How to Remove Pet Hair from Upholstered Furniture
Diagnosing a Pet Hair Problem
Okay, you know you have a problem if you have a friend come over to your home wearing clean black pants and have them leave with a fur-covered rear end from sitting on your furniture. How embarrassing! Or, if the actual color of your upholstered furniture no longer shows through the cat or dog hair matted on the fabric. That is really disgusting.
Gather Your Cleaning Supplies
You will need a few things to tackle this problem head on. First, find a pair of those thick rubber gloves used for washing dishes and cleaning the bathroom. Do not confuse these with the little flimsy gloves used for handling raw meat or dyeing your hair. You want the durable ones that have the textured marks on the fingers. You will also need to get a bucket of warm, soapy water. Make sure that your upholstered furniture can handle getting a bit damp. You can either read the manufacturers tag on the cushion or test a small, out of the way spot. Get a roll of duct tape next. You can also grab a few dryer sheets, such as Bounce.
Get Busy
Now it’s time to start working. If your upholstered furniture can take a little water, put the rubber gloves on your hands and dip them in the sudsy water. Wipe off any actual soap bubbles, and just start rubbing your upholstered furniture with your gloved hands. This is a fantastic way to remove pet hair. You need to constantly rinse your hands to remove the pet hair. Continue doing this until the pet hair has been removed from your upholstered furniture. Let it dry.
If you can not get your upholstered piece damp, do not panic. Forget about the bucket of water and grab the roll of duct tape I told you to find. You need to wrap a long strip of duct tape around your fingers as you hold them tightly together. With the sticky side OUT, of course. Now, all you have to do is tap your fingers onto the upholstery and look at how much pet hair you are removing. You are going to have to replace the duct tape frequently, otherwise, it will lose it’s “stick.” Do this until you get all of the pet hair off of your furniture.
If your upholstered piece of furniture does not have that much pet hair on it, you can quickly rub a dryer sheet over the upholstery. This is an “okay” method and will not work miracles if your piece of furniture has enough pet hair on it that it looks as if it will bark any second. Bounce will pick up some pet hair, though.
Since you already have your dryer sheets out, after the pet hair has been removed from your furniture, try sliding a sheet or two under the cushions. This creates a very pleasant scent in your room. It is not at all overpowering, just fresh.
I have two indoor cats and a lot of upholstered furniture in my home, and I do not have stray pet hair all over. I always use the furniture attachment on my vacuum to clean my upholstered furniture and I follow that up with my rubber gloves dipped in soapy water. On days when I am in a huge hurry, I like to use the duct tape. And I keep Bounce under my cushions at all times. I change the sheets every two weeks to keep the scent.
I hope this helps you out. I am a big believer in having a spotless house, and that means no pet hair.
