How To Remove Dog Hair From Everywhere: A Cleaning Guide

Easy ways to remove dog hair from various surfaces without damaging them, or your dog's ego.

We all love our pups. But sometimes, don't you wish those good boys would stop shedding dog hair all over the place?

All that feeding them, walking them and constant snuggling is all fine and well, but cleaning up all that fur can start to become a bit tiresome. Good thing we humans are such suckers for tail wags and wet, sloppy doggo kisses as a form of gratitude, eh?

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The following compilation of age-old tips and tricks from dog lovers (aka dog hair wranglers) can help you regain your sanity (and your favorite couch), especially during those heavy shedding seasons.

The Ultimate Solution:

Tear up all your carpet and replace it with hardwood or vinyl, then toss all your upholstered furniture on the curb and replace it with only leather items.

Too drastic? Fine. Here are some more realistic dog hair remedies:

For cleaning dog hair on hardwood or vinyl floors, countertops, desks, ceiling fans, tabletops or various hard surfaces:

  • Swiffer Heavy Duty Pet products are a total lifesaver. Not only can the Swiffer Pet Heavy Duty Duster extend to reach those awkward places, but its special fibers trap and lock in dust and pet hair.
  • The Swiffer Heavy Duty Pet Dry Sweeping Cloths are perfect for quickly sweeping without having to mess with a dustbin since the dog hair sticks directly to the cloths, which you can then remove and toss straight in the trash when you're done.
  • The Swiffer Heavy Duty Pet Wet Mopping Cloths save you the trouble of having to haul out buckets of water and detergent, providing a hassle-free solution to floor mopping. They're safe for all types of finished floors. The wet mopping cloths are also disposable, leaving your floors hairless and your hands-free when you're done. Also great for pet messes!

For cleaning dog hair on carpet, upholstered furniture (like your couch), bedding or (non-leather) car interiors:

  • Roll out the red carpet. Sort of. By covering up upholstered areas where your pooch likes to luxuriate (and shed) with blankets or towels. While this technique is admittedly not the most aesthetically appealing, there's a reason that everyone does it. You can simply toss that blanket or towel straight into the washer every few days, easily managing dog hair build-up. Your dog will interpret this like, "Hey! That's my special spot!" (not, like, "Keep your furry butt off my microsuede couch!")
  • Create DIY hair removal tools from everyday household objects. Dryer sheets (sometimes slightly dampened), pumice stones, lint rollers, and duct tape all work wonders for removing hair from various fabric surfaces. Dryer sheets are great for carpet and furniture, pumice stones on carpet and lint rollers or duct tape on, well, just about anything.
  • Invest in a spray bottle. No, not to spray your dog! Rude. Vacuuming regularly obviously helps with dog hair. But here's another trick: Using a spray bottle, lightly mist your carpet with water then use a broom to sweep up clumps of dog hair before running the vacuum. If you're worried about carpet odor from dog hair, sprinkle some baking soda onto the carpet after sweeping but before vacuuming.
  • The Crop Circle Technique. Vacuum dog hair in alternating directions for the most effective results (and to make fun carpet art patterns to confuse your roommates!).
  • The Squeegee: A dog lover's best friend. Not only does this device remove wet nose prints from windows, but you can also use it to rake the dog hair off of any surface. Keep one in your car!
  • Use anti-static sprays to help eliminate electrical charge, which is what causes all that dog hair to stick to your fabric surfaces. It also helps future dog hair from re-sticking.
  • Give your couch the spa treatment. Throw on some damp rubber kitchen gloves or use a moist sponge to coax dog hair off of fabric surfaces. The moisture will help the hair to clump together, making it easier to remove.
  • Welcome to the jungle. Using a humidifier inside your home can prevent dog hair from sticking to fabric surfaces. And your plants will probably appreciate the moisture, too.

So instead of trying to enforce strict rules about where your pup can't hang out — because who can resist those sweet dog stares, goofy pooch grins, and puppy tail wags?! — just commit to regular fur mitigation. You're one step closer to enlightenment once you realize that being a pet owner means you're really just a glorified fur cleaner-upper. Plus, having good dog hair cleaning techniques means more pooch snuggles on the couch, in the bed, and all over that carpet, which means one less thing to tell your dog "no!" about.