Pet Hair and Laundry

12 years ago

Hi:

I'm not sure if this question is better suited for the cleaning forum, but I thought I'd ask here first.

What do most people do when they need to wash pet laundry?

My pet laundry consists of the covers for the cat's and dog's beds and a couple of towels I use to dry them off after baths. Before putting them in the wash, I shake them out and will even roll them with lint roller/pet hair remover.

In my old washer (top loader, ancient) and dryer, most of the pet hair seemed to show up in the dryer's lint trap. Now, in my new front loaders, there is still some hair that shows up in the dryer's lint trap, but most of it seems to come out in the front of the washer by the drain. With some effort, I'm able to wipe it all off (after it dries is easier).

I'm just wondering if there's a better method. I'm worried there may be more pet hair than I'm cleaning up at the end, and that it might get lodged somewhere.

Thanks!

Comments (3)

liriodendron
12 years ago
I think it may vary according to washing machine. I have Asko and Miele Fls (smaller Euro-style models with very high spin speeds.

I also have 10 cats and two bunnies. Collectively they have nearly a dozen and half pet beds and sleeping pads in use at any one time. And I launder more than 3 dozen towels for the pets every week as I change the towels covering the pet beds and the other "unauthorized" sleeping places about every 10 days. I don't find that hair seems to get stuck in the drain path of the washers (I've had my machines completely apart on occasion for other reasons). It does clog the dryer lint filters, though, even just during the few minutes I use it before hanging them out to air dry.

However your machines may be different. I just try to remember to make the next load after pet beds something other than my best sweaters or silk blouses. Not that there's any hair noticeable carry over, but it seems better to wash farm overalls or household cleaning clothes in the next load!

L
stbonner
12 years ago
This is a topic I know a LOT about! I have four labradors, and they shed like crazy. I've had the same trouble with washing bedding as mentioned above - tons of hair left in my washing machine. I've even gone so far as to stand on the edges of the dog bed and run my vacuum carpet attachment over the bed to try to remove hair. I've also tried various pet hair rollers and brushes.

The best solution I have found is to use bedding that doesn't "collect" hair. Cotton twill is good, and I've found bedding made out of upholstery fabric that works great. I just take the bedding outside and shake it really well before I put it into the washer. Fleece bedding, while cozy, holds tons of hair and causes my washer to be hairy for the next wash or two after I wash dog bedding.
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sshrivastava
12 years ago
I shake all dog and cat bedding outside if I can't vacuum it prior to washing. I would never throw any dog/cat bedding into the washer with first either vacuuming the hair off or shaking off as much as possible outside. Level the playing field as much as possible.