how to get dog hair out of
blankets and bedding

These 7 effective ways have been proven to work.

No matter how much joy your loved furry ones bring to your household, they also usually tend to bring something else into your home — fur —and lots of it.

If you're a pet household that allows your dog or cat lounge on your bed and furniture or if you've had enough of wrestling with their own bedding, this article is for you.

Although you might have thought you tried every option, exhausted all your resources—from specialized detergents to various products—perhaps actually everything you might have needed could be simply found through tips and tricks from other experienced pet owners.

pet hair shedding

Whether you're trying to clean blankets, remove pet hair from bedding or even trying to learn how to keep dog or cat hair off your bed, these tips can help.

The best news is there's no perfectly correct way — since there are so many different and effective ways that have been proven to work when trying to figure out how to get dog hair off blankets.  

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7 Effective Ways to Remove Pet Hair
from Blankets and Bedding

Next, we're going to talk about techniques using lint rollers, handheld vacuums, pet hair resistant bedding, pet blanket and covers, and how to best use your washer and dryer.

From there, you can pick out your favorite method:

[1.] Lint Roller

removing pet hair from blanket with a lint roller

Taking a look at one of the most common solutions in regards to removing pet hair from blankets and bedding, the lint roller is an especially quick fix to help remove hair—especially when you're in a pinch.

Although you might jump at the chance to use your newly bought roller, you might want to take a look at these next few tips and steps that can help get the most out of your lint roller:

1. First and foremost, you should try and shake out your blanket or bedding to get the most hair off of it as possible.

2. Once that's done, lay it down flat—in particular onto something that doesn't catch fur, like solid wood or concrete floor or even a wooden table.

3. Using the adhesive strip on the roller, go through across the surface area of the cloth. You should keep it rolling until it's completely full. Once that adhesive strip doesn't work anymore, peel it off and toss it out. If there's still fur that needs to be removed, you can go over it again with a new adhesive.

[2.] Rubber Gloves

If you don't feel like dishing out all that extra cash on disposable lint rollers or its replacements, rubber gloves, slightly dipped in water can wipe away stubborn hair or fur on blankets.

By using an accompanying rag or wet towel to wipe the dog hair off of the gloves while swiping it through the blanket, this can help keep the glove clean and keep the process running smoothly.

To help you get the best effectivity out of the rubber glove method, aim for gloves designed with nubs or bumps that create a texture that attracts pet hair.

[3.] Washing

Of course, one of the most effective and yet easiest-to-do methods of getting rid of pet hair would be to wash your blankets and bedding through a normal wash cycle.

washing sheets to get rid of pet hair

If you have a dryer, this is also relatively helpful, since multiple drying and fluff cycles can use hot air and tumbling to loosen the fur.

The key here is that you'll want to run the affected clothes, bedding, and blankets through the dryer before you wash them. Especially since just getting a fur-riddled blanket wet would simply create a mess, this method to the madness can help loosen up the hair and fur before you throw it in the wash.

You'll also want to throw one or two dryer sheets into the dryer—they have powerful, anti-static properties that help repel the hair and loosen it from the fabric. You don't even have to set it on very high heat for this method to work. The tumble cycle can be equally as effective.

Using a lint roller or removing the hair by hand can also make things quite effective, but can take some time and a bit of extra effort.

If you do choose to use your washer and dryer to rid your blankets and bedding of pet hair, make sure to run a wash cycle through afterward, so the pet hair doesn't get into the next cycle's load of laundry.

Cleaning the lint filter of the dryer can also help. Otherwise, the fur and the pet hair will just stay in there and create the possibility that it goes back into the machine.

[4.] Rubber Soles or Broom

Interestingly enough, the rubber soles of shoes (of course, when clean), can help pick up pet hair off of cloth. This is more likely an option for when you're trying to remove pet hair from pet bedding and blankets since you might not feel entirely comfortable with running shoes over your own bedding.

You can easily use this to rub up and down until the static charge will move the hair into one corner or even directly onto the sole or broom.

[5.] Inflated Balloon

Ever rub a balloon up against your hair and watch it stick straight up?

Well, this fun childhood prank can actually be quite useful when it comes to removing fur or pet hair from blankets. When the balloon is rubbed onto the surface, the hair is instantly lifted.

The fun part about this is the fact that it is a very cost-effective way to clean— most balloons come in packs, and one balloon can be used multiple times! Another great reason why this is a fun method?

Well, it also is quite fun to give to your pet (or children) to play with afterward!

use balloon to remove dog hair

[6.] Regular Cleaning Sponge

Whether it's dry or damp, a kitchen sponge can be rubbed up and down on your blanket.

This is an effective method that is also cost-effective since, chances are, you already have some sponges or a pack of them in your bathroom or kitchen cabinet.

[7.] Vacuum

Using a handheld vacuum is the most effective way of removing pet hair from blankets and bedding. If you have a furry pet, you should definitely invest in a handheld vacuum, because it is the best and easiest solution in the long run.

best handheld vacuum for pet hair

Although you will need to spend some money on a functional pet hair vacuum, it will be worth the money if you want a clean and pet hair-free home. Since there is a never ending supply of pet hair, you will likely be using your handheld vacuum even daily. A compact, functional, and easy-to-use appliance will guarantee an easy clean-up.

You can obviously use the furniture extension of your household vacuum to remove pet hair off of blankets or bedding — but a handheld vacuum can be more practical. Since it is lightweight and always at hand, you are much more likely to grab it. You will find the best handheld vacuums for pets here.

If you feel you want something a bit more versatile than a compact handheld vacuum, but you don't want to lug around your full-sized upright vacuum, a stick vacuum could be ideal for you. These handy appliances are versatile and powerful, with many useful attachments that enable them to adapt to all kinds of surfaces.

Taking Preventative Measures
Beforehand

Keeping fur or pet hair off of blankets or bedding indefinitely isn't usually possible. However, instead of focusing purely on what to do with fur or pet hair that's already on your sheets and blankets, (as well as clothes and all over the house), it's quite helpful to try and change paradigms — let's look at preventative measures.

Simple enough, brushing your dog's coat every day — even by simply running a brush through his or her fur — can help remove any loose hair from your dog's coat and reduce the chances that they'll make it to the bed.

Not only is this helpful preventative maintenance of keeping fur off of bedding and blankets, but it's also a great bonding experience that you will most likely enjoy.

Also, investing in an effective pair of dog clippers will enable you to give you pet an inexpensive hair cut right at home. 

If you have a high-quality pet vacuum cleaner (and your dog or cat isn't afraid of the sound), you can even test your hand at running the vacuum lightly on the surface of your dog's body — but do so with caution, of course!

You might also benefit from pet hair resistant bedding, which makes it easier to keep your bed free of pet hair.

Removing Hair to Rest Peacefully

Grooming and cleaning up after your pet are most likely not the most exciting or fun parts of being a dog or cat owner.

However, you don't have to necessarily get used to pet hair being everywhere simply because you have a furry pet.

With a little extra effort, you can keep the house—along with the being and furniture—hair or fur-free.

However, make sure that you're cleaning up after you clean-up — storing the pet hair safely away in a sealed or tied-up trash bag. This will prevent the possibility that the hair escapes and slips back into the air in the home and perhaps lands right back onto the furniture that you just cleaned.

We hope that our guide with tips on how to clean dog hair off blankets can help you keep things clean — no matter if you're a first-time dog owner, an owner of multiple pets or simply a pet owner looking to find relief from swimming in pet hair every time you lay or sit down!

Matt Clayton
Matt Clayton
Chief Editor & Founder of PetHairPatrol

Matt is the founder of PetHairPatrol.com and has years of experience helping pet owners keep their homes clean. He's been featured in publications like Reader's Digest, Money, and BestLifeOnline. When this neat freak is not searching for better ways to get rid of pet hair, dander, and other messes pets leave behind, he's usually enjoying outdoors with his two (hairy) Goldens: Ben and Jerry. Read more.

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