Last Updated on August 26, 2022 by
Dogs are man’s best friend for a reason. They are always happy to see you, their ears flap cutely in the breeze, and then there is the wagging tail. Simply put, dogs are more loved than ever before and becoming more and more a part of our daily lives.
This has led to an increase in car rides. Dogs love to go for rides in the car with the wind making their ears flap and slobber flying about. What’s not to love about having your favourite furry companion in the car along for the ride?
Well, there is one thing not to love, and that is the fur involved. When you have a particularly furry dog, especially one that sheds, the interior of your car can become covered in the remnants of your good buddy.
While that isn’t particularly dangerous to you or your car (provided you don’t have allergies), it can make for an unsightly aesthetic. Dog fur that is left in your car just looks messy and nasty and is certainly unappealing to visitors who don’t frequently ride in your car.
So, how do you get rid of that nasty pet fur? There are a few helpful ways that can keep the interior of your car clean without having to sacrifice those fun rides with your best friend. Follow these tips to see real results.
Take Preventative Measures
The easiest way to prevent dog fur from building up in your car is to prevent a build up of hair to begin with. If you have a dog with a longer, thicker coat, it can get pretty chaotic in your car after they have taken a ride.
But when you do some preventative brushing to your favourite furry friend, you can remove any loose hair before getting them into your car. This minimises the amount of dog hair that will be left in your car and provide that unsightly aesthetic.
This won’t necessarily eliminate the amount of dog fur that gets in your car, but it can help to mitigate that amount by quite a bit. Even if you can just cut down on the amount of fur in your car, that is still a win when it comes time to clean your vehicle.
Invest in Seat Covers
Perhaps the easiest way to prevent dog fur from getting all over the seats of your car is to invest in seat covers to keep those seats protected. There are also specialist pet seat covers that were specifically created to keep pet fur and dander off of your car seats and to contain any hair that does remain in one pretty manageable area.
The best part about seat covers is that you can remove them. If you are looking to make a good impression with your vehicle, you can remove those furry seat covers to rid your car of the vast majority of any fur that resides there.
The only downside here is that dog fur can still get on your floors, on the mats, on the door handles, and any other area in the car that is not specifically protected. But combined with that preventative brushing, seat covers can be a great way to prevent a buildup of that pesky dog fur.
Rubber Gloves
When you have to get down to the nitty gritty and actually clean your car, not every tool will do the job adequately. What might surprise you is that rubber gloves can actually be one of the strongest tools in your arsenal for removing pet fur.
All you have to do is put on a pair of everyday rubber cleaning gloves. Then, you sweep your hands about the car’s upholstery and notice how the loose strands of dog fur stick to the fingers of the glove. Best of all is that what remains of the hair should begin to form larger clumps; this makes it far easier to either remove it or vacuum it up entirely.
It is important to sweep your hands in the same direction so that you can gather any of the loose fur into one pile and avoid simply swirling it around the upholstery. If this doesn’t do the trick, you can even try slightly wetting your gloves to get that extra gripping effect. It might take a little time, but this is one of the most effective methods that there is for getting that dog fur off your upholstery.
Use Duct Tape
This is one of the more popular options on the list and for good reason. Duct tape is super strong and very adhesive, which makes it a reliable option for repairing just about anything. That’s why it should not come as much of a surprise that you can also use it to get rid of that fur clinging to your seats.
All you have to do is roll a piece of duct tape around your hand, sticky side facing out, and firmly press your hand onto the areas where the fur is. You will likely be shocked at just how much pet fur that you pull up using this method.
While this isn’t the fastest of methods available to you, it is definitely one of the most consistent and reliable. Just make sure that you are regularly changing out the tape because it can lose its adhesiveness and then stop picking up fur effectively.
Vacuum
This is probably the method that you tried first and foremost. This can be a relatively reliable method, so long as the fur is loose and not intertwined with the fabric of the seats. Any loose fur will get sucked up immediately, allowing you to get the vast majority of that excess fur sucked up in short order.
Vacuums might not be able to get into those tough to reach areas, however, making it a bit difficult for you to get that comprehensive and total clean that you are after. You will have to get those areas by hand.
