These Simple Tricks Will Remove All Of The Dog Hair In Your Car

I own a Dalmatian and can not tell you how much she sheds. Her stiff white hair manages to get itself stuck into all of my furniture and clothing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It’s especially terrible in the car, standing out on the black fabric seats and interior. After doing my fair share of research and testing out many methods of dog hair removal, I have collated the best methods of dog hair removal and how to prevent it from getting there in the first place. 

There are three main methods of dog hair removal in the car. I’ve put them under the categories suction, sticky surfaces or static electricity & miscellaneous. Personally I find a mixture of all these methods works best. Their effectiveness really depends on the amount and type of dog hair in your car. 

Suction

Hand Held Vacuum Cleaners

The cordless light weight design of hand held vacuum cleaners makes them easy to reach small and hard to get corners of your car. They are especially good if you don’t have a garage so you can clean your car without the worry of an extension cord being a trip hazard on the footpath.

Check out the handheld vacuum cleaner that won Amazon’s choice award & a handheld vacuum specifically for pets. 

Pet Vacuum Cleaners

If you have a garage and a handy powerpoint, consider vacuuming your car with a pet specific vacuum cleaner. These vacuum cleaners generally have stronger suction than their hand-held counterparts and can reach into small corners like the handheld version with the correct nozzle. Rubber bristled brush attachments are specifically designed for collecting dog fur. They work by using static electricity to aid the hair removal process. many vacuums 

Consider this pet vacuum that gets a 5 star rating on Amazon.

Car Cleaning Services

I once hired a car cleaner to vacuum my car. They had really powerful vacuum cleaners that picked up all of my dog’s fur. Definitely recommend this method if you are short on time or not bothered to clean your own car. Just keep in mind that doing this on a regular basis can get expensive.

Sticky Surfaces

Duct Tape

Duct tape is a good method for fur removal that is hard to get out with suction alone. Here are some steps to use duct tape effectively:

1. Wrap tape around your hand, sticky side facing outwards. 
2. Place your hand on desired area and quickly pull away. 
3. Replace the tape when it loses its stickiness.

It’s a great idea to keep a spare roll of duct tape in your glove box to remove dog fur in the future.

Lint Roller

There are two types of lint rollers: tear-off adhesive rolls or reusable ones with an emptying lint section.

1. Simply roll the lint brush across the car seat and carpet sections in one direction
2. Then easily dispose of the collected hair by ripping off a layer of adhesive or emptying the lint collecting section. 

You can purchase a highly rated reusable pet hair lint roller here.

Velcro Curlers

A last ‘sticky surface’ method for removing dog hair is with velcro curlers. This method quite effective however can be damaging on certain types of upholstery.

1. Gently roll the velcro curlers over upholstery in one direction
2. Your dog’s hair should stick to the velcro and can be brushed off into a bin.

The good thing about velcro curlers is that they are cheap and reusable unlike duct tape and adhesive lint rollers. You can easily keep them in your glove box. Remember to be careful using this method. Test it out on an unnoticeable small area before going full out.

Static Electricity & Other Methods

Rubber Gloves

The rubber glove and fabric softener method uses static electricity to pick up hairs.

1. Create a cleaning solution of fabric softener and water. Simply mix equal amounts of fabric softener with water. (The fabric softener will help loosen hair from the upholstery of your car, making it easier to remove pet hair.)
2. Then either squirt the mixture onto your car interior with a spray bottle or dip rubber gloved hands into it and spot clean.
3. Rub your gloved hand in one direction over the desired area. The hair will collect on your glove due to static electricity.
4. Wash it off and repeat the process.

Warning: before trying this out, test out the brand of fabric softener you own on a seperate piece of fabric as it could stain the upholstery in your car.

Balloon

The balloon method works in a similar way to the science experiment you did as a kid, of rubbing a balloon on top of your head to make your hair stick up. All you need to do is:

1. Blow up a balloon and tie a knot in the end. 
2. Rub the balloon over the car seat.

Due to static electricity, your dog’s fur will stick to it. Every now and then brush the hair off and repeat the process. This method works best for fur that is on the surface or not hard to get out as the method is not very strong.

Miscellaneous

Squeegee

This final method does not fit very well under any of the above categories but is well worth a mention.

1. Simply drag a squeegee in one direction on your car seats. 
2. The hair will collect in a neat pile under the squeegee that you can easily pick up and throw in the bin.

How to Prevent Dog Hair Getting All Over Your Car

None of these methods are quick and easy, removing dog hair is a lot of hard work so preventing it is beneficial. Therefore I have also collated the best methods to prevent dog hair from getting into your car in the first place to eliminate the hassle of removing dog hair.

Brush Your Dog Before Entering The Car

Give your dog a good brush down before he gets into the car. This will dislodge already loose hairs and reduce shedding in the car. 

Place A Towel Or Blanket On Your Car Seats

Cover your car interior (seats and floor) with clean towels or blankets. Wash them after use to get rid of hair and reuse again. 

Invest In A Pet Seat Cover

Pet seat covers also called pet car hammocks are great because they create a section for your dog to safely sit in as well as cover almost all surfaces your dog’s fur could end up on.

Check out this Pet Seat Cover which is ranked number 1 in the pet supply best seller section on Amazon. 

Alternatively Invest in a Crate or Dog Booster Seat

If you have a small dog breed a dog car seat is a good idea.

Check out this one on Amazon.

For larger dogs, or for more active dogs that like to climb out of a dog car seat, consider a soft travel crate. Check out this soft travel crate for dogs on Amazon.