Now that the Spring season is upon us, it presents the perfect time of year for pet owners to give the carpets a good cleaning, getting rid of pet dander, hair, and dirt that our beloved furry friends leave behind. No matter how much we try to prevent our carpets from collecting what we would rather see stay on our dogs and cats, it’s inevitable that they could use a good fresh cleaning.
The experts at Dander and Daughters professional carpet cleaning offer the following tips to reduce the amount of pet hair and other debris we find on the carpets, especially during this time of year when both dogs and cats are shedding their winter coats.
Frequent Grooming
The first step is to take care of the hair at its source…the pet itself. Brushing your dog or cat frequently helps to remove the hair to be shed in a controlled manner. It is really good for pets to be groomed because it removes potentially painful tangles, as well as transferring natural oils from their undercoat to the surface, providing your pet with a healthy glow. A good grooming brush will be supple enough to avoid harming the animal while being stiff with enough bristles to effectively pull through their fur. In the spring you really can’t over-groom a pet, and they will love you for it.
Time to Rake the Carpet
Once the hair has fallen to the carpet, it is time to begin the removal process. Rubber bristled carpet rakes work great as a first step by utilizing a static charge to collect the hair. By using short, deliberate strokes, the hair will collect into easily removable clumps. If you don’t have a carpet brush and don’t mind a little hard work, rubber gloves work as well. These methods won’t get all the fine hair but will collect a fair amount, along with some dirt and dust, by forming a sort of hairy tumbleweed.
Selecting the Right Vacuum
The most important feature on a vacuum suited to remove pet hair is good suction. Vacuums are frequently equipped with some kind of rotating bristles, but it is superior suction that will allow you to quickly and efficiently detach stubborn hairs from the carpet’s fibers. Humidity plays a large role in how easily the hair comes up; with the preference being that the drier the hair is the easier it is to be sucked up. Bagless vacuums with HEPA filters probably do the best job of keeping hair in the vacuum once it is swept up, and does an even better job of removing pet dander that can cause allergic reactions.
Professional Carpet Cleaning
Towards the end of spring, when your pet’s shedding decreases, is a great time to have your carpets professionally cleaned. Pets that have been shedding have also been grooming themselves, transmitting saliva deep into the carpet. A good, thorough carpet cleaning is also the best way to remove urine stains and odors from deep within the carpet under-padding. Steam cleaning can be very effective, but for a quicker, drier alternative, try the Chem-Dry method, such as the technique Dander and Daughters utilizes.
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