How to Remove Pet Hair From Your Washer and Dryer
As much as we love our pets, sometimes our furry friends give us more than just love and affection: they also leave fur on our homes and clothes. And while there are ways to deal with the fur covering of everything you own somehow, no matter what you do, some of them always end up in the wash.
There are several reasons for this, including the fact that your washer and dryer probably need to be cleaned. Here’s how to do it, as well as some other ways to remove pet hair from laundry.
How to remove pet hair from a washing machine
Let’s start with your washing machine. Even when you shake out your clothes and bedding before putting them on, the fur always seems to come out. Here’s how to deal with it:
clean the car
First of all, try cleaning your washing machine. You can do this by pouring 1/2 cup of white vinegar into an empty drum and running it through a full cycle. When you’re done, wipe it down with a clean, damp, lint-free cloth.
Put them in the dryer first.
Another option is to put the laundry in the dryer before washing. The idea here is to loosen the pet hair on the fabric so it gets caught in the lint trap. It only needs to be turned over for about 10 minutes over low heat or no heat. Adding a slightly damp clean cloth to the load, along with a drying towel or woolen dryer balls, can help remove more of the hair that has stuck to everything else.
Rinsing clothes with vinegar
Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar during the rinse cycle when washing laundry that you know is covered in pet hair or down. This will soften the fabric, which will help release the trapped fur.
How to remove pet hair from a hair dryer
Even if you take steps to get rid of pet hair in your washing machine, you know that somehow, at least some of it will end up in your dryer. Here are a few ways to keep it from getting on your clothes:
take it away
Again, it’s best to start with a clean dryer. In addition to cleaning the lint trap after each load, take a moment to wipe down the dryer drum with a damp, lint-free cloth to get rid of hair.
Use drying sheets
Drying laundry with dryer sheets can make a big difference, as their anti-static properties help trap pet hair from the fabric into a lint trap. While any dryer sheet will do, you can also purchase sheets specifically designed to remove pet hair and lint, which generally cost about the same price.
Use wool drying balls
Not in dryer sheets? Reusable wool dryer balls are a great alternative, providing the same loosening effect as sheets, but with no odor or waste. In addition, they increase the air flow in the dryer, which also helps to remove hair from the laundry.