Dog or cat shedding a lot? How to get rid of the hair

Hair on the sofa, hair on your clothes, hair in the car. Anyone who lives with a dog or cat knows it never ends, and that there are periods when there's a lot more than usual.

Shedding is normal and can't be stopped. But you can control where the hair ends up, and you can get rid of it much faster than with a regular lint roller. Here's what actually works.

Why do dogs and cats shed?

The coat is replaced all the time. Old hairs let go as new ones grow, and that's what you find on the sofa. Most pets also have two clear periods a year when they change coats: in spring they drop the winter coat, and in fall they get rid of the summer coat to grow a thicker winter one.

How much a pet sheds mostly depends on the coat. Dogs and cats with a dense undercoat shed more than those with a single coat. Indoor cats often shed more evenly all year, because indoor light and heat make the difference between seasons less clear.

Brush your pet, not just the sofa

The most effective way to get less hair in your home is to remove the loose hair from your pet before it ends up anywhere else. During shedding season it helps a lot to brush every day or every other day, and the rest of the year once a week is enough for most pets.

Brush outdoors or somewhere that's easy to clean, and start with short sessions if your pet isn't used to it. For cats that dislike brushes, a glove with soft rubber nubs can be easier to accept, because it feels more like being petted.

Getting hair off the sofa and your clothes

Pet hair sticks to fabric because of its shape and static electricity. That's why methods that either grip the hair or create their own static charge work best.

• Lint roller. Quick for a jacket on your way out, but it runs out and gets expensive on a whole sofa.
• Vacuum with an upholstery tool. Good for rugs, but often misses hair woven into the fabric.
• Rubber. A damp rubber glove or a rubber surface pulled across the fabric gathers the hair into clumps that are easy to pick up.

The Nordicfall Grooming Glove is built on that last principle. It has hundreds of small rubber nubs that create static electricity when you pull it over the coat or the fabric, so the hair sticks to the glove instead of spreading around. The same glove works on your pet, the sofa, the rug, the car seat and your clothes. Pull the hair off by hand or rinse it away, and use the glove again and again with nothing disposable.

Small habits that make a big difference

• Put a washable throw on your pet's favorite spot on the sofa. It's easier to shake out a throw than to clean a whole sofa.
• Keep a glove or roller where you need it: by the front door, in the car and by the sofa.
• Wash your pet's bed regularly. It collects more hair than you'd think.
• Change the vacuum filter more often during shedding season.

When shedding isn't normal

Normal shedding gives an evenly thinner coat, not bald patches. Contact your vet if your pet gets bald spots, scratches or licks a lot, has red or flaky skin, or suddenly sheds much more than usual outside shedding season. It can be caused by allergies, parasites or other things that need treatment.

In short

You can't stop shedding, but you can manage it. Brush your pet regularly, especially in spring and fall, and use rubber or static for fabrics. Then the hair ends up in your hand instead of on the sofa.