If you have a pet at home, it may seem like everything in your home is a magnet for animal hair. We’ll walk you through how to remove pet hair from clothes, from using a washing machine to remove pet hair to other, low-tech pet hair removal hacks.
Machine washers have come a long way, and are a great tool for helping remove pet hair from laundry. If your machine is newer, it may have a setting dedicated to removing pet hair or allergens, however, a delicate setting should also work well. When choosing a detergent, we recommend looking for a liquid laundry detergent that is formulated to remove allergens like dog and cat dander.
Be sure to check your garment’s care label before washing, and for the most effective clean, don’t overload the washer.
Whether you started your pet hair removal efforts with a washing machine or are starting the process with your dryer, machine drying your clothes can help remove pet hair from clothes. If you’re starting with the dryer, you’ll want to select the coolest temperature setting, and from there, the dryer will essentially “suck” the hair out of the drum.
Keep your dryer (and your washer if you used it!) clean after pet hair removal by cleaning the drum of the washer and dryer, in addition to regular cleaning of the lint trap after each cycle. Using a microfiber cloth after your washer drum is dry and your dryer is cool may also help remove any stubborn strands of pet hair. If you don’t have a microfiber cloth, vacuuming the washer and dryer drums is a good alternative.
Once you know how to remove pet hair from your clothes, you should start looking for ways to avoid pet hair clinging to your clothes, furniture, etc. in the first place.
- If you have pets at home, brush their hair often to help contain shedding.
- Purchase a special microfiber pet brush to clean and remove pet hair from sofas, carpets, upholstery, etc. Some pet brushes have rubber attachments that are also effective as sweeping up and removing pet hair.
- Lint rollers are an old standby and reliable tool for picking up stray pet hairs on clothes and fabrics.
- For heavier duty clean up, you can always opt for a vacuum cleaner that is specially engineered to remove pet hair from carpets and upholstery.
- If you have a spare pair of rubber gloves handy, get them damp, and move your gloved hand in a circular motion to collect the pet hair. Once you’re done, you should be able to pull off the hair with ease.
Whether you decide to use a conventional pet hair removal route like a washer and dryer or one of our more creative hacks, there are plenty of simple options to keep your clothes and upholstered surfaces clean and hair-free.
