When you are the happy owner of several cats or dogs (or maybe just one long-haired breed) it sometimes seems as if there is pet hair everywhere. From the carpets, to your shoes, chairs, rugs, upholstery, even collecting in dust bunny colonies under the kitchen table; how does one get ahead? Fortunately, instead of being a victim of the pet-hair plague, there are ways to win the upper hand. Below are some of our most effective tips on ridding your house of lose fur.
Getting Rid of Pet Hair
- Maintain coat health: Before we start considering methods of hair removal, the first task is to deal with the source. Pets shed for a number of reasons including changing seasons, skin allergies/irritation, frequent scratching, insufficient brushing, etc. Make sure your pet is brushed daily, and shampooed at least once a month.
- FURminator Brush: Brushing the cat or dog ought to be done daily as a part of your pet-care routine. However, not all brushes were created equal. The FURminator brush is one of the most effective tools for uprooting loose hair from the upper and lower layers of your pet’s coat. By simply running the brush through once a day, the FURminator will decrease the amount of hair-shedding in your home.
- Dry/Unused Sponge: The roughness of a dry sponge will help “scrub up” any pet hair on your furniture or chairs, without causing any damage to the upholstery material. Rub the dry sponge vigorously in circles around the surface to make the hair ball up for easy disposal. (If the dry sponge clean up isn’t working, dampen the fabric with a spritz of water mixed with fabric softener over the seat and cushions before wiping it off with a rag.)
- Broom/Swiffer: Sometimes a little “elbow grease” goes a long way. Brooms and Swiffers can reach in the nooks and crannies where hair might be piling high. A damp Swiffer cloth will also spruce up the floors with a moist wash, picking up and tidbits the broom-bristles could miss. Anti-static dusting spray is also great to use on floors, tables, kitchen counters and other surfaces.
- Vacuum: Regular household vacuums are a decent method of assault on dog hair, especially if you have thick carpets in your home. However, on hardwood or tile floors, be aware that vacuums sometimes make the job more difficult, by blowing the hair away before the suction zone can lift it up. Try using hoovers with high-efficiency particulate air filters, or use an electrostatic mops on hard surfaces.
- Damp/Microfiber cloths: If you have heretofore lacked any interested in the texture of materials and cloths, be enlightened. Microfiber is no ordinary fabric, the small droves dig effortlessly into other uneven surfaces and slick floors, scooping out any grime, hair, or dust you wish to remove. With a quick wipe of your hand, all animal hair will be whisked away!
- Rubber soled shoes: Another ditch-effort idea is to get rubber-soled house shoes, so as you move around your carpet and across rugs during the day, your soles will collect stray pet hair. This you can easily peel off your shoes and dispose of throughout the day.
- Lint Roller: Finally, the lint-roller will become your closest ally in the battle against pet hair. Though you may have thoroughly eradicated your house of lose fur, strands of cat hair or dog hair might be clinging to your sweater or pants. Before you head out the door for your daily High Tea with the Queen of England, make sure you give your clothes one final hair-catching swipe with the lint roller. Though she loves dogs, and probably wouldn’t begrudge a hair or two on you, her majesty will be none the wiser!
