How to Remove Dog Hair from Furniture, Floors and More

We all love our furry, four-legged family members and they fulfill a very special role for us. They bring so much joy to our lives that we accept every chore that comes with owning a pet no matter how daunting it can be.

Nobody is more happy to see me when I get home from work than my sweet German Shepherd Lucy, but sometimes I wish she would transform into a hairless cat and stay like that during spring.

I’m going to share some hacks and tips and teach you how to best control your dog’s fuzzy coat that’s on the loose and prevent your house from becoming one giant ball of fur.

Prevention

No matter what you do, you’re going to have fur stuck to your lucky armchair like glue, but it is important to try and limit the amount, so you don’t spend your entire free time chasing your pet with a vacuum.

Regular baths every few weeks or so will definitely help keep his coat mint clean and smelling like roses. Brush your dog’s coat as often as possible, especially if it’s a double-coated breed like Lucy is. This way the loose hair will end up on your brush instead of the floor, furniture, bed, clothes…

Also, brushing gives you an insight into your dog’s health. Use this opportunity to survey the skin for fleas or ticks. If your furry pal has his own little corner with a bed or blanket, make sure to regularly check for loose hair and remove it before it spreads to the rest of the house. These are just to name a few, but there are more ways to keep your home clean.

Let’s dig into the actual removal of fur, remember the more frequently you do this, the less of a hassle it will be. Don’t allow your fur problem to get out of control.

Removing Hair From Furniture

• One of the oldest tricks in the book is using your regular, dishwashing rubber glove to remove hair from your furniture. Put on your glove and start swiping in the same direction until you cover the entire surface. You’ll be surprised how efficiently the hair adheres to the rubber. Have a trash bag, or even better a vacuum next to you in order to collect the accumulated ball of hair.

• For this next one, we’re going to go way back in history. If you’re dealing with stubborn hair that’s embedded in the fabric, you’re going to use something that people used to remove body hair with back in Ancient Greece. The item you want to have is a pumice stone.It’s a lightweight, abrasive stone that can be bought for a few dollars at your local store or online. Before you start scrubbing the upholstery, spray a mix of water and fabric softener and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Again, the same principle applies as with the rubber glove – start from the top and scrape in one direction.

  If you’re using this method, I can’t stress enough how important it is to be careful while scraping with the pumice stone. Avoid wooden parts of the furniture because it will get scratched.

• Speaking of wood, if you’re trying to eliminate hair from a wooden chair, use a dampened cloth or furniture polish wipes (lemony fresh, yum) and gently swipe the hair of your chair.

What about clothes?

• The obvious choice here is to use a good quality lint roller. Have one at your disposal at all times, especially if you have friends visiting. Not all people are pet owners so they might lack some compassion when they spot white dog hair clinging on to their new black dress.

• A more simple, but less effective approach is to soak your hands in water, shake off the excess and wipe your hands on your clothes. When wiping use one direction instead of smearing it all over, for instance, do it from top to bottom. Dump the accumulated glob of hair in a trash bag.

• If your clothes are covered in sticky fur, and you want to wash them in your washing machine, dump them first into the dryer. Make sure it’s set on heat-free and tumble only. Ten minutes should be good enough. Throw your clothes into the washing machine and add some liquid water softener or a ½ cup of white vinegar. After a couple of washes, you will want to make sure that the filter of your dryer is cleaned and run a rinse cycle on your washing machine to avoid the pipes getting clogged.

Getting rid of hair on your floors

• Vacuuming… definitely not my favorite thing to do on a lazy Sunday, but that IKEA carpet is not going to clean itself. If you want to avoid stepping on huge chunks of hair, you are going to have to vacuum as often as possible. There’s this little thing called the Roomba for pet hair. It’s an autonomous robot cleaner, and he’s one of your biggest allies when it comes to eliminating dirt, debris and, most importantly, pet hair. The Roomba model I have has a feature called the AeroForce Cleaning System that amps up the suction power on carpets and rugs. If you’re not ready to introduce a robot to your household, stick to your regular vacuum and do it as often as possible.

• Another good advice is to use a broom with rubber bristles. This is especially effective if used on bare surfaces. By now you’ve learned that rubber is amazing at attracting hair and it’s a great way to use a static charge to your advantage. The charge should pick up even the most stubborn fur. If you don’t have one of these, place a microfiber cloth on top of a mop and use that to clean your hardwood floor or any other bare surfaces.

What to look for when choosing the material of your upholstery

If you can afford it, try getting leather furniture. It is absolutely the best material when it comes to repealing loose dog hair. There is no way for fur to get stuck in the leather, on the contrary, it just slides off of it. Another good fabric is silk. Silk has a slippery exterior, so again, the hair will just slide off of it, but it is not as effective as leather.

You want to avoid materials like velvet because it is literally a magnet for dog fur. Also, a very similar, plush fabric is velour. Brocade and jacquard are also a big no-no.

Hopefully, these tips will help you on your journey to a hair-free home. Well, not exactly hair-free, but definitely a cleaner space that you and your furry rascal can enjoy. I know I wouldn’t swap my Lucy for all the non-shedding poodles out there.

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