Getting rid of unwanted pet hair, like cleaning up the yard, is just one of the prices we pay for the joys of dog ownership. Whether you need to remove loose fur from your dog, your home or your clothes, here are some tips to get the job done.
About Pet Hair
It seems like no matter how much we clean, dog owners are always plagued with dog hair. We find it on our furniture, carpets, and clothing. Sometimes we even find it in our food, to which anyone who's ever gotten dog hair in their mouth after drinking those last dregs in the coffee cup can attest.
Some breeds shed more than others, but unless your breed is truly hairless, removing dog hair becomes part of the game sooner or later.
Loose pet hair can also be more than a simple nuisance to some people. Pet hair and dander can cause a mild to severe allergic reaction for many people, so eliminating animal hair becomes more important than ever.
Removing Unwanted Hair From Your Dog
The first step in removing unwanted pet hair from your environment involves grooming your dog.
Brushing
Brushing your dog's coat on a daily basis is one of the best ways for removing unwanted pet hair. A thorough brushing removes loose dead hair before it has a chance to float around your home. The Furminator is a grooming tool that helps you brush down into the undercoat to remove as much loose hair as possible. Brush against the grain of your dog's coat for greatest effect.
Clipping
One of the surest ways of eliminating pet hair from your environment without getting rid of your pet is by clipping your dog's hair short. Many pets receive bi-annual hair cuts that help keep them looking neat, while greatly reducing the amount of hair being shed. Follow up with a bath twice a month, and you'll keep the allergens down too.
Vacuuming Your Dog
Any hose with a vacuum attachment can become a very handy grooming tool for removing unwanted pet hair directly from your dog. A Pet Brush Vacuum Attachment allows you to brush your dog while all the loose hair goes directly into the vacuum hose. This is a highly effective way of removing unwanted pet hair from the environment.
Removing Pet Hair From Your Home
Vacuuming and sweeping are the main ways for removing dog hair from your home, and there are some tools that can make that removal a little easier.
- The Pet Hair Magnet is a sort of dog hair squeegee that uses a ribbed rubber blade to gather up the most stubborn clinging dog hair.
- Dyson Animal Vacuums pulls more unwanted pet hair from furniture and carpets than ordinary household vacuums.
- The Oreck Vacuum provides a very high level of suction that even pulls up pet hair that is imbedded in fabric, and its filtration system traps dander from recirculating in the room.
Removing Pet Hair From Your Clothes
Lint brushes and tacky rollers are good items to keep on hand for removing dog hair from your clothing. If these items aren't available, you can improvise by wrapping scotch, masking or duct tape around your hand, sticky side out, and dabbing your clothing to pull away stray dog hairs and lint. It works like a charm.
