5 simple tips to clean up dog hair

While most of us can agree dogs are fantastic additions to any family, battling shedding is the bane of most dog owners’ existence. But with a little care, you can clean up dog hair easily.

Here are five easy tips that will help you clean up dog hair more efficiently.

Clean up dog hair: Use cover-ups

Whatever pieces of furniture your pet uses frequently should be kept covered by something like blankets or area rugs.

You can’t throw a couch into the washing machine, but you can take off a blanket and throw that into the washing machine.

The reason most people avoid this solution because it makes it hard to decorate.

Having a loose-looking blanket on all of your chairs looks tacky and unfashionable.

Thankfully many companies now craft a solution.

If you look in the right places, you can find slipcovers for your furniture that could make your living room look better.

Have a nice big stock of them so that you can replace one when it’s being cleaned. And you could use a variety to suit different seasons or different occasions.

Clean up dog hair: Use a humidifier

A humidifier is something that people use to keep the atmosphere in their house moist. They’re particularly useful during the winter when running the furnace can make your home dry.

Using a humidifier also can make it easier to breathe and keep your skin from drying out.

Adding moisture to the air also makes it easier to clean up dog hair.

A humidifier will ensure that the surfaces in your house aren’t as dry, which means that loose fur and loose hair are less likely to cling to these surfaces.

You’ll still have to clean the hair up, but since it won’t stick to all of those awkward places, it will be significantly easier.

Clean up dog hair: Properly use a vacuum

It’s safe to say you need to use a vacuum to clean up dog hair regularly. But are you making the best use of your vacuum?

First of all, alternate directions to catch those sneaky hairs that tend to stick in irritating places.

You will miss a lot of dog hair if you just vacuum in one direction. Be sure to cross over again to pick all the extras that you miss.

Because dog hair can be hard on your vacuum, you need to give it regular maintenance to keep it clean and operating efficiently. Be sure to regularly clean the filter, the crush roller,  and the belt to ensure it operates at maximum efficiency.

You also should consider buying a vacuum cleaner designed to pick up pet hair. Here’s a guide from Groom and Style to some of the better ones.

Another option: Use a home cleaning service so you don’t have to worry about controlling the dog hair.

Clean up dog hair: Use duct tape

Duct tape can save you from the embarrassment of getting to work and realizing you’re covered in dog hair.

While some people spend money on lint rollers, there’s no real point in investing in one of them when you probably already have duct tape or packing tape.

Keep a roll handy and use it to strip excess dog hair off your clothes in seconds.

I probably don’t need to explain to you how this works. It’s as simple as placing a strip of the tape on the piece of clothing that has hair on it and stripping it off.

Clean up dog hair: Keep your dog groomed

While this doesn’t technically count as a tip to clean up dog hair, it does help prevent the mess from building up.

If you regularly groom your dog, then you’ll be able to collect most of the hair that is dying and shedding before it has a chance to fall off and cause clutter in your home.

Also be sure to regularly use a good brush to trap the loose hair so you can quickly dispose of it.

There are brushes and combs designed explicitly for this very purpose, plus de-shedding tools that are designed to loosen and remove dog hair.

Regularly bathe your dog so that you keep their coat nice and loose and much easier to brush.

Regularly grooming your dog helps cut the problem at the root and helps reduce the need to vacuum.

Clean up dog hair: Conclusion

Be diligent about caring for your dog’s coat.

If you work these steps into your regular cleaning routine, you’ll never again feel overwhelmed by excess dog hair.

Is it better to have two dogs?