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If you’ve ever tried to vacuum up stubborn pet hair from places like your couch, car, rugs, and even your bedding, you probably know the struggle is REAL! Since I live with two felines who shed excessively, I decided to try many of the different tricks to get rid of cat hair being shared around the internet to see if any of them actually worked well for me.
To my surprise, they DID! (Most of them, anyway) These are the ones that worked the best, and ones that didn’t.
While there are more expensive tools made for pet hair removal that work pretty good, the best part about all these things is they’re using items you have around your home already. If you don’t, you can easily pick them up for cheap, or even at the dollar store. I actually was able to find every item used in this haul at the Dollar Tree.
#1 – The rubber glove trick
Claim: Everyone says you can take a good old rubber glove, like the kind you may use to wash dishes, and it magically picks up pet hair. I wasn’t too sure about it, but I gave it a shot anyway.
Verdict: I have to say, wow! I tried this on my bedding and it really does work. (Although it does still take some work on your part!)
However, I find this is best used in combination with a vacuum. The rubber gloves definitely get the hair un-stuck from the blanket, but I didn’t find they rolled up nicely into a large clump I could easily pick up and throw away. It did take quite a bit of elbow grease but definitely came up much easier than just trying to vacuum alone.
It’s also probably worth noting this can make your hand super hot if you do it for any length of time! Ouch! I would only recommend doing this with a small, stubborn area.
Tip: Another strategy is to do this with a damp glove and bucket of water. The wet hair will stick to the glove, which you can dip into the water bucket to clean off, then repeat.
#2 – The squeegee trick
Claim: People say you can use a plain rubber squeegee to help scrape cat/dog hair up out of couches, carpet, and car upholstery.
Verdict: I tried it with my microfiber couch. This is a super handy thing to know, and I will always do this now! However, it needs to be done with short, quick, and repetitive motions to really get the hair out. It works very well though, and even after vacuuming my couch I was able to squeegee out this entire ball of cat hair from one little area on my cushion. Unlike the rubber glove, it was much easier to do.
I think this could also work quite well with car upholstery too, although I haven’t tried it specifically.
#3 – The sponge trick
Claim: Taking a clean, damp sponge and wiping it across furniture is said to help pull out a ton of hair embedded into fabrics.
Verdict: I was shocked by how well this worked when I tried it on my microfiber couch. I’ve always had a difficult time vacuuming out all the hair, even with specialized pet tools. This made it much, much easier and the hair even rolled up into a nice ball I could pick up and throw out.
Theoretically, you could get out all the pet hair in your furniture this way without even using a vacuum! (Although, they do make the job faster, easier, and cleaner). But If you don’t have one on hand, this could do in a pinch.
# 4 – The hairspray trick
Claim: Spraying hairspray on a cloth will help clean animal fur off hard surfaces.
The hairspray will help the hair cling to the fabric instead of just flying or moving around everywhere, which was the problem I always had. Plus, it’s probably something you already own (or can buy for super cheap).
Verdict: This totally works! I used it on my end tables and kitchen cupboards. They wiped up super clean with just one swipe. I would just go over the surface again with a damp cloth to wipe off any residue left behind by the hairspray.
Swiffer tip: This also works pretty well with Swiffer dry pads. I know people say that pet hair clings to these on its own, but I never felt like they worked that great. After spraying on a bit of hairspray, the hair stuck to the pad much better.
Read also: How to Get Rid of Cat Hair Everywhere
#5 – Diluted fabric softener spray
Claim: I read that if you take fabric softener and dilute it in a spray bottle with water (4 parts water to 1 part softener), then lightly mist onto your carpets or rugs before a vacuum, it will help to loosen up stubborn cat (or dog) hair.
Verdict: This worked pretty well. I really feel like it helped pull up more of that stubborn hair that gets matted into the rugs. Make sure you’re only spraying a light mist and wait a few minutes to let it dry before vacuuming. And as a bonus, it makes your house smell nice!
It’s recommended if you do this regularly, that you also deep clean your carpets every once in a while to get rid of the build-up from the fabric softener.
#6 – Pumice stone trick
Claim: Pumice stones loosen embedded fur from carpets, rugs, and car upholstery.
I saw a video of someone getting pet hair that was embedded within car fabric with a pumice stone. It was pretty impressive considering that car upholstery can be THE WORST for stuck on fur. I didn’t own a pumice stone already so I wasn’t going to try this, but I saw they actually had these at Dollar Tree so I figured it was worth a shot.
Verdict: This job needs to be done with a high-quality pumice stone. Don’t make the mistake I did and try to do this with a cheap one. They flake EVERYWHERE. As soon as I ran it across my carpet, white powder was shed everywhere and embedded into the rug! I have no doubt this works, just not with one that only costs $1!
#7 – Washer/Dryer combo
Claim: For pet hair that is stuck in fabrics like bedding, blankets, curtains, coats, or any type of clothing, it is claimed you can remedy the situation with your washer and dryer. Basically you’re supposed to put the items into your dryer first with a dryer sheet (or dryer balls) to help loosen up hair. Then, wash and dry like normal.
Verdict: I find this works great with many fabrics, however not my 100% polyester stuff (like the comforter pictured above). Polyester, wool, and fleece (which is actually made from a type of polyester) are some of THE WORST for pet hair!!!
The rubber glove trick could help this blanket out, or maybe some sticky sheets like these. But in all honesty, a much easier solution is to take note and not let fabrics like these be accessible to your animals.
Conclusion
There are so many products out there to help with the task of cleaning up pet hair (many of which I already own!) But some of these common household items honestly work so well, I’m kicking myself for not knowing about them sooner.
While nothing can ever truly replace a vacuum cleaner, these definitely help make the job a whole lot faster, and you probably won’t even have to buy anything special to get the job done!
Do you have any unique strategies you use to deal with stuck on fur?! Please share them!
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