If you have a dog or cat that sheds, you know how tough a chore it can be to keep up after all that hair. Fur balls get everywhere and they can be almost impossible to clean. It’s not that difficult to remove pet hair from hard flooring like wood and linoleum, but a carpet or throw rug can be one of the most difficult surfaces to clean when they get coated with pet hair. Not only will you have the fluffy stuff coating the surface, you’ll also have hair and fur that get buried deep in the nap, which only makes it more difficult to remove.
Even the best vacuum cleaners can have a hard time removing all of the pet hair from a carpet, and if you don’t have a good one, you’re pretty much guaranteed to leave some fur behind. This can be especially troublesome for those of us that have allergies, but it’s also annoying to anyone that just wants to keep their home and clothes clean. If you want to have clean carpets despite your shedding animal, then you may need a better tool.
Below we will explore and explain the top ways to clean pet hair on carpets. As it is a tough job to do well, you’ll find many different recommendations when searching for the best way to remove the fur, and get the carpet clean. The number one option or tool will ultimately be up to you, but there are some options that you may not want to waste your time with. You can do the job with stuff you already have at home, but getting a specialized tool may help you to get the results you want without trying too hard.
Below are a few techniques that are commonly mentioned, and these should actually work to some degree. Following these are some other techniques that you will find on the internet, but those will be less likely to actually work, and more likely to have you searching for something better.
Because a regular vacuum cleaner has a tough time doing a thorough job, as you have already discovered, most “experts” will recommend getting one that costs two or three times as much so that it actually works on this common chore. These pet hair rated vacuums will come with fancy attachments or special rollers, and they usually have more power when compared to regular models. You’ll want to clean carpets regularly to keep them clean, and it may take multiple passes to eliminate all the hair.
A good vacuum can provide a quick and effective way to pull pet hair off of carpets and rugs. You can do a large are in a short amount of time, and it should take minimal effort to complete the job because the vacuum will do most of the work for you.
Removing all of the hair may require you to go over the same area multiple times, and under-powered machines, may leave behind fur no matter how many times you try. In many cases high end vacuum cleaners are too expensive for some people to consider. Even if your vacuum can suck up most, or all, of the fur, the smell can be pretty bad, and stuff like dander and other small particles will often fly around to irritate your nose and then settle back down after you finish. Not many people like to do the same job twice, so less than stellar vacuum cleaner owners often opt for other carpet cleaning options to avoid dealing with the fur.
There are many different sticky tools out there, and you can even make your own by rolling box tape around your hand, or something similar. Hair and fur will obviously stick to tape and other tacky surfaces, and this will lift it off your rug for sure. Unfortunately, that these tools and techniques will only pick up the stuff lying on the surface, and any hair that is deeper into the carpet due to foot traffic will still be there after you finish. A large sticky roller would probably be the best one of these tools to use, but it will have some drawbacks when compared to other options.
Tape and rollers are easy-to-use, and they will generally clean an area thoroughly with very little effort. You can get a new one for little money if you don’t already have one, and it would be useful on carpets, rugs, or any other surface that gets coated with pet fur. Quickly clean small areas without worry of damage.
Although you can quickly roll over an area to eliminate fur, sticky rollers and adhesive tape are really only good for small spaces, and hair on the surface. As soon as the roller or piece of tape or whatever else you are using gets coated with hair, it’ll no longer be sticky, so it’ll stop working to clean the area. Also, you won’t be able to get the hair deep in the carpet. You can grab more tape, or peel a layer off your roller, but this can be time consuming and expensive. Using a reusable sticky roller will save you some cash in comparison to traditional sticky roller options, but it’ll still be time consuming to clean a whole carpet or rug.
Sticky rollers and adhesive tape are best used for a small areas like the rug where your dog sleeps, or something similar. Full house carpet cleaning would be impractical and frustrating using the something sticky method.
Many people will tell you to use a rubber glove, rubber shoe, pet grooming mitt, squeegee, or even a balloon. Although these ideas sound pretty silly, the concept is actually sound. The main problem with these tools and techniques is that they will have you crawling all over the floor to get the job done. If your rug is so dirty that you need to clean it, why would you want to touch it more, or bring your face closer?
You may find that these small rubber tools will be adequate for beds or furniture, but a larger tool is probably a much better option for carpeting. More on that later. These rubber products work well due to the material, and the charge created when they make contact with your carpet, but you might want to think twice before you rub a dirty shoe across your floor in an effort to remove some fur. Also the smoother options will not be as good as those with some texture to them.
One advantage over the sticky stuff is that the rubber stuff will pull up hair that is deeper down, so you can potentially do a better job. When you rub these rubber tools across the rug, a charge will build that causes fur to be drawn in. This helps to pull the pet hair up and keep it up, and much will remain touching and controlled by the tool you’re using. If you’re going to go with the small rubber item method, this brush would be a better choice than the other common recommendations like gloves or squeegees.
Rubber gloves and squeegees can quickly collect fur on any carpet, and also pull it up from deep in the nap. They offer a low cost option for cleaning pet hair, and most people already have one or more options on hand, at home, now. Safe for all carpets and rugs, but also useful for other areas of your home, rubber stuff can be a very effective option when cleaning pet hair.
With these small tools, it would be tough to clean a large area, and with such a short reach, you’ll have to get down on the floor to use any of them. You don’t need to worry about capacity like you do with a sticky roller, but you will have to pick up and collect all of the fur once you sweep it into a single location. You can do a good job if you try hard enough, but you will also use more effort than you would with other tools and techniques.
Unlike the tools already listed, this one won’t actually clean the pet hair. A carpet rake has no ability to pick up or even collect pet hair, but it can make the job easier. If you have thick carpeting, or a rug with long fibers, it may help to get it clean if you use a carpet rake first. When you do, it will loosen and separate the carpet fibers while also loosening pet hair that is deep down. Once you go over an area with a carpet rake, your vacuum will be able to get the area more clean. Instead of leaving some fur behind, a regular machine may be able to suck up all of the fur when the are is prepared first by a carpet rake.
When used in combination with a vacuum it can offer an effective way to clean the pet hair that would normally be left behind.
Carpet rakes can be kind of expensive, and they do take some muscle to operate. You will have to put in effort to get the results you want, and you’ll have to use a vacuum to finish the job. Although effective, carpet rakes are labor intensive and time consuming.
If you’re searching for a better way to clean up the fur balls tumbling around your home, then chances are you’ll read about the options that follow. Although these techniques may be effective in some situations, they all seem to be more trouble than they’re worth, and they all require you to vacuum first and then go back and clean the floor again. That doesn’t sound like fun, and anytime you’re cleaning anything twice, you probably did it wrong the first time.
Yep. Mop your carpet. Sounds smart right? You be the judge. It is true that fur will stick to a wet mop, but why anyone would want to clean pet hair off a carpet or rug with this technique is puzzling. In order to use this method, you’ll have to vacuum first with your machine that does not work well enough to do the job, and then get out your mop to finish the job.
It gets even better when you’re told to bend over and pick up the wet clumps of fur with your hand in order to complete the task. The basic concept is to use a damp mop, rub it across your rug in order to pile and collect hair, and then somehow pick the pet hair up for disposal. A mop will work to attract hair because it’s wet, but you’ll never get the stuff that is deep down, and this is typically the hair that your vacuum has left behind anyway.
For surface hair, or hair on hard flooring this may be a more viable technique. Also, when you clean pet hair with a damp mop on carpet, it will leave the surface wet after you finish. If you’ve ever smelled a wet dog then you will quickly realize why this may be a problem.
Much like the mop method above, this one relies on water to do the job. The moisture is what will attract the fur, and help it cling to the rag instead of the rug. You can definitely clean a fur coated carpet with a damp cloth, but it will only be good for small areas, and it will only eliminate the hair coating the surface. Any fur deep in the nap of the carpet will remain unless you try very hard to get it out. As with the mop, your carpet will be wet when you finish, so it’ll need time to dry, and it may smell like a wet dog in the room until it does.
For small spaces this can work well, but it’s not the best option for pet hair on carpet. If you have per hair coating wood furniture, or hard flooring then a damp cloth will be a top option, but when cleaning carpeting other options will save you time an effort in comparison for sure.
Oh yeah! Awesome idea. Lets spray down some possibly dangerous chemicals that we never remove in order to eliminate the fur. That way you can slowly poison your pet as punishment for shedding in the first place. In all seriousness, this stuff can be extremely hazardous to your health, and the softer material and lavender scent isn’t really an even trade off, especially when you consider that it will probably not even do a good job.
For this method, you are once again going to vacuum with your inadequate tool, and you will then follow that by lightly spraying a mixture of fabric softener and water all over. You are not supposed to take it off immediately, instead you’re told to let the fabric softener dry in place. This will most likely make your carpet feel funny due to the residue, and as previously stated, you will now have fragrant chemicals coating your floor.
In theory, the liquid will reduce the bond that the hair has with the carpet so that when you go over it again with the vacuum, more hair will come up.
No this is not a cookie baking article, this is another lack luster solution to your fur covered carpet. The concept is similar to the fabric softener method, but this one is far safer for you and your pet. One actual benefit of this technique is that baking soda has the ability to deodorize your carpet when you sprinkle it on there. It’s also absorbent, and these characteristics combined make it less suited for this task, and better used on something like a pee stain.
To try this method, simply sprinkle a bit all over where the hair is, let it sit for a while, and then come back with your vacuum. The baking soda is supposed to make the hair less sticky, and therefore, it should suck up more easily. You may get some decent results with this method, but it does not seem to have the ability to get the hair deep in the nap any better than your Hoover would alone. That combined with the time and effort required to do it makes this option best left as a last resort rather than a top recommendation.
The Sweepa Rubber Broom is easily one of the best ways to clean pet hair on carpets, rugs or any other type of floor in your home. It’s funny how many Internet experts will tell you to crawl on the floor with a rubber glove, but not even mention a rubber broom. They all agree that rubber is a great material for pet hair, but the things they tell you to try are guaranteed to be much more frustrating to use. It seems like the same material on the end of a stick would be much easier to manage, and because you don’t have to put your face close to the grime, a lot more people will actually use it. Also, unlike balloons and gloves that are smooth, the long flexible bristles allow you to clean down deep instead of just on the top.
The key to functionality is in the high quality rubber head. The natural rubber material combines with the flexible bristles to make a powerful tool to lift up and eliminate pet hair from your carpet. Individual bristles will dig down deep when necessary to pull out hair that has been mashed down to become stuck, and at other times, they will form a solid wall to sweep away hairs without leaving anything behind.
As you use it, the friction with the carpet, along with the high quality rubber, will build a charge that only makes your job easier as it helps you to get things even more clean. This charge acts like a magnet for pet hair, lifting it out of the carpet and pulling it in towards the broom. The sweepa will even remove pet hair that the vacuum leaves behind. This unique static build up also keeps the hair from flying all over the place, only to land somewhere new.
It will not stink, you will not get the area wet, there are no chemicals being introduced, you will not be frustrated, or bled dry with roller refills, and you never have to get on your knees to get the job done. It will get more hair up than anything else you have ever used, and it is actually rather easy-to-use.
Use a rubber broom on any type of rug no matter how plush or flat for the same level of results. It’s ideal for high traffic areas, or where your dog or cat takes a nap, but you can also use it for larger areas without taking too much time. It also works great for pet hair on tile, linoleum, vinyl and hardwood, so once you finish this job, keep on sweeping to eliminate grime on any other floor too.
Not all similar looking brooms are created equal, but the design and material on ours has proven to power through this job, and last for many years without wear. Other versions usually cost more, but do not provide the same increase in usefulness. If you are able to find one for less money, good luck with the quality. The material is very important for functionality, but so is the design. Other rubber fur brooms will have softer bristles and cheaper handles, and some really bad ones even have a plastic head with rubber attached to that. Soft material will not give you the friction necessary, and multi part heads are notorious for falling apart.
If you end up with a cheapo model that has a flimsy handle, then the frustration over a head that does not work will quickly turn into more frustration over your bent or broken pole. Despite the fact that our broom is the best one available, we also try to sell it at the lowest possible price. Because it is proven to work well, you don’t have to throw away money and guess about results. One thing is for sure, if you have a problem with a shedding dog or cat, this tool will offer you a good way clean the hair off your carpet.
By incorporating these DIY tips and preventive measures, you can effectively manage and reduce pet hair on your carpets and rugs, keeping your home cleaner and more comfortable. Regular maintenance and proper tools make the task much more manageable.
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Thankyou my house is Dog Hair free now!
I have two dogs at home and I think this sweepa rubber broom will help get off dog hair. I should try it.
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Hi and thanks for the comment. Yes, quote away, but please do link back to where you found it :)
I found this broom online and am thinking of getting it due to it being twice the size of the sweepa and has a steel handle:
Sure. If you want a bigger one, you could get that one, or you could get the same thing for half the price from us. Same steel handle, same larger rubber head. http://www.simplygoodstuff.com/outdoor_broom.html If it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside to waste money, go for that one. If you prefer to spend your funds wisely, check out the one we sell. Your choice.
As a side note, these larger brooms are not the best for carpeting. Many people find that they are difficult to manage, and it can be tough to use the right technique. On hard flooring the larger size will save time, but the resistance offered by carpets and rugs can compound with the weight of the rubber to cause problems. If your main use is on carpet, we always recommend the 12" household size. It has proven to be highly effective and easy for anyone to use.
Perhaps the most important cleaning method when it comes to looking after your pet is being vigilant and staying on top of stains and mess. Regularly cleaning up fur will save a lot more time than trying to clean up a bigger mess.
Best regards! Poplar Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
Good point. Thanks for sharing.
A simple squeegee works well to get rid of pet hair on couches, carpets, and in the car. Just run it across the fabric like you would on the windshield and it balls the hair right up so you can easily remove it.
I thought it was helpful when you mentioned that it is a good idea to get a vacuum cleaner that has the proper attachments when trying to clean up animal fur. In the last couple of months, my cat has been shedding a lot and I can tell it is getting worse in my home. I think it would be a good idea for me to have a cleaning company come and give my carpets a good treatment.