HOW TO GET PET HAIR OFF YOUR CAR SEATS
It’s no secret dogs are everyone’s best friend. No matter what time of the day, your dog will be over the moon to see you and spend time with you. That’s why we love to spoil them with trips to the beach, park and even to lunch dates. These memories stay with us forever, however, so does the hair stuck in our carpet and car seats….
Removing pet hair from your car can be time consuming and painstaking. Often leaving us frustrated and giving up. Luckily the expert car detailers here at Jim’s Car Detailing have complied a list of their best, cost effective tips on how to remove pet hair from your car.
The Pre Clean
This first step is to try and remove all loose hair possible from your carpets and upholstery using a vacuum. This step will save you lots of time down the track and really let you focus on the stubborn, embedded hair.
Tip: use a hand held vacuum that is easy to use inside your car. You can purchase pet hair specific vacuums that come with detachable heads making it easy to get in all those small spaces. If you don’t have a hand held vacuum you can use your regular vacuum.
Check out this Black & Decker handheld pet vacuum
Rubber Glove
We are going to keep this one simple. Use a rubber glove, yes like the ones you use to wash the dishes. Simply run the gloves over your upholstery and carpet and watch the friction between the glove and the fabric cause static energy and lift the hair!
Tip: If the dry glove is not enough, run them under a little bit of water and rub them over your car’s surfaces.
Velcro
This method is best for carpeted floors. Using either the coarse side of Velcro or some Velcro curlers (the perfect reason to pull them out from the back of the cupboard) and run them over your carpet.
Tip: Try this out in a small area first to make sure they won’t pull at any of the fabric.
Pumice Stone
This is another trick that works wonders on the carpet flooring of your car. A pumice stone can be quite coarse so it is recommended that you try this in a small area or your car first to make sure it will not damage your interior.
What you’ll need:- Pumice stone
- Spray bottle
- Fabric softener
- Cloth
- Water
- Small bucket
This method requires a few more steps than the last. The use of fabric softener is to break any static bond in the carpet to loosen the pet hair. Simply spray the fabric softener solution on a cloth and rub it over your carpets. You can also spray it onto the pumice stone itself. Once applied, rub the stone in one direction (back and forth may embed the hair even further) and rinse in a bucket of water to remove the hair attached.
Tip: fabric softener solution of 7-parts water to 1-part liquid fabric softener is a great way to help release pet hair & freshen up your upholstery.
Rubber Brush
Similar to the pumice stone, a rubber brush is great for picking up those stubborn embedded hairs. We again ask you to try the brush out on a small area first to ensure it will not pull at your carpet.
This step can be used after you have tried one of the other methods to ensure there are no hairs left behind. Alternatively, you can use this as your only step.
You can purchase brushes for under $20 here:
- Kurgo Shed Sweeper Hair Remover for Cars – $10.13
- Professional Rubber Pet Hair Removal Brush – $13.24
- Pet Hair Remover – $12
How to prevent dog hair
Now for the most important step: Prevention!
We know it is impossible to never get pet hair in your car ever again but it is possible to limit it and here’s how:
Tip 1: Brush your dog at least once a week. This will limit the amount of shedding left in your car and around your house. If you want to be super cautious, brush your dog prior to each car trip.
Our recommended Deshedding burshes are the FURminator. You can buy these from your local pet store or on eBay (for half the price):
- PetBarn – $58
- eBay – $14.40
Tip 2: Invest in a pet seat cover. These act as a protective layer over your back seats. Due to the waterproof material, these seat covers can be shaken off after use reducing the chance of hair re-entering your car.
Well priced seat covers:
- eBay Pet Seat Cover– $21
- Kmart Back Seat Hammock – $12
- Target Back Seat Hammock – $13.99
- Target Back Seat Protector – $11.39