Owning a car does not mean you need to get rid of your beloved pets whenever you go out for a ride. Pets are an intrinsic part of every pet lover’s family and under no circumstances shall they be left at home simply because you do not want to spread pet hair in your car.
Cats and dogs love the company of their owners and most of these pets love to travel with their owners as well. Pet hair in cars is significant problem for every pet lover. However, this issue can be resolved by applying a number of solutions.
Undoubtedly, pet hair removal is a stressful and exhausting job. Thankfully, automotive cleaning experts, car detailers and car cleaning enthusiasts have come up with some amazing solutions to rid of pet hair from the trunk, seats and carpet of the cars.
Keep in mind that pet hair spreading is not limited to the trunk, seats and carpets of the car. In fact, it can be found in hard to reach areas such as under the seats, on the door sides, dashboards etc.
On days when pet hair gets in the way of comfortable driving experience, you shall remember that pet hair removal is not impossible and you must keep a little bit of patience to go home, grab the necessary equipment and clean the car from pet hair.
Luckily, we have covered all the major aspects of pet hair removal, its causes and tips to help you make the most of your car driving experience. Let’s dive in to learn more, shall we?
Why is it Hard to Remove Pet Hair from the Car Interior?
Majority of the pets are inherently adapted to the outdoor living. Although genetics and training have domesticated most of these wild animals into amiable house pets, their inherent ability to shed hair could not be altered. Mother Nature and lineage of pets makes them shed hair as a tactic to maintain the body temperature as well as hygiene. Although pets shed hair just like humans, there is a major difference between human hair and pet hair.
Pet hair are thicker, have greater protein content and absorb high amounts of static electricity as compared to the furs of other wild animals. No matter how much you trim and cut the pet hair, it will grow rapidly and continue to shed most of the time even when you are travelling in your car.
Keeping this in mind, it is quite evident that pet hair will natural stick to the leathers, carpets and fabrics used in the construction of your car. You will also observe that pet hair generally sticks more to the car carpets and fabric upholstery. The reason is the static electricity that gravitates pet hair to stick to the leather seats, fabrics and carpets much more than metallic or plastic surfaces. In other words, you can say that you will face greater challenge when removing pet hair from carpets, fabrics and upholstery rather than any other car parts.
As relieving as the statement mentioned above may sound, you should not forget the fact that thick and silky pet hair has a unique way to penetrate the crannies and nooks of the seats. You will see a lot of pet hair stuck inside the interior pieces, between the nooks and margins of adjacent interior structures. Thus, you will face an amplified degree of challenge when removing pet hair from the car interior.
The accumulation of pet hair inside the car will result in:
- Poor hygiene due to accumulation of germs, dirt and contaminants on pet hair
- Allergies in the outsider passengers travelling with you in your car
- Poor look of the car interior that demands a lot of attention and cleaning
- Pet hair is sticky and it can easily absorb the dirt, contaminants and moisture vapors which will worsen the hygiene of the car.
Due to this reason, many car owners get too frustrated to leave their pets home to avoid pet hair problems in car altogether.
Here are some of the best pet hair removal techniques for car lovers to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of your car:
Preparing for Pet Hair Removal From Car
Pet hair removal is not a straightforward job. You may think that the task is pretty simple and stick to your opinions unless your plan starts crumbling down on you and the pet hair starts to spread even more instead of collecting in one place.
The extent of difficulty of pet hair removal depends upon many factors such as the type of pet hair, the length of hair and the fabric used in the carpet, seats and upholstery of the car. Keep in mind that you will face much more difficulty in removing dirt and pet hair from the car’s trunk because the fabric used in the trunk magnetizes dirt and hair to its surface.
So, what can you do? How can you ease the curve of obstacles that stand in your way of removing pet hair from the car?
Use Compressed Air to Loosen the Pet Hair
The intertwining of pet hair with trunk fabric fibers is the reason behind the challenging pet hair removal from these areas. One of the easiest and most promising solutions to this problem is to use a compressed hair inlet.
- Use a hair dryer to blow compressed on the fiber surface of the carpets, upholstery and trunk
- Blow compressed hair as much as you can till you can observe the hair strands to loosen up from the fabric surface
- Compressed air will also help in loosening dirt and grime sticking to the fabric surface
If you do not have compressed air source, it is completely fine. You can follow the steps mentioned below to remove pet hair from your car:
What is the Best Way to Remove Pet Hair from Car?
Pet hair removal is not an easy job. If you are looking for the easiest and most effective way to remove pet hair from your car, you may not be able to find that in the first. Pet hair removal takes some time, efforts and patience to show results. However, on the bright side, once you find the method that works best for your vehicle and pet hair removal, you can rest assured that you will be able to observe results quicker than before.
Methods to Remove Pet Hair from Car
Without any further ado, let’s get straight to the nitty-gritty of pet hair removal from cars:
Static Electricity and Balloon Method
Let’s go back in your childhood – specifically, let’s get back to your 5th Grade’s science classroom. Can you recall your teacher holding a balloon in his hand and demonstrating you how static electricity works? Conventionally, when you blow on a balloon, rub it one your head (hair) and gently take the balloon above your head, you can observe your hair rise towards the balloon.
Fortunately, your elementary science education is about to pay off for good! You can use the same static electricity balloon method to remove pet hair from the car fabrics, upholstery, trunk, seats and even from the hard to reach crannies and nooks.
Balloon method is a touch-less method to remove hair from the car and it poses minimum degree of abrasive damages to the interior surfaces of your car.
Here is how you can do it:
- Take a few part-sized balloons and blow air in them. Tie the fully-inflated balloons.
- Take the balloon and rub it on the fabric of your car’s interior to develop the charge
- Once charge is developed, bring the balloon closer to the area where pet hair is present
- The thick pet hair will start to stick to the balloon
- Pick and roll the hair strands in a ball to dispose them and clean your car
The main drawback of this method that it has a limited degree of action. However, it will loosen up the pet hair and pick some of the strands so you can get a clearer vision of the remaining, stubborn hair strands.
Use Rubber Gloves
Rubber Glove method is one of the most popular ways of removing pet hair from the cars. Using a pair of rubber gloves or rubber kitchen gloves will crank up the effectiveness of pet hair removal tactics. This method combines the benefits of electrical properties of water, static electricity and rubber.
Follow these steps to remove pet hair from your cat by using a pair of rubber kitchen gloves:
- Find and put on a pair of rubber kitchen gloves
- Run tap water over the gloves to wet their surface thoroughly
- Use a spray bottle to spray a water mist on the fabric of the car where pet hair is present
- Rub your rubber gloves vigorously on the surface of moist fabric until the pet hair starts to stick on your fingertips
- Take a bucket of water and dip your gloves in it to get rid of pet hair easily rather than rolling the hair in balls
- Let the car interior dry in open air before you close the doors after pet hair removal from the car
You can also use shop-vac to suck away the remaining hair strands after using the rubber glove method.
Use a Vacuum Cleaner and Pet Brush
Pet brush do wonders for car owners who just want to remove pet hair from their cars without creating any fuss. After you have taken your dog out for a visit to the park or just coming back with your puppies from a trip to the vet, you will see plenty of hair sticking on different interior surfaces of your car.
- Spray a mist of water on the target areas by using a spray bottle
- Use the pet brush to swipe and clean the pet hair into a single area.
- Use the vacuum cleaner to pick up the pile of loosened pet hair.
- Discard the pet hair along with the vacuum cleaner bag.
- You can use a rubber pet hair brush to remove pet hair from
KEEP IN MIND: Pet brushes usually have hard and narrow-spaced bristles which can damage the delicate upholstery or lead to scratches on different car surfaces. Make sure that you use a softer brush and rub it gently on the target area in your car.
Duct Tape Method
Duct Tape Method is a great replacement for the lint rollers method for pet hair removal from your car. If you want to remove pesky pet hairs quickly, the duct tape method might be your best shot for getting rid of pet hair from areas like car seats and floors. Pesky pet hair sticking to the car surfaces can be eliminated by using duct tape method.
- Wrap the sticky back of the duct tape on your hand
- Press your hand on the target areas to pick up the pet hair fibers
- The duct tape will attach the pet hair fibers to its surface
- Remove the duct tape from your hand, wrap and it and throw it away along with the pet hair.
PRO TIP: You can use any type of tape to do the job. However, the packaging tape is recommended because it leaves minimum residue.
You can also change the duct tape wrapped on your hand every now and then to maximize the effectiveness.
Pumice Stone/Fur-Zoff Method
If you are looking for a cost-effective, tested and reliable way of cleaning pet hair from your car, you can use a pumice stone or a Furzoff pet hair removal tool suitable for cleaning flooring and mats of your car.
Important: Make sure that you test the compatibility of pumice stone with different fiber surfaces in your car. Otherwise, the abrasive stone can damage the car’s interior.
Things you will need
- Spray Bottle
- Fabric Stone
- Pumice Stone/Fur-Zoff Pumice Stone
- Small Bucket
- Water
- Vacuum cleaner
- Rubber pet hair brush
How to do it
- Mix fabric cleaner in water by 7-to-1 parts to create a dilute fabric softener solution
- Fill the spray bottle with the solution and spray a mist of fabric softener on target interior areas
- Take the Fur-Zoff pumice stone and rub it gently over the moist surfaces to collect the loosened pet hair
- Bring the pet hair in a single area and roll it into a ball to throw it away
- Dip the pumice stone in small bucket of to rinse any kind of debris, dirt or pet hair attached to it
- Do not let the pumice stone touch the surface of the bucket or it will collect more debris
- Use a rubber brush to collect pet hair from delicate surfaces and hard to reach areas
- Use a vacuum cleaner to pick up the residual pet hair and voila! You will have a clean interior free from pet hair
Fabric softener and pumice stone method will not only impart freshness to the car’s interior but also help in picking up dust, debris and contaminants along with the pet hair fibers.
Dryer Sheets Method
Grab a fresh dryer sheet and use it remove pet hair and dirt from the various car surfaces effortlessly. This method is suitable for car owners who are stuck in an emergency and just want to get rid of pet hair from their quickly and easily. Dryer sheets are gently and they can collect pet hair fibers without the need of any rigorous movements.
Squeegee Method
Don’t we all love an inexpensive yet multi-purpose tool? Squeegees are heart-favorite tools of many pet lovers and car owners when it comes to removing pet hair from car’s interior.
You can gently move the squeegee on the interior surface of the car and its rubber blades will pick up the hair from mats, flooring, upholstery and other interior parts. Move in a single direction from top to bottom, collect the hair from the blade, clean it and start over until all the pet hair is gone from your car.
Velcro Curlers
Velcro Curler method is pretty easy and straightforward. All you need it to do is run or roll over the surface of target area to collect all the pet hair strands. Velcro curlers are suitable for picking up pet hair from carpeting, flooring, upholstery and similar sturdy surfaces. One of the biggest advantages of using Velcro curlers is that you can bend them to pick hair from hard-to-reach areas. Pick a curler that can reach tough spot and roll it on a small area in your car to check if everything is working properly.
Top Tips To Prevent Pet Hair From Sticking to Car Interior
Pet hair removal from car interior is a challenging job. How about adopting a few ways which can help you in preventing the pet hair from sticking to the car’s interior? When you take your pet out in your car, truck or SUV, you will find hair strands at the end of every trip. However, you can significantly reduce the number of pet hair in your car’s interior and save time and effort that goes into per hair removal by following these methods:
Brush your Pet Before Letting Him Inside
Brush your pet to remove excessive loose hair strands sticking to your pet’s body. By doing so, you will be able to remove dead hair beforehand and reduce the chances of hair shedding in your car’s interior.
Invest in Good-Quality Seat Cover
Using a good-quality seat cover will help you in keeping sand, pet hair, fur, dust and other pet debris away from your car’s seats. Put them on your car seats when you take your pet out. Once the trip is over, carefully remove the seat cover, take it into a suitable place outside and shake it to get rid of per hair and debris!
Place your Pet in Travel Carrier
You can confine your pet in a specific area by using a travel carrier. This method is useful in protecting your seats, floors and mats from pet hair shedding. Travel carriers also come in handy to take your pet to the vet even when it is raining outdoors.
Things to Keep in Mind While Removing Pet Hair From Car
Lint Rollers Are Good for Clothes Only
Many car owners make the mistake of using lint rollers to remove pet hair from their car. However, this is not a wise idea as the lint rollers are not very effective in removing pet hair from the interior surfaces of the car. Keep your lint roller for removing pet hair from your clothes only and do not use them in your car as it will only be wastage of time and efforts, and lead to more complications.
Remove the Pet before Removing Pet Hair
One of the most confounding mistakes you can ever make while removing pet hair from the car is to do the job while your pet is sitting in the target area. No matter what type of pet hair removal method you use to remove pet hair, it can easily scare the pet sitting inside the car which can lead to rash movements and more hair shedding. Always put your pet in a safe space before you continue to remove pet hair from the car’s interior.
Use Unidirectional Motion
Rash movements help no one when it comes to removing pet hair from the car. You need to make sure that you apply gentle pressure and move the tools in a single direction only. Whether you are using a Fur-Zoff tool, a pumice stone, a pair of rubber gloves or even a vacuum cleaner, maintain a unidirectional, identical motion. Going back and forth over and over again will not only damage the fabric and leather used in your car but also lead to more intertwining of pet hair with the fabric. Thus, pet hair removal will become tough and more challenging.
Do not Overdo the Fabric Softeners
As a responsible car owner, you shall use minimum amounts of chemicals in your car’s interior. Fabric Softeners are a great way to loosen pet hair. However, using saturated fabric softeners directly from the container will lead to discoloration and severe irreversible damages to different parts of car interior. Always dilute the fabric softener before using it and make sure that you dry the car’s interior before closing the doors.
Clean Delicate parts gently
From the delicate controls on the infotainment center to the small metal and plastic parts present in the car interior, you must consider the delicate interior parts before cleaning pet hair. Rigorous cleaning movements can scratch the surfaces, damage the fabrics and even lead to breaking important car parts. Always use a steady pressure and gentle cleaning action to remove pet hair from the car.
Dispose the pet hairs properly
One of the easiest ways to dispose the pet hair is to roll the strands in a ball and throw it away. Adopt proper hygienic measures when you are disposing the pet hairs.
Conclusion
Pets are your closest companions and it will be unfair to leave them home just because you do not know how to remove pet hairs from car. Pet hair removal from the cars is a job that needs patience and consistency. However, the methods that we have mentioned above are a useful enough to give you a good start for pet hair removal from your vehicles.
