Take One Extra Step Before Putting Rugs In The Washing Machine If You Own Pets

Having hair all over your belongings is one of the biggest inconveniences of owning a pet. Naturally, much of that pet hair ends up on your rugs. While regularly washing rugs is important, all that fur can wreak havoc on your washing machine (or stay stubbornly stuck on the rugs). The solution? Take the time to remove the pet hair before washing with a lint roller, vacuum, pet brush, or extra drying cycle.

Washing machines often have a hard time removing pet hair from fabrics. It tends to clump together and stay stuck to the material instead. Hair may also stick to the washer drum and get on your other laundry. It can lead to clogs in the drain pump or filter, which can worsen the machine's performance or even create an overflow. It's also just plain frustrating to go through the trouble of doing laundry only to find it still covered in pet hair at the end.

There are now washing machines and dryers specifically designed for removing pet hair, along with special laundry products like Shark Tank's FurZapper. But you don't have to spend any money to save yourself and your washing machine from pet hair. Simply remove the pet hair from your rugs pre-wash with what you already have at home.

A lint roller is one easy, straightforward tool for banishing pet hair from your rugs and keeping your washing machine pet hair free. If you don't have a lint roller on hand, any strong sticky tape can be used with similar effects. Some types of rugs, such as ones with a higher pile, also accumulate hair deep within the fibers rather than just on the surface; a pet hair vacuum with a brush can help you reach these hairs. You can even use your dog's brush to get deeper into the rug and dislodge fur. Use one with long metal bristles if possible.

Another low-effort method that requires zero tools is to put the rugs in the dryer on no heat for about 10 minutes before you wash them. The agitation knocks the hair loose, and since you're not using any heat, it's gentle on rugs. Add a dryer sheet, and you'll help things along even more: the dryer sheet reduces static that causes hair to cling tightly to fabrics, allowing it to get caught in the lint trap instead.