If you share a nest with a kitty, it's likely her hair at times seems to cover everything in your home -- including clothing and other washable items. Remove cat hair manually from laundry items before you wash or after drying. You have several methods from which to choose.
Step 1
Put on rubber gloves and rub them across the fabric to gather up the kitty hair. The rubber acts like a magnet for the hair and removes the majority of what's on the laundry prior to washing. This technique can remove any residual fur balls that remain on the clothing after a wash.
Step 2
Wrap your hand in duct tape or packaging tape, sticky side out. Use the tape to blot away hair from the laundry. The tape should pick up the hair from the fabric, causing it to gather on the sticky surface. When the tape fills up with hair, discard it and repeat the process until you've removed most of the hair.
Wait until the fabric is dry before using tape on it If hair remains on your laundry after washing, as the dampness can decrease the stickiness of the tape.
Step 3
Wipe the kitty hair away using a lint brush. Clean off the hair that builds up on the brush and continue to run it across the surface of the fabric until the hair is gone. Lint brushes work on damp laundry that comes right out of the washer with hair on it, too.
Step 4
Rub the laundry fabrics with a dryer sheet or disposable electrostatic cloth to attract the cat hair and remove it from the laundry items. A dry sponge works, too. When finished, simply dispose of the cloth that's filled with hair, or rinse the hair off the sponge.
Step 5
Run the laundry, wet or dry, through the dryer for a few minutes to remove the hair. Place a few dryer sheets in the machine to reduce the static cling causing the hair to stick to the clothing. Your dryer will pull the hair off the fabric and into your lint trap.
References
Tips
- Even after removing kitty hair from items prior to washing, you still may wind up with hair on both the clean clothing and the inside of your machine. Wipe out your washer drum regularly with an electrostatic cloth; use another cloth to remove any residual hair on the damp items.
- Brush your kitty regularly to prevent him from shedding all over your laundry. This also prevents him from developing hairballs.
- Kitties love to snuggle on a cozy basket of clean, warm laundry. While that's adorable, you might want to restrict your little one from doing this; otherwise he'll probably deposit a good amount of hair on those newly washed items.
Warnings
- Always clean out your dryer's lint trap after each use, especially after using the dryer to help remove kitty hair from clothing. The hair and lint can build up and decrease the effectiveness of the dryer or can catch fire in some cases.
Writer Bio
Based in Las Vegas, Susan Paretts has been writing since 1998. She writes about many subjects including pets, finances, crafts, food, home improvement, shopping and going green. Her articles, short stories and reviews have appeared on City National Bank's website and on The Noseprint. Paretts holds a Master of Professional Writing from the University of Southern California.