Pets are wonderful to have around! You can cuddle them, walk with them, have them as a companion, children love them and they can be so much fun to have around, a real part of a family unit. Dogs and cats, however, come with hair and that hair can end up on your carpet, your sofa and in fact in corners all over the house. Dogs and cats cannot take their shoes off as they come into your home so they are often trailing in pieces of whatever they have been walking on in the outdoors.
Most pet owners know the importance of regular housekeeping to keep their home clean and fresh but how many people actually give thought to what pet hair can actually cause when it is left lying around the home. You may visibly notice the hair but what you can’t see is the bacteria and allergens that can breed too. Young children crawl around floors, they put their hands in their mouths and they roll about on the couch, exposing themselves to the bacteria and allergens. If you have family members who are prone to allergies, it is all the more important to keep your home free of the ‘nasties’.
So how would you make sure that you find the best pet hair vacuum?
Buy a Quality Machine
The first thing that you will need to do is to ensure that you purchase a vacuum cleaner that is fit for purpose, there is no point in trying to remove pet hairs with a woefully inadequate vacuum cleaner. Depending on your couch, you may find that the pet hairs become ‘stuck and difficult to remove and with some fabric types, this is certainly possible. Your vacuum cleaner has to have enough suction to be able to lift the hairs, not all vacuums will do that and you will find that some of the lighter vacuums will not move the pet hairs, even with scrubbing.
The filter on your vacuum is important, not all filters are equal and a good filter will be important to lift all of the bacteria and allergens from your sofa. If your filter is poor, when you go to lift the pet hair, bacteria, and allergens, you will find that instead of being removed, they will be released back into the air where they will once again land on your couch, making it a never-ending circular process resulting in no or very few allergens actually being removed.
Attachments
Use the attachments that come with the machine to get into all of the corners. You may want to use the brush attachment to gather what you can and use a more rigid attachment to run over your sofa, back and forward with vigorous action. The smaller tools can be used to feed down the side of your sofa, don’t forget to do this as much of the hair will be caught between the cushions of the sofa and will find their way down the sides. Concentrate on the areas where your pet sits, their favorite corner and give that more attention. Make sure that you keep your attachments clean as there is no point in running dirty attachments across your couch, spreading more dirt and bacteria. You may have to use several attachments to achieve your desired result but with practice, you will find out what works best.
Odors
You are not just removing the pet hair, you want to remove the odors as well. Odors can develop very easily and they can be very unpleasant. It will be especially noticeable to your visitors as you can become used to the smells around your own house. By removing the hair with your vacuum on a regular basis you will, in fact, be keeping the smells at bay but what some people do is to infuse their vacuum bag or container, if your vacuum is bagless, with some baking soda. Baking soda is known for its ability to absorb odors and neutralize the air, it can be a fabulous way to keep your home smell free. Some use drops of essential oils like lavender to add an extra fresh smell to their home. Avoid using chemicals, as chemicals can add toxicity to your air supply, keep it fresh and natural.
Maintenance
If you are going to continue to remove pet hair from your couch in an effective way, your vacuum cleaner has to continue to be up for the job and that means regular cleaning and maintenance. You should empty your vacuum cleaner after each use so as to avoid having lingering smells. Clean the bits of it that you can and if you are using a vacuum with a bag, make sure that the bag is changed regularly.
Change the filter according to the manufacturer’s instructions and because you are removing pet hair, you may want to change it even more frequently than is suggested. Your machine will have to be regularly maintained and that will mean taking it apart and cleaning the components. If you are DIY minded then you may be able to do a lot of this work yourself but if you are not, you should employ the services of a local company to do it for you. Do not skip this step as a poorly maintained vacuum will have a shorter lifespan and will not perform optimally.
In order that you keep your couch free of pet hair, you want to vacuum every couple of days or so and to be sure, some people will vacuum their couch daily. Expect to pay more for a good quality vacuum, this is an expense that is not worth compromising on as many of the cheaper models will not have the suction that you will require to be able to move the hairs, it is a necessary expense, as pet hair which is not properly removed can, in fact, pose a health hazard in the longer term.
