Best Way to Clean Pet Hair From Hardwood Floors
If you're a pet owner, then you know that pets are really just small family members. Many of us would never trade them for anything in the world. And if that's the case for you, then you have that in common with 37% (according to the AVMA) of people who own dogs in America.
Another thing you might have in common with other pet owners who love their pet, is the acceptance of all the hair that your beloved pet leaves behind for you. They shed everywhere, tracking hair all throughout those nice hardwood floors you work so hard to maintain.
The good news is, when you know how, it's easy to deal with pet hair and together we're going to go over some effective ways.
Warnings to pay attention to:
As long as you avoid water and regular vacuums any of the methods above will work. The bad thing about pet hair is how frequently you will find it suddenly appear all over your hardwood floors. The good thing about it is how easy it is to clean up. All you need is a good, effective pet hair vacuum, which you can learn more about on our Home Floor Experts website.
Just use any of the methods listed above and be mindful of the positives and negatives involved and you'll soon see your pet's hair shedding as less of a problem and more of a minor annoyance. Don't let your hardwood floors come between you and your pet, and don't let your pet stop you from having beautiful hardwood floors.
Another thing you might have in common with other pet owners who love their pet, is the acceptance of all the hair that your beloved pet leaves behind for you. They shed everywhere, tracking hair all throughout those nice hardwood floors you work so hard to maintain.
The good news is, when you know how, it's easy to deal with pet hair and together we're going to go over some effective ways.
- Sweeping With a Regular Broom - Your broom is your best friend. Pet hair weighs very little so it is easy to simply sweep it into one big pile and sweep or pick up the pile to throw out. Afterwards, you just need to pick out whatever stray hairs are caught in the bristles and your floors are hair-free. It is probably the cheapest and still a very effective way of cleaning pet hair from hardwood floors without damaging them.
- Electrostatic/Microfiber Dry Mops - These mops are perfect for picking up hair. Rather than sweeping them away and moving the hair around, dry mops trap the hair inside the mop-head. Any brand will work as long as you keep them dry (see below). The only problem with using these dust mops is that they lock in the hair, meaning you will have to manually clean them after and (if you own a golden retriever like me) sometimes during your sweep.
- Rubber Brooms - Depending on where you live these can be hard to come by in local stores, but they are worth ordering. They replace a regular broom head with a rubber one which no longer allows hair to get caught in the bristles. These are slightly more effective than a regular broom but require none of the regular maintenance which makes them significantly easier for you to use.
- Hand Vacuum - There are specialized pet vacuums that are portable, rechargeable, battery-operated and very effective at cleaning up pet hair. Because of how light the hair is, it gets vacuumed very easily and the vacuum will start to pick them up from a good range. However, this method requires you to spend your entire time crouched over. Also, hand vacuums tend to be rather small and will take longer than sweeping.
- Central Vacuum - If your house already has one installed, all you have to do is attach the hose into the outlet and marvel at its efficiency. As an added bonus, the central vacuum I have included a microfiber head which makes cleaning up dog hair extremely efficient. Even without the microfiber head, the hose operates much more effectively than a hand vacuum and most central vacuums include a hardwood floor extension. The only downside is that if you don't have one installed already, they can be very expensive.
Warnings to pay attention to:
- Whenever you can, Keep It Dry - I can't tell you how many regular mops we've had to throw away because we missed a patch of dog hair while sweeping the floors. When that hair gets wet, it will stick onto whatever you're trying to clean with and will be a mess to take out. Waiting for it to dry will add extra time, and make your life much more difficult than if you just avoid getting the mop wet. It will save you a lot of time (and mops) if you try and keep your floors dry while you are cleaning.
- Regular Vacuums - Many vacuums are designed with a "beater bar" to clean carpets. There bars have fast-rotating bristles which destroy the finish on hardwood floors, leaving them open to serious damage. Heavier vacuums, and ones with plastic wheels will also damage floors by scratching and marking them as you move your vacuum. Regular vacuums are great for general purpose cleaning, but they also tend to blow away dog hair spreading it out and making the job more difficult. It is recommended that you avoid using a vacuum unless you are sure it is safe and have no other method of cleaning.
As long as you avoid water and regular vacuums any of the methods above will work. The bad thing about pet hair is how frequently you will find it suddenly appear all over your hardwood floors. The good thing about it is how easy it is to clean up. All you need is a good, effective pet hair vacuum, which you can learn more about on our Home Floor Experts website.
Just use any of the methods listed above and be mindful of the positives and negatives involved and you'll soon see your pet's hair shedding as less of a problem and more of a minor annoyance. Don't let your hardwood floors come between you and your pet, and don't let your pet stop you from having beautiful hardwood floors.