We are animal lovers…and if you look closely around our house, it shows. Thankfully my photography skills aren’t stellar because then you’d see the evidence more often. :) Most frequently the messes are hair balls on the floor and actual hair on the furniture. I never think it’s too bad around here until a friend with allergies visits or I’m deep cleaning for company. (The latter I try to do if I know the former is going to happen, but sometimes there’s not enough time.) THEN I notice it – and the dog is the culprit more often than not.
We have four animals – three cats and the dog:
We love them to pieces!! But these sweetie heads create a lot of work. I think it’s like with kids – one or two aren’t bad, but when there’s three or four they start to take over a bit. ;)
The biggest issue is the hair, which I try to keep up with but let’s be honest – it’s usually once every month or so (if that) that I actually address it. Thankfully the cat hair is only (mostly) a problem on the floors, but the dog hair is a sneaky beast that seems to show up everywhere, usually on his “perches.”
Our little dog has little dog syndrome, and must be on the lookout most days:
Beyond the constant cushion smooshing, what you don’t see is all the dog hair that ends up everywhere, especially down the back of the seat:
It doesn't look too bad as far as pet hair goes, so I don’t do this as often as I should. As far as clean up, I’ve tried all kinds of doodads over the years. The lint rollers work OK but they don’t get everything, and I feel like I end up using a third of the roller for one cushion.
I’ve tried other brushes and and they don’t get it all either, including this one:
I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond and it’s OK, but it doesn’t get all the hair and it’s pretty rough. I wouldn’t use it on more delicate fabrics.
My favorite trick is the simplest (as usual) – I use a rubber glove:
It works just as is, but I find it works even better when a little wet (just be sure that’s OK for your fabric). You just use your hand to wipe the hair into piles:
Look away now if dog hair grosses you out. :) I show you this because I love you:
Even Colby approves. :) It works SO much better than any contraption I’ve tried and it’s pretty much free if you have a rubber glove laying around.
What I love is that you actually use your hands – you can really grab along the edges of furniture and cushions and use your fingers to get it all. It works better than any other method I’ve tried in 20+ years of adulthood with animals.
Peanut watched me the whole time I worked on this chair, and then promptly got back up on his spot:
We pick our battles. :)
Just thought I’d share this quick tip! I use it every time I clean off the sofas or chairs – along with a vacuum at times. But this is a quicker method of getting it cleaned up. Have you tried this trick? Any others you animal lovers use?
You can see more about our four furry babies here. :)
Here’s a photo to pin for later if needed (click on the pin it button in the upper left):
