Well, shedding cats are frustrating me. I’m starting to get a little alergic to them (dry nose, sneezing) so I put some effort into research on how to best remove the hair from my couches and the blankets that cover them. Here are the notes from the research:
* Bed Bath Beyond sells pet-hair brushes (they’re funny looking, made of rubber, with soft rubber “fingers” which pick up the hair from furniture like gangbusters).
* Buy a cheap pair of water shoes (Wal-Mart, under $5) and brush the hair off furniture or whatever else with the soles of the shoes.
* Roll cat hair off furniture and rugs by first spraying them with a mixture of fabric softener and water, and then just brush it off with your hands! (Color-test first in an inconspicuous area.)
* And from Majken by email: “Rubber dishwashing gloves also have the added benefit that you can catch the hair you’re balling up in the same hand, and since they fit “like a glove” you can reach anywhere, even smaller cracks. It works great for any sort of lint actually. Whenever my husband is going somewhere in a suit (and we all know how cat hair likes to tag along with suits!), we make sure he takes a glove with him so he has a spotless suit as soon as he gets out of the car.”
I found a rubber bristle push broom at CVS pharmacy. The rubber bristles roll up the hair in a pile and you can pick up the rolled hair by hand to throw it away.
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Spray Static Guard lightly over carpet, wait a few minutes, and then vacuum as usual.
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Sprinkling baking soda over rugs helps loosen pet hair. Let a light coat of baking soda sit just a bit, and then vacuum. It deodorizes as well!
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For large clumps of hair, purchase cloth gardening gloves with plastic “nubs” on the fingers and palms. These nubs will catch the hair as you rub your hand over the furniture or across the floor. Keep a trashcan at your elbow, and as your hand gets full, simply pick the hair off the glove and throw it away.
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Mix a little bit of fabric softener with water and spray (mist) on carpet. Allow to dry. Misting will dry quickly. Do not over spray and “drench” the carpet. After the carpet is dry, go back over with your vacuum cleaner.
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Removing Pet Hair from Furniture
Put on a pair of rubber gloves. Dip the gloves in cool water and shake off excess water. Rub the glove over the furniture in a rolling motion, and the glove will collect the hair (figure A). Wipe off the glove as needed, redampen and continue until the hair is picked up.
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Use a clothes-dryer fabric-softener sheet to collect pet hair. The softener in the sheet makes it easy to pick up the hair.
Nylon bath puffs, used dry, are also an effective way to remove pet hair from the furniture.