How To Keep Pet Hair Off Your Clothes

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When you got dressed at home, you looked great. Now, as you’re walking into the big meeting, you notice pet hair all over that beautiful dark suit you’re wearing. How can you fix it right now, and how can you help prevent it from happening in the future?

We talked to experts — including stylists, a fabric scientist and a veterinarian — to learn some pro tips for controlling the feline and canine fuzz.

Why Does Pet Hair Stick To Everything? Because Science

The first person we talked to was someone who makes it her business to know everything about keeping clothes clean, and she feels your pet hair pain — Sammy Wang is a fabric care senior scientist at Proctor & Gamble, the manufacturer of popular laundry products. “As pet owners and pet lovers, we know that their hair can be a struggle,” she said. “We often hear people tell us that they even avoid interacting with their pets before they leave the house to make sure they don’t end up with the hair on their clothes when they head out the door.”

Wang explained that there are two major reasons your pet is so good at shedding on your wardrobe. The first is static electricity. “Fabrics can build up static electricity, and they tend to hold a negative charge,” she said. “Pet hair is often positively charged, especially when the pet has been rubbing against furniture and blankets. The positively charged hair is then attracted to the negative charge in your clothes and wants to stick to them. And because pet hair is so lightweight, it clings and doesn’t fall away or fall off easily.”

The second reason for the problem, Wang explained, is mechanical friction. “Pet hair can be quite coarse, especially for certain breeds, which makes it easier for it to get physically ‘entangled’ and attach to fabrics that have more surface texture,” she said. “That’s why it’s easier to brush pet hair off smooth clothes, but harder to get it off clothes that have more surface texture.”

How To Prevent Pet Hair Buildup

Dr. Ben Simpson-Vernon said there are a few things you can do to get ahead of a hairy situation. “Pet hair, just like human hair, goes through a constant cycle of growth, which eventually leads to shedding old hair during the exogen phase, ready for a new hair to grow from the hair follicle,” he explained. “Brushing your pet regularly will remove dead hair, reduce shedding and minimize how much rubs off on your clothing.”

Another preventative measure can happen on laundry day, Wang said. She recommended using specialized dryer sheets that are made to attract pet hair (they often have the word “pet” marketed in the name of the product).

More laundry-day tips come from natural cleaning expert Becky Rapinchuk. “I use 1/4 cup white vinegar as fabric softener during the rinse cycle,” she said. “I also use wool dryer balls in the dryer to reduce static.”

How To Shop For Clothes That Won’t Attract Pet Hair

Erin Askeland is an animal health and behavior expert for Camp Bow Wow, a nationwide provider of dog daycare, boarding and grooming. She’s learned how to choose clothes that won’t leave her looking like a yeti at the end of the workday. Askeland said that color choice matters, so consider the type of pet hair you’re battling before you buy. “I have three light-colored dogs at home, so I avoid black or navy clothing,” she said.

Wang agreed with this approach, adding: “Colors that are opposite the color of your pet will show up more — think of white dog hair on a black garment. Buy clothes that are similarly colored to the pet’s hair to avoid showing the contrast.” And if you have more than one pet and they have different colored fur, you might want to consider the joys of wearing camo as your new signature look.

Askeland also noted that fabric texture is another factor to consider as you shop. “Fabrics that are less prone to static electricity and have a smooth surface, such as synthetic blends or silk, can be more resistant to pet hair,” she said.

While that’s true, Wang has a proviso when it comes to choosing smooth-looking clothes, especially workout gear. “The surface texture isn’t always noticeable just by looking at clothes,” she said. “It’s more like a micro-structure, something you see at the microscopic level. For example, a pair of leggings may look smooth, but they may have been ‘sueded’ to impart softness, which then creates a lot of small fibers that stick up and entangle pet hair.”

Fancier garb tends to avoid this (literal) trap, she said. “Fabrics like smooth, woven materials in dressier clothing may have less of a micro-texture than the brushed or sueded fabrics that are more common in loungewear.”

How Fashion Stylists Keep Their Clients’ Clothes Pet-Hair-Free

For fashion stylists, it’s a struggle to help their pet-owning clients wear clothes that are at least relatively hair-free. Personal wardrobe stylist Sandra Veum said, “Keeping pet hair off my clients’ clothes is a constant maintenance procedure. I always come prepared with a lint roller, masking tape and dryer sheets.” She loves mini lint rollers and has them handy at all times, she said. But if you’ve found yourself without a roller nearby, she suggested rubbing the clothing surface with a damp cloth. If you’ve got a dryer sheet handy, that will also do the trick.

If you’re just now realizing that your gorgeous black outfit looks like Fido’s dog bed, stylist Catherine Bibeau has a brilliant trick: “Putting clothes in the dryer with a dryer sheet for just a few minutes can help remove the hair,” she said.

With a few of these tips from people who deal with pet hair in a professional way, you’ll be able to head to your next big event with nary a follicle on your immaculate garment. OK, even if that’s not entirely possible, try to treasure the few strands you’re frantically lint-rolling off yourself in the parking lot. After all, given a choice between perfect clothes and a loving pet waiting for you when you get back home, the pet wins every time, right?

Check out these reviewer-beloved tools for removing pet hair below.

HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a commission from some purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently curated by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.

Amazon

A pet hair-grabbing rubber rake

This rubberized broom with telescoping handle captures deeply embedded hair and debris from carpets and hardwood floors so well that many reviewers were shocked at how much their vacuums were leaving behind. It also features a built-in squeegee that’s great for cleaning shower walls, windows and tile.

Promising Amazon review: “Used on my low pile rug for pet hair and it not only pulled up hair but dirt that my vacuum missed as well. Used on my hard flooring surfaces and loved how all the swept items/debris stayed together. Love love love! I’d highly recommend it to anyone but especially pet owners!” — Kindle customer

Promising Amazon review: “Picks up damn near everything on almost any surface and pulls more hair and fuzz off carpets than ANY vacuum. Nothing sticks and no fuzzy broom bottoms. The squeegee blade on the back side opens up all kinds of uses in large cleaning situations and cleanups. Cleaning it off is as simple as rinsing it off. We use it on hardwood, carpets/rugs, tile and even the dog beds.” — Dannielle Price

Amazon

A cordless pet hair buster

The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser is specially designed to tackle a variety of pet messes, especially hair, using triple-level filtration to help boost suction performance. This cord-free vacuum also comes with a set of attachments like a crevice tool and a no-tangle motorized brush tool meant for removing embedded pet hair and dirt.

Promising Amazon review: “I have a Lab Retriever that sheds a lot. This vacuum has been a great tool for the house. I used to drag the big vacuum up and down the stairs. Having this vacuum has been a great time saver and not having to drag the big vacuum out every time I need to get up a small amount of something has been so great. If you have steps in your home that you have carpet on or step runners this is the tool you need. The vacuum has great suction power and with the power brush the pet hair comes right up. Also great on the furniture.” — VA

Amazon

A pet hair-grabbing stone

Made from 90% post-consumer recycled materials, this hypoallergenic and uniquely textured stone picks up hair from a variety of fabrics like clothing and carpets, all with very little time and effort.

Promising Amazon review: “This stone works like magic! It looks and feels like it would be hard on fabric but it was completely fine on my white woven fabric couch. It pulled all of the little dogs hairs out with ease, hair rollers and other dog hair removal devices – even professional cleaning could not get out. I’m amazed! Highly recommend it!!” — Betsy

Amazon

A viral reusable lint roller

The internet-famous Chom Chom, which has even made it into my own arsenal of favorite pet hair busters, uses a roller that features both a microfiber surface and a rubberized blade to attract and capture hair in the convenient receptacle. You just run it across furniture like you would a regular lint roller, then empty the bin once it’s full.

Promising Amazon review: “I do not leave many reviews, because honestly who has time for that lol. That being said, this is the best dog hair removal product that I have ever tried and I have tried SO many. Other rollers, scrapers, vacuums and vacuum attachments… They’ve worked to a point but either not worked super well or been frustrating and time consuming to use. I was pretty skeptical of this but decided to try it anyway and it works like a dream. I have a shepherd mix and another short haired dog and the amount of hair that gets on our furniture shortly after cleaning it has always been so frustrating. I got this in the mail today and tried it out and I only had to roll over the sofa cushions a couple of times before this thing picked up all of the hair. I am so excited to have this as it’s going to make cleaning super fast and easy. I would definitely recommend for probably any kind of pet hair.” — Jenrae93

Amazon

An extra-sticky disposable lint roller

When you want something disposable, grab this classic lint roller by Scotch Brite that features 95 extra-sticky tearaway sheets that are perfect for picking up hair, crumbs and lint without damaging fabrics.

Promising Amazon review: “I have 2 dogs (golden retriever and German shepherd) and 3 cats… as you can imagine I’m always covered in pet hair. I bought this to keep at my desk at work and it’s honestly one of the best lint rollers for pet hair I’ve tried. Even when it doesn’t feel that sticky anymore it still gets hair off. I’ve been us.” — Jessie

Amazon

A 6-pack of hair-catching laundry balls

Removing pet hair from clothes is a notoriously difficult task, and these reusable, static-reducing and all-natural wool dryer balls are meant to attract fur from clothes while also helping to speed up drying time. They claim to work on all kinds of fabrics including linen and cotton and won’t irritate sensitive skin, unlike some fragranced dryer sheets.

Promising Amazon review: “I have three Persians cats. Everything in my life is covered in cat hair!!! I wear a lot of gray and blacks or I did before the cats!! These balls are amazing..I could not believe my black pants are wearable again. I would recommend this product.” — Charee Lorraine Lord

Amazon

A detailing tool

This detailing tool is made with a flexible, grippy-textured blade that gathers hair as it’s scraped along surfaces — especially the stubborn hair that clings to cushion seams and couch crevices.

Promising Amazon review: “This is my dog’s favorite item I’ve ever ordered off of Amazon. She loves it because she’s now allowed back onto the couches. She had been banned from them because she sheds so much and the hair was impossible to get out of the cushions. I spent HOURS with the vacuum trying to get the hair out, with marginal success. This product had the entire couch done in 5 minutes and with amazing results!!! The tool is sturdy enough to get the job done but doesn’t harm the fabric. Don’t wait to buy this, you won’t regret it!” — pearotthd

Amazon

A carpet and fabric scraper

Infinitely reusable, this scraper tool features a multi-fabric edge that grabs even deeply embedded hairs from surfaces. While this works on a variety of materials, knitted fabrics is not one of them.

Promising Amazon review: “We have 3 cats. One is a long hair, one is a short hair, and the other is a beast of a Maine Coon. We also have two dense pile area rugs that no vacuum I’ve ever used can pull his angel hair out of. Well, let me tell you, this little tool is amazing. These rugs look like they’re brand new again. The giant wads of fur that came out could build a bear. I could hardly believe my eyes but I’m very happy with the results! It’s also fantastic on the cat trees and their beds. Simply amazing. I highly recommend this product.” — BlackHeartNY

Amazon

A pair of pet hair-erasing grooming gloves

Prevent or minimize shedding messes with these grooming mitts that can groom your pet and pick up hair from surfaces. Each rubber palm has flexible, massaging nodules that are great for capturing pet dander, loose hair and shedding undercoats so less fur ends up on your sofa.

Promising Amazon review: “I have a Siamese cat that sheds like crazy. I received these today and immediately tried them. They pulled so much loose hair. My cat loves them because the nubby parts get down to get skin and scratch really well. You can select different sizes so they fit your hands really well, and the nitrile surface is flexible and comfortable. They aren’t bulky or clumsy. They even worked for pulling the hair off my couch. And it’s easy to pull the shed off the gloves. I will be using these daily!” — Fenry

Amazon

An extremely popular portable carpet and upholstery cleaner

Possibly one of the most adored Bissell products on the market, this portable and multi-purpose carpet and upholstery cleaner has over 40,400 five-star-ratings on Amazon and effectively removes tough stains through a combination of suction and spraying power. While it doesn’t handle pet hair removal like the products above, it can help you get rid of that sticky grossness sometimes left by hairballs (and it definitely addresses so many other pet messes — you know the ones). The scrubbing stain tool has a self-cleaning function to save you time and effort.

Promising Amazon review: “Works great! I have two cats and wanted this to spot clean my carpeted rooms after hairball situations. I used a black light flashlight to find the spots and to verify that this thing did it’s job.” — LisaDreams

Promising Amazon review: “My 1st one like this lasted about 13 years. I used it to pretty regularly to clean up pet accidents on carpet, especially when my little dog was much younger and accidents were more frequent. It also is great for cleaning up the residue from the cats fur balls/vomit on furniture; or, cleaning up occasional accidents from visiting pets and sticky fingers and spills made by kids. It is light weight and easy to carry and small enough to store just about anywhere. It does a great job pulling out excess water and cleaning products so the carpet dries quickly. I clean out my machine after every use, which is a very easy and quick process. After many years of use, it eventually wore out. I went online to see what else was out there but ended up buying another green machine. I was excited because the new machine has an attachment that allows me to flush the hose after each use, great feature.” — Donna Jill Sowers

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