The Southwest Voice

All > News
Dear Daphne: Pet hair everywhere!
Topics:
Anonymous user Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 488 times
0 responses 0 comments Despite the recent cool spell that had us snuggling with our favorite fur balls for a few days, warmer days are just around the corner, and when the heat comes, the hair goes.
Pet hair, that is. Pets drop hair like George Clooney drops girlfriends when the weather warms up, and even the most patient and loving pet owners can find themselves at their wits’ end trying to keep up.
Despite what you may think, shorthaired animals shed as much (if not more) than longhaired ones. Ask anyone who owns a Lab, a German Shepherd or a tabby cat if that short hair equals a smaller problem and watch as they begin to giggle uncontrollably at the very notion that their pet’s short hair somehow made a smaller mess.
Containing pet hair floating around the house can be done, but it’s a battle where the odds are stacked against you.
Start with the pet itself. If you don’t want hair on the (fill in your most beloved textile here), get the loose hair off your pet before it has a chance to stray. Brushing your pet on a regular basis is your first line of defense against shedding. Regular grooming can also deepen the bond between you and your quadruped, since they enjoy both the attention and the feeling of freshly brushed coat.
If you’re not sure which tools to use for the job, jump online and put the words “dog brushes” in your Internet search engine. There are plenty of Web sites happy to show you the way. An alternative for shorthaired pets is to take a damp washcloth and run it down the length of your pet’s body. The hair will come away easily and stay stuck to the cloth.
Next comes the furniture. When you’re busy vacuuming the carpet, make sure to leave a little time to vacuum the sofa (and any other cloth furniture), since the suction is a great way to pull out pet fur. Those little attachments that come with vacuum cleaners were made for these jobs.
If you just need to take care of a couple of trouble spots, try this: Put on a pair of latex gloves — good old-fashioned rubber dishwashing gloves will do — and run your hands in a circular motion over the furniture in question. The pet hair will “mat up” into piles that can easily be removed with masking tape or a pet hair roller. Interested in another option? Remember what I said about the damp washcloth? It works for furniture, too.
For carpeted floors, nothing’s going to be a better option for clearing out the pet hair-bunnies than a well-running vacuum cleaner. Again, those crevice attachments are great for removing hair from hard to reach places.
For the flooring in areas like your kitchen and laundry room, again, a damp mop (or one of those damp-cloth-on-a-stick things) is easily your best bet for a fast and thorough job.
Now that you’re done suctioning, wiping and mopping your abode, there’s only one thing left to clean — you! For removing pet hair from your fab frocks, the all-purpose standby piece of equipment is a pet hair roller found in pet stores throughout the land. You know, the backwards roll of tape-like thing on a revolving stick. There’s a reason these have been so popular for so long. They’re inexpensive, easy to use, and can work wonders on your wardrobe. I recommend one at home, one in the car and one at work for a triple-threat that should always keep you looking your best.
If anyone else has some hot hair-free tips to share, drop me a line and I’ll spread the word.
Bow-wow for now,
Daphne

Questions? Comments? E-mail Daphne at: daphne@bakersfield.com

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation