How to Remove Pet Hair From Laundry (and Keep It Out of Your Washer)

To remove pet hair from laundry, shake the clothes out, tumble them in the dryer for about 10 minutes with no heat, then wash them with half a cup of white vinegar in the rinse. Clean the lint trap and wipe out both drums afterward so loose hair does not go back on the next load.

Few things are more annoying than pulling a "clean" black shirt out of the washer covered in fur. The good news is that the fix is mostly about the order of steps. Loosen the hair first, wash second, and clean the machines at the end.

Why pet hair sticks to clean clothes

Pet hair is fine and light, and it picks up static easily. In the washer, loose hair floats in the water and then settles back on fabric as the drum drains. Soft or fuzzy fabrics such as fleece, cotton knits, towels and flannel grab it the most. If the dryer lint trap is full, the hair has nowhere to go and ends up back in the clothes.

Step by step: get pet hair out of laundry

1. Remove the loose hair first. Use a lint roller, a strip of tape, a rubber glove or a hand vacuum on the worst items. This takes a minute and saves you a lot of work later.
2. Tumble the clothes dry first. Run them in the dryer for about 10 minutes on a no-heat or low-heat setting. The tumbling softens the fabric and shakes hair loose, and the lint trap catches most of it.
3. Add a dryer sheet or wool dryer balls. Static is part of the problem. A dryer sheet helps the fabric repel hair, and dryer balls help gather it.
4. Shake each item outside (or over a trash can) before it goes into the washer.
5. Do not overload the washer. Hair needs water movement to float away. A packed drum traps it.
6. Add white vinegar to the rinse. About half a cup in the fabric softener dispenser is the common advice. It relaxes the fabric so hair lets go.
7. Run an extra rinse if your washer offers one. More water means more hair carried to the drain.
8. Dry and check. If you still see hair, give the clothes another 5 to 10 minutes in the dryer with a dryer sheet, then use the lint roller.

Clean the machines after pet laundry

Pet hair that is left in the machines comes back on the next load. After a hairy load:

• Empty and wipe the dryer lint trap after every cycle. If you have pets, rinse it with warm water now and then, because fabric softener residue can block the mesh.
• Wipe or vacuum the dryer drum. A damp microfiber cloth picks up hair well.
• Wipe the washer drum and the door seal on a front-loader, where hair collects in the rubber folds.
• Check the washer lint filter or drain pump filter if your model has one. Hair can build up there and cause slow draining. If your washer is already draining slowly, see a washer that drains slowly.
• Run an empty rinse cycle if hair is still floating around.

Hair that gets past the lint trap goes into the vent. If your dryer is taking longer than it used to, cleaning the dryer vent is the next thing to check.

Reduce the hair at the source

• Brush your pet often, ideally outside.
• Keep a throw blanket on the couch and bed and wash it weekly. It is much easier to wash a blanket than your sheets.
• Vacuum floors and furniture regularly so hair does not end up on clothes in the first place.
• Keep clean laundry in a closed hamper or basket, away from the places your pet sleeps.

Is the pet-hair laundry hack worth it?

Vinegar, dryer balls and no-heat tumbling are cheap and low risk. You should still read your garment labels. Delicate fabrics may not like a tumble cycle, and some care labels say not to use vinegar on certain materials such as some elastic or spandex blends. When in doubt, use a lint roller on those items.

When to worry about your washer

Some hair in the lint filter is normal. Call a technician or check your manual if the washer drains slowly after you have cleaned the filter, if it smells bad (see a smelly washing machine), or if water pools in the drum. Those are not pet-hair problems on their own.

Bottom line

Tumble first, wash second, clean the lint trap third. That order removes most pet hair from laundry and keeps your machines from sending it back onto your clothes.