If you have ever shared your home with a pet, at least a furry pet, then you understand what it takes to keep that home pet-hair free! It is not just a matter of brushing your dog or cat, it includes managing the fur before it flies off the pet, learning to live with it while it floats around the house, cleaning up the pet hair, and maintaining the equipment you use to pick up, suck up, and wash up the fur. In short, it is a never ending process that is time consuming and frustrating.
Read any web forum about pet shedding and a common theme is whether or not pet food or food supplements that claim to reduce the amount of fur a dog or cat loses per day work as promised. Let’s face it; we are all looking for a magic pill when it comes to lessening the amount of work it takes to clean up pet hair!
Bottom line? Save your money and continue to feed your pet regular, top quality food. Even if these supplements help reduce shedding, it is only a marginal amount and you are still left with pet hair to clean up.
Grooming your Pet is the First Step
A clean and well-groomed dog or cat still sheds but cleaning up the pet hair becomes for faster and easier!
Regular bathing helps loosen undercoat, allowing the fur to be shed out more readily and clean fur is far nicer to work with then dirty, smelly fur!
Have a dog such as a German Shepherd, Siberian Husky or Alaskan Malamute with a thick, double undercoat? One of the best ways to reduce shedding is to hand dry your dog with a specially made pet forced air blow dryer. These dryers such as this one from Metro Pet Dryers literally blow the dead fur out of your pet’s coats, leaving on the healthy, shiny fur behind*.
Most thick coated breeds shed less with daily brushing. Brushing draws out dead fur and, like the forced air dryer, leaves behind the only healthy coat. Brushing and grooming can also be relaxing quality time between you and your pet while. Your pet will still shed, however, but in a controlled manner and cleaning up the pet hair is far easier.
When it comes to vacuums, not all are created equal and buying the right machine for the job is an essential part in not only a clean house, but also getting what you paid for in the end. Vacuums that are poorly made or that are easily clogged by pet hair do not do a sufficient job in cleaning but also end up spending all their time in the repair shop!
Revolutionary Mr. Dyson
We have all seen the commercials. James Dyson first visited us in our homes in the mid-90’s with his dry wit, his London accent, and practical new approach to the limitations of the common vacuum cleaner – the bag. Since then, he has become sir James Dyson, has brought us the Dyson Ball™, reinvented his own bagless vacuum system so it now sucks up the dust we cannot see, and has revolutionized how we dry our hands. And wait until you see his new fan – this too will change how we look at our three-bladed household fan.
But does his technology work for cleaning up pet hair? The Dyson Animal is specifically designed for picking up pet hair and although there are some reviewers who find the extra weight a problem, anyone with a pet hair problem will ignore the extra few pounds if it does the job it claims. And the nice part is, it does! The suction is aided by piston-driven pneumatic seals that literally push the head into the ground without the use of physical weight. The suction could almost be considered too much at times as it pulls you along the ground and the easily removed beater bar means it is easy to remove for a thorough cleaning.
The Dyson Animal now comes in a handheld version, a canister and two styles of uprights. For more information on which Animal is best for your animal problem, visit the Dyson website.
Bissell knows your pet is your best friend – so much so that they offer a continuously running Most Valuable Pet photo contest to show you how much they understand your relationship with your pet! But how well do they understand your pet hair?
The jury says extremely well! The suction is powerful, the attachments are easy to use, and the canister is quickly removed with one simple click. At around 25 pounds, the four pet hair rated Bissell vacuums are no lighter then the Dyson Animal, nor is there the swivel ball version. However, the power head can be shut off manually for working on hardwood and shuts off automatically when the handle is in the upright and locked position meaning no more accidental burnt spots!
At nearly a third the cost of the Dyson, Bissell has done an exceptional job of bringing users a product that does the job, at a price that does not stretch the wallet!
Visit the Bissell website for more information on their pet vacuum series!
In September 2008, iRobot launched its pet hair version of the robot vacuum cleaner. For those with years of cleaning up pet hair, the idea of a vacuum that can suck up pet hair without requiring the time and effort of pushing an upright around seemed a little to good to be true.
However, iRobot Roomba Pet Series is pretty much everything its cracked up to be! Its suction is not as strong as the conventional uprights discussed above but for daily clean up of both carpeted and non-carpeted flooring, the Roomba does a more then adequate job. There are some complaints about battery life and the unit getting stuck under furniture but if your time is worth money, the $400 asking price saves will save you a ton! Have a house full of four-legged friends? Ask Roomba to clean daily on its own and then push around your upright vacuum as you would normally do but in half the time with less fur to clean up then before.
Visit the iRobot website for more information on the Roomba Pet Series,.
Cleaning up pet hair does not have to be a chore. Spending quality time with your pet can alleviate half the work and having the right tools for the job can lessen the other half. What may feel like a big purchase today will save you time, energy, and money in the long run!
* Read instructions before using and to avoid injury, keep forced air from the dryer hose away from your dogs ears, eyes, and mouth.
Links - http://mjmcompany.com/pet-dryer.htm
Dyson - http://www.dyson.com/store/hmc.asp?feature=pets
Bissell MVP - http://www.bissell.com/mvp
Bissell site - http://www.bissell.com/productIndex.aspx?p=391,416,417,418,430&cleaning=451&sort=PriceDesc
IRobot - http://store.irobot.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=3308199
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