Pet ownership in the U.S. is widespread, with over 90 million homes keeping pets. Dogs and cats make up the overwhelming majority of indoor pets. But, of course, keeping dogs and cats in homes comes with one almost unavoidable problem: pet hair.
Pet hair can cause various problems, such as clogging your plumbing and the air filters in your HVAC systems. The latter reduces efficiency in your HVAC system and drives up utility costs. And plumbing repairs are notoriously expensive.
If your fur baby sheds a lot and you’re looking for ways to get rid of pet hair, keep reading. We’ll provide some essential tips on controlling dog and cat hair.
1. Regular Grooming
One of the best and simplest ways to control dog and cat hair in your home is by regularly grooming your pets. Brushing your dogs and cats helps remove loose pet hair from their coats. It also lets you capture that hair in the brush and dispose of it.
This is particularly important during the spring and fall. That’s when you see the most shedding among dogs and cats. Their coats transition for warmer and cooler weather.
It becomes thinner in the spring to help them shed heat during the summer months. Then, it comes in thicker as preparation for the cold winter weather.
As a bonus, it’s also a good way for you to bond with your pet.
2. A Good Vacuum Cleaner
A good vacuum cleaner is something else you’ll want as a pet fur control measure. Pet hair is challenging to separate from carpeting and rugs. That makes a good vacuum cleaner with excellent suction indispensable in your battle against pet hair.
A good vacuum will also provide extensions and tools that let you get into places that pet hair likes to hide, such as:
- Under the bed
- Under living room furniture
- In tight corners
A cheap vacuum cleaner often lacks the power or the extensions that let you get that pet hair off the floor.
3. Lint Brush
Every pet owner knows about the trial of keeping pet hair off of your clothing. Without fail, the black shirt or white skirt you put down for two seconds will come away with noticeable cat hair.
The lint brush is one of the more popular options for dealing with this kind of pet hair. Many people prefer lint brushes because they’re a long-term solution.
Of course, a lint brush can also mean a lot of extra work for your arms. You brush your clothes or upholstery, and the brush picks up the pet hair or lint.
4. Lint Roller
A lint roller is another popular option for dealing with pet hair on clothes or upholstery. Lint rollers are rolls of paper with a light adhesive on one side.
You roll them over your clothes or upholstery. The pet hair, dust, and lint stick to the adhesive. When they stop working, you remove the top sheet of adhesive paper and start with the next sheet.
People often like these because they’re less work, but you must replace them more often than a lint brush.
5. Microfiber Dust Mop
While a vacuum cleaner works great on carpeting and lint rollers take care of clothes and upholstery, what about wood or tile floors? A vacuum can work okay on them, but not every vacuum cleaner has a hard surface mode. Even ones with a hard surface mode often struggle with pet hair.
This is where a microfiber dust mop shines. As the mop travels over the floor, it creates a slight static charge. This charge helps the mop attract and trap dust, small dirt particles, and pet hair.
It’s a quick and efficient way to cut down on pet hair in kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms.
6. The Dryer
Many pet owners let their cats and dogs sleep on the bed with them. Unfortunately, that also means letting pet hair and dander build up on the bed. Worse still, unlike the reasonably stiff upholstery you find on furniture, lint rollers often fail with blankets and comforters.
This is a job for your dryer. Dropping your bedding into the dryer for 5 to 10 minutes on a low heat setting can help loosen the pet hair.
Just watch the lint trap. All loose pet hair has to go somewhere, and it can clog up your lint trap in a hurry.
7. Dryer Sheets
If you want to take your dryer trick to the next level, consider tossing in a dryer sheet with them. Dryer sheets do an excellent job of eliminating static, which can help loosen up more pet hair on your bedding.
Many dryer sheets also have a fabric-softening effect that may help remove some hair from your bedding.
Between the dryer itself and dryer sheets, you can end up with blankets and comforters that border on being pet hair-free.
8. Professional Cleaning
The real challenge with pet hair in the home is that you must keep after it regularly and consistently.
This can consist of vacuuming, dusting, and mopping twice a week and weekly grooming sessions. Plus, you end up doing a lot of lint rolling.
If you can’t get up the pace with all the cleanings, you can always turn to a professional cleaning service to help you pick up the slack with things like vacuuming and dust mopping.
Managing Pet Hair
Managing pet hair is often a challenge and a priority for homeowners. However, too much pet hair can reduce the efficiency of your HVAC system and clog up your plumbing.
There are many options for controlling it, including regular pet grooming, a good vacuum cleaner, and a microfiber dust mop. You can also use a dryer to remove pet hair from your bedding. You can also lean on professional cleaning services to help you keep up.
Abby Cleaning Services offers home cleaning options in the McHenry County area. For more information, contact Abby Cleaning Service today.
