Dog Hair - The Tricky Ones

[koalathebear]

Our two dogs shed quite a lot. We don't have carpet so the laminate is really easy to clean-up - combination of Swiffer (microfibre cloth) and Dyson. Clothes are also fine as are the sheets that we lay on top of things so the dogs can lie on them - once through the washing machine seems to fix those.

The things I am having trouble cleaning up dog hair from though, are things like the car seat covers (which are kind of more clingy and velvety) and also the car seats themselves. Running the vacuum cleaner over it several times doesn't work. I ran the car seat cover through the washing machine and it still came out covered in dog hair because of the 'cling'. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to banish dog hair from more clingy surfaces? Or will I have to go very basic and use sticky tape to pull the hair off? Thanks very much in advance!

[minxy]

We just sold our car, so naturally I had to hide all evidence that for the last few months we'd been a bit lazy and had Kyojin in the car without the covers on. I spent quite a few hours going over and over the seats trying to get his hair off. Finally I remembered I had lint rollers for the cats and gave them a go. I got probably 90% of the hair off with the roller and then just had to go back and search for all the strays. It was much, much easier than trying to vacuum all the hairs out once the embed themselves.

[Greytmate]

Car carpet and fabric upholstery really do hold the dog hair. You can use a soft scrubbing brush to get the hair up while you vacuum it. Dyson have a brush head attachment for car carpets which also works well.

Sheep skin covers or leather seats are really good as they don't hold the dog hair. I keep car carpets covered up with large mats.

[Red Fox]

Packing tape. Nothing else compares

[koalathebear]

Thanks kyojin, greymate & secretkei - these are all great ideas and I'm definitely going to have to start adopting them.

Sometimes we have to drive people in the backseat and it's embarrassing to see how much dog hair there is :p I would love to completely cover the backseats with a blanket/sheepskin or something like that but the problem is that we need to be able to have the seatbelt buckles come through so that they can in turn slot through the holes in the backseat buddy - because both of our dogs travel in the car wearing car harnesses that buckle into the seat belt. Right now we use a car seat cover plus the backseat buddy but they're not doing a very good job.

I will definitely be buying large mats for the footwells in the back seat though once I finish the mammoth task of vacuuming it up. Hoover sheds a lot more than Elbie does but Elbie definitely holds up his own! Maybe I should buy them both full body snoods when they travel in the car :p

Edited July 18, 2011 by koalathebear

[JulesP]

I just got some sticky roller things from a supermarket, they had a demo of them. You just wash the hair off the roller. Don't know how long they will last but have to say that they are so far the best thing I've found for hair removal.

[Jumabaar]

I use a rubber brush which loosens a large amount of the hairs that the vacuum misses initially.

I have accepted that dog hair is a permanent feature of my life. I came to that conclusion when I had to 'dust' the celling because the dog hairs had floated up there from the hot air created by the heater and gotten stuck!!

[Panto]

damp rubber gloves or a damp chux is good too... you could even add a few drops of eucalyptus oil (if it wont damage your specific upholstery) and bicarb soda to help with any lingering smells non-dog people tend to detect!

[koalathebear]

I use a rubber brush which loosens a large amount of the hairs that the vacuum misses initially.

I have accepted that dog hair is a permanent feature of my life. I came to that conclusion when I had to 'dust' the celling because the dog hairs had floated up there from the hot air created by the heater and gotten stuck!!

I am resigned to dog hair, too now although I was kind of horrifed the other night when I looked down in my 'clean' mixing bowl and discovered a dog hair in there. The hair must have been floating in the air and landed in the bowl as I pulled it out of the cupboard It's the car I'm anxious to try to de-dog as much as possible for those instances when we need to give people a lift etc. Yesterday because I couldn't de-dog the backseat enough, I ended up covering it with bath towels so mum could sit there without getting dog hair on her clothes :p

This is our 'third dog'. We call him Seymour :p He is an interesting dusty grey colour

Edited July 18, 2011 by koalathebear

[harley]

I use a rubber brush which loosens a large amount of the hairs that the vacuum misses initially.

I have accepted that dog hair is a permanent feature of my life. I came to that conclusion when I had to 'dust' the celling because the dog hairs had floated up there from the hot air created by the heater and gotten stuck!!

I am resigned to dog hair, too now although I was kind of horrifed the other night when I looked down in my 'clean' mixing bowl and discovered a dog hair in there. The hair must have been floating in the air and landed in the bowl as I pulled it out of the cupboard It's the car I'm anxious to try to de-dog as much as possible for those instances when we need to give people a lift etc. Yesterday because I couldn't de-dog the backseat enough, I ended up covering it with bath towels so mum could sit there without getting dog hair on her clothes :p

It is just accepted with my family that there is dog hair all over the place here!

[CrazyCresties]

Best solution? - Get a hairless dog ;)

Apart from that the Mini Turbo brush that you can get for Miele Hoovers are superb for pet hair in cars and on furniture

http://www.miele.com.au/au/domestic/products/floorcare_accessories.htm

[Greytmate]

You can buy properly fitted sheep skin covers for back seats. They are not cheap and you might have to order them in but they do stay clean and are very comfortable.

[Swizzlestick]

I'm a tad confused How can hair be getting all over the car and seats if you're using a backseat buddy?

Edited July 18, 2011 by Sir WJ

[koalathebear]

I'm a tad confused How can hair be getting all over the car and seats if you're using a backseat buddy?

Kelpie hair is insidious stuff :p It floats around - gets in around the sides. The middle parts of the seat that are fully covered are fine, it's just around the edges of the buddy. We actually have car seat covers, too but they occasionally slide as well so we end up with dog hair around the edges - also through the holes in the buddy where the seat belt buckles go through.

[Jumabaar]

I use a backseat buddy but when the air con goes on and the dogs are shedding it gets everywhere.

I use a blanket when I pick up my grandparents who are fussy about dog hair- much easier than trying to keep the car clean. Most other people I tell them they can get a lift and accept the dog hair or find their own way to places. Most just get the lift because we are on our way somewhere doggy anywhere!

We are currently experiencing plague proportions of fur-bunnies around the house!! I love my microfiber cloth broomy thing on the tiles. Makes the round up of said fur-bunnies much more efficient. And the dogs dont find it as fascinating as the broom.

[koalathebear]

I use a backseat buddy but when the air con goes on and the dogs are shedding it gets everywhere.

Yes! Thank goodness you understand The Back Seat Buddy is excellent but is not All Powerful - I swear the fur seems to have a life of is own.

We are currently experiencing plague proportions of fur-bunnies around the house!! I love my microfiber cloth broomy thing on the tiles. Makes the round up of said fur-bunnies much more efficient. And the dogs dont find it as fascinating as the broom.

We have a Seymour in every room when I sweep up with the microfibre cloth :p I can't blame it all on the dogs, I have long hair and that seems to show up in the dust bunny piles, too ...

[Jumabaar]

I use a backseat buddy but when the air con goes on and the dogs are shedding it gets everywhere.

Yes! Thank goodness you understand The Back Seat Buddy is excellent but is not All Powerful - I swear the fur seems to have a life of is own.

We are currently experiencing plague proportions of fur-bunnies around the house!! I love my microfiber cloth broomy thing on the tiles. Makes the round up of said fur-bunnies much more efficient. And the dogs dont find it as fascinating as the broom.

We have a Seymour in every room when I sweep up with the microfibre cloth :p I can't blame it all on the dogs, I have long hair and that seems to show up in the dust bunny piles, too ...

Particularly when you eat one of their guard hairs and it gets stuck in your throat!!

Between the Kelpies short hair, the Lapphunds long hair and mine...... It gets vicious sometimes!! Them fur-bunnies can really put up a fight.

[espinay2]

A damp chux wipe has always worked the best for me.

[Swizzlestick]

I'm a tad confused How can hair be getting all over the car and seats if you're using a backseat buddy?

Kelpie hair is insidious stuff :p It floats around - gets in around the sides. The middle parts of the seat that are fully covered are fine, it's just around the edges of the buddy. We actually have car seat covers, too but they occasionally slide as well so we end up with dog hair around the edges - also through the holes in the buddy where the seat belt buckles go through.

Thanks for explaining.

I use a backseat buddy with my 4 whippets. Inside the backseat buddy I have vetbed. I guess the odd hair does go astray. Having a leather interior is a blessing though. :D

[BCPuppy]

A damp chux wipe has always worked the best for me.

A damp chamois even better. Stick lint roller thingy here too, for carpet when I cant be bothered with the dyson I use a scrubber that is made for floor tile grout, gets all the stuborn bits out.