – but it’s cheaper than many full-size corded vacuums and saves space.

One thing to note: if you have a dog that sheds like a husky and a house full of carpet, this isn’t your vacuum. You need a canister or upright with a larger bin and stronger suction. But in my apartment? It works.

The Verdict: Should You Buy It?

Yes – if you’re in a tiny apartment with pets and you value convenience over brute power. The PetPro Compact is not the best vacuum for deep cleaning a big house. But it is the best vacuum for keeping your small space consistently free of visible pet hair, dust, and litter. It’s the kind of tool you actually use, because it’s easy to use. I keep it hanging on the wall near the kitchen, and when I see a clump of cat hair floating across the laminate floor, I grab it, suck it up, and put it back in under two minutes.

Sparkles, who names everything, calls it “The Tumbleweed Tamer” because she says the cat hair rolls across the floor like a tiny furry tumbleweed. She also noted “at least it doesn’t eat socks” – a reference to our old upright that once swallowed a sock and never gave it back. Fair point.

If you can stomach the price and the small dustbin, and you’re okay with cutting hair out of the brush roll once a week, this will change your cleaning routine. I recommend it for any cat or dog owner living in an apartment. For houses with lots of carpet and multiple shedding dogs? Look at a corded canister with a larger bin. But for the rest of us, this is the one that actually works.

Go grab it. Your floors will thank you – and so will your allergies.