We love a cuddle with our furry four legged friends, even though their shedding hair can be such a chore. It gets everywhere and seems impossible to clean, leaving you red-faced when your guests get up from the couch only be sporting a furry behind. However, fur aside, having your pets inside can be welcome company and is the best thing for them if the temperatures outside are boiling hot or freezing cold. Fortunately there is a way to enjoy the companionship of your pets indoors and have a sparkling clean home.

If you haven’t started your fur family yet it can help to look into breads that don’t shed, especially if you have allergies, otherwise, these cleaning tips will help you beat that fur on your clothes, furniture and floors.

Carpets

Anyone who’s run a vacuum cleaner over carpets knows the pet hair usually stays firmly stuck to the carpet fibres, even with special fur extracting vacuum heads. A very simple hack to lift fur from carpets is to sprinkle the surface with bi-carb soda before you vacuum. The powder coating makes the fur easy to lift up, plus it’s a natural deodoriser so your rooms will look and smell fresh and spotless.

Hairy carpet corners

Fur can often accumulate in the corners of the room, away from the high traffic zones. If this is the case, you’ll notice that the carpet colour in the corners is darker. To give your vacuum cleaner a helping hand in these areas don a rubber glove and run it under the tap so the rubber is wet. Press your finger to the carpet edge and apply firm pressure as you glide your index finger through the corner. The fur will bunch right up ready to be collect and dispose of.

Robotic vacuum

No matter if you have hardwood, tiles, carpet, lino or a mix of these, a robotic vacuum is by far the best way to keep your floors free of pet hair. It’s easy to let it run while you are out, so while you are busy at work, out to lunch or on a picnic, your little robot is busy zipping around, sliding under beds and furniture so you return home to a clean house. This way your floors get a buzz around often without you having to do all the work. You will need to empty the machine of fluff and hair frequently to keep it running efficiently.

Some pets become stressed or go on the attack with robotic vacuum cleaners so supervise your pets the first few times you have it in operation or only run your vacuum while the pets are outside.

If you don’t have a robotic vacuum cleaner aim to vacuum your floors twice a week, preferably after a session with an electrostatic mop, below for hard floors and bi-carb soda for carpets.

Electrostatic duster

A dry static mop is a great way to snag hair particles from windowsills, coffee tables, bookshelves, blinds and floorboards. It’s also a good way to win the fur-war on gaps and crevices, such as tiles and floorboards where fur can get squashed and hidden in the tiny cracks between flooring sections. Static mops come in all shapes and sizes so you can match them to meet your home’s particular needs and get to those hard to reach places.

Don’t have Swiffer? You can make your own electrostatic mop easily by wrapping a microfiber cloth around a dry mop and dusting over surfaces, floors and under furniture. For best result move the mop slowly and apply pressure in a W shape on floorboards to cover the whole surface equally.

Microfiber cloth

If you need a little extra oomph on wood or glass surfaces (such as your cat’s favourite window still) then a microfiber cloth works best. Wipe over the area gently and shake it off outside before moving to a new area. For a slightly increased grip you can lightly mist the cloth surface with water, the smallest amount of moisture will work to increase the grab quality. Never use a damp cloth on wooden or glass surfaces as it can leave watermarks or glue the pet hair down.

Lint remover

The humble lint remover is a pet lovers best friend, although it’s often overlooked as the tool of choice for ridding your cushions, sofa and jumpers of pet hair. Lint rollers are cheap to purchase and can be found in just about any supermarket, or variety store. The sticky sheets will grab anything you rub it over, lifting fur off your favourite clothes and prepping your sofa ready to receive guests. Simply throw away the used sheet exposing the next one. If you don’t have a lint remover try scraping a rubber thong or a window squeegee over the surface, it will bunch all the fur up, making it easy to collect by hand.

Long-term help

You need to be cleaning up after your pet at least once a week, more if you have multiple indoor pets or especially hairy breeds. It’s essential that you back up this routine clean and keep the air in your home fresh and healthy with an annual professional clean for your air ducts as well as a dry clean for your carpets. The difference is noticeable and the fresh air will be a welcome relief for every member of your family.

So it’s time to cuddle up in blankets, watch a movie and get close to your pet knowing there’s no fur hangover for your sofa in the morning.