I have floofy dogs, so I learned to remove dog hair from my car. I also became a fan of preventatives. For example, if the vehicle that I am buying does not have leather seats, I buy leather seat covers. Yes, they are costly, but they reduce the cleaning time considerably since I don’t have to excavate hair from the seats.
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The best way to remove dog hair from a car is a dampened rubber squeegee or wet rubber gloves. They roll the dog hair up so you can pick off the clumps. I heartily recommend this option as the dampness helps to separate the fur from the carpet. There are also dog-hair removal tools that you can purchase for carpeting and upholstery, which work similarly to a dampened squeegee. A popular choice is the Lilly Brush.
You can also grab a microfiber cloth and a good lint roller. Run the microfiber cloth across the carpet or upholstery to do the “heavy lifting” of that clinging hair. Then grab the lint roller, which eliminates more hair, especially the fine pieces. It requires a lot of time, and you can go through a whole role quickly, but it’s a good finishing touch. A roll of masking tape can work, too, of course. It lasts longer but isn’t as quick as the lint roller.
Vacuuming Dog Hair From a Car
You can try vacuuming, but it’s rarely enough to get dog hair, especially floofy hair, out of the carpeting. The hair becomes one with the carpet. Vacuuming with crevice tools is needed when your dogs are floofy as much of that hair gets into spots that most commercial car-wash vacuums cannot easily reach. I also recommend vacuum brush attachments to help lift the fur from the carpet.
I have been told that spraying a light coating of fabric softener on the carpeting and letting it dry makes the fur easier to vacuum up. I have not tried this myself yet, however.
Professional Help for Dog Hair in Car
If all else fails, consider getting your car detailed by a professional. After all, they generally charge one flat price for this service so having them spend a few hours creating a sparkling inside for your vehicle without you having to lift more than your credit card to pay them might be worth the cost. It’s also a great gift to give someone for a special day. I know I would appreciate such a gesture.
Preventing Dog Hair Buildup in a Car
Personally, few other humans ever ride in my vehicle, and I have an SUV, so my rear seats are always down, with a cover over them. However, if you also have floofy dogs, you know that a covering is not enough to prevent hair from finding its way into crevices. To protect the doors, I have door covers that are inserted into the top of the window. These minimize floofy fur finding its way into the door cubbyholes and makes those areas easier to clean.
One could consider getting those wonderful floor covers such as from WeatherTech, but they are more expensive than leather seat covers I use, so I don’t have them. They do cut down on cleaning dog hair from the car, however, as you can pull the mats out and clean them.
