Best Ways to Remove Cat and Dog Fur from Clothes & Upholstery

It is a well-known fact that pets are humans’ best friends. Pets are so lovable that we don’t mind them getting all over the place, including our belongings. But like it is said, every coin has two sides. Pets are adorable, but you will also have to deal with pet shedding i.e. fur covering anything and everything. It is very evident in the clothes and upholstery of the pet owner. So how does it end up everywhere and what is the best way to remove cat/dog hair from clothes. Let’s find out!

A) How Does Pet Fur Get on Clothes and Upholstery?

There are various reasons why your pet might shed fur – age, breed and health. A well-groomed and healthy pet will also shed it’s fur naturally. As soon as the pet stops growing, it starts shedding fur. Generally, the pet sheds excessive or amaged fur for the new one to grow. The fur gets thicker as the winter arrives and loses during spring. Shedding alo helps regulate their body temperature.

Your pet will shed fur even with food changes, nutrient deficiency, stress or illness. Excessive shedding might be due to allergy, infections, excessive licking, cancer or even low immunity.

This excessive fur sticks to any surface that has texture. The fabric texture makes it very difficult to remove fur from clothes or upholstery. Directly washing such fur-laden clothes might make it more difficult to remove it. You will find a lot of fur in the machine and dryer too. It can also clog your drain.

So, how do you remove dog hair from the couch? Or are there any tricks and remedies to remove pet hair from clothes? Well, here are a few tried and tested tips that can help you get rid of pet hair/fur from clothes and upholstery.

B) Best Ways to Remove Cat and Dog Fur from Clothes & Upholstery

1. Use a sponge

A kitchen sponge can remove the fur from your clothes and upholstery. Rub a clean and dry sponge or lightly damp sponge over the fabric to remove the fur.

2. Lint roller

Use a lint roller to remove fur before putting clothes in a machine for washing. You can also use a sticky roller that collects fur before washing. If the sticky roller is unavailable, use a tape with the sticky side touching the surface of the fabric.

3. Rubber glove

Damp rubber gloves and rub the gloves over your clothes to create a static force. The static force will make the fur stick to the gloves. Once done, rinse the gloves with soap and water to remove the fur.

4. Dryer sheets for pet hair removal

The dryer sheets have anti-static properties. Rubbing these sheets over the fabric helps the fabric fibre to relax. It will release the fur trapped in the texture of the fabric. Use dryer sheets just before you wash the clothes. These sheets also leave back a mild fragrance that helps keep the fabric fresh.

5. Use of vacuum cleaner

You can vacuum clean your sofas, carpets or rugs regularly to remove fur from a dry surface. Do not wash your carpet or rug or any upholstery without vacuum cleaning.

6. Vinegar rinse

You can also use vinegar to remove pet hair. Add half a cup of white distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle when washing clothes. The vinegar will help the fabric to loosen up and release the fur. After this cycle, put the clothes in the dryer to remove the remaining fur. White vinegar also helps to remove the pet smell and acts as a fabric softener. Plus, it helps reduce the static electricity on clothes, which means that less fur will stick to the fabric.

7. Fur zappers in washing machines

You can put fur zappers with fur-laden clothes in the washing machine or dryer. Fur zappers are silicone pads that collect the fur from the clothes and hold it till the clothes are washed. You can rinse off the fur zappers with water once the clothes are washed and reuse them for the next wash. Avoid using fur zappers with fabric softener or dry sheets as they stick to the zappers.

8. Wool dryer balls

Wool dryer balls are like cotton balls that help loosen & soften the fabric and remove the fur easily. Put these wool dryer balls in the dryer with the clothes and rinse them off after the wash.

9. Fabric brushes

Fabric brushes are very similar to lint rollers. These brushes work well with clothes having a heavy texture. Rubbing the fabric brush on the upholstery or fabric will remove the fur from the surface. You can vacuum clean the fabric to remove any remaining fur.

10. Hand-held steamer

For delicate fabrics, use a hand-held steamer. Steam loosens up the fur on the clothes. Once the fabric is a little damp, it becomes easy to remove the fur. After using steam on your clothes, use a lint roller, fabric brush or dry sheet to remove the fur. From there, you can use a clothes brush, lint roller, dryer sheets, or manually brush off hair from the fabric.

11. Couch covers

If you have pets at home, keep changing the couch covers as often as possible. Changing couch covers will help avoid the layers of fur getting collected on the couch. Select the fabric colour that matches the fur of your pet. This will make the upholstery look spotless to the guests until you remove the fur. You can also experiment with patterns in upholstery fabric, which helps hide pet hair.

Summary

If you have pets, then having fur all over the house is very common. The best way to remove pet hair or lessen the accumulation of fur is:

• Bathe your pet regularly and comb their hair to remove excess fur before it sticks to any fabric.
• Do not forget to wash and clean your washing machine and dryer regularly. Clean the washing machine filter regularly to remove dirt and fur trapped in the filter mesh.
• Use a kitchen sponge, lint rollers, dry sheets, fabric brushes, or rubber gloves to remove the fur directly from the fabric.
• You can use reusable fur zappers or wool dryer balls while washing your clothes or upholstery in the washer.
• Use fabric softeners or white vinegar to rinse clothes. It helps soften the fabric and remove fur and pet smell.
• Vacuum clean the upholstery regularly to remove excess fur.

Try the hacks mentioned above with grooming the pet to remove the fur from the fabric. And, if all else fails, you can get upholstery washed and cleaned by best laundry and dry cleaners.

Contact us today to learn more about our professional carpet and sofa cleaning service in Mumbai.