By H&H Admin
In some households, dogs are part of the family and the kids would never allow you to head out for the weekend without their furry sibling. But, there is a key downside to taking your pooch anywhere by car and that is pet hair.
Flapping ears, exciting panting and a tail wagging so hard you fear it might break off – these are the tell-tale signs that your dog is just as excited about being in the car as your toddler is when you mention the word “ice-cream”.
Sadly, the excitement of travelling with your furry friend most likely wears off when you have to clean the car’s interior and you notice that their hair is everywhere. By everywhere, we mean dog hair on the seats, on the carpets, in the boot, in-between the seats – just about everywhere, including the ceiling and maybe even the glovebox!
As most pet owners know, removing pet hair from any surface can be tiresome, time-consuming and frustrating. Chances you may have sworn off travelling with your pets – a short lived resolution which probably dissipates as soon as you look into your dog’s big gorgeous eyes.
Fortunately, we have made a list of ways you can use to remove pet hair from your car. These will leave your car clean and ready for your next adventure with the entire family – pooch included.
1. Rubber gloves
Normal household gloves are great for removing pet fur from inside your car. Put on a pair then sweep your hands over the car’s interior. Be sure to sweep your hands in one direction. Loose fur will stick to your gloved hands. Do this a couple of times to lift as much fur as possible. If there is still a lot of furs left on the upholstery, lightly wet your gloved hands then repeat the process.
Any fur which doesn’t lift onto your gloves will most likely collect into clumps, making it easier for you to pick off or vacuum.
2. Fabric Softener
Fabric softener contains ingredients that help loosen the fur. Don’t ask how we discovered this – just take our word for it!
To use this method, mix 2 – 3 teaspoons of softener with water in a spray bottle, then spray the mixture onto the car’s upholstery. Wait a few minutes for the mixture to dry, then wipe the upholstery down with a paper towel, brush, or cloth. Any remaining fur should have lifted or become loose enough to be vacuumed away.
The best part is, fabric softener leaves your car smelling fresh and clean.
NB: Test a small area of your car’s fabric to ensure the softener won’t stain or cause other damage. Fabric softener is designed to be used on fabric so there shouldn’t be any damage.
3. Wire Brush
This simple household tool is great for removing stubborn or hard-to-reach strands of hair. Simply run the brush along your car’s upholstery and other surfaces to remove the fur.
Be aware that the bristles of a wire brush are very stiff and can cause damage to thinner, less durable upholstery; therefore it may be a good idea to test a small first. However, a wire brush could be an idea for use on the car’s mats.
4. Duct Tape
Most households have a roll of duct tape stored somewhere; either in one of the kitchen drawers or in a toolbox in the garage. Duct tape has a myriad of uses so it shouldn’t be surprising that it can be used to remove pet hair from your car.
Simply roll a strip of tape around your hand (sticky side facing outwards) and firmly press your hand onto the surfaces of your car. You’ll be surprised how much fur you can collect when you lift your hand. Repeat this process until the tape loses adhesiveness or until your car is clean.
5. Squeegees
Although squeegees are often used to clean glass and hard surfaces, they are surprisingly effective for removing dog fur from your car too. Thanks to its rubber blade, squeegees not only loosen and remove loose fur but also ‘scrape’ along surfaces to help remove remaining fur.
Just dampen the squeegee and drag it along the affected surfaces and watch how easily the fur lifts. Squeegees are compact and can be kept in your glovebox to clean your car at any point along your drive.
6. Balloons
Using balloons to collect dog fur from your car may seem strange but, because they harness the power of static electricity, balloons are a great tool.
You only need to rub a balloon over your car’s interior surfaces and any loose pet hair should lift off the upholstery and stick to the balloon. Thereafter, it’s a simple matter of wiping the fur off the balloon and repeating the process until your car is fur-free.
The downside of this method is that it doesn’t remove fur which is stuck in hard-to-reach places and suborn strands.
7. Lint Rollers
Lint rollers are a cheap and easy on-the-go solution for removing dog fur from your car. Lint rollers can reach hard-to-reach places such as between the seats as well as surfaces such as seats.
To use this method, push the roller along the upholstery and any stray pet hair will stick to it. Getting a non-adhesive roller means removing the hassle of replacing adhesive sheets.
8. Vacuuming
This is probably the simplest and most common solution for removing dog fur from your car. Vacuuming removes most of the dog hair but to ensure optimal results, you may need to use a specialist vacuum nozzle with rubber bristles which are designed specifically for the job.
If you don’t have such a nozzle, vacuuming will still get rid of most of the fur in your car but you may need to use another one of the aforementioned methods to get your car 100% free of dog hair.
9. Seat Covers
Durable, easy-to-clean covers for your seat are great for reducing an accumulation of pet hair in your car. When thinking of using this method, make sure to get covers that are both durable and easy to wash. Bear in mind that dog fur will get onto the seat covers but by using covers designed with pets in mind, you greatly reduce the amount of fur on the seats, and; whatever fur does get onto them will be easy and painless to remove.
If you don’t have seat covers, simply place old towels on your seats instead.
It’s a good idea to brush your pet before letting them loose inside your car. In this way, any loose hair is removed beforehand, minimizing the amount of fur that ends up in the car.
