We adore our furry friends for their cuddles, wagging tails, and purrs. But their shedding? Not so much. If you have a pet that sheds, you know what we mean when we say that it’s like having a confetti bomb of hair explode daily!
The couch becomes a fur carpet, black clothes turn fluffy and white, and lint rollers become our best friends. Fur gets onto bedding and floats around in space. Then it ends up in the washing machine and can not only clog the filter, it can hang around and be transferred in the next load too!
Here are five simple ways to stop pet hair from getting into the washing:
use a specific comb or brush for pet hair and give them a brush daily to remove all excess pet hair. Brushing daily has many benefits: it reduces pet hair floating around the house and sticking to clothes and couches; it keeps your pet’s fur nice and silky; and your pets will love you more for it.
Use a lint roller to remove pet hair from clothes before you put them in the washing machine. Adhesive tape and rubber gloves will also do the trick.
Run your clothes in the dryer on a low heat cycle for about 10 minutes before washing them. The tumbling action and static electricity will loosen and collect pet hair, which can then be removed from the lint trap. Then you can place them in the washing machine for your normal wash with much less pet hair.
Wash your pet’s bedding or your clothes and bedding which collect pet hair, separately from your regular laundry. This prevents the pet hair from transferring to other clothes and helps to keep it contained.
Give your washing machine and dryer a good clean once a month. Remove any pet hair from the rubber seal on the door, from the drum and lint filter, to ensure that it doesn’t end up on your clothes again. It’s a good idea to leave the door of the washing machine and dryer open for a whole day at least once a month to give it a good airing out.
These tips will help reduce the amount of pet hair and you’ll breathe a sigh of relief when you can fold your washing without having to pluck out as many pet hairs.
Every Star Laundromat has a machine dedicated to your pet items. Bring their clothes and bedding and get their washing done while you do yours. In less than an hour, you’ll have the week’s washing complete.
Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash