You love your furry friend, even when you spend your life removing hair from your carpet. However, getting dog or cat hair out of carpets doesn’t have to be a huge struggle. You don’t always need special detergents or solvents to do the job. Here are our home remedies and cleaning tips to get pet fur out of carpets and furniture.
1. Lint rollers or sticky tape
A lint roller or sticky tape is excellent at removing dog hair from the carpet. Lint rollers are must-have, inexpensive tools to pick up hair, fluff, dust, and dirt. Peel off each sheet after use (when it is no longer sticky), toss it, and use a new one.
Roll the lint roller over your carpet and furniture to remove all hairs. On larger surfaces, it might take a long time, but only a few minutes across a short space. You might find lint rollers or sticky tape best for rugs or upholstery cleaning rather than whole carpets.
2. Rubber gloves
Use a rubber glove if you want a chemical-free way to clean your carpet, removing cat hair and dog fur. They are cheap and without harsh chemicals that may harm your carpet. You don’t need any additional cleaning supplies.
Rubber creates static that enables the fur and hair on the carpet to stick to the glove. Rubber brooms also work and might be more efficient on larger surface areas. To use rubber gloves for cleaning dog hair from carpets:
- Put the rubber gloves on and submerge your hands in water. The damp glove will stick to embedded pet hair in the carpeting’s fibers.
- Rub your hands all over the rug or carpet. The friction will create static energy to pick up fur and lint.
- Move your hands in one direction to collect the lump of hair in a common spot that is easy to pick up and remove.
- Collect the hair and dispose of it. Rinse the gloves in hot water and repeat the process until you have removed all the hair from your carpet.
3. Kitchen sponge
Some methods recommend wet cleaning, using a damp hand to collect hair. However, you might find your hand rubbed raw before you’ve even finished cleaning one rug. Alternatively, you could use a kitchen sponge to collect the hair rather than your hand.
You’ll need to thoroughly vacuum your carpet before using a kitchen sponge to clean up dog hair. For larger carpets, you may wish to use a sponge mop to complete the job more quickly. Dampen the mop or sponge and run along the carpet wherever the pet hair gathers.
4. Fabric softener
You don’t need to use expensive pet hair carpet cleaners or detergents. All you need is a standard fabric softener that you usually use for your laundry. Get your fabric softener, water, a spray bottle, a vacuum cleaner, and a brush.
To clean hair from carpet:
- Create a solution with a diluted fabric softener and water in a spray bottle.
- Spray the solution lightly on your carpet; don’t spray too much.
- Wait for a few minutes for the solution to dry. It shouldn’t take long at all.
- The fabric softener will loosen pet hair, which is easier to vacuum or brush.
5. Carpet rakes
Carpet raking with broom-like tools will help comb rugs and carpets and unearth hidden fur. With a long handle and metal bristles, you won’t need to get on your hands and knees to clean pet hair.
- Clean the head of the rake and adjust the handle to a comfortable height.
- Press the head of the rake into the rug or carpet and apply light pressure to pull it in short strokes.
- You can use longer strokes if your carpet has long fibers.
- Remove built-up hair from the rake and dispose of it before moving on to the next patch of carpet.
Using a carpet rake for carpet and rug cleaning is efficient and practical for larger surface areas.
6. Hair brushes
A hairbrush will do the same job if you don’t own a carpet rake. Hair brushes are handy tools to get embedded hairs out of the carpet. Make sure the brush has stiff metal bristles for the best results.
Use long and short strokes in any direction to get deep into the fabric. Make sure all strokes follow a common direction to hand-pick the collected lumps. You may need to clean the bristles on the brush periodically. Keep going until no more hair sticks to the brush.
7. Rubber squeegees
You can use a rubber squeegee on your carpet the same way you use it on a window to clean the carpet of pet hair. Squeegee rubbers are magnets for hair. It creates friction that pulls the hair out of your carpet, rug, or furniture. You can also get long-handled squeegees that save you from bending your back or getting on your hands and knees.
How to use a rubber squeegee to remove hair from the carpet:
- Pull the squeegee over the carpet in your direction with slight pressure. Work in sections to pull out balls of fur.
- The rubber will loosen embedded hair and allow you to pick up fur in clumps to dispose of it. Repeat the process until you remove all the hair.
- Use a vacuum cleaner to suck up stubborn hair.
8. Baking soda
Baking soda is a miracle cleaner for carpets, upholstery, and rugs. Baking soda can do everything from removing pet hair and pet stains to soaking up smells from pet urine. All dog and cat owners should keep a healthy supply of baking soda in their kitchen cupboards to keep their carpets in good shape.
Start by spreading a light coat of baking soda across your carpet and allow it to sit for a few minutes. The baking soda loosens pet hair and deodorises the carpet. Vacuum the rug or carpet to get the hair and baking soda out of the fibers. Alternatively, you can also try blotting the area with dishwashing detergent — make sure to rinse the area thoroughly.
9. Vacuum cleaner
While regular vacuuming can help stave off the worst pet hair, a specific pet hair vacuum cleaner can work wonders in removing pet hair from carpet or rug fibres. Pet hair vacuums have the appropriate suction and filters to remove stubborn hairs without clogging the system.
10. Professional carpet cleaners
Sometimes, you can’t get rid of the lingering pet hair after all your efforts. You may need to call in a professional carpet cleaner in such instances. Commercial floor cleaning services can help with all your pet cleaning worries — from stain removal to removing stubborn pet hair from the carpet.
Preventive measures to reduce pet hair at home
Once you’ve completed pet hair removal and deep cleanings once or twice, you’ll want to do all you can to prevent your dog or cat from shedding hair before you spruce up your home decor. Some dog or cat breeds naturally produce more hair than others, but a few preventative measures exist.
- Give your pets a regular bath — frequent showers can cause excessive fur loss.
- Create a diet plan. Cat nutrition and dog nutrition can reduce abnormal shedding.
Summing up
Keeping your carpets clean of pet hair may sometimes feel like a chore, but it’s not impossible. With our quick tips, you can keep on top of the fur on your carpets and give your floor a thorough deep clean now and then.