If you have a pet with fur, the fur is going to get into the carpet. While regular vacuuming is a must, pet hair can get embedded into the carpet fibers and can be tricky to get out. Here are a few methods and tricks to help take the pain out of cleaning up pet hair.

Pet Hair Removal with a Sponge Mop

This method works best on low-pile carpeting.

You Will Need:

  • Clean Kitchen Sponge Mop (use only for pet hair to keep from transferring soil to the carpet)
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Vacuum

Removal Process:

  1. Begin by thoroughly vacuuming the carpet.
  2. Lightly spray the sponge mop with water.
  3. Gently move the mop across the carpet to remove the hair from the carpet fibers. (If you don’t have a mop, you can attach a damp cloth to a regular broom and brush it along the floor.)
  4. Pet hair will clump and can either be picked up by hand or vacuumed away.

Cleaning Pet Hair With Fabric Softener

You Will Need

  • Liquid fabric softener
  • Water
  • Spray bottle
  • Vacuum

Removal Process:

  1. Begin by mixing one part fabric softener with three parts water in a spray bottle.
  2. Lightly mist the floor with the solution. Be careful not to saturate the carpet, you just want a light spray.
  3. Let it dry. This won’t take long if you just mist the carpet.
  4. Vacuum the floor regularly. The fabric softener loosens up the pet hair making it easier to remove.

Cleaning Pet Hair With Baking Soda

You Will Need:

  • Baking soda
  • Vacuum

Removal Process:

  1. Begin by sprinkling the carpet with a light coating of baking soda.
  2. Let this sit a few minutes.
  3. Vacuum the floor as you normally would.
  4. This method also deodorizes the room!

Additional Tips and Ideas

  • Use a squeegee that is long enough to push along the floor. The rubber will pull up the pet hair and make it easier to vacuum away.
  • To remove pet hair from Berber carpeting, you may need to use a carpet rake along with a strong suctioning vacuum.
  • You may want to consider purchasing a new vacuum. The Dyson Animal is designed specifically to remove pet hair from carpets and has received wonderful reviews about its capabilities.
  • If you have the time and energy, you can move your hands along the floor while wearing rubber gloves to remove the pet hair.
  • Rub a balloon along the carpet. The static will pull the hair out of the carpet.
  • Sometimes the fibers of you carpet are what makes it so difficult to remove the pet hair. If none of these methods work, you may want to have a professional clean your carpets.

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