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De-Furred Maintenance

By
Real Estate Agent with Long and Foster Real Estate VA License # 0225089470

Any home owner with furry family members knows that pet hair can collect quickly.  Long hair or short, our four legged friends lose a lot of hair around the house.  And the more animals you have, the more often you have to handle the pet hair clean-up.  And if you are listing your home for sale, you may find that you are cleaning up cat hair even more frequently.

Going from a two cat household last year, to a five cat household this year, I have found that the best way to keep on top of pet hair involves five tools.

1)  I regularly use a pet brush on my long haired cat.  Helps keep her shedding to a minimum, and also cuts back on later "re-gifting" of hairballs from your adoring cats.

2)  To clean up pet hair on hardwood, tiled, or linoleum floors, I used my electrostatic broom.  Found it at Bed, Bath & Beyond after it was advertised on an informmerical.  Works like a charm to sweep up hair.

3)  When it comes to maintaining carpeted areas, nothing comes close to the convenience of the Roomba.  Those circular, robotic vacuums.  Turn it loose and let it go while you work, cook, or play. 

4)  A pet hair mitt, or lint roller, is also necessary to keep favorite chairs from growing fur. 

5)  Change your air filters at least once per month.  It's amazing how quickly having pets in the home can dirty them. It may help minimize sinus problems associated with pet dander. +

 

I hope these tips I've learned over time help you in your own quest to minimize pet hair impact in  your home.

 

Comments(12)

Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Chris Ann, great tips all around. I have used that the electrostatic broom before and it works wonders. I've never seen the Roomba in action but I bet that is a big labor saver.

Sep 17, 2008 08:44 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Gary:  It is, but you do have to clean them out after each use.  They can only hold so much.

Sep 17, 2008 08:45 AM
Richard Weisser
Richard Weisser Realty - Newnan, GA
Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional

Chris Ann...

As a multiple pet owner myself, these tips go a long way towards "de-furred maintenence." ( I really like that!)

Sep 17, 2008 01:55 PM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Richard:  Sometimes the title of a blog comes to you before you know what you will say....I'm sure you've had a few of those yourself.

Sep 18, 2008 01:15 AM
Christine O'Shea
Christine E O'Shea Broker - Naples, FL

Thanks for the great ideas, Chris.  Our sheepdog does not really shed and I know it is only a matter of time before I let the cat in to drop her hair all over.

Sep 18, 2008 10:05 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Christine:  The only thing I can't seem to find anymore are the pet hair mitts.  They are great at removing cat hair from fabric

Sep 18, 2008 10:21 AM
Judi Downing Real Estate Properties in Charlotte & Union Co
Keller Williams Realty - Indian Trail, NC

I as well love the broom. It works great on area rugs. I am so surpised at all the hair that I get from emma.

Sep 18, 2008 02:21 PM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Judi:  I'll have to give that a try.  I used it on our stairs once and thought my hair would fall off with how hard I had to work.  Maybe on a shorter pile rug it would work better.

Sep 19, 2008 02:23 AM
Ann Allen Hoover
RE/MAX Advantage South - Hoover, AL
CDPE SRES ASP e-PRO Realtor - Homes for Sale - AL

This is a battle I fight everyday.  I am going to try one of those brooms, looks like a great idea.  I would also recommend vacuuming the vent at the bottom of the refrigerator.  We had a problem once, and although fur was not the cause, the service technician pointed out that people with animals often don't think about how this.

Sep 19, 2008 04:49 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Ann:  Great advice.  Never would have thought of that.

Sep 19, 2008 07:25 AM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

I love the idea of the robot -- can it cook as well (lol)  -- Lots of very good tips here.  It is important to keep up with the fur --

Sep 19, 2008 07:29 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Joan:  The robots are awesome, but it's a pain to not be able to run them more than once without having to empty it and clean it out.  Some minor disassembly required...scared me to death when we first got them.

Sep 19, 2008 07:50 AM