Dry First
Have you ever tossed a clean-but-slightly-hairy garment into the dryer for a few minutes? That’s actually a good idea for laundry day, too.
“The best time to tackle pet hair on your clothes is before they go into the wash,” says Matt Connelly, founder and CEO of ihateironing, a leading network of dry cleaning experts in the United Kingdom and New York City. “During the wash, pet fur gets wet and sticks more stubbornly to your clothes, making it harder to remove.”
Before washing, set your dryer on low and toss in your clothes, Connelly says. The tumbling action separates the hair before it embeds in the wash. Make sure to clean your dryer filter regularly.
Sweep the Rug
I use this one all the time. Do you have a rug with strings on the ends? Those are called “warps,” and it drives me crazy when they catch in the vacuum cleaner. (It’s not great for the vacuum, either.)
It’s easy to avoid the heartache, though — grab a broom and start sweeping! Use short strokes and work your way down the rug. Just like the clothing brush, the friction from the bristles collects the pet hair. Once you have a big pile, grab it and throw it in the trash.
Dryer Sheets and Dryer Balls
Static electricity makes pet hair cling to clothing. If you ever rubbed a balloon on your hair in grade school, it’s the same concept. Connelly says dryer sheets and dryer balls help.
“They work by decreasing the static on your clothes during the [drying] cycle, making it easier for the fur to separate from the fibers of your garments,” he says.
Lewenhaupt also recommends wool dryer balls for another reason. “Wool dryer balls make the air circulate more evenly in the dryer, which reduces the drying time by 10% to 30% and prevents static cling,” Lewenhaupt says. “Tumble dryer balls are also a great alternative to fabric softener.”
