How to Get Dog Hair Out of Blankets

You love when your dog snuggles up with you at night, especially during the winter – but let’s face it, you don’t love the hair your dog leaves all over your blankets. Fortunately, you have plenty of options to remove your dog’s coat from your blankets, no matter what the blankets are made of.

What’s the Best Way to Get Dog Hair Out of Blankets?

While there is no one “right way,” there are plenty of ways to separate pet hair from your blanket, no matter how much it has adhered to it. Let’s look at some of the best cleaning tips to get dog fur out of blankets, so you can stop worrying about your laundry and go back to being a doting pet owner.

Use the Washer and Dryer

Using the good old washing machine and dryer can work wonders to get the dog hair out of your blankets! Unlike regular wash cycles, you start with the dryer, not the washer. Set your dryer to “permanent press” or another low-heat setting and put the blanket in for 10 minutes. The gentle heat can loosen the hold the blanket fibers have on the hairs, causing enough to fall off that a quick cycle in the washing machine can take care of the rest.

After the dryer loosens up the worst of the stuck hair, a trip through your washing machine might get the job done. If you have a fabric softener, simply running the blanket through a wash cycle with a fabric softener might solve your problem. If you don’t have any, try adding 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser before starting the load. The acetic acid in the vinegar will act like a fabric softener, loosening the hold of your blanket’s fibers on the dog fur.

If the washing machine didn’t entirely do the job, add a couple of dryer sheets or dryer balls to the dryer when you put the blanket in for the final drying cycle. Something like a dryer sheet or a wool dryer ball can weaken the static electricity keeping the remaining hairs from clinging to your blanket.

Bring in the Fur Zapper

If the washer and dryer aren’t enough on their own, the FurZapper was created to stop this problem in its tracks. This pet hair removal system works by simply throwing the silicone disc into your washer/dryer. This pet hair remover will separate the pet hair from your clothing when in the washer. You can tackle even more fur in the dryer, as this simple fur remover will fill up your lint trap super fast (remember to empty it before your next cycle!).

Make Your Own Hair Loosening Mist

If you have a nasty case of a hairy blanket, you can remove pet hair with fabric softener and a spray bottle. Mix one part fabric softener and three parts water in the bottle, turn your spray bottle to mist and mist your blanket with it. This should help loosen the hair, making it easier to remove.

Try a Lint Roller

A lint roller is sticky enough to pull all the hair directly off the blanket and any lint or other debris it has accumulated. However, this can be a time-consuming process, and depending on your blanket’s fabric, it might not be quite enough to get the job done. Alternatively, a lint brush may also do the trick.

Use Duct Tape

If you don’t have a lint roller, you can create your own with duct tape. Just wrap it around your hand with the sticky side out and tape one end to the other. With your hand covered in sticky tape, you can press it over every square inch of the blanket, lifting away some of the dog fur each time.

A Sponge Might Do the Trick

If you have a dry sponge with an abrasive side, try running it over the blanket. It might be able to catch and yank out the hair. Of course, it should be a sponge you haven’t used to wash dishes before as you don’t want little particles of food trapped in your blanket’s fabric. It should also be one you won’t ever use to wash dishes in the future because you don’t want dog hair getting all over your dishes. You also might want to do this outside so you don’t accidentally brush the hair all over the floor.

Use a Vacuum Cleaner

While this may not work for a blanket covered in hair or if your blanket is extra large, utilizing your vacuum cleaner is worth a shot! This method is best used by attaching your brush hose attachment, if for no other reason than protecting the fabric of your blanket.

Simply lay your blanket on a flat surface and use the brush hose to vacuum up any pet fur. Easy!

For Delicate Blanket Fabrics

If your blanket is made from a delicate fabric, you might hesitate to use a lint roller, duct tape, or sponge for fear of damaging the fabric. If that’s the case, try using a clothes steamer. The hot, moist steam will loosen the hairs off your blanket. If you don’t have a steamer already but have recurrent problems with dog hair, you could benefit from investing in one. You can get a handheld model for around $30.

If you don’t have a steamer and don’t want to get one, try a balloon instead. Yes, really. Blow one up, and roll it gently over the surface of your blanket. Balloons are made of rubber or substances that easily pick up static electricity, which picks up loose pet hair. A balloon could be an effective way of removing that hair without damaging the delicate fabric of your blanket.

Prevention is the Key

In the long run, it’s best to keep the problem from happening in the first place, or at least keep it from completely ruining your blankets. You can prevent excessive shedding by regularly grooming your dog. This way, you are pulling all the loose hair out of their coat, so less gets deposited on your blankets. Grooming gloves can be a great way to do this. They’re very effective and easily washable.