Nine Cleaning Hacks To Remove Hair From Carpets And Soft Furnishings

Anyone with pets knows that the only real downside of their fluffy cuteness is cleaning up when they shed.

Heck, even people who shed hair themselves will know how annoying it is to go over carpets with vacuums again and again and still not dislodge the hair.

Particularly if you don’t have a new-fangled vacuum cleaner, it’s like fighting a losing battle.

Thankfully, there are lots of ways to de-fuzz your carpets, and they use items you either already have or can buy for not too much money at the supermarket.

Here are our top tips.

Lint rollers

These are a favourite of cleanfluencer Linsey Queen of Clean, who uses a gel-based roller to pick up hair from the stairs.

Any lint roller will work, but the gel ones are handy as you can simply rinse them off and don’t have to faff about with sticky paper. Getting one with a telescopic handle is also an idea for those who can’t bend down to clean.

Sticky tape

Roll sticky tape – with the sticky side outwards – around your hand (sans thumb). Then, swipe your hand over the carpet or sofa and watch as the hair is lifted from the fibres.

This is easier for small areas that might be covered in hair. It’d take a fair amount of time for a whole room.

Squeegees

The material window squeegees are made of makes them cling on to water really well – as well as clinging on to hairs and fluff.

If it’s good enough for Mrs Hinch, it’s good enough for us. Any old squeegee will do – simply run it over your soft surfaces and throw away the mound of hair collected.

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Shoes

You can’t use any old shoes for this, but if you have rubber soled shoes that are totally clean or slippers that have only been worn indoors, they could work.

Much like how you’d use the squeegee, wipe the rubber part of the shoe over the carpet and it should pick up stray dander.

Fabric softener

Fabric softener is great for lifting hair from carpets, as it stops the hair from sticking to the wool as much.

In a spray bottle, mix about a quarter of a cap of softener and the rest of the bottle with water. Spray on your carpet and leave to dry before vacuuming.

Word of warning, fabric softener can reduce the flame resistance of certain fabrics, so don’t use on fabrics that have this on the label, and use small amounts regardless.

Grooming gloves

Grooming gloves might be labelled for your pets’ bodies, but they do the exact same job on your sofas, carpets, chairs – you name it.

Pretend you’re grooming the carpet to pick up the hair in those little ridges. Rubber dishwashing gloves aren’t quite as good as these, but will do the trick if you don’t have any grooming gloves.

Sponges

There’s nothing like good old fashioned elbow grease when it comes to cleaning. A simple dry or wet sponge (depending on your fabric, try both) will attract hairs and make you feel that warm, fuzzy feeling that only comes from a clean house.

Make sure you vacuum first, so you’re just picking up hairs and not the other bits that might be embedded in the fibres.

Baking soda

Baking soda is pretty much the ultimate household cleaner, and it works for removing hair from soft furnishings too, absorbing the oil in the hair and making it easier to pick up.

Sprinkle some around your carpets (add some essential oils like this lady did), leave for a while, then vacuum up.

Bonus, it’ll absorb any pet smells from your carpets too.

Carpet rakes

Despite their fancy names, these are basically just rubber brooms, and can be purchased online or from a hardware store.

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They’re what hairdressers use on their floors, so you know you’re getting the real deal here. Much like the squeegee, hair sticks to the rubber material – only this time there’s no bending down necessary.

Try any of these methods on your carpet – even if you think they’re already clean – and you’ll be surprised by how much hair you can find.

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