Posted on April 28th, 2020
Snuggling up with a warm, fuzzy animal companion is incredibly comforting, especially during times of stress. Unfortunately, the same fur coat that makes cats and dogs so wonderful to hold, leaves a trail of hard-to-clean hair in its wake, creating a constant source of frustration for fastidious pet owners. The good news? There are a number of effective (and surprisingly easy) ways to keep pet hair under control, they just aren’t very well-known.
6 Simple Solutions for Pet Hair in the Home
Most pet owners make the mistake of constantly cleaning up after their furry friends, when they should be focusing on preventing the spread of hair in the first place. To save yourself both time and aggravation, try using the pet hair hacks outlined below:
Groom your pet regularly – and do it outdoors, if possible.
Brushing your cat or dog frequently is the best way to remove excess hair (before it ends up on your furniture or carpets). Dogs should be brushed daily, whereas cats should be brushed two to three times per week. If you have a dog, you’ll also need to bathe him or her at least once per month. To keep pet hair out of your home, brush and bathe your cat or dog either outside or in the garage.
Consider buying an air purifier.
Air purifiers are a great “secret weapon” against pet hair because they’re designed to suck in and trap hair, dander and other particles floating in the air. You don’t need to purchase an expensive model of air purifier to enjoy a significant reduction in pet hair either; any model with a washable pre-filter and a genuine HEPA filter will get the job done. As an added bonus, allergy sufferers in your home will probably experience fewer symptoms because HEPA filters reduce the amount of allergens circulating in the air by up to 99%.
If you live in a house with an HVAC system, you should also have your furnace filters inspected every year. Keeping these filters clean will extend the life of your system, save you money on heating costs and reduce the amount of pet hair in your home.
If you can’t keep your pets off the furniture, consider using furniture covers.
Furniture is notoriously difficult to clean because pet hair and dander quickly collect in the spaces between cushions, under pillows and beneath arm rests. Making matters even more complicated, vacuuming, shampooing and other standard cleaning methods can damage certain types of upholstery.
Ideally, you should train your pets to stay off the furniture altogether, but this isn’t always possible. For many pet owners, furniture covers offer a more realistic, no-fuss solution for cleaning pet hair. Furniture covers can be safely vacuumed each day and most can be washed in the washing machine once per week to eliminate leftover debris and odors. As an added bonus, they’ll also prevent wear and tear on your furniture, especially if your pets like to claw or chew upholstery.
Use the correct type of vacuum for the surfaces in your home.
Regular vacuuming (once every 2-3 days) is essential if you want to stop pet hair from building up on your floors, carpets and furniture, but it’s equally important to choose your vacuum cleaner carefully. Inexpensive filterless vacuums typically lack the powerful suction needed to fully remove pet hair from surfaces and some may actually blow hair around the room, making the problem worse. To really keep on top of pet hair, you’ll need to purchase a high-powered vacuum cleaner with a genuine HEPA filter. Both bagged and bagless models from top-quality brands work equally well for pet hair, but if you choose a bagless model, make sure you empty it outside. Otherwise, pet hair may escape back into your home’s air when you empty your vacuum cleaner.
For carpeted surfaces, use a vacuum cleaner (or attachment) that has rotating brushes; these reach deep into carpet pile to pull up ground-in hair for a thorough clean. When vacuuming a smooth surface on the other hand, you’ll want to skip the rotating brushes and rely on suction instead; rotating brushes can damage certain types of flooring, including hardwood floors.
Wipe down hard surfaces and curtains every day.
Conventional dry dusting just spreads hair and allergens around, but a damp microfiber cloth works wonders when it comes to keeping hard surfaces free of pet hair. Every day, wipe down your counters, tables, chairs and other hard surfaces with a lightly moistened cloth, then use a microfiber mop to quickly clean your floors. Make sure to rinse your cloth and mop in between cleaning different areas to prevent pet hair from being spread around.
For curtains, you can use either a cloth or a lint roller to wipe away pet hair on a day-to-day basis. To clean your curtains more thoroughly, consult our curtain cleaning guide, as different types of curtains require different care.
Have your home cleaned professionally.
No amount of cleaning can completely prevent pet hair and dander from building up in certain areas, particularly in the under-layers of carpets. Even the most powerful consumer-grade vacuums and carpet cleaners can’t completely remove pet hair and dander that gets trapped below carpet pile; only commercial-grade hot water extraction cleaners are capable of doing so. For this reason alone, you should strongly consider having your home cleaned by a professional housecleaner at least three times per year, or more frequently if you have multiple or long-haired pets. A housecleaner will also conduct thorough detailed cleaning to get rid of pet hair in other hard-to-reach locations, such as behind furniture and above shelves and cupboards, leaving you with a wonderfully fresh-smelling, clean home.
For more information on professional solutions for unwanted pet hair, contact the HappyCleans team. Our affordable housecleaning services in Oklahoma will help you enjoy your furry friend’s company, without worrying about pet hair or allergens in your home.