You are a pet owner and adore your furry friend. But how do you feel about the piles of fur that keep rolling around your home?
Being a pet owner can be a wonderful experience, but it comes with many responsibilities. For example, keeping your home free of pet hair is challenging but possible.
According to surveys, a strong relationship with a pet can reduce blood pressure and relieve depression. So, do not panic if you see dog or cat hair all over the floors. Instead, take a deep breath and read on to find practical tips on dealing with pet hair. As a result, you will have a clean and healthy home.
Getting Started With Your Pet
Prevention is the key to protecting your living space from fur build-up. Firstly, start by removing loose hair directly from the source.
Clean Your Pet Regularly
Most importantly, you have to clean your pet regularly. Waiting longer between cleanings increases the amount of shed fur, making it harder to clean thoroughly.
How often should a regular schedule be followed? It depends on the breed because some dogs or cats don’t shed. When you haven’t cleaned pet hair for a long time, it has increased the chances of embedding in your home fabrics. Ideally, clean at least once a week, do a deep clean once a month, and spot-clean whenever necessary.
Brushing Your Pet
Regularly brushing your pet with a good-quality brush will remove dirt and debris from the fur and keep it healthy and shiny. Additionally, brushing can reduce shedding and prevent spreading everywhere. Visiting a groomer is also an essential step for pets with long coats.
Healthy Diet
You cannot prevent shedding. But you can control it by investing in a healthy diet for your furry friend. You should feed your dog or cat quality pet food to keep its coat healthy because poor nutrition can sometimes cause extreme shedding.
A healthy diet includes the following:
- Protein-rich foods – chicken, eggs or beef;
- Vitamin blend – vitamin A is the most important, but C and E are also vital;
- Fatty acids are essential for your pet’s skin and coat. Omega-3s are typically found in salmon and other fish. A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids is vital for your pet’s skin and coat. You can typically find omega-3s in diets high in salmon and other fish;
Visiting the Vet
If your pet sheds much more than usual, it may be time to visit the veterinarian. Several health conditions can cause excessive shedding, including allergies, infections, parasites, and immune disorders. In case of increased shedding, a vet visit is mandatory.
Cleaning Your Home Regularly
Despite taking good care of your canine companion, regular house cleaning is also a significant step for reducing pet hair. You can handle all that hair with some helpful cleaning tips:
Good Vacuum Cleaner
Keeping pet hair off your home surfaces, clothes, car, and everything else can seem impossible. However, an excellent vacuum cleaner designed for pet hair is a great solution.
Due to static electricity, dog and cat hair stick tightly to fabrics such as carpets, upholstery, curtains, etc. Therefore, no brushing with a lint roller, sticky tape or passing with a pet hair removal device will be enough to eliminate all pet hair traces. But a vacuum cleaner designed for pet hair can simplify the task.
The only negative aspect of pet vacuum cleaners is the price. You can use a pet hair attachment on your regular vacuum cleaner for a cheaper alternative. Combining it with other methods can achieve excellent results.
Whether to choose a traditional or special vacuum cleaner for pet hair, consider cleaning every day or as often as possible.
Try Rubber Rake
Have you ever tried sweeping up pet hair? Try using a rubber rake effortlessly to lift and collect dog hair. It attracts pet hair from carpeting and tile like a magnet. You can use rubber gloves (the kind you buy to wash dishes) to clean couches.
Use а Tumble Dryer Before Washing
Whether it’s just your clothes covered in pet hair or your sheets, you can try a simple trick before washing. It would help if you put everything in the dryer on a 10-minute cycle without heating. Pet hair will be loosened and collected in the dryer filter. Then you can start washing. This tip keeps pet hair from getting stuck in the drain pump.
Get a Good Air Purifier
Pet fur and odour allergens are difficult to eliminate. That’s why air purifiers can be an excellent purchase for pet owners. However, different types of air purifiers are effective. Choosing a high-quality filter can be a good decision if you or someone in your family has an allergy.
Pet Blankets
To avoid pet hair all around your home, use covers. Take a few area rugs and blankets and cover the places used frequently by your four-legged friend. The blankets, rugs, mats and slip-covers will collect most of the hair. This way, your carpets and upholstery will remain fur-free. Before cleaning the blankets, put them in an empty clothes dryer with some fabric softener sheet for about 10 minutes. As a result, using the tumble cycle of your dryer will remove most of the accumulated pet hair. Do not use a liquid water softener to wash the covers!
Try Out Different Tools
There are various tools for solving all your pet hair issues. Unfortunately, finding a pet hair remover that is effective on all surfaces in your home is impossible. So, it would help to try out different tools such as a de-shedding brush for dogs and cats, sticky silicone tools for laundry, a lint roller for any surface, a lint brush for clothing and upholstery and many more. In addition, you can combine several methods to achieve more effective results.
Additional Tip
If you do not have a pet at home but want one, you should consider purchasing furniture with good resistance to hair. For instance, different types of flooring, such as tile, vinyl, hardwood and laminate floors, can be a perfect addition to every domestic interior. You do not need to spend a few hours a day removing the pet hair from your expensive carpets and rugs when you can easily vacuum the hair from your beautiful vinyl floors. Other materials perfect for a pet-friendly home like yours are canvas, ultra suede, leather, heavy-duty cotton fabric, brushed leather, top-grain leather, etc.
Bottom Line
For pet owners, keeping shedding under control is challenging, but it can be easy with regular maintenance and the right tools. In addition, a few simple steps can make a huge difference in reducing pet hair build-up and making your home more comfortable for you and your family.
Whether you clean by yourself or use domestic cleaning services, consistency is the key to removing pet hair from your home. By following some simple steps, you can easily keep your house free of fur and create a healthier home environment for everyone.
