You adopted a dog or cat because you always wanted a pet, and soon, they became an important member of the family. They rule the house and use every item of furniture just like you do. But while you love them immensely and cannot imagine life without them, you are tired of the constant battle you must wage with the hair they leave on every surface, from your clothes to your bedsheets and couch.
Ordering them off the furniture is out of the question, but living with pet hair gathering on all surfaces is not an option, either. Pet hair embeds itself in fabrics, and it can be notoriously difficult to sweep up as well. There is often no alternative to daily sweeping, dusting and mopping to get most of the hair out. Your pet will also have seasonal shedding, where they deposit more hair than usual everywhere. Wondering how to keep your home pet hair-free? Try these 4 simple care tips:
#1 Keep your bedsheets free of hair.
Pets like dogs and cats like to cuddle with their humans, and the bed is often the place where they like to sleep right next to their human parents or siblings. You might also have a few playful romps and wrestles with them in your bed. As the fur flies and settles into your bedsheets and pillow cases, it becomes deeply embedded in the fabric. Soon, it gets into your hair, skin and clothes. If you or a family member suffer from mild to moderate respiratory issues, then pet hair may start an allergic reaction. Invest in high quality anti-bacterial cotton bedsheets and vacuum out your dohar every day to keep the hair out. We also recommend using hygro-cotton bedsheets that become softer with every wash – you will need to wash your bedding often to keep the hair out.
#2 Use carpet shampoo on your rugs.
Pets not only leave hair on the floor and carpets, but may also leave drool, traces of their food and treats, and worse, leave messes on the rugs. Your local pet store will stock a good shampoo for rugs and carpets – use it every alternate day to keep the rugs fresh and odour- and stain-free. Dry shampooing also removes vestiges of hair from the carpet fibres. Follow this cleaning routine for all carpets in the house.
#3 Damp gloves and tape can remove embedded hair.
Despite regular vacuuming, dusting, sweeping and cleaning, you will still find pet hair embedded in bedding, towels, bathrobes and rugs. You can get stuck hair by dampening a pair of rubber gloves and patting the affected surfaces thoroughly. The damp surface makes the hair stick, and you must periodically wipe down or wash the gloves to remove the hair before you move on to the next surface. Also use the sticky part of masking or paper tape to pull out embedded hair from fabrics.
#4 Use a lint roller and brush on your pet.
This is sometimes the best thing to do, to remove excess hair from the source before it deposits itself all over the house. Use a standard issue lint roller on your dog or cat and move it gently across their fur to remove excess hair. You can also invest in a de-shedding brush or bristled glove – run the implement across the fur for a few minutes every day to remove any loose hair. The brushing and massaging action makes the pet feel better, and the incidence of hair fall all over the house is much reduced.