Spring is in the air. The grass is turning green, the sun is shining and lo and behold, I have cat hair all over me! Many people are experiencing the same seasonal frustrations with this pesky issue.
As an owner of a newly-acquired Siamese Himalayan kitten, I have learned that there are a lot of little extras that should be considered in order to keep your house free of cat hair (and mine is nowhere near perfect!). I also find that a certain level of acceptance is necessary—pet owners have to accept the trade off for furry friends living with us is the extra hair they generate. Here are a few ways of managing cat hair in an eco-friendly manner.
Vacuum Regularly
One common aggravation is pet hair accumulating around the house. First, I cannot stress the importance of vacuuming weekly when our furry friends are at home. A sturdy, reliable vacuum with a HEPA filter is critical because pet dander is not ideal in a home, regardless of whether your family has allergies or not. It is important to vacuum unsuspecting areas, such as under the bed, on window sills, and upholstered furniture, because these are places where pet hair tends to gather. By tackling these areas, hair is less is likely to float around and settle, which means that less gets stuck on you and your possessions. To purify air and further reduce hair, you may want to consider getting an air purifier, which does reduce the amount of floating hair in the home (it's a good thing to have at home anyway).
Remove Pet Hair from Laundry
Another common complaint is getting pet hair out of laundry. While I don't like using dryer sheets, they are effective for the removal of pet hair. Because I hang a lot of my clothes to dry, a great deal of cat hair ends up on my clothing during the air-dry process. One trick to minimize this problem is to put wet clothes on the dryer’s fluff cycle for about 20 minutes and this step seems to remove most of the hair. After 20 minutes, hang items to dry on your drying rack and keep your cat out of the room until the clothes are dry.
Remove Pet Hair Fast
A good trick for quickly removing pet hair without dragging the vacuum out, is putting on a rubber glove, wetting it and running it along the area with pet hair that you want to remove. The glove will attract pet hair like bees to honey! There are also rubber brooms which are durable and great for picking up hair on floors and larger surfaces. Both options are safe for fabrics and are eco-friendly. While a paper lint roller may work well, it generates waste, and so it is not the most eco-friendly option. You can also use the rubber-glove trick on clothing too—it works like a charm.
Cats are terrific friends to have at home, and while their hair might not be welcome, simple yet diligent cleaning efforts and a bit of acceptance are critical for keeping the house clean and yourself sane!
