How to Get Dog Hair Off Clothes, Sofas and Car Seats

Black jeans, light-coloured dog. Or the other way round. Dog hair weaves itself into fabric, especially wool and upholstery, and a quick swipe with your hand mostly moves it somewhere else. The trick is to lift it out rather than push it around, and to catch more of it before it leaves your dog in the first place.

Start with the dog

• Brush often, and do it outside or on an old towel you can shake out. A few times a week is plenty for most dogs. Many double-coated breeds, like Labradors and collies, have heavier moults, often in spring and autumn, so step it up then.
• Brush when they're dry. Wet hair clumps in the coat and won't come out cleanly, so wait until your dog has dried after a walk.
• Give your dog their own blanket on the sofa and in the car. Washing a blanket is a lot easier than de-furring a sofa.

If the shedding suddenly gets much heavier, or you spot bald patches, sore skin or a lot of scratching, get your dog checked by a vet.

How to remove dog hair from clothes

1. Get it off before the wash

Washing doesn't remove much dog hair, and it can spread it onto everything else in the load. Go over hairy clothes first. Our Self-Cleaning Pet Hair Remover works in short back-and-forth strokes: the hair collects inside the brush, then you press the button and tip it into the bin. No sticky sheets to replace. Go gently on loose knits.

2. A quick tumble first

If the care label allows, give hairy clothes ten minutes in the tumble dryer on a cool or no-heat setting before washing. A couple of wool dryer balls help. It loosens a lot of hair into the lint filter, so empty the filter afterwards.

3. Wash smaller loads

Clothes need room to move for the water to carry hair away. After a particularly hairy load, wipe round the drum and door seal with a damp cloth, and clean the filter as your machine's manual describes.

4. Out and about

No brush to hand? A damp rubber glove wiped down your sleeve, or parcel tape wrapped sticky side out round your hand, will do in a pinch.

Best way to get dog hair off a sofa

• Fabric sofas: work section by section with a pet hair brush in short strokes, paying attention to seams and the edges of cushions, where hair collects. Then vacuum with the upholstery tool.
• Textured fabric: a damp rubber glove, wiped in one direction, rolls hair into clumps you can pick off.
• Leather and faux leather: hair doesn't weave in, so a damp cloth or the vacuum is quicker. Brushes are made for fabric.
• Velvet and delicate fabrics: try any method on a hidden bit first.
• Carpets and rugs: a rubber broom or a window squeegee dragged across the pile pulls up embedded hair. Then vacuum.

The easiest fix of all is a washable throw over your dog's favourite spot. Wash it weekly and the sofa underneath stays mostly hair-free.

Getting dog hair off car seats

Hair works deep into fabric seats and boot carpet. Let any mud dry first, vacuum up the loose dirt, then go over the seats with a pet hair brush or a damp rubber glove. Finish with the vacuum's crevice tool along the seams. Keeping a brush in the glovebox means you can do a quick once-over after each walk instead of a big job every month.

For seat covers, boot liners and a routine that keeps the mud out too, see how to keep your car clean with a muddy dog.

A 10-minute weekly routine

1. Brush your dog outside.
2. Wash throws, blankets and dog bed covers.
3. Go over the sofa and car seats with a brush, then vacuum.
4. Empty the brush and the vacuum.

Do that every week and the hair stays a small job, not a battle.