Controlling Pet Hair in Your Home

We all love our pets, but let's face it - our furry little friends are, well, furry. Unfortunately, that fur that makes pets so cute can also cause a big mess in your home. Here are some tips for keeping the pet hair in your home under control:

If your pet has long hair, a heavy coat, or if it is the time of year when they are shedding it is important to get them groomed regularly. Grooming helps remove loose hair before it has a chance to drop all over your home and it helps your pet feel better and cooler during hotter months.

To keep shedding under control, keep your pet on a steady diet of healthy food since this can have a big impact on the condition of their coats. Also, try to avoid switching brands of pet food frequently since this can cause additional shedding.

Hair on hard surfaces can be tricky to pick up since it tends to just blow around if you try to dry dust it or sweep it. For pet hair on hard surfaces try dampening a cloth or using pre-dampened disposable wipes to wipe up the pet hair. The moisture helps the hair to stick to the cloth and will make getting it up off the surface a whole lot easier.

For pet hair on soft surfaces like upholstery or carpet, use a vacuum with a brush attachment on the wand. If the hair is really matted into the surface of the fabric you may have better luck if you use a stiff brush to loosen it from the fabric first and then tackle it with the vacuum after it has been loosened.

There are a variety of tools that you can buy at most pet stores and department stores designed for removing pet hair from furniture, drapes, bedding, and upholstery. Depending upon what you have to clean you can choose from tools that are similar to lint rollers that the hair just sticks to, or you can get a specially designed brush with stiff bristles that will help pull the hair up from the fabric.

For clothing, pick up a cheap lint roller. Or, as an alterative, wrap a piece of masking tape around your fingers with the sticky side out and pat it onto your clothing to remove any pet hair. You may have to replace the tape quite a few times to do a full outfit, but it works to remove pet hair in a pinch.