Dealing With Dog Fur: Tips For Removing Pet Hair From Your Stuff
Do you choose things like...
...the color of your carpets
...what you're going to wear today
...the color or texture of your furniture
...and the type of bed linens you buy
based on its likelihood of repelling dog fur?
Here are some tips for dealing with dog fur inside your home and some interesting pet hair removal techniques you might want to consider:
How To Remove Pet Hair:
1. Use a velcro-type hair curler.
You can rub a velcro curler over practically any surface and the pet hair will cling to it like magic!
BONUS TIP: Use a long thin curler (you know, the ones with the bendable metal wire inside) and you can angle it to get behind furniture, along the baseboards, between carpeted steps, etc.
Check this out!... Did you know that velcro was invented with dogs in mind in the first place?
2. Use your vacuum.
This one's a given... if you've got a dog, then you'll be vacuuming more than your friends who don't have dogs. And if you have two or more dogs, your vacuum cleaner will become your very best friend.
BONUS TIP: But did you ever think to use your vacuum cleaner's brush or nozzle attachments to actually remove loose fur directly from your dog's coat? Some dogs are more receptive to this than others. I had one dog that craved the one-on-one attention, and didn't mind it at all. Most of our other dogs haven't been too keen on being vacuumed. They're no crazy about the loud noise and machinery being so close to them.
3. Use tape.
Masking tape and blue painter's tape work wonders on picking up dog fur around the house! (Just don't use tape on the dog!)
BONUS TIP: The wider the tape, the better. Just tear off a long strip, wrap it around your hand (or your fingers), and mash away until all of the pet hair is removed. You'll probably have to "reload" and use several strips of tape before the job is done.
4. Use a sticky roller.
These modern-day lint brushes come pre-loaded with super-sticky paper on a roller. They're quick & easy... just roll it over the furry spots, remove the "used" portion, and roll some more until all of the pet hair is removed.
BONUS TIP: These come in different sizes, they're fairly inexpensive, and they're disposable. In a pinch, you could also use a "standard" lint brush -- the type with the felt pad that picks up lint whenever it's brushed in one direction.
What About Rubberized Pet Hair Removers?
And now a word about those rubbery mitts and carpet rakes that claim to remove pet hair from furniture, rugs, clothing, and furniture...
Clear & simple: I've never had a good experience with these. When picking up things from carpets, they work mostly by static electricity, but they just don't work well enough for me.
The one I tried was the Sweepa rubber broom.
I just used a shedding blade, used to remove the dead hair from dogs, and it is a wonderful thing! I have 5 dogs and a cat and I tell you, it's a miricle to have finally discovered this. I've tried everything and this is by far the best! You gotta try this! You can get one in the pet section of any department store for about 3 bucks. Let me know what you think.
One thing I find very helpful especially in the winter with all the static electricity is liquid fabric softner. I use a large spray bottle and mix 1/4 liquid fab softner to 3/4 water then spritz the carpet about fifteen minutes before I vaccume. It really helps loosen the hair from the carpet.
I use a plastic soft bristle brush on the carpet before vacuuming, it creates static and picks up a HUGE amount of fur!!! It's amazing!