How to Get Rid of Dog Hair on Clothes, Couches and Carpets

Step by step

1. 1

   Pick up hair from clothes with a roller or tape

   The classic sticky lint roller is the fastest fix for clothes. Run it over the fabric a few times in one direction, tearing off used layers as you go. No roller? Wrap a piece of packing or masking tape around your hand sticky side out and pat the garment - the effect is the same. It works especially well on blazers and dark trousers before you head out.

2. 2

   Clean upholstery with a damp rubber glove

   Put on an ordinary rubber cleaning glove and dampen it slightly. Run your hand over the couch, armchair, or car seats, always moving in one direction. The rubber builds up static and gathers the hair into easy-to-remove clumps that you simply pick off and throw away. It is one of the cheapest and most effective methods for upholstery.

3. 3

   Lift hair off carpets with a rubber squeegee

   A rubber squeegee, like the ones for washing windows, or a special brush with rubber teeth combs out hair stuck deep in the carpet pile. Drag it across the carpet in short strokes toward you, gathering the hair into clumps. It pulls out far more hair than a vacuum alone, especially from dense, long-pile carpets.

4. 4

   Run clothes through the dryer before washing

   Before you throw hair-covered clothes into the washing machine, put them in the tumble dryer for about 10 minutes on low heat, ideally with a few dryer balls. The tumbling and airflow loosen the hair and carry it into the filter. Clean the dryer filter after the cycle, then wash. Far less hair ends up in your washing machine that way.

5. 5

   Vacuum floors with a turbo brush

   For large areas and hair trodden into carpeting, use a vacuum with a turbo brush, meaning a rotating brush driven by airflow or a small motor. Its roller combs hair out from between the fibers, which a plain nozzle cannot manage. Clean wound-up hair off the roller regularly so it does not lose effectiveness.

6. 6

   Look after the filter and the washing machine

   Hair loves to clog filters, so after every wash of your dog's things clean the washing machine filter and wipe the rubber door seal, where hair collects. Every so often, run an empty hot cycle to flush hair out of the drum and hoses. That prevents bad smells and weak spinning.

7. 7

   Kill the static on your clothes

   Hair clings hardest to fabrics that build up static, meaning synthetics and fleece. Spray the garment with an antistatic spray or add fabric softener to the wash to reduce the charge. Less static means the hair does not stick as firmly and comes off more easily with a roller.

Match the method to the surface

There is no single tool for everything. On smooth clothes, a roller and tape work fastest; on upholstery, a damp rubber glove; on carpets, a rubber squeegee. Hard floors are best handled with an electrostatic mop or a vacuum, because a dry cloth just blows the hair around the room.

Remember one rule: rubber and moisture are your best allies. Statically charged or slightly damp rubber attracts hair far better than dry plastic or a regular brush. That is why a cheap glove can clean a couch better than many a store-bought gadget.

Prevention, or less cleaning

The easiest hair to remove is hair that never landed on the furniture. Brushing your dog regularly with the right brush, a few times a week and daily during shedding season, catches most of the loose hair before it spreads through the house. Do it outside or in an easy-to-clean bathroom.

Add a few mundane habits: a throw over your dog's favorite spot on the couch that you just shake out and wash, and an air purifier that captures floating hairs and pet dander. The less hair in circulation, the less often you reach for the roller.

Frequently asked questions