The Edit — Pets
How to Get Pet Hair Off a Couch, and Keep It Off
Brush the pet before the hair falls, lift what lands with a damp rubber glove and a vacuum, and clean the stains underneath with a portable cleaner. What the American Kennel Club advises, and 3 machines.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page sets out how to get pet hair off a couch and keep it off, from the American Kennel Club’s grooming advice, then 3 portable cleaners for what the hair leaves behind, as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Best for Drool, mud and accidents
Watch for Vacuum loose hair first
Best for Couch, bed and car
Watch for More tools to store
Best for Spot stains anywhere
Watch for Spot cleaning only
Brush the pet before the hair reaches the couch
Hair brushed out never lands on the cushions. The American Kennel Club advises brushing a shedding dog weekly, sometimes a few times a week, and daily when shedding is heavy. The tool depends on the coat. A short coat needs a natural-bristle brush or a hound mitt; a long or double coat needs a slicker brush, and a coat rake or shedding tool when the undercoat comes out.
A damp rubber glove lifts hair a lint roller leaves
Run a slightly damp rubber dish glove over the cushions in 1 direction, and the hair rolls into clumps you can pick off. Finish with the vacuum’s upholstery tool, in the seams and under the cushions where hair collects. A lint roller suits a last pass before guests, not a couch that a dog sleeps on every day. A washable throw over the dog’s favourite seat cuts the job down to one wash a week.
Drool, mud and accidents need a portable cleaner
Hair is only the top layer. A pet’s couch also collects drool, paw prints and the odd accident, and those sink into the fabric. A portable cleaner sprays, scrubs and sucks the dirty water back out. The Bissell Little Green Max Pet is the one Bissell sells for pet homes, and owners say it pulls up coffee and pet messes.
BISSELL Little Green Max Pet Portable Carpet Cleaner, 3860
A Little Green sold for pet homes, which owners say pulls up coffee and pet messes.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Model | 3860 |
|---|---|
| Sold for | Pet messes, per the listing |
Built for pet messes: vacuum the hair, then let it clean what is under it.
Buy it if
- A couch shared with a dog that drools or comes in muddy
Don't buy it if
- Loose hair: vacuum that first
4 tools cover the couch, the dog bed and the car
The Shark StainStriker PX202 is sold for carpet and upholstery and comes with 4 tools, and Shark owners also use it in the car. It suits a dog that rides in the back seat and sleeps on a dog bed as well as the sofa.
Shark StainStriker Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner, 4 Tools, PX202BRN
A compact Shark sold for carpet and upholstery, with 4 tools, that owners also use in the car.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Model | PX202BRN |
|---|---|
| Tools | 4 |
4 tools for the couch, the dog bed and the back seat.
Buy it if
- A couch, a dog bed and the back seat of the car
Don't buy it if
- A buyer who wants the simplest machine
Accidents need an enzyme cleaner before the machine
Urine needs a different treatment from mud, because the smell stays in the fabric and draws a pet back to the same spot. The guide to cleaning dog urine from carpet sets out the enzyme step. The Little Green 1400B is the original of the line, the one owners reach for on spot and pet stains, and it does the rinse afterwards. All 6 machines are compared in the portable carpet cleaners guide.
BISSELL Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet Cleaner, 1400B
The portable cleaner owners reach for on spot and pet stains.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Model | 1400B |
|---|---|
| Type | Portable spot cleaner |
The long-running original for spot and pet stains.
Buy it if
- Spot stains on a couch, a rug and the stairs
Don't buy it if
- A whole room: it is a spot cleaner
Prices, savings and deal badges are Amazon's own, read from Amazon within the last hour. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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