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  • Writer's pictureLaundry Care

How to Combat Pet Hair

Those of us with pets will testify to the tremendous amount of love and joy they bring into our lives. My cat loves to wake me up each morning by sitting on my stomach and purring, while the dog lays on the bed next to her, patiently waiting for my eyes to pop open so he can smother me with morning kisses. He’s as excited to see me when I wake up as he is when I come home from work, and I’m equally excited to see them.

Family sitting on couch with happy dog in foreground

What I’m not excited about is pet hair on my clothes. Quite frankly, it’s one of my greatest pet peeves (no pun intended)-- so I thought we’d spend a few minutes discussing the best way to keep ourselves from taking little pieces of our four legged friends with us wherever we roam.


In an ideal world, our pets wouldn’t have the desire to climb on furniture or, at the very least, they would be trained not to do so. Quite honestly, there are evenings when I take great comfort in curling up with my pooch on the couch and watching TV. This has resulted in the vacuum attachments being used on the furniture at least once a week and sometimes more frequently, if one of my children wants to be mommy’s helper. It’s the best defense in keeping pet hair off of our clothes. If you have a pet that favors one particular chair or spot on the sofa, you can avoid the vacuuming chore by covering the piece of furniture with an old blanket or sheet, which can be removed before guests come to the house. In addition to vacuuming you should also brush your pets once a week to remove loose hairs.


The second best defense against pet hair on clothing is to clean the washing machine. Run an empty wash cycle; if your machine has a center agitator with a cup for liquid fabric softener, fill it with hot water before running the cycle. When the cycle is finished, grab a wet cloth and wipe down the entire machine. Keep the machine clean by running a lint roller over your clothes before you put them in the washing machine. Each of my children has a lint roller in their room and I’ve taught them to run it over their clothes before they take them off and toss them into the dirty laundry basket. I also keep one in the laundry room.


Using white vinegar in the washer will also help keep pet hair off of clothing. It reduces static cling and may help to release any leftover pet hair from clothing.


Finally, empty the lint trap of your dryer after each load. Pet hair will usually be caught in the trap, but will remain in your dryer and on your clothes if the trap isn’t cleaned on a regular basis. Do not fold clothes on your bed or any piece of furniture that is typically occupied by a pet. Hang the laundry and put folded items away immediately, to avoid having pets use them as beds. Keeping pet hair off of clothes is an ongoing battle, but it can be won with persistence.

 

If you lack the time or energy to fight the fight, contact Laundry Care wash and fold laundry service and let us help you.


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