13 Easy Ways To Reduce The Amount Of Pet Hair In Your Home

Tom Gaffey
by Tom Gaffey
Credit: Shutterstock / New Africa

Pets help make a house a home. They provide unconditional love, companionship, and are proven to make people happier. While pets have endless benefits, they can also leave a lot of hair all over your home. This can cause severe allergies for some, and can leave your house looking dirty all the time. If your home is always covered in pet hair, you’ll want to find ways to cut back on how much hair your pet leaves in the house.

To reduce the amount of pet hair in your home, brush your animal regularly with a good brush and bathe it when necessary. Spend time outside with your animal, and buy pet food and supplements that give your animal a stronger coat. Use an air purifier to help remove pet hair and dander from the air, and invest in a quality vacuum and rubber broom. 

Pet hair can make even the most tidy home look unkempt. It causes allergies, and it is sometimes considered the biggest downside to owning certain animals. If you’re struggling to stay on top of the pet hair in your home, then keep reading. Below is a list of fantastic ways to help reduce pet hair in your home, as well as methods to make cleaning up hair easier.

13 Easy Ways To Help Minimize Pet Hair In The Home

1. Brush Your Animal Regularly

The best way to reduce the amount of animal hair in your home is to remove it from your pet before it has a chance to land on the floor. Brushing your pet daily will significantly reduce the amount of hair on your floors and furniture.

You should brush dogs and many other types of pets at least once a week. If your pet sheds a lot, consider brushing it every morning or evening. Establishing a frequent brushing routine will significantly reduce the amount of stray hairs on the floor of your home.


2. Buy Better Dog Food 

What your pet eats impacts the health of its coat. This is particularly true for dogs that shed. Instead of using cheap or generic dog food, opt for better quality varieties that are high in protein and fatty acids. 

These foods will strengthen your pet’s coat and can even reduce how much it sheds. There are also several types of supplements you can purchase for your pet. Ask your veterinarian about supplements and foods that will reduce shedding and make your pet’s coat healthier.


3. Buy Furniture Covers

If you always find pet hair on your couches and chairs and find it hard to remove, furniture covers can make difference. You can find covers for couches, chairs, and ottomans in nearly any size. 

Furniture covers are great because you can wash them easily and regularly. This is a much easier way to remove pet hair than constantly vacuuming your furniture. These covers have the added benefit of protecting your furniture’s upholstery from everyday wear and tear.


4. Add Humidity To The Home

Humidity can affect your home in many ways. The key is finding the perfect sweet spot, which might involve adding humidity to your dry home. If your home doesn't have enough moisture, your pet will have dry skin. A humidifier can also reduce the amount of static on your pet and furniture.

Keeping your home’s humidity between 40% and 60% will keep your pet's skin moisturized enough to maintain its coat, and it will also make cleaning up pet hair easier. It is much harder to remove pet hair when there’s static cling in your home.


5. Bathe Your Pet More Often

Pets need a bath from time to time, especially dogs and other animals that don’t clean themselves. You might be in the habit of only washing your animal when it’s smelly or dirty. If you are struggling with pet hair in the home, consider bathing your pet more frequently, as long as it won’t harm its skin.

When you give your pet a bath, you remove loose and dead hair and also help get rid of dead skin. Use a moisturizing shampoo and get your pet lathered up to remove the most hair. This will significantly reduce the amount of dog hair in your home.


6. Add Fabric Softener To Your Wash 

Some pet hair is so stubborn that it stays on clothes even after you wash them. Fabric softener not only keeps your clothes soft, but it also reduces the amount of static cling on your clothes.

By adding fabric softener, you make it easier for pet hair to get sucked up in the dry cycle. This should eliminate most pet hair from your washed clothes and furniture covers, so you don’t have to do it later. 


7. Use An Air Purifier

Buying an air purifier is a great way to ensure the air in your home is clean and safe. They are great for people with allergies, and can also be an effective tool to help reduce pet hair in the home.

Quality air purifiers with HEPA filters are particularly helpful in removing pet hair and dander from the air. Since these filters can only remove what’s in the air, they won’t remove pet hair that’s on the floor, but they will help reduce the overall volume of hair in the home.


8. Invest In A Good Vacuum

Vacuums are an essential tool for combating pet hair. In this age of ever-evolving technology, some vacuums are incredible at removing even the most stubborn pet hair. Cheaper and older models, however, can be far less effective.

If you have pets that shed a lot, then you should invest in a quality vacuum. There are even several brands that are specifically designed for pet owners. The best vacuums are quite expensive, but this can be a wonderful investment to help keep your floors and furniture free of pet hair.


9. Spend More Time Outside With Your Pet

One simple way to reduce pet hair in the home is to increase the time you spend outside with your pet. When your dog or cat plays outside more often, more hair will fall off outside instead of inside.

Brushing your dog after these long outdoor play sessions will help remove even more hair before your pet re-enters the home.


10. Buy A Rubber Broom

When you sweep your floors, you have probably noticed that pet hair clings to bristles and sometimes escapes the reach of the broom altogether. It can be gross and annoying to use a traditional broom to remove pet hair. To make sweeping pet hair easier, buy a rubber broom. 

Rubber brooms have electrostatics that act as a natural magnet for pet hair. These brooms make it easy to collect pet hair on your floors, carpets, and furniture. Best of all, they are a fraction of the price of a fancy vacuum.


11. Keep Lint Rollers Handy

No matter how diligent you are in minimizing pet hair in your home, there will still be some on your clothes, blankets, and furniture from time to time. This is where la int roller becomes essential.

Lint rollers are a great tool for quickly and effectively removing pet hair from clothing, furniture, and other fabrics. Keeping a lint roller handy will help you stay on top of keeping your home free of pet hair.


12. Consider Pets That Shed Less

You might not have much control over how much your pet sheds, but you have total control over what pet you choose to bring into your family. There are many hypoallergenic cats and dogs you can buy if you have allergies. Some breeds also shed very little or not at all.

Certain dogs, including poodles and other breeds, have coats that shed minimally. Other dogs have very short hair, which makes it easier to clean up in the home. If you have struggled with pet hair in the past, consider choosing an animal that sheds less than your previous pets.


13. Make Some Parts Of Your Home Off Limits To Pets

To make cleaning up pet hair easier, consider making certain rooms of your home off-limits to your animal. When you don’t allow your pet to enter a guest room or bathroom, you remove the possibility of there being any pet hair. The fewer rooms your dog or cat enters, the easier it is to keep pet hair to a minimum. 


Final Tips On How To Reduce Pet Hair In Your Home

Pets bring a lot of joy and benefits to the home, but they shed a lot of hair in the process. To reduce the amount of pet hair in the home, you should brush your pet more frequently and give it baths when needed. Keep certain rooms off limits to your pet and spend more time outdoors with your animal. Buy pet food and supplements your veterinarian recommends to improve your pet’s coat. Use HEPA filters or an air purifier, and consider investing in a great vacuum that makes removing pet hair a breeze.


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Tom Gaffey
Tom Gaffey

Tom Gaffey is an expert writer who currently resides in Washington D.C. Tom has a passion for real estate and home improvement writing, as well as travel and lifestyle writing. He lived the last twelve years in Hawaii where he worked closely with luxury resorts and event planners, mastering his knowledge of aesthetics and luxury products. This is where he found his passion for home improvement and a keen interest in DIY projects. Currently, Tom resides in Washington D.C, and also working on his debut fiction novel.

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