Tips To Help Manage Pet Hair In Your Home

If you are a pet owner, you know all the ways your pet makes your life better and the love you share. You also know there is one down side - pet hair. I’m somewhat of an expert in the area as I have three dogs. One pup is a dream hypo allergenic non shedder, but my other two girls are big shedders. Hair is just a fact of life with pet ownership that you must learn to deal with.

There are ways to manage pet hair from taking over your home

or all your spare time.

First line of defense, brush your dog often! Frequent brushing will reduce the hair you have to deal with later. It removes the undercoat and gets the hair that would otherwise shed and decorate your home. And it’s an opportunity to spend some quality with your pet while making them feel pampered. My girls are so spoiled that they get a massage too!

You have to just accept you are a pet parent and you have a pet and with that pet comes some maintenance. Make peace with the pet hair problem and approach the problem in ways that will save you time and work.

I have found that the exhausts on some vacuums send the hair you are attempting to eliminate flying all over the room. Depending on your vacuum model, this can make your job harder. I invested in a commercial grade backpack vacuum with a hepa filter that I can’t live without.

Even though I think I have the perfect pet vacuum (and I have been through more than my share of vacuums who claimed to handle pet hair but couldn’t ) I still frequently do touch ups with an electrostratic rage on my swifter. (I’m too cheap

to keep buying swifter refills and the electrostatic charge on the microfiber cloth works better anyway. They also are perfect for furniture and other surfaces as well.

I also couldn’t live without my rubber broom. I got mine at a pet supply store and it doesn’t send hair flying around like a regular broom. It even sweeps the hair off my outdoor rugs on the patio.

Type of Flooring

I’m a big fan of tile and hardwood flooring with pets. Cleaning is much easier and you don’t have to worry about “accidents”, stains, or orders.

I know some people love carpeted floors or area rugs. I helped a friend clean the pet hair from her carpet once by using rubber gloves and just using a raking motion. Pet hair tends to build up next to the baseboards where the vacuum misses. You will be amazed the big ball of pet hair you can rack up using your finger with a rubber glove. (This was before I discovered my rubber broom that I’m sure would work well also.)

Before vacuuming carpet, sprinkle baking soda over the carpets. Surprisingly, it loosens the hair from the carpet and also helps with pet odor.

I don’t have one, but I have been told by other pet owners that they have a robot vacuum that just vacuums all day or night and manages the pet hair so you don’t have to. I may try one someday, but I think my girls would probably just chase it and chew it up!

Furniture

I have an attachment on my vacuum for furniture, so I vacuum before I dust or else I have hair just re-settle and find myself in a never ending battle with rogue pet hair.

Blankets and pet beds

I fought with Daisy for 4 years over the couch, but eventually she won and now she naps on the couch more than on her own bed. You can put throws on your furniture, wash them often, and if you are expecting guests just tip them off.

If you are lucky enough to have a dog that actually sleeps on his or her own bed, wash your pet beds frequently. I put mine in the dryer first on no heat just to let the dryer filter catch most of the hair before I wash them. Be sure to use dryer sheets as they loosen the hair from the fabric and help your dryer filter catch more. It’s always a good

idea to check with the manufacturer of your particular pet’s bed for any special laundering instructions.

A/C Filter

Change your A/C filter more frequently than normal. I change mine every two weeks. I also staple a couple of dryer sheet to it make it smell nice.

With just a few changes to your home cleaning routine, pet hair can be kept under control. If nothing else, I hope you at least now know that you are not alone in your battle with pet hair. Every pet parent knows the drill and stands with you. Tell us if you have any pet hair tips for other pet parents!

Source: Luxury On A Leash