The Vine: December 11, 2009
Hi, Sars:
I have two adorable longish-haired cats and they shed.A lot.Even with daily sweeping, cat hair tumbleweeds go a-tumblin’ by on a daily basis, and every pair of yoga pants I own look as if they’re made of angora.What I’d like to ask of you, or the TN readers, is what I can use to get copious amounts of cat hair off of my furniture.
I have a natural cotton sofa and a vintage velour one, and they are both cat-hair magnets, requiring daily cleaning.A long time ago, I bought this beige rubbery-sponge-eraser-type thing that worked wonders on furniture, but it’s seen better days and needs to be replaced.Problem is, I have no idea where I bought it, who makes it, or how to even describe it to effectively Google it.I recently discovered those Pledge pet-hair sweeper things, and the one I bought works like a dream, but they are one-time use only, and that seems kind of wasteful to me.
Do you or your readers have any idea of what that rubbery sponge miracle product I have is called and/or where I can get another?Do you guys know of a device similar to the Pledge thing, but that is reusable?Any other wonder tools?I can’t really afford a furniture vacuum or anything, and have no vacuum for attachments. Also — I go through those tape-roller things way too quickly.Fine for clothes, completely undoable for furniture.
Thanks so much!
Lafitte’s and Bayona’s Human
Dear Human,
I use packing tape bought in bulk from Office Max, but it doesn’t sound like that’s a solution for you.
Readers?
Tags: Ask The Readers cats retail
Is it this? http://tinyurl.com/dazbzo
Human,
I use a red mitt made of stiff fabric that I got for around $6 at petsmart- you rub the mitt one way to pick up hair and the other way to let go- I’ve had it for several years and it still works great!
Here it is:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752856
Amazon has a pet hair removal sponge by Gonzo that might be what you’ve used, sold singly or in a 12-pack:
http://www.amazon.com/Gonzo-Hair-Lifter-Sponge-Pack/dp/B000X37DDQ
I don’t know what they are called, and I got mine a while back and haven’t been back to kMart since, but Martha Stewart has a furniture ‘eraser’ thing that’s reusable. I bought two, just in case they stopped carrying them. I believe they are in her cleaning section. They work great. However, if you can’t find it, a damp palm run over couch/chair fabric works as well. (it might be called fabric lint brush…)
Is this what you have? http://tinyurl.com/ye78kgw
PS if it wasn’t that one in particular I just googled “pet hair sponge” and a bunch of different options came up.
You can reuse the Pledge Sweeper things – they tell you not to, but it’s fairly easy to either take the rollers out, or cut a hole in the top, so you can empty it and reuse it.
I think one of those things got maybe half of one of my chairs cleaned. Did a great job, but with two cats (favorite activities: eating, getting hair all over everything, attempting to kill the humans by tripping them while they walk up the cat-hair-covered stairs), cleaning all my furniture would take about 27 of those suckers if I didn’t reuse them.
I’ve seen a more complicated way to make a Pledge Fabric Sweeper reusable, but this one’s easy: http://tinyurl.com/ydbhzeo
Use an X-acto knife to cut a hole in the back of the pledge pet hair remover- then use duct tape to create a flap that isn’t sticky on the back(this part is not strictly necessary, but you have to cover the hole in the back of it somehow and doing so with something that won’t get gunked up with cat hair immediately worked for me.)
When it fills up, just open the flap, fish around in there to remove the bulk of the hair, and close the flap back up when you’re done.
You can buy a rubber bristled brush for $5-10 at just about any pet store, just rinse and reuse. Here’s one from Petco for $6.97 USD: http://tinyurl.com/ye2q797
Human: I can’t speak from personal experience, as any pets I’ve had (none currently) haven’t been shedders, but I’ve been told that this is a very efficient, one-pass kind of broom for your tumbleweed dustbunny problem: http://tinyurl.com/yert4wn
And I wondered, while browsing, whether something like this might work on the velour- or cotton-covered furniture you describe:
http://tinyurl.com/yccvedf (Although that might be a little pricy for a long shot.)
A poster on a board I read was talking about the Pledge rollers and said this: “If you push on one side of the rollers, you can pop the rollers out, empty the top and pop the roller back in.” I haven’t tried it myself.
I have not tried this, but have heard it’s great for picking up pet hair: http://www.flylady.com/pages/FlyShop_rubba_scrubba.asp
OOOOooooh! I know, I know! Pick me!!!
Try the Flylady’s “Rubba Scrubba.” It works a dream picking up hair & doing a multitude of other jobs. I’d recommend getting at least two ‘cuz you’ll find all kinds of uses for them! Plus, only $5 each (+shipping). I own 3 & have given away several ‘cuz they’re so awesome.
http://flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_rubba_scrubba.asp
She also has a “Rubba Sweepa” that sort of a “rubba scrubba” on a stick. Works wonders pulling giant hairballs off my area rugs. Disgusting, but fabulous.
The Pledge sweeper is my weapon of choice against my two terribly sheddy kitties and I’ve only bought one. They’re reusable! All you need to do is take a knife and cut a flap on the plastic top so that when the compartment gets full of fur (about 2 seconds after starting! Hee!), you can just reach in and pull the furballs out. I’ve had mine since March or so and it still works wonderfully.
Piping up in support of coffeeweasel’s link to the “reuse the Pledge Sweeper” demo. I just pop the rollers out (gingerly so you don’t crack the plastic box/base part), empty out the cat hair, and then just to kick things up to O.C.D. level, I take a lint roller (with the sticky sheets) to the Pledge rollers to get them squeaky clean from time to time. Incidentally, I also take sticky-sheet lint rollers to my lampshades … a super simple and effective way to dust them!
I just pop the rollers out of my Pledge thingy and empty the hair before replacing them. Make sure you remember to replace them facing the same way they were before so they’ll scrub against each other correctly.
I’ve always just used a rubber dish glove to get hair up off of upholstery. Put it on, rub the furniture, pet hair comes up into an easily removable ball.
I’ve used the sponge thing before, but this works even better — this is the best thing I’ve found:
http://www.amazon.com/Doskocil-26038-Yellow-Hair-Magnet/dp/B0002DI4PI
@Jas: A related tip, which I’ve only done once but which worked quite well, was to spritz the rubber glove with Febreze before rubbing. (Wow, that sounds gross. Bun-chicka-cat-haaaair! Ew.)
Another spin on the rubber glove, courtesy How Clean Is Your House on BBCAmerica. Dip the rubber glove in water, just enough to dampen it, not move water on to your upholstery, then rub the hair off the sofa. It seems to keep up with a Clumber Spaniel that leaves the groomer still shedding.
Since we’re on the subject, sort of, does anyone have tips on removing cat barf from a suede boot? Not that that just happened at my house or anything. Boot-squared jokes aside, I’m assuming that I wait for it to dry and then brush it; it’s not a very fine suede and the boots are actually kinda old, but they’re my favorites.
Goddamned cats.
Human here!
@Meri and @Ashley: Thank you!!!! That’s totally it.
For those of you with the clever Pledge thingy modifying tips: Awesome. I figured out how to detach the clear part from the blue part, but always suffer great bodily injury (i.e. a small scratch or broken nail). These seem much better!
@Sars: I’ll try the Febreze tip, too. Unfortunately, no water allowed on the natual cotton. What was I thinking when I bought that thing?
Vine readers to the rescue once again!
@Ashley: I replied before I saw your comment. I’ll give that a try, too!
My cat’s hair has laughed at every hair removal device on the planet except for velvet brushes. You can buy them…anywhere. I think my grocery store has them, even. Completely reusable for years on end!
Oh man I feel you on the shoes. I think the let it dry and brush well should work. My barfy bundles of joy actually ruined a pair of my favorite shoes by barfing inside them. Since I didn’t wear them for a day the gross barf soaked in and could never be totally removed smell-wise. Now I keep them out of the bedroom and only take off my shoes in there. Woe be unto me when I forget. stinky little bastards. :)
Fortunately, the blerf remained outside, but still. I heard the horking, and then I did NOT hear the sound of it hitting the floor (…greetings, lunchtime readers!), and I RAN into the bedroom all “please no not IN a shoe please Lord,” so that prayer was answered, kind of, but I guess I should have been more specific.
I’m down with all the pledge sweeper recs up there, as well as the wet glove ones. When I volunteered at an animal shelter, the procedure for cleaning the cat trees was to wear rubber gloves, spritz lightly with a water spray bottle, then rub all over. The wet clumps of hair stuck to the gloves is a little gross, but hey, it works wonders.
May I also recommend a pre-shed method? The Furminator brush is a little pricey but seriously a.MAZ.ing. It really, really works. One of my cats hates being brushed, so we give him treats during the brushing, and he makes the most hilarious yowl/chewing sound. He’s actually getting used to it and doesn’t protest as much now.
wow, our pledge cat hair thing has lasted 2 months. the wonder (gift?) of shorthair cats. ditto on the large rools of clear packing tape. on barf: our best results have been to remove the dried, crunchy parts, then brush wth TINY amounts of resolve ( you have to test it first but it didn’t hurt velour -sp??- or fake suede)
As the proud (!) mom of a messy kitty, I live by the site howtocleanstuff.
Here’s their recommendations for cleaning suede. Just scroll down to the vomit section… (hee)
http://tinyurl.com/y9l377z
I have 2 super-sheddy cats, and I rely on the below vacuum for everything. From cleaning couches to quilts or whatever you can’t get a regular vacuum to, it is AMAZING. Never found anything that worked as well or was as reasonably priced. Recommend HIGHLY.
http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-33A1-Eraser-Handheld-Cleaner/dp/B001EYFQ28
I love the Pledge thing for my 3 monsters. It is definitely reusable. The roller thing is easy to pop out, take out massive hair ball, and pop back in. I’ve been using the same one for over a year now. I like it way better than the yellow eraser thingey.
Ditto on the Rubba Scrubba!
@Sars re the suede shoe thing: Definitely let it dry first, and if you have a vacuum (other than your Roomba) with a handpiece, give the shoes a pre-brush pass with the vac. This removes any solids from the blerf so they won’t get ground into the suede by the brush (hi, dinner readers!).
My cat doesn’t shed a lot, but oy, the blerf events are unfortunately frequent – and occasionally land on my shoes or handbag. I’ve learned a lot about the cleanability of cat vomit – more than I’d like, really.
@Driver B: “the most hilarious yowl/chewing sound.
Hee. “I’m eating, yet somehow unhappy. Biting you later.” Doesn’t the FURminator look the awesomest?
I love the collective know-how of the ‘Nation: ” ‘Single-use only’? Pfff. Don’t think so!”
Also: The Vomit Section with s/g Blerf Events sounds like a rad (if messy) double bill at a punk festival.
I wet a sponge, squeeze it out so it’s only damp and just brush the cat hair off the couch, curtains, etc. It rolls up into long strings of fur and you can pick them off the sponge and toss. Best part is I already have sponges for doing dishes so it’s free. I’m allergic to buying pricey items that wear out. And who would make a couch that you can’t put water on? That would suck, but at least you could try my method for the other couch!
I suggest a combination of the furminator and groom zoom with cats. With mine, I can brush them on the floor. I find that it is best to brush them daily, it not only makes them shed a whole lot less, but if I miss a day my orange monster hacks up hairballs (case in point: today he barfed up three on our white carpet =/).
If you want to get serious about pet hair, go Dyson. You don’t need the pet model; just buy the pet attachment for your couches, drapes, whatever. It’s spendy, but they show up on woot.com all the time at serious discount. Best vacuum I have EVER seen, hands down. I was utterly and completely stunned at how much hair came off the couch the first time I used it – much more than I had ever pulled up with any other device. Don’t even get me started on what it pulls out of the carpet.
And, as a special bonus, the process of emptying the chamber and seeing everything you pulled up carries a kind of satisfaction that is on par with popping a really big zit. I’m just saying.
Sars, re: the cat-barf-on-suede removal. I was just whipping through an old magazine and saw this hint, courtesy of Real Simple: “Aha! use for emery boards: removing small stains from suede. Gently rub the file (either side) across the problem area a few times to get rid of the splotch and refresh the nap.” Of course, they didn’t mention cat barf, exactly…but perhaps it’s worth a try after the offending substance is dried and brushed off, if there’s any trace left. And now, I will file this for my own future use, because you know it’s gonna come in handy, [i]Orson[/i], my barfy cat.
Human, I feel your pain, being the proud owner of a shop kitty who single-handedly sheds enough hair to form drifts across the ENTIRE 1700 square foot warehouse floor.
If you want to tackle the problem at the source, I’ll nth the recs for a Furminator. Shop Kitty doesn’t like it that much (Turkish Vans have no undercoat, I read, so maybe it’s too scratchy for her) but in the abbreviated sessions she’ll tolerate, I can still get enough fur off her to make another cat.
The rubber sponge thingy is on my “must buy” list now. Shop kitty LOVES to hang out on my stacked flat boxes, and it is really a challenge not to be shipping free cat hair with every order. Anything that will erase fur off of corrugated cardboard is totally my new best friend!
Don’t know about that rubber brush thingy though. After Flylady.com says: “I used it as a whisk broom with a dust pan, to scrub the tracks in a shower door, to go along the baseboards where carpet meets the wall, I even used it to wash dishes – even better – just toss it in the top rack of the dishwasher to sanitize it!!” …All I can think is: shower greeblies+baseboard crap+my dishes and dishwasher=EEEWWWWWWWW!!!
Seconding Ashley on the pet hair magnet. It’s awesome. I run around and use it on the rug before I vacuum, too, ’cause it saves me emptying the cannister about 5 million times.
As for removing cat barf, if it leaves a stain after it’s dried and brushed off, try Petzyme on it. Soak the stained area well, blot it up with a clean paper towel and let it dry.
That stuff has worked miracles on a wide variety of fabrics and even on an important piece of paper that one of mine pulled off a desk to puke upon.
When the Pledge fur remover first came out, I tried one and it almost cleared half a dining-room chair seat before it was full. One time use, my fat seat cheek muscles! And in my 4-cat home, I really hoped for better results. So I wrote to the Pledge parent company, suggesting a larger collecting chamber, removability and/or reusability. I got back a pretty generic “thanks for trying our product” response, with a fistful of coupons to buy more of them. I did figure out how to pop the rollers and empty the chamber, and the brushes do work pretty well. But what really helps most is to keep up with the combing. One pass with a flea comb on each cat = enough fur for a whole new cat. Of course, they all hate it, and they also hate the rubber-toothed “brushing” mitt, but IT WORKS and I’m still bigger than they are, so there we are.
My cats used to shed everywhere, but I found that scooping the box daily keeps all the shed in one place. (bahDOOMP!)
My gosh, I love all of you guys! I have a long-haired dog and have been battling pet hair for months. I use a combo of stuff but now am going to add a few more things because I haven’t been completely happy. I 50millionth the Furminator for getting fur off the animal first. Depending on your furniture, I have found you can also use it directly on the fabric. I have a chenille chair & ottoman – works great, microsuede couch – doesn’t do anything. but it doesn’t really get up any dirt particles/pet dander, just hair. I’m going to try the Bisell vacuum to see if that works on the dirt/pet dander.
Ah! I had that same sponge thing and couldn’t remember where I’d gotten it either!
I used to detail cars with pet hair/human hair on the seats, and I have to say the best thing we used was the rubber bristle brush so there you are.
As for our own barfy cat, we have a cut out in the wall next to our entry way so you can see into the living room and put decorative knick-knacks up there. We’ve long since given up ownership of it to our cat who sits up there watching over the living room all the time. It’s the most fun when I came home to see cat barf on the ledge AND the floor. It’s also funny to imagine the picture of him barfing on the floor from that high up. Heh.
I got the best thing for removing cat hair from just about everything fabric. Go to Simplygoodstuff.com and look up the rubber brush. Best thing I have ever found. They have the rubber floor brooms too. The hair just rolls right up and you can pick it up with the vacuum in big globs.
Spraying some Static Guard before tackling removal helps too. I read somewhere that part of the “stickability” of pet hair is that it carries a static charge. You still have to use a gadget to clean (I second the awesomeness of the Dyson), but it makes the hair less stubborn. Alas, it does not have the same effect on the cats.
On a cat-related note, I just wanted to give theTomato Nation a Nate update, since we’re coming up on our first anniversary. He’s a wonderful, sweet, sweet cat. I fall asleep most nights with him purring on my chest (which, oof, but still cute). He gets along wonderfully with the dog and the other cat (the cats even cuddle when they think no one is looking) and the kids are thrilled to have a cat in the house that actually likes them! And we love telling the story of how we got Nate through Tomato Nation. So, thanks everyone!
Great suggestions here, I’ve picked up a few things I want to try for myself! I think I’m a bit lazier than all of you though-I use those 3M lint roller things. Sometimes even on the cats themselves when I am having a particularly bad day.
@Bridget-thanks for the StaticGuard tip (suspect it may really get to the heart of the problem) but especially for the Nate update. I always wonder how the TN cats are doing. It’s the best Christmas present ever to read that this little lost soul eventually found his family. I wish more people like you :)