How to remove dog and cat hair from your clothes

Having a pet at home is synonymous of fun, affection, unconditional love... and hair too! And although we adore our pets and keep them well fed, cared for and brushed, everyone knows that living with cats or dogs means your home will be full of hair, particularly when they are moulting. Although there are automatic tools today that allow us to keep our homes spotlessly clean with hardly any effort, such as “robot vacuum cleaners”, pet hairs do tend to stick to some fabrics and are difficult to get rid of. If you know what I’m talking about and don’t know how to remove dog and cat hair from your clothes, here are some useful tips that will be of great help to you. Take note!

Tips to remove dog and cat hair 

If you live with a dog or cat, you will almost certainly be familiar with the magic of lint rollers. These devices consist of a roller with sheets of self-adhesive paper. When the adhesive comes into contact with the fabric it picks up all sorts of remains including hair, crumbs, thread, etc. If you are familiar with these rollers, you will also know that they quickly run out of lint paper, and they are obviously only suitable for occasional use. Here are some tips for you with tools or materials that you will already have around your home, and from now on will become you best allies to get rid of cat and dog hair from your clothes.

Removing dog and cat hair from your clothes 

• Hair dryer: everyone has one at home, and they can be great to get rid of cat and dog hairs from clothes or other fabrics such as the sofa, rugs, etc. All you need to do is turn it on to full power, selecting the cold air option, and aim at the item you want to clean. This will blow the hairs off easily. 

• Rubber gloves: latex gloves can also help you to get rid of cat and dog hairs from fabric. Just wet the gloves a little and rub the fabric or surface in question. This reduces the static electricity which makes hairs stick to cloths and will attract them to the latex. 

• Microfibre cloths: another trick to remove dog and cat hairs from clothes is to rub the fabric with a clean microfibre cloth. This also eliminates static electricity, and the hair will come off easily.

Removing dog and cat hair from the floor or furniture

• Vacuum cleaner: this household appliance will be your best ally to remove pet hairs, because it absorbs them! If you don’t have one, get one because you will use it almost every day. 

• Wet sponges: as described for latex gloves and microfibre cloths, sponges are antistatic, and therefore by rubbing it on the surface, we will easily be able to remove dog and cat hairs. 

• Pastry brush: to clean in small, narrow places and corners such as window frames, a pastry brush will help you remove any dog and cat hairs easily. They are made from silicone, which helps to eliminate static electricity and the hairs will stick to the brush. 

How to remove dog hairs from clothes in the washing machines

• Fabric softener: with clothes that are very dirty or with lots of pet hairs stuck to them, such as the sofa cover, the rug or your pet's bed, we can use fabric softener diluted in water in a spray bottle and spray it on the surface to easily remove these hairs. This softens the hair and we can remove it using a stiff scrubbing brush before putting the clothes in the washing machine.

• Mesh clothes bags: when doing the washing, it is always best to avoid mixing our pets’ items with our own clothes. It is also advisable to put the dirtiest items or those with most hair stuck to them in a special washing bag. These bags are made from micro-perforated fabric, which means the garment will be properly washed, but the hairs will remain trapped in the fabric.