How to get pet hair out of your carpet

Pets are amazing, they bring so much joy to our homes – but they also bring with them a lot of animal hair too! Cleaning up pet hair can feel like a chore, especially if you have a pet that moults often, so finding quick and easy ways to keep your home free of pet hair can be a lifeline.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the reasons why your pets are shedding everywhere, and some of the quick and easy ways to pick up hair from different pets. We’ll also give you some quick tips on how to keep your home looking it’s best when you live with pets – it’s meow or never!

Why is there pet hair everywhere in my home?

Animals regularly shed their fur to accommodate for different weather – you’ll find that your cat or dog has a much bulkier coat over winter, so they can keep themselves warm, and then when the warmer weather of spring and summer rolls around, they shed their winter coat to get rid of some of that extra warmth they don’t need anymore.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a quick process, and it can take some time for their coat to shed in total, so you might find that there are a few times a year you can’t seem to escape all the extra fluff lying around.

Pet hair is also attracted to the fibres in your carpet by static, so it can stick around even after you’ve run the hoover around the room. Carpet is not one of the easiest flooring types to have when you live with pets – our guide to the best flooring for pets has some great alternatives if you’re considering changing up the flooring in your home. But there are some easy ways to clean it up, and some special methods you may not have considered.

Order free samples

How to get dog hair out of your carpet

Use a lint roller – This handy tool that you often use to get pet hair off your clothing can also be used on your carpets, although it may take a while to cover the whole floor space with just one! You can create a larger one with a spare paint roller and tape.
Rubber gloves – Another cheap method that will cost you more in time than money, chucking on a pair of dry washing up gloves and rubbing your hands along the carpet will pick up all the pet hair with the residual static. Simply pick it off or wash it off, then dry the gloves as you go.
Dog brush – Use the very same tool that you use to remove hair from your dog, on your carpet! These brushes are designed to get deep into your pet’s fur, so they can work just as well on both long and short pile carpets – more about that in our guide on ‘What is carpet’ if you’re keen to find out more. Short and firm strokes will work best, and try to avoid brushes with metal bristles, as although these are better at picking up all the hair and particles, they could also damage your carpet, so best to avoid them.
Pet hair vacuum attachment – It has lots of little bristles to dig deep into the carpet fibres to pull out the pet hair, and they tend to attach to the nozzle of your vacuum so that the hairs can’t get caught in the rotating part of the hoover.

How to remove cat hair from your carpet

Cat hair is usually finer than dog hair, so this can make it a little trickier to clean up, meaning you could try some different tactics, such as:

Making your own cleaning detergent – Use your favourite liquid fabric softener mixed with water in a spray bottle and spray your carpet with a fine mist – you don’t want to use too much, or it will soak your carpet! This will clump the fine cat hairs together and make it easier for you to pick them up with the hoover attachments. If your laundry detergent also has a strong smell, you might find it encourages your cats to stay away from your carpet too! Our guide on how to stop your cat from scratching your carpet has lots of these handy insights.
Sprinkle baking soda over the messy areas – This not only makes the hairs less likely to stick to the carpet, but it also acts as a natural deodoriser, so your home will smell nicer too! It’s also a classic cleaning agent for getting rid of pet stains too – our guide on how to remove carpet stains has all the info you need to clean up a multitude of stains.

Order free flooring samples

How to keep your home clean and tidy with pets

Now that you’ve got the cleaning part nailed down, here are some quick tips on ways you can keep your (and your pet’s) house looking and smelling sparkly clean all year round:

Clean your pet regularly – Keeping your Mrs Whiskers or Fido clean with regular grooming and bathing according to their breed will ensure that not too much of that moulting fur gets onto your furniture.
Invest in a quality vacuum cleaner – This won’t be an option for everyone, but saving up for a good vacuum will make a world of difference when it comes to cleaning up that pesky pet hair.
Use doormats – Keep the amount of dirt and debris that your pets drag into the house to a minimum with doormats at every entrance. This applies for humans too!
Get some latex gloves – Your lint roller may have served you well, but latex gloves are just as good at picking up all that pet hair from your clothes and furnishings, plus they’re a lot cheaper.
Opt for machine washable blankets and throws on your furniture to save you having to try to wash your sofa linings – regularly throwing these in the wash instead will save you a lot of time.

Some of the best cleaners for your flooring might surprise you – our guide on how to care for your carpet is packed full of helpful insider tips like this. And why not pop down to your local Tapi store if you’re absolutely fed up with cleaning pet hair out of your carpet? You could upgrade your space with some engineered wood or sleek luxury vinyl for a change of scene that is much easier to clean!

Order free samples

Book a Store Appointment

Book a Home Visit

Published: 27-07-2023