If you haven’t guessed, we here at the Boop love our pets. Dogs, cats, guinea pigs, you name it, we’ve lived with it. Oh, and kids. I have two, C has two; like the pets, both messy and lovable. What we don’t love is pet hair.
Aside from the obvious health issues like allergies, let’s face it: no one wants pet hair everywhere. You can only laugh it off so much before it gets embarrassing and you’re nervous to have people over.
Dealing with pet hair is a daily chore. Even with regular grooming and brushing, my Golden sheds everywhere, as does the cat. The labradoodle doesn’t shed hair, but he does have dander and somehow manages to track dust all over the place like a real-life version of Pigpen from Peanuts.
Your pet hair cleaning routine is as personal as your pets, but over 15 years I’ve tried just about everything and found the real standout items. These are my can’t live without pet hair removers. All are items I personally bought and use regularly:
The Daily Grind: Neato Botvac
Robot vacuums have come a long way in the last ten years. We’re on our second Neato and the difference even between the different versions is huge in terms of battery life, bin size, and noise. Unlike some robots that haphazardly pinball around the floor, the Neato works in a grid system to systematically cover the entire region.
The newer version are wifi and Alexa enabled. You can use the related app to start the machine, set up zones in your house, and even stop the Neato from entering rooms where you don’t want it to go.
Its U shape design allows it to get under edges and into corners a little better than the spherical robots.
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We got the Neato at the urging of my technophile hubby, who neither before nor since has shown interest in any specific housekeeping device. I don’t often wax poetic on technology, but it’s worth every dang penny. It vacuums the whole downstairs every single day and fills the bin with Golden hair each time. Its maintenance and care is tended to with attention normally reserved for sports cars, because we love it that much.
Neato does make less expensive options, but from one animal person to another: get the Botvac if you can. It’s well worth the investment. $790 at Amazon.
The Big Guns: Dyson v11 Animal
Dyson builds absolute beasts. We have an older style, heavy duty Animal from back before robots were a thing, and ten years later it’s still going strong. The Neato eliminates my daily lap around the house, but I still need a full-sized vacuum to fill in some gaps:
- stairs: Robots aren’t that limber.
- upstairs: The animals stay downstairs, so it’s not as dusty on the second floor. It’s easier to vacuum manually than buy a second Neato.
- The places Neato can’t go: Under couches and beds, vacuuming upholstery and ledges- I still need a regular vacuum for that and the Dyson has kick-ass attachments that handle it all. $599 at Dyson.com.
When (if?) our Animal finally kicks the bucket, our next buy is going to be this lighter cordless version. Lugging a heavy corded vacuum up and down the stairs is a total drag.
The Messy Situation: Bona Premium Spray Mop
Sometimes pets have situations. Sometimes there are puddles, or spills, or mud, or what you think is mud but is something much worse. Let’s just say there’s a reason we had to replace our first Neato 🙁
Even when all appears clean, it’s a good idea to mop regularly. You just don’t know what that floor has seen. I’ve also found that the mopping helps some of the small particles that float up and re-settle when the vacuum passes over.
For really grody situations I’ll use a disposable wet Swiffer, but for less dire circumstances the Bona is easy to use, safe on the hardwood, and best of all: no bucket needed! $39.99 at Amazon.
The Carpet Cleaners: SpotBot and Rug Doctor
We don’t have a lot of carpeting in the house, so a spot cleaner works for our needs. I love the Spot Bot, especially for urine which tends to really sink in and ruin your afternoon. Whether it’s a housetraining puppy, a senior pet, or a cat working through some marking behavior, having one of these in the closet is a lifesaver.
When we had more extensive carpeted floors, we rented a full-sized Rug Doctor to deep clean the rugs a couple times a year. Every 3-6 months is recommended.
Just because you live with a house full of animals doesn’t mean your house should look like it. What’s your animal hair removal routine?
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