Against the grain: top 6 devices that will rid your home of pet hair (and it's not just a robot vacuum cleaner)

A furry pet in the house brings a lot of joy, and caring for it and keeping the house clean can be simplified with the help of technology. We have tested some of these devices in our lab, and can also recommend them as experienced owners of cats and dogs. Our selection includes devices that will help maintain not only cleanliness in the house, but also the health of your animals, as their use is recommended by veterinarians.

In houses where cats (and dogs) live, the optimal relative humidity should be 55%. Veterinarian N.K. Sizikova explains that this helps prevent many problems with hair, such as the formation of trichobezoars (hairballs formed from swallowed hair) and vomiting hair, which is considered abnormal. Humidified air also alleviates the condition of animals with coughing.

For pet owners, humid air is also important, as it prevents hair from flying around, settling on surfaces and is easily removed. This is not helped by a vacuum cleaner with an aquafilter, as claimed in advertising, but by an air humidifier.

The best choice for pet owners is an air washer, which naturally humidifies the air without throwing out hardness salts into it, as ultrasonic humidifiers do. The washer also collects some of the hair in the tray. We recommend that you pay attention to the models we tested: air washers Rawmid RMH-01, Boneco W400 and Boneco W200, climate control system Garlyn AirClean V42 (air purifier + humidifier) ​​and ultrasonic humidifier Electrolux EHU-3910D YogaHealthline 2.0 (for lovers of cat yoga and not only).

They help solve several problems associated with the presence of animals in the house: they clean the air from hair particles and epithelium, and eliminate unpleasant odors. The Xiaomi brand has a whole line of air purifiers designed to remove pet hair, for example, the Smart Air Purifier 4 Compact EU BHR5860EU and others. However, any high-quality air purifier with a carbon filter can also cope with these tasks. Carbon filters that remove unpleasant odors and harmful organic substances are an additional option and are not always present in air purifiers. However, they are present in the models we tested, such as Boneco H700, Genio Airclean 40, Genio Airclean 60, Kitfort KT-2823 and KT-2825, Redmond RAC-3708, Electrolux EAP-2075D Yin-Yang, Ballu AP-107 and others.

HEPA filter class (11, 12, 13 and rarely 14) does not play a significant role in the fight against hair and odors, as these are quite delicate filters designed to capture only the smallest particles. Large particles are retained on the preliminary mesh filter. However, the HEPA class is important for combating the smallest particles of epithelium, which may contain allergens.

In the summer, the company released an air purifier specially designed for pet owners — the Xiaomi Beon X3 Pet Air Purifier. According to the manufacturer, the device effectively removes dust, unpleasant odors and viruses. A special ultra-dense filter captures wool and hair, and also eliminates unwanted odors. The manufacturer also claims that this device will help allergy sufferers get pets by removing up to 97.9% of Fel d1 proteins (causing allergies to cats) and up to 98.1% of Canf1 (causing allergies to dogs), as well as up to 99% of urine odors and up to 96.6% of feces odors.

However, do not immediately trust the statements that allergy sufferers can now safely get pets. These allergens are present in all extractive fluids of animals, which means they are found on the fur and skin, as well as in places where fur and epithelium remain. However, in combination with frequent wet cleaning, changing bed linen, removing fur from furniture with a vacuum cleaner or special scrapers, a humidifier and proper grooming, an air purifier can make communication with a pet more comfortable and safe for those who already have animals and do not want to part with them due to allergies.

A vacuum cleaner is the most obvious tool for removing hair, but do specialized motorized turbo brushes for upholstered furniture help to cope with this task more effectively? It is believed that yes, and our tests confirm this. However, not all vacuum cleaner models are equipped with such attachments, and some upright models do not have a manual configuration, which makes them inconvenient for cleaning furniture (for example, washing vacuum cleaners).

If you do not have enough attachments, you can separately purchase the one you need (if it is available in the manufacturer's range), or use a manual scraper to remove hair. But if the vacuum cleaner does not have a manual configuration, it is worth considering buying a separate device. Among the tested models, we can recommend the cordless Jimmy BD7 Pro, which effectively removes hair, dust mites and their waste products from mattresses and upholstered furniture, and also disinfects surfaces using UV radiation. There is also a more budget-friendly wired option — Jimmy BX6 Pro, which is great for cleaning carpets.

Modern wet vacuum cleaners, mostly available as cordless upright models, effectively collect hair and debris from the floor, then clean the dirty water containers, wash rollers or mops, depending on the specific model. For example, the Deerma DEM-VX96W is equipped with two rotary brushes for better cleaning, and there are also models such as the Redmond Multiclean VH1312 and iLife W90. Some devices, such as the Garlyn M-5000 Aqua, even have a drying function for these components.

There is a nuance: if you have a long-haired animal, the hair may get wrapped around the cleaning rollers, and they need to be removed and cleaned of any hair, threads, or hair that has accumulated.

It is difficult to overestimate the effectiveness of a vertical wet vacuum cleaner in the fight against hair, as it significantly speeds up the process of cleaning floors. However, such models usually do not have a manual configuration, which makes them ineffective for cleaning upholstered furniture. For this task, other devices are needed: a regular vacuum cleaner, a stick for dry cleaning, a mattress vacuum cleaner or a universal 3-in-1 model, such as the Redmond MultiClean RV-UR390, which includes a wet vacuum cleaner, a standard stick and a portable handheld vacuum cleaner for furniture. Also good options are the Jimmy HW11 Pro Max and Jimmy HW10 Pro, which can operate in three modes and are equipped with a motorized turbo brush for effective cleaning on soft surfaces.

Well, mechanical devices should not be discounted either: now there is a large selection of all kinds of brushes and scrapers for removing wool from upholstered furniture and carpets.

Pet owners know how much textiles can be “insulated” with cat and dog hair, especially during shedding season. Regardless of whether you allow your pet to sleep on your bed, hair will still end up there. Often, even after washing, the laundry remains covered in hair, but this is not a threat when drying in a tumble dryer. The hair literally blows off the fabric and ends up in a special filter, from where it is easily removed. We are not talking about washing machines with a drying function that use hot air, but about independent tumble dryers with a heat pump.

Some tumble dryers have a special hair removal program. We tested this feature on the AEG T8DEE48S, after we had contaminated a blanket with cat hair. The results can be seen in the filter photos, as well as in the pictures of the blanket before and after drying using the hair removal program.

To prevent your cat or dog from leaving a significant amount of hair on furniture, floors and clothes during shedding, and instead “passing” it on to their owners, you should consider purchasing a steam silicone brush for combing out hair. This gadget is battery-powered and effectively removes undercoat, bringing pleasure to your pet. Cool steam combined with massage is usually liked by animals, and moistened hair is easily removed.

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It is difficult to completely win the fight against hair, but you can not give up and keep your home tidy, even if you have several pets. Instead of constantly cleaning, it is better to take advantage of modern household appliances, which will greatly simplify this process.