OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece coats?

[asscherisme]

My 2 long hair cats shed like crazy even though I regularly brush them.

Anyway, I live in fleece in the cold weather and my kids love fleece too. But it seems to attract cat hair like a magnet. And my usual weapon to look presentable when I leave the house (the lint roller) does not seem to work very well on cat hair in fleece.

Any suggestions? I konow there are enough cat lovers here that others have dealt with his issue.

I'm a novice to cats (they are 1 1/2 years old now) so its only my second winter with them.

Oh and as long as I'm asking cat hair questions, am I the only one who finds that shirts that go into the washing machine with cat hair come out with cat hair? I don't have time to lint roll my kids clothes before they go in. I bought a new shirt the other day, washed it before wearing it, and it came out of the washer with cat hair all over it that it picked up from the machine. So help here would be good.

Help!!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

I like to use a wet washing up glove to pull the hair off my clothes but I'm not sure how well it works on fleece as I don't own any.

Would love to hear suggestions about the cat hair from the washing machine as I have that problem as well.

 

[missy]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

I just take a microfiber cloth and wipe down the inside of the machine after each wash. It only takes a moment.

Getting cat hair out of fleece is difficult. You need to spend a lot of time rolling with the lint roller. We go through tons of these and even so I still always have some amount of cat hair on me at all times.

But that's OK as it allows other animal lovers to recognize each other in the street.

 

[Aoife]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

I encourage you to think of this as an additional layer of insulation that your cats are generously sharing with you.

Seriously, fleece and cat hair have a bad romance thing going on that requires constant use of the lint roller. Adding a dryer sheet to the dryer helps to break up the static cling, but I've never found anything that worked for long. It's just part of life with a cat. I like Missy's philosophy .

I can't say that I've ever had the issue of the cat hair clinging to the inside of the washer or dryer, so that may be a problem with your brand of washer and dryer rather than anything else.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

duct tape works better than the lint rollers IMHO. I agree, it is impossible to get fleece 100% pet hair free.

 

[artdecogirl]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

I don't feel the rollers work that well at all, I use a fabric lint brush and I have this rubber brush thing that works pretty good and I use a sweater stone on occasion but that is more for the balled up look then hair. I do not think I have a problem with hair in the washer, May it is just the washer? Just a note I read somewhere you should not use fabric softener with fleece, it makes it attract stuff.

 

[movie zombie]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

um, i don't?!

i learned long ago that fleece and cats don't mix......the hard way. if push comes to shove, though, that despite my best efforts to keep the two separated, well, packaging tape is my "go-to" solution....

good luck!

 

[zoebartlett]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

I hear ya on the shedding, Asscherisme! Our 2 cats have short hair but it gets everywhere. I think it just comes with having pets. We have a few fleece jackets and fleece blankets that look just as bad when they come out of the washing machine as they did going in. It's so frustrating. Lint rollers or heavy-duty tape usually work well enough.

 

[HollyS]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

Everyone with a cat needs to find one of those rubber bristle brushes that hair will cling to. I use mine all the time, but mostly on upholstered furniture. My cat isn't fond of being held or lap sitting. Anyway, that brush is a miracle cure for the 'pelt' of fur left in a cat's wake. Looks like this one that I found online. Probably available at BB&B.

http://www.shammysolutions.com/site/1618064/product/100-12

 

[Gypsy]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

Um. My solution was to stop buying fleece.

The Heavy Duty version of the tape roller things works with some elbow grease, but is a pain IMO.

You can also try to get fleece that "matches" the hair (Stop laughing, I'm not kidding)... that way it kind of blends.

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

Animal fur is, I think, my punishment for whatever sins I've committed. Don't know of a way to get rid of it well. With 2 Siberians & 2 cats -- many others over the years -- I've tried everything! Fur on coats & sweaters, hair under the stove; I even find it in the fridge. Little blobs of it under chair cushions & in my shower. Ack! Whoever invents a successful cure for it will be a zillionaire in 15 minutes!

My big humiliation was at a store checkout counter. The clerk looked at my sweater (which I thought I'd fixed up pretty well), gave me a grin & asked, "Is it cats or dogs?"

--- Laurie

 

[missy]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

Animal fur is, I think, my punishment for whatever sins I've committed. Don't know of a way to get rid of it well. With 2 Siberians & 2 cats -- many others over the years -- I've tried everything! Fur on coats & sweaters, hair under the stove; I even find it in the fridge. Little blobs of it under chair cushions & in my shower. Ack! Whoever invents a successful cure for it will be a zillionaire in 15 minutes!

My big humiliation was at a store checkout counter. The clerk looked at my sweater (which I thought I'd fixed up pretty well), gave me a grin & asked, "Is it cats or dogs?"

--- Laurie

LOL, too funny Laurie.

I do have to commiserate for a moment. The one aspect I do not love about having animals is preparing for guests. With 4 cats it is almost impossible to get rid of all the cat hair in the air. I vacuum and dust a lot and right before guests I vacuum and dust like a maniac and I mean right before. And the place looks great for about 10 min and then cat hair that is in the air starts drifting around LOL. I mean the house looks spotless and we are sitting there and I see cat hair in the air!!! There is no way to get rid of it all. We brush our cats and while that does help it doesn't come close to solving the problem. But as I wrote before it is the (small IMO) price we pay for the privilege of sharing our lives with our wonderful and amazing animals.

 

[iheartscience]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

Animal fur is, I think, my punishment for whatever sins I've committed. Don't know of a way to get rid of it well. With 2 Siberians & 2 cats -- many others over the years -- I've tried everything! Fur on coats & sweaters, hair under the stove; I even find it in the fridge. Little blobs of it under chair cushions & in my shower. Ack! Whoever invents a successful cure for it will be a zillionaire in 15 minutes!

My big humiliation was at a store checkout counter. The clerk looked at my sweater (which I thought I'd fixed up pretty well), gave me a grin & asked, "Is it cats or dogs?"

--- Laurie

LOL, too funny Laurie.

I do have to commiserate for a moment. The one aspect I do not love about having animals is preparing for guests. With 4 cats it is almost impossible to get rid of all the cat hair in the air. I vacuum and dust a lot and right before guests I vacuum and dust like a maniac and I mean right before. And the place looks great for about 10 min and then cat hair that is in the air starts drifting around LOL. I mean the house looks spotless and we are sitting there and I see cat hair in the air!!! There is no way to get rid of it all. We brush our cats and while that does help it doesn't come close to solving the problem. But as I wrote before it is the (small IMO) price we pay for the privilege of sharing our lives with our wonderful and amazing animals.

Ha YES! I'll think the house is SPOTLESS and the second I open a window or something I see kitty fur flying!

 

[iheartscience]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

As for cat fur and clothes, I actually take off my real clothes the second I get in the house and hang them up/put them in the laundry. Then I wear sweatpants/shorts and a t-shirt around the house. My clothes are really never covered in fur since I do this. I may get slimed on the way out the door (they LOVE to rub on me when I'm wearing black dress pants, obviously!) but I keep a lint roller at work for that very reason.

So if you can put the work in to get the fur out of your fleece coats, just make sure not to wear them around the house or hold or even pet the cats when you're wearing fleece and on the way out.

Also if they're long haired cats, try the Furminator-it takes out some of their undercoat and cuts down on the shedding.

 

[missy]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

As for cat fur and clothes, I actually take off my real clothes the second I get in the house and hang them up/put them in the laundry. Then I wear sweatpants/shorts and a t-shirt around the house. My clothes are really never covered in fur since I do this. I may get slimed on the way out the door (they LOVE to rub on me when I'm wearing black dress pants, obviously!) but I keep a lint roller at work for that very reason.

So if you can put the work in to get the fur out of your fleece coats, just make sure not to wear them around the house or hold or even pet the cats when you're wearing fleece and on the way out.

Also if they're long haired cats, try the Furminator-it takes out some of their undercoat and cuts down on the shedding.

Yes, I do this too! The second I come into the house I change from my "good" clothes to my sweats or something not so "good". It really does help. Only issue again is when we are entertaining because then I am wearing nice clothes (and unfortunately I have a penchant for wearing black) but changing clothes as soon as you get home when you can really helps!

 

[movie zombie]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

yes, keeping the animals separated from the clothes i weare when outside the home really helps. personally, i don't see cat hair as a trial to bear as much as a sign of being much loved....i pity those that are hairless in this instance!

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

As for cat fur and clothes, I actually take off my real clothes the second I get in the house and hang them up/put them in the laundry. Then I wear sweatpants/shorts and a t-shirt around the house. /b]

So if you can put the work in to get the fur out of your fleece coats, just make sure not to wear them around the house or hold or even pet the cats when you're wearing fleece and on the way out.

Yes, I do this too! The second I come into the house I change from my "good" clothes to my sweats or something not so "good". It really does help. Only issue again is when we are entertaining because then I am wearing nice clothes (and unfortunately I have a penchant for wearing black) but changing clothes as soon as you get home when you can really helps!

You must not take your animals in the car! My clothes might be spotless (but probably aren't!) getting into the car -- immediately I'm Sasquatch from all the fur floating around there. But yes, the loving-up more than pays for the aggro, much more. I once felt guilty when friends left my house unwillingly carrying forensic samples of my furry buddies, but no more. Love me, love my critters. Or don't, no loss then!

 

[SC86]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned. My good friend that a cat and the "trick" she uses to remove fur is to spray some Static Guard lightly onto her clothes, wait for a minute and then brush off with a fabric lint roller. The fur seems to stick better to the lint roller when using the static spray and when using the roller alone. She also sprays some on when cleaning her upholstery/furniture before vacuuming it up. It seems to work for her, so it might be worth a try.

 

[asscherisme]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

Thanks for the suggestions. I do love my fleece and I love my cats so I guess I'll just have to deal and try and keep them seperate and take off the fleece and not wear near them . Or spend lots of time trying to get it out.

Yes, us pet lovers can definately spot each other in public wit h the stray pet hair. I love jewel tone and dark clothes and my cats are white and long hair.

No matter how much I dust, vacuum etc, I feel like there is cat fur flying through the air and in fur bunnies on the floor.

Pain to keep stuff clean, but my sweet girls are definately worth it

 

[TooPatient]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

Funny you should ask.... I'm sitting at work with a black fleece on right now!
Covered in.... CAT FUR!

For the fleece (when I bother to de-fur):
Lots of time with a lint roller.
Run through the washer/dryer with towels to minimize cat fur from other sources.
After coming out of the dryer, a lot of the fur has balled up into little blobs stuck all over - pick them off by hand.
More time with the lint roller.
Carefully hung up (not touching anything else!) until it is time to grab it on the way out the door.
More time with the lint roller.


The general fur everywhere problem:
Eh.
Lots of brushing.
Vacuum that is good at fur (we bought one with a bag because it is rated as one of the best for dealing with fur)
Super good vacuum filters.
Daily vacuuming (use hose for all non-carpet areas).
At least weekly DEEP vacuuming (open every closet/cupboard and vacuum the deepest corners).
Swiffer daily.
Really good house filter (we use a Heppa filter with the highest allergen rating)
As little clutter as possible. (anything sitting out will just grab cat fur and give it a place to hide until your guests show up)


We really just do the best we can and then just shrug our shoulders. Luckily all of the guests we have come over are cat people too


Oh -- for the washer/dryer...
Mine do that too. What helps is to run a plain load of water every week or so (I'm now adding vinegar to this thanks to the other thread!) to help keep stuff rinsed out. I also try to run a paper towel around the inside every couple of loads to keep the fur wiped out.
The dryer is less of a problem if everything comes out of the washer with less fur, but you still need to carefully clean the lint trap too. (also try taking the lint trap out and running a lint-trap-brush (costs like $2, but you could use a bottle cleaner too) around inside)

 

[asscherisme]

Re: OK cat people...How do you get cat hair out of fleece co

Funny you should ask.... I'm sitting at work with a black fleece on right now!
Covered in.... CAT FUR!

For the fleece (when I bother to de-fur):
Lots of time with a lint roller.
Run through the washer/dryer with towels to minimize cat fur from other sources.
After coming out of the dryer, a lot of the fur has balled up into little blobs stuck all over - pick them off by hand.
More time with the lint roller.
Carefully hung up (not touching anything else!) until it is time to grab it on the way out the door.
More time with the lint roller.


The general fur everywhere problem:
Eh.
Lots of brushing.
Vacuum that is good at fur (we bought one with a bag because it is rated as one of the best for dealing with fur)
Super good vacuum filters.
Daily vacuuming (use hose for all non-carpet areas).
At least weekly DEEP vacuuming (open every closet/cupboard and vacuum the deepest corners).
Swiffer daily.
Really good house filter (we use a Heppa filter with the highest allergen rating)
As little clutter as possible. (anything sitting out will just grab cat fur and give it a place to hide until your guests show up)


We really just do the best we can and then just shrug our shoulders. Luckily all of the guests we have come over are cat people too


Oh -- for the washer/dryer...
Mine do that too. What helps is to run a plain load of water every week or so (I'm now adding vinegar to this thanks to the other thread!) to help keep stuff rinsed out. I also try to run a paper towel around the inside every couple of loads to keep the fur wiped out.
The dryer is less of a problem if everything comes out of the washer with less fur, but you still need to carefully clean the lint trap too. (also try taking the lint trap out and running a lint-trap-brush (costs like $2, but you could use a bottle cleaner too) around inside)

Good advice.

I have to smile at your username giving advice on getting cat hair out of stuff because it requires a lot of patience Most of my friends and my kids friends are pet owners as well. Some cats, some dogs, some both but tolerant of fur. I like it clean for me though. I joke with my daughter that leaving the house with too much fur on me makes me look like a cat lady. My teenage son (who adores the cats) tells me I should wear the fur with pride. He is covered in fur and does not seem to care. I often come after him with the lint roller.

 

[Ladycross8]

This is old thread i see..but had to share how great medical gloves are at getting cat hair off anything..and is easier to get in corners..quick too

 

[TooPatient]

This is old thread i see..but had to share how great medical gloves are at getting cat hair off anything..and is easier to get in corners..quick too

I just noticed that as I was excited for posters I hadn't seen around in awhile.

I may have to try the medical gloves. Fleece in our house has always just stayed furry no matter what. Even extra rinse/spin and multiple trips through with wiping the machines between loads.