Most dog owners love having their pets inside the car, especially when it’s time to go to the dog park or for a long walk in a wide area. It does sound exciting traveling with your furry friend in the car, but cleaning your car afterward could be quite hard and not to mention tiresome.
So, what are the best ways you can do to get rid of the hairy mess easily?
Whether you let your dog ride in your car occasionally or frequently, your dog’s hair can be a bit of a problem. Using vacuum alone can be very helpful, but it always seems to leave a lot of dog hairs behind.
So in this article, we will list down all the tricks you can do to get rid of your pet’s hair in your vehicle.
1. The Velcro Curler Method
Want to try something unique? It would help if you tried using this old-school trick on getting rid of your pet’s hair in your car. Aside from being an old-school hair curler, they’re also proven to be a great tool for picking up your pet’s hair. Use them as a brush and run it through your car’s seat where the hairs are.
Since the curlers don’t have any adhesives, you can use them repeatedly without losing their effectiveness. Pull the collected hairs first from the roller before brushing it again on the car seat.
2. Portable Handheld Vacuum
Since this is the most obvious choice, you should try vacuums for pet owners. Vacuum cleaners may be the most efficient way of removing dog hairs from your car. Still, you need to use the right one to finish the job easily. If you’re using a brush or regular hose that isn’t picking most hair up, you should try using a pet brush or hair attachment with rubber bristles.
The rubber bristles on the attachment could help dislodge all the stubborn hair from your car seat, including the carpets. But if your vacuum lacks the power, you should get a new one with better suction abilities.
3. Use a Rubber Glove
When you use the rubber glove trick, you don’t simply run your gloved hand on the seat, but you first have to wet gloved fingers and then rub in on your car’s interior surface. Using a dry glove can do the job, but not as much as how wet rubber gloves do.
Rub your wet gloves in one direction, and you’ll immediately form a large clump of hairs, which you can easily vacuum or pick up. If you prefer not wetting gloves, you can use a spray bottle and spray lightly on the upholstery with water and then sweep it with your gloved hands.
4. Inflated Rubber Balloons
Most of us know that rubber balloons have a static quality that could attract hair, so if you want another unique way of removing your pet’s hair for fun, you should try the balloon method. Rub the balloon over the target areas inside your car and watch the hair stick up to the balloon.
The only downside of this method is that you’ll have to use several balloons to get rid of the hairs. You can reuse the balloon again once you’ve removed the hairs from it, but it’s a bit challenging to remove the hair from the balloon. Therefore, it’ll be much easier if you inflate another one.
5. Squeegee Wiper
Have you ever thought of using a squeegee to remove your dog’s hair from your car’s upholstery? If you did, then aren’t you smarty pants. But if you didn’t, we assure you that this multipurpose tool is much more convenient than you ever thought.
Use the squeegee wiper trick with a spray bottle containing water mixed with fabric softener or soapy water. You can also stick with water only if you prefer using a non-soapy substance. First, cover the target surface with a light mist and then brush the hair off with a squeegee. Remove the hair off the wiper after a wipe or two before brushing again.
6. The Classic Duct Tape Trick
As an alternative to lint brushes, most people use the duct tape method to remove pet hairs off their clothes, couch, and their car’s interior surfaces. This trick may be an unconventional method, but it does work like a charm. Its results are much better than the previous methods.
You can use any wide tape that you can find in your house, but the duct tape has a stronger adhesive. Press the sticky side of the tape on the target area repeatedly until it’s all covered with hair or until you get rid of the hair on the target area.
7. Lint or Bristle Brushes
If you have a lint brush at home, you can use them to naturally get rid of your pet’s hair from your vehicle’s interior. Just like how you use a lint brush on your clothes, roll it repeatedly on your car’s carpet, dashboard, and seats to get rid of the remaining hairs.
As for the hard-to-reach areas, you’ll need to use a vacuum or a rubber glove to clean them. However, unlike lint brushes, the bristle type can effectively dislodge hair follicles away from your car’s interior. You can also reuse it anytime you want without throwing anything.
8. Tissue or Paper Towels
Most vehicle owners always keep a pack of tissue inside their cars but don’t even use it. If you are one of those people, then this is about to change. This trick is effective in getting rid of dog hairs off plastic, leather, or rubber surfaces. This trick won’t work if you have fabric seats in your car, but you can use it on your car’s dashboard.
You can use this anywhere on your car’s floor carpet, door panels, and seats as long as it’s not made of fabric. You can also use a wet towel on hard surfaces so that the hair would stick on the tissue or paper towel.
9. Use an Air Compressor
If you want to go extreme and you happen to have an air compressor at home, you can use that and blow the hair out of your car. Using an air compressor is very easy as you’ll point and shoot some air on the target area. The compressed air is strong enough to remove even the most stubborn hair follicles.
The only downside of this trick is that you might blow the hair everywhere, especially if you are not aiming at one side only. Therefore, we recommend that you only direct the air at one point.
10. Wire Brush
If you have a wire brush in your handy toolbox, you can use this to get rid of the hard-to-get hair stands of your pet that wouldn’t budge from the seat. This trick works the same way as using a pumice stone to get the hair off the seats.
Most owners who have tried this method often use it as their final step to ensure that all hairs have been removed. But if you’re worried about ruining your fabric car seat, you can stick to using a lint brush or a rubberized bristle brush.
How to Prevent or Lessen the Amount of Dog Hair
If you don’t want to go through the tiring car cleaning routine over and over again, then you should use some prevention techniques to prevent or lessen the amount of dog hair in your car.
Here are some techniques that you can do to prevent the tedious cleaning process:
1. Groom Your Dog
Before you let your pet in your car, you should brush his hair a couple of times until you remove most of the loose hair. You don’t have to cut or shave your pet’s fur every time you go for a ride. Brush his fur to remove all the loose hair.
Not only is this method effective, but you also get to do this for free. The only downside of this is that you might not have the time to groom your pet, especially if you are running late.
2. Seat Cover
As your alternative to the first method, you can invest in a car seat or pet cover, which you could use to cover your seats. This is also very convenient if you are about to bring home a wet and muddy dog home from the dog park or outdoor activity. This is a must-have accessory that you’ll surely need for your furry friend.
3. Buy or Create a Pet Crate
As a baby car seat, a pet crate or travel carrier is specifically a seat for your dog. These crates usually come with a latch system, which you’ll latch on the seat to keep your pet secured. Despite its secureness, it is also very comfortable for dogs.
Conclusion
Having a dog as your buddy is quite fun but sometimes tiring, as it would feel like you are taking care of a hyperactive toddler. But no matter how tired you get for chasing and cleaning their mess around your house (and car), they can always make you smile once you see their cute furry faces.