Unless you own a reptile, a bird, or a hairless cat or dog, you’re probably used to the never-ending chore of cleaning after your beloved pet’s fur. If you’re one of the 45 million U.S. households with a cat—or the whopping 69 million households with a dog—you likely find pet hair everywhere from your clothes to your carpets to your bed.
Short of shaving your furry friend, there’s no way to keep the hair at bay for long, but there are plenty of ways to make the hair removal process a little easier. Grab some gloves—we like rubber for picking up loose hair—and check out our quick list below.
Address Your Pet First
The best way to keep your pet’s hair from blanketing every surface of your home is to stop it in its tracks! Finding ways to remove pet hair before the animal sheds is always a safe bet.
Follow common tips to reduce shedding, like brushing your furry friend’s coat more often and focusing on a healthy diet. You might also want to set up an extra appointment with your groomer or to bathe your pet more often.
Launder Your Pet’s Bedding
To get rid of the hair your pet leaves behind after it curls up for a nap, make sure to wash your pet’s bedding more often. Depending on how much your pet sheds, you may need to use an extra rinse cycle. This can help wash away pet hair before you toss in your next load.
If you want to use your dryer on the bedding as well, don’t forget to clean out the lint trap often. This can keep your pet’s hair from finding its way into your clothes, and it’s also a good best practice for dryer safety.
Get Rid of Fur in the Air
Pet hair—and its associated pet dander—can be more than a visual mess. It can also cause respiratory difficulties like sneezing, coughing, and congestion, especially if anyone in your household has allergies.
Manufacturers recommend that you change your air filter once every 30 to 90 days, depending on the brand. However, if you have pets at home, you should always err toward more frequent replacements. Don’t forget to look for pleated filters with a high MERV rating!
If you’re still noticing allergies from pet hair and dander, at-home air purifiers can be a great supplemental tool for further cleaning.
Remove Fur From Your Upholstery
If you can’t flop down onto your sofa without sending a cloud of pet hair into the air, it’s time to grab a few tools. If your vacuum has an upholstery cleaner, that’s a great option for getting rid of troublesome pet hair.
If not, don’t worry: you can also grab a spray bottle and a microfiber cloth or a rubber-edged squeegee to do the same thing. Lightly spray your upholstery with water from the bottle, and use the squeegee or microfiber cloth to pull the hair into larger clumps you can remove one by one. For extra hair-removing power, try mixing a bit of fabric conditioner into the water, as this can help keep hairs from clinging.
Get Fur Off of Your Clothes and Bedding
Do you find yourself covered in pet hair even when you leave the house? Even a cheap lint roller can be an invaluable on-the-go tool to keep clingy pet hair away. If you find yourself stuck without one, a rubber glove or a piece of tape can help you capture these stubborn hairs.
When washing hair-covered clothes or bedding, consider tossing them in the dryer first. A quick tumble can help loosen up the hair for removal, and it can often trap some of it in the filter as well. Be careful not to put too many items in the washer, as these machines are less effective at removing hair if there isn’t enough space for the clothes to move around.
Dryer sheets, especially pet-specific options, can help keep excess hair from clinging as well.
Remove the Fur From Your Flooring
While it might be tempting to reach for a broom, a microfiber dust mop will make it easier to gather the fur on your floors. Microfiber is much more effective than other surfaces at picking up small pieces of debris, including pet hair and dander.
If you don’t have a microfiber broom, a damp duster or a damp mop can help as well.
Carpets tend to be harder to clean. Though a good vacuuming may work for some households, be careful: fine pet fur can get tangled in the bristles, which can damage your vacuum brush. Handheld pet fur vacuums are a better option, as are lint rollers and the fabric softener spray mixture mentioned above.
Don’t forget to tend to any other pet stains on your carpet as well.
Hire a Professional Cleaner
You knew this one was coming, and for good reason!
If you don’t have the specialized tools and pet-friendly cleaning solutions you need, removing hair from shedding pets can be tricky. With a pro, on the other hand, you’ll have access to professional methods to ensure your home is odorless, hair-free, and presentable with less stress. Save yourself time and effort by working with experienced cleaners with quality supplies and the experience to get the job done.
Let Us Help Get Rid of Annoying Pet Hair
Though we all love our furry friends, there’s nothing more annoying than their ever-present pet hair. That’s where a good cleaning service comes in.
Our team offers custom solutions to help save you time and energy on cleaning, especially when you’re dealing with a never-ending chore like pet fur removal! To learn how we can help, contact us today or request a quote.
