The Ultimate Guide: How to Get Dog Hair Out of Your Car
You love to take your furry friend for a drive out on the open road, and according to the American Automobile Association, so do 80 percent of dog owners. You and your pup go to the grocery store, to the dog park and everywhere in between. Even if the actual journey in the car only takes 10 minutes, somehow their hair just gets everywhere within that short timeframe. If you’re looking for easy and practical ways to get dog hair out of the seats and carpet in your vehicle, read on to learn how.
1. Preventing Dog Hair
Before we dive into how to remove pesky pet hair from your car, let’s talk about how we can prevent all that dog hair from building up in the first place. You won’t be able to totally prevent dog hair, but you can prevent excess buildup for dog fur. Any time you and Fido are about to take a trip in the car, brush their fur. Any loose and excess dog hair will be removed before they get into the car, minimizing the amount of pet hair cleanup you’ll need to do afterward. Depending on your state, you may need to keep your pup contained when you’re driving in your vehicle with them, according to the local laws. In addition to a crate or comfortable pet harness keeping your pup safe, and preventing them from running up to you while you’re driving, it will also keep the spread of dog fur to a minimum.
2. Doggy Diet
Speak to your dog’s veterinarian to see if they have any suggestions about how to keep your dog’s shedding to a minimum. Fatty acid supplements can help your pup shed less hair. Consult with the vet to see what suggestions they have.
3. Pet Hair Removal Tool
From your car to your couch, you’re going to want a small and portable pet hair remover tool with you everywhere you go. Keep one in your car and one at home. That way, you’re always able to remove excess pet hair from anywhere. It’s a great way to get into the habit of microcleaning, too. Just look at how easy it is to use our Uproot Cleaner Pro™. This tool does more than remove pet hair. It removes lint and human hair, too. It works on carpets, rugs, clothes, furniture, bedding, backpacks and more.
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4. Rubber Gloves
Rubber gloves aren’t just for washing dishes. The rubber glove method works well for removing large quantities of pet fur. Get your everyday scrubbing gloves from your kitchen and then use them to pick up loose strands of pet hair. Opt for ones with nubs on the palm side of the yellow gloves. Alternatively, you can also use a latex glove, but if you’re allergic or sensitive to latex, stay away from latex gloves and use rubber or nitrile gloves instead. When you sweep your gloved hands over your vehicle’s upholstery, the pet hair should stick to the tips of your gloves. When sweeping, make sure you go from top to bottom in one direction only to not get dog fur all over the place. Any other hair will form in large clumps for you to pick up or vacuum. You can also wet the gloves or lightly spray the interior of your car with water to help remove pet hair. The moisture will add weight to the dog hair and help it clump. A wet washcloth or sponge can be used in lieu of gloves, too.
5. Seat Covers
Another way to reduce pet hair is with seat covers. Plus, they’ll also prevent mud, dirt and debris from ruining your car seats. There are plenty of seat covers you can get for your car. For the driver and passenger seat, you can choose ones in dark solid colors so that it’s easy for you to spot any hair or debris that will need to be removed. You can let your pet-loving personality shine by getting seat covers with a puppy design. For the backseat, get a large one that attaches to the rear seats with elastic or Velcro straps. That way, any of these seat covers can be easily removed and washed from time to time when there’s just way too much pet hair. When choosing seat covers, opt for ones that are waterproof, scratchproof and non-slip. These covers can help keep your vehicle’s surfaces pet-hair-and-damage-free.
6. Towels
If you have a hatchback or SUV and would rather your pup sit in the trunk of the car, you can put down towels in lieu of a seat cover. They can be old towels you don’t use anymore. Plus, they’re easy to wash and dry when you need to remove pet hair, or if your dog has any accidents.
7. Yoga Mat
Have a yoga mat that doesn’t go to yoga anymore? You can also use a yoga mat in place of seat covers in the rear seats and the trunk of your hatchback or SUV. It’s perfect for your dog to do the Downward Dog pose when you’re on the way to the park. The sticky yoga mat will stick to the rear seats or the trunk of your car. However, the dog hair will likely get quite sticky on the yoga mat, too. In that case, you’ll want to use a pet hair remover to easily remove any excess dog fur.
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8. Adhesive Lint Removers
Ah, the classic adhesive lint remover. You’ve probably used this on your dark clothing when you’re on the way to a meeting or an event. When Fido’s fur gets all over you and your car, it’s one of the easiest ways to remove excess pet hair. However, it’s still an adhesive, so you have to worry about replacing the roll or having to throw away that dirty sheet each and every time. If you want a non-adhesive removal tool, get the Uproot Cleaner Pro™. It works well in your car and on your clothes, all without that sticky adhesive.
9. Duct Tape
Another classic adhesive removal tool is duct tape. You use duct tape to repair just about anything. You can also use it to remove pet hair from your car. Just roll a piece of duct tape with the sticky side facing out and place the sticky side onto the area with hair. Once you lift it up, you’ll see how much fur has stuck to your duct tape. Replace the piece of duct tape every time it loses its adhesiveness until your car is free from all that pet hair. Another alternative to duct tape is packing tape. Packing tape is a lighter alternative to duct tape and less likely to leave adhesive residue on your car that duct tape would.
10. Squeegee
If you use a squeegee to clean your car’s windows, you can also use a squeegee to remove pet hair from your car. The rubber blade of the squeegee will pick up any pet hair as you drag it on your car’s floors and seats. You can gather all the hair into a large pile for easy removal.
11. Balloons
Have any unused balloons lying around from birthday parties, or want to get the little ones involved in cleaning the car? Use inflated balloons to get your kids excited about cleaning the car. Blow up a balloon and rub it all over the interior of your car. You’re using static electricity to help remove dog hair from your car. The loose pet hair will lift up off of the upholstery and stick to your balloon instead. Wipe off the pet hair from the balloon and repeat the process to keep cleaning. While this method will remove loose pet hair, you’ll find it won’t work as well on strands that are deeply embedded into your car’s interior. You’ll want to use a pet hair remover tool for the rest of that stubborn dog fur.
12. Wire Brush
If you use a wire brush for brushing your dog’s hair, you can also use it as a tool to remove pet hair in your car. While it’s not the best tool for removing all the pet hair from your car, it can be used as a tool for removing the last traces of dog fur from your car’s upholstery. You can also try a rubber-bristle brush instead of the wire brush.
13. Velcro Hair Curlers
Who knew that Velcro hair curlers can do more than just curling your hair? They can also remove pet hair. Just roll the Velcro tip of the hair curler along your car’s interior. Any stray pet hairs will stick to the Velcro hair curler. Keep in mind that the Velcro hair curler method works best on sturdy materials like carpeting or flooring. For materials like car upholstery, opt for a pet hair remover tool specifically designed for that instead.
14. Dryer Sheets
If you have extra dryer sheets, use them in your car. A fresh, unused dryer sheet can remove dog hair from all surfaces of your vehicle. You don’t need to use water or any other kind of liquid solution. Just run the dryer sheet over the trunk, seats, flooring and steering wheel. It’ll pick up both dust and dog fur.
15. Diluted Liquid Fabric Softener
You can use diluted liquid fabric softener to help remove pet hair from your car. Fabric softener contains ingredients that are specially formulated to loosen hair, so it’s no wonder that it can also be used to remove dog hair from your car. Mix water with two to three teaspoons of fabric softener in a spray bottle. Spray this mixture onto your car’s upholstery. Wipe the upholstery with a paper towel to loosen any dog hair. Once the strands are loose, you can vacuum the rest of the pet hair. Plus, the scent from the liquid fabric softener will leave your car smelling so fresh and so clean. Before using any fabric softener on your car, do a small patch test first to make sure it won’t damage or stain your car’s upholstery.
16. Pumice Stone
If you’ve ever gotten a pedicure, you may have seen a pumice stone used on your feet or to remove calluses. A pumice stone is great for self-care. It’s also great for removing pet hair from your car’s interior. Just make sure that if you’re using it directly on seat fabric that you don’t damage the upholstery. To remove pet hair, you’ll need the pumice stone and a diluted fabric softener solution (two to three teaspoons of fabric softener mixed with water in a spray bottle). The diluted solution will break any static bond in the flooring of your car, along with loosening dog fur. The liquid will also soften the abrasiveness of the pumice stone.
17. Vacuum
That brings us to a final but simple solution. A vacuum will help remove most of the pet hair from your car. To really get in there, you’ll want to use a vacuum nozzle with rubber bristles to collect any stubborn dog hair. Use a portable and handheld vacuum cleaner to make it easy to clean all the nooks and crannies of your vehicle. In addition to cleaning the upholstery of the car, front and rear car seats and the trunk, a handheld vacuum makes it easy to clean the floor and floor mats of your car as well. Although a vacuum is super useful for getting rid of a bulk of pet hair, it can be cumbersome to have to regularly charge the vacuum.
Whether you’re dealing with removing pet hair, human hair or lint from your car, you’ll want a tool that makes it easy. That’s what Uproot Clean’s pet hair remover tools are best at. Use any of our best pet hair removers to help remove dog hair with ease.
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