I’ve got two active dogs with long and medium coats, which means there is dog fur everywhere, all day, every day. I’ve tried a lot of products and tactics to keep the fur at bay to keep my home and clothing in presentable condition. Here are my top recommendations, beginning with your clothes.
Disclaimers: These may yield different results for short haired pets, and represent my experience with medium to long haired dogs.
YOUR CLOTHING
Wrigley loves to nap in the dark confines of my closet, which means nuzzling against some of my wardrobe. The best rule of thumb to keep your clothes fur free is to keep your pets away from your clothes as best you can:
- Keep your clothing enclosed or out of reach. This isn’t possible for everything, but I keep my t-shirts in a dresser drawer, and some shoes in enclosed under-bed storage. There’s tons of storage options at The Container Store, Amazon, Target, etc. Once you know what you’re looking for, keep an eye out at places like Home Goods for budget-friendly options.
- Once you’re dressed to leave, don’t nuzzle your pets or sit on any fur.
- Change into “home” clothing that is fur-repellent or you are okay covering in fur.
- Run a lint roller over your clothing before it goes in your hamper.
- Keep clean clothing away from your pets. Fold it on a clean surface and don’t leave it out where fur will collect.
Your best tool to remove fur from clothing is a lint roller. I prefer the sticky, disposable sheets to the velvety reusable ones, as these can pass over the most types of fabric and types of clothing, including lace or textured items. Keep them everywhere – where you dress, your living room, your car, at work. There are miniature ones for travel. You can also roll them on other surfaces like tables or floors to pick up fur quickly.
Note: These pet-specific dryer sheets come in a nice double size, but after a few months I haven’t noticed them being particularly effective at repelling pet fur versus the regular ones.
Coming this week: tips for your floor and bed!
Hayley at Large 