Jolie Kerr
If you have a furry pet, thereβs a good chance you also sleep with your furry pet β about half of people with pets share a bed with their animals. This also means theyβre sharing a bed with their petβs fur, dander, drool and a whole host of other unpleasantries (fleas, anyone?).
βTending to pet hair is good sleep hygiene, period,β says home organising expert Caroline Solomon. Itβs especially important for people suffering from asthma and allergies, she adds, βbut even if you donβt have asthma or allergies, inhaling dander can be mildly irritating to your respiratory tract and disrupt sleep quality.β
Hair and dander arenβt the only problems pets bring to the boudoir. βSharing your bed with a pet means youβre sharing your bedding with everything that comes along with it,β says Josh Leonardi, the founder of The Meow Picks, a US-based store featuring high-end products for cats and dogs. βPets groom themselves, walk around the home and then climb onto bedding, so a cleaning routine should reflect that.β
A reliable routine is essential, says Erin Smith, a dog-lifestyle content creator and owner of three golden retrievers. βIf you let your pets sleep in bed with you, which we do, there really is no way to keep the hair off and out of the bed. The best thing you can do is make your cleanup routine easy.β
These expert tips will go a long way to making things a little less hairy.
Consider design and fabrication when purchasing bedding
Leonardi tells pet owners to take ease of cleaning and maintenance into account when choosing bedding. Fabric, in particular, βmatters more than people think,β he says. β[Pets] shed into loose weaves and looped fabrics like bouclΓ© and chenille,β while tight, flat weaves such as fleece, as well as leather and coated surfaces, repel shedded fur.
Wash your sheets weekly. Maybe more
Smith washes her sheets weekly, sometimes twice a week, which she calls ideal. Experts agree that once a week is the minimum for people who sleep with their pets. βBedding collects sweat, skin cells, oils and dust. Adding a pet brings additional hair, dander, saliva and particles carried in on paws and whatever else ends up on their coat,β Leonardi says. βIf they are sleeping under the blankets, ideally the bedding would be washed twice a week.β
Regular washing will also extend the lifespan of your sheets, which can be expensive to replace. βPet odours, oils and moisture can degrade bedding faster, so itβs a good idea to stay on top of your laundry routine,β Solomon says.
Blankets, pillows and doonas need regular laundering, too
Pillows and doona inserts are what Ashley Burgos, a doctor of veterinary medicine and co-founder of Futureproof Pet, calls βindirect layersβ; she recommends washing them every two weeks.
Invest in a mattress pad
Sheets and indirect layers arenβt the only things that absorb pet essence: the mattress, too, will hold dander and odours. βA mattress cover can also help protect the mattress itself,β Leonardi says. Solomon recommends washing mattress pads monthly.
Treat stains and clean up accidents ASAP
Use a pet-safe enzymatic cleaner to spot-treat stains on bedding, mattresses and upholstered headboards. βThis task is great to do every two weeks or so, incorporating it into your bedroom cleaning routine,β Solomon says. The same stain remover can be used to clean up accidents (urine, bowel movements, vomiting, hairballs, wounds, etc.). βIf an accident occurs or your [pet] licks or grooms themselves and leaves saliva wet spots, consider more frequent cleanings,β Burgos says.
Donβt overlook the bed frame
Leonardi calls the bed frame βone of the most forgotten parts of keeping bedding cleanβ. Wipe bed frames made of wood, metal or other hard surfaces with a cloth to remove hair, dust and dander; fabric headboards should be vacuumed regularly using an upholstery attachment. βFabric holds on to unwanted accumulation,β he says, βso itβs best to vacuum them when changing bedding.β
And donβt forget the area under the bed
βUnder the bed is another often overlooked area where pet hair and dust can quickly accumulate,β Leonardi says, βespecially if the pet likes to sleep or hide thereβ. He recommends vacuuming under the bed twice a week and mopping hard floors as needed. Robot vacuums can help reduce the workload. βWe clean under our bed every day,β Smith says. βWe have a robot vacuum that can vacuum under the bed frame, and this really helps keep the hair from piling up under the bed.β
Shake or tumble fur out before washing bedding
When it comes to laundry, there are tricks that can help with fur removal. βThe important thing is to remove excess hair before laundering rather than assuming the washing machine will take care of all of it,β Leonardi says. βShaking the bedding out, vacuuming it or using a lint roller first can make a noticeable difference.β He also uses a dryer trick for bedding that is covered in hair. βTumbling it briefly in a dryer on a no-heat setting can loosen some of the hair and send it into the lint trap, making it easier to wash.β
Try wool dryer balls
Burgos uses wool dryer balls, not dryer sheets, to reduce static that makes pet fur cling to fabrics. βThe wool balls also help move any remaining fur into the lint trap for easy removal,β she says.
Use sticky rollers and rubber gloves for quick fur pickup
In between washing, there are things you can do to keep pet hair at bay. βI am a fan of using a lint roller to lift away pet hair in one swipe,β Solomon says. βKeep them in your nightstand drawer, your living room and wherever your pet likes to hang out.β Rubber tools also work well: βRubber hand brooms and rubber grooming gloves are useful tools for upholstery and excessive fur accumulation,β Burgos says.
Make the bed. Every day
Even if your pet sleeps under the covers with you at night, making your bed in the morning will keep them out of the sheets during the day, reducing contact time. Making the bed with the covers pulled up over the pillows will keep filthy paws off the place where you lay your head.
Give them a blankie
If the thought of doing all that laundry chills you to the bone, put down a protective layer. βThe more direct contact a pet has with a piece of bedding, the more often Iβd clean it,β Leonardi says. βA dedicated washable throw or blanket can make things much easier, because you can wash that more often without having to strip the entire bed.β
Offer a cozier alternative to your bed
βA lot of the fur-on-the-bed problem is really a βthe cat has nowhere better to sleepβ problem,β Leonardi says. βSetting an arbitrary boundary with a pet can also be difficult, so the key is to provide an attractive alternative they want to use.β Try directing pets away from the bed by placing a pet bed or another comfortable sleeping spot nearby. βIf the nicest, warmest, highest spot in the room is your duvet, thatβs where theyβll be. Giving them a genuinely better option nearby, a real bed or a perch in the same sunny corner, moves them off the bedding.β
Shut the door
Consider blocking your petβs access to the bedroom(s) during the day. βI typically shut the bedroom doors and limit them to the more pet-friendly areas of my home that can more easily be cleaned,β Burgos says.
Groom Fluffy and Fido regularly
Regular grooming reduces the amount of loose fur at its source. βAn ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure,β Burgos says. βBrushing pets daily can help exfoliate dead skin and fur in a controlled manner, limiting how much they shed throughout the home and bedding.β
Wash paws after outdoor romps
Pets track residue from the outdoors, such as pollen, dirt, fertilisers and pesticides, into the home on their paws. βI recommend setting up a foot bath just outside your front door with one part white distilled vinegar and nine parts water, then gently dry their paws to help remove residues from their paws after a walk,β Burgos says.
An air purifier can help
Although it wonβt move the needle on pet hair, an air purifier will reduce dander and other particulates. βIt wonβt collect pet hair, but I recommend keeping an air purifier close to your bed to trap excess dander,β Solomon says. Burgos agrees that air purifiers are essential in homes with pets. βInhaled and contact allergens in and around bedding can be a trigger for pets and people, sometimes severe enough to contribute to changes in quality of life.β
Washington Post
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