5 Ways to Remove Pet Hair from Quilts and Upholstery

If you have furrbabies of any type, they're no doubt experts at scattering hair throughout the house, and the more pets you share a home with, the more hair (and dander) they leave behind.

Your first line of defense against an invasion of hair-packed dust bunnies is a vacuum (with filter) that can suck up the mess before it takes up residence throughout your home. We have a Dyson vacuum designed for animal owners, and feel it's a top performer, but many other brands offer similar models.

When It's Possible to Wash

• Green washing products are excellent for hair and dander removal from quilts, bedding, and anything else that can be thrown into the wash It's easy to make your own laundry soaps that remove odors, soil, and hair.
• Adding a bit of washing soda to the cycle seems to help the hair slide off.
• Don't over-pack the tub, and be sure to use an 'extra water' setting if available.
• Removing as much hair as possible before throwing items into the wash helps, too.

The majority of my quilts are used, either by my family or by people they were gifted to, but I do have heirloom quilts that are stored away safely, and protected from invading pet hair.

But even when we don't allow pets in some areas of the house, our clothes and shoes can act as a handy hair-transportation system, taking those little wisps from one room to the next. All of us who have pets (with hair) had best be ready to deal with shedding on our (regularly used) quilts and other 'sticky' surfaces. The inexpensive tools below can help.

1.  Pet Hair Lifter Sponge

This simple yellow sponge is probably my favorite hair picker-upper. It's more dense (and a bit heavier) than a typical sponge, and grabs pretty much all hair in its path when you slide it across a quilt or other surface. The soft sponge won't harm fabrics, and its low cost makes it easy to keep a few on hand all all times.

Don't have a special sponge? Make a pad from cloth-like paper towels and dampen slightly -- not soaking wet, just a bit damp. Swipe the fabric and watch the paper towels grab the hair. Dry paper towels work, too.

Do make sure to use a brand that won't fall apart.

2.  Furminator Deshedding Tools Aren't Just for Pets

Furminator makes a huge variety of deshedding tools that remove loose hair from your pet before it lands on the floor or sticks to everything in sight.

I wouldn't necessarily drag a prickly-edged Furminator across a quilt, but have found that they perform nicely when (carefully) used to remove hair from some types of (sturdy) upholstered items.

3.  Pet Hair Mitts and Gloves

Shop for hair removal gloves and you'll find all sorts of gentle products that are primarily designed to groom shorter-haired cats and dogs. They provide a wonderful hair-removing massage when dry, and a nice scrub during a bath. Our little tuxedo kitty, Scout, the best purrer in the house, was blessed with a thick undercoat -- she loved to be brushed with a mitt.

My favorite version is truly a glove, with short 'dots' on the brushing side that grab loose hairs. Another is a palm-sized tool with longer rubber 'spikes.'

Most types work nicely to remove hair from upholstery, too, and are soft enough to use on cotton fabrics. Sure, hair may not all stick to the nubbies, but most of it is pushed into one area, where it's easy to pick up with damp paper towels or another product.

4.  Pet Hair Magnet

The Pet Hair Magnet is a squeegee with a rubber lip that can be pulled across both soft and hard surfaces. Hair is captured by the strip and can be removed at the end of each pass.

The special pet version is a nice size -- not too unwieldy, with an easy-to-grip-handle -- but I suspect a regular shower or window-washing squeegee would work, too.

5.  Scotch Fur Fighter

Scotch's Fur Fighter is one product that I haven't used personally, but I have read enough positive reviews to put it on my 'must try' list. The manufacturer (3M) says the tool will remove 'embedded hair that vacuums miss.'

3M also makes typical sticky-based lint rollers, something we all usually keep on hand for a quick pass on our clothes before being seen in public (it's either that, or color code your wardrobe to match the hair -- gray works for me).