Dealing With Dog Fur: Tips For Removing Pet Hair From Your Stuff

As a dog owner, do you find yourself choosing things like…

• the color of your carpets
• what you’re going to wear today
• the color or texture of your furniture
• the type of bed linens you buy

…all based on its likelihood of repelling dog fur?

You’re not alone. I definitely do this!

Here are some tips for dealing with dog fur inside your home and some unique pet hair removal techniques that you might want to consider…

How To Remove Pet Hair

1. 1. Use a velcro 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 2 or more dogs, your vacuum cleaner will become your very best friend. (I like a handheld vaccuum for dog fur.)
      • 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 he didn’t mind it at all. Most of our other dogs haven’t been too keen on being vacuumed. They’re not fond of the loud noise and machinery being so close to their body.
   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 “traditional” 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 rubber pet hair mitts and rubber brooms (often called carpet rakes) that claim to remove pet hair from furniture, rugs, and clothing,…

Clear & simple, I’ve never had a good experience with them. I’ve tried both the rubber mitts and the rubber rakes, but the results were barely satisfactory.

They work mostly by static electricity — which means they’re basically just pushing the fur around.

They just don’t work well enough for me to want to use them consistently.

Just For Fun: Dog Throw Pillows

When I saw this fun throw pillow at my local pet boarding facility, I just had to have it!

Between you and me, it became my personal household billboard for my mom, who always wore dark-colored clothes when I had a white furry dog. And now, years later, after we got a black dog instead, she always seems to wear white clothes when she visits us. We just can’t seem to coordinate.

So I put this fun dog pillow on the guest bed in our home, and now we have a good laugh together every time she visits!

UPDATE:

I started hearing about a number of pet owners having good luck with the Pledge Fabric Sweeper For Pet Hair. So I tried it. Here’s my review.