Remove Pet Hair in Washing Machine and Dryer

With spring approaching next month, shedding season is nearly here. This means excess amounts of your dog or cat’s fur will likely start clinging to your clothes — making laundry day a nightmare. Stuck-on pet hair also causes damage to your appliances, which are pricey to replace. Thankfully, you can remove pet hair trapped in your washing machine and dryer using these inexpensive tips.

Why does my pet’s hair ruin my appliances?

If your clothes are covered in pet hair, simply throwing them into the wash could do more harm than good.

“When you mix water and pet hair, it clumps. It can get caught in those little drain holes inside of your washer drum, or even clog your drain pumps and that could put a lot of stress on your plumbing,” writer Hinaya Rae explains to ABC13.

When a washer drain or filter is clogged, it leaves your clothes with a musty odor and lint residue. Pet hair can also accumulate in your dryer and create a vent obstruction that restricts airflow. The experts at Dryer Vent Wizard warn that over time, this decreases the machine’s efficiency and increases the risk of a fire.

How do I remove pet hair in my washing machine and dryer?

You love your furry friend dearly, but their shedding shouldn’t ruin your clothes or appliances. Ron Shimek, President of Mr. Appliance (a Neighborly company), shares these two tips with FIRST for Women for avoiding pet hair buildup:

For the washer: Make sure the machine is empty before pouring ½ cup of white vinegar into a rinse cycle. Vinegar is a natural fabric softener and should allow the hair to flow easier down the drain.
For the dryer: Run the dryer empty on “air only” with two dryer fabric softener sheets in it. The dryer sheets will loosen the hair’s grip — sending it into the lint filter. Then, clean the lint filter.

Voilà! Your appliances are now free of pet hair. Going forward, reduce the amount of hair on your clothes before a wash by using a lint roller or FurZapper. If you can get rid of the hair before washing, you won’t have to worry about any buildup or damage to your washer and dryer.

This expert advice makes laundry day as a pet owner hassle-free. Plus, you can keep your machines in tip-top shape using these tips for preventing mold buildup in a washer, and make the process more enjoyable by organizing your laundry room like a pro.