Owning pets that shed can cause your home and furniture to become covered in pet hair. It will also cling to your clothing and sheets. Do washing machines get rid of pet hair?
Washing machines remove some pet hair but it’s wise to remove the majority before putting it into the washer.
Pet hair can be difficult for a washing machine to remove. When the pet hair becomes wet it will clump and can stick to your clothing or clog the drain of your washing machine.
Removing most of the pet hair before washing, and adding vinegar to the rinse cycle can help the washing machine rid your clothes of pet hair.
Below we will go over some tips to help your washing machine remove the pet hair from your clothes and sheets.
What Makes Pet Hair Difficult to Remove?
When pet hair gets wet it tends to clump and stick to the clothing or the side of the washing machine. It can also cause clogs in the drain hose and lint filter.
This can prevent your washing machine from fully draining and put more stress on the water pumps of your machine.
You will need to clean the lint filter of your washing machine more often if you own pets to ensure it does not become clogged with pet hair.
Prevention
The best prevention from clogging your machine and ensuring your clothes come out pet-hair-free is to reduce the amount of pet hair that makes its way into the washing machine.
Brushing your pets regularly will help cut down on their shedding and reduce the pet hair on your clothes and in your washing machine.
For clothing and sheets, using a lint roller or masking tape to remove the pet hair will reduce the amount of pet hair that can clump in your washing machine and cause a clog.
The Dryer Solution
Another way to keep pet hair from clogging the washing machine is to use your dryer before you wash your clothes. Below are the steps we follow to keep removing the pet hair from your clothing and sheets.
- Remove as much per hair as possible before drying your clothes. Using a lint roller, tape, or a slightly damp rubber glove will remove as much pet hair as possible and give the dryer the best chance to remove the remaining hair.
- Put the laundry in the dryer. Adding a few dryer sheets or a dryer ball will help reduce static cling when your clothes are drying and help draw the pet hair away from your clothes and into the lint trap.
- Run your clothes or sheets in the dryer for at least 10 minutes on the lowest heat setting. This tumble cycle will help separate the remaining pet hair from your clothing.
- After the dryer has stopped, remove the clothing or sheets from your dryer and give them a shake. If most of the hair is gone you can proceed to launder them. If not you can run them through another dryer cycle to remove more of the pet hair.
Washing Your Clothing
After removing most of the pet hair from your clothing and sheets with a lint brush or running them in the dryer, you can launder your clothes as you normally would.
Adding a half-cup of white vinegar to the machine’s rinse cycle will also aid in removing the pet hair from your clothing.
The vinegar is a natural fabric softener and will keep the pet hair from clumping.
Conclusion
Pet hair can clog your washing machine. Removing most of the pet hair from your clothing and regularly cleaning your washing machine’s filter will keep it from becoming clogged by the pet hair.