Your pet cat likely spends a lot of time around you. People love petting their cats and even having their cats sit on their laps.
You likely have no problem letting your cat get on your couch. It’s an easy way to bond with your cat, but it can cause some issues with pet hair getting stuck to the couch.
Some types of cats are known to shed badly. This means that your couch might look like a mess of matted cat hair if you don’t take action.
You might have a difficult time removing this hair if you don’t know how to approach things. What’s the best way to get rid of cat hair on your couch?
Continue reading to learn about various methods for removing cat hair from couches. This will help you to get your couch looking nice again, and you’ll know how to maintain things moving forward.
1 – Try Using a Lint Roller
Buying a simple lint roller will be a great way to get rid of minor amounts of cat hair on the couch. You can roll the lint roller on the couch to remove pet hair fast.
There are many different types of lint rollers on the market. Some are small and are meant to be used on clothing items.
Others are a bit bigger and are specifically meant to be used on furniture. Buying a lint roller won’t cost much money at all, and using it is decidedly easy.
These rollers work well to get rid of fur. It’s essentially just a roller that has sticky tape on it.
The sticky nature of the roller does an excellent job of capturing cat hair on the couch. Anyone will be able to remove cat hair from the couch using this method, but sometimes you might have a problem with matted cat hair that’s stuck in tough-to-reach spots.
2 – You Can Use a Rubber Glove
If you don’t have a lint roller and you don’t want to run to the store, try using a rubber glove. A rubber glove can be used to clean a couch and get rid of pet hair.
The basic idea is to wear the rubber glove and get it wet using lukewarm water. When you’re ready, begin rubbing the glove on the couch.
As you rub the glove on the surface of the couch the cat hair will get stuck to the glove. When the glove is full of hair, you’ll need to rinse it out so you can continue.
One of the best aspects of using a rubber glove is that you likely have some already. Many people keep these gloves around for when they’re doing dishes or cleaning the bathroom.
Simple rubber gloves don’t cost much money at all. It’s an inexpensive way to get rid of pet hair on the couch.
This method isn’t necessarily better than using a lint roller, but it’s something that can work fine. If you don’t have a lint roller, it’s good to know that a wet rubber glove can do the trick.
3 – A Pumice Stone Can Work
Another household item that you might have around is a pumice stone. Pumice stones are great for pedicures, and people use them for many other purposes as well.
If you have a pumice stone, you can use it to remove pet hair from the couch, too. This stone has a rough surface, and it can be useful for coaxing matted-up hair out of the fabric of the couch.
You remove a bit of hair by rubbing the pumice stone on the fabric. Then you remove the hair from the stone and throw it in the garbage.
This method isn’t going to be fast and it isn’t as simple as using a lint roller. Also, the rough edges of the pumice stone can damage some types of fabric.
Depending on what your couch is made of, it might not be wise to use a pumice stone for this purpose. So the practicality of this method depends on your situation.
Just know that this can work if you want to try it. Be careful not to damage your couch in the process.
4 – Damp Sponges Can Remove Hair
The damp sponge technique is likely much more practical than using a pumice stone. Most people have sponges sitting around because they use them for doing dishes.
You can dampen a sponge and then use it on the couch to collect pet hair. As you touch the couch with the damp sponge, you’ll notice that cat hair will cling to it.
Note that you don’t want the sponge to be sopping wet. Ideally, you should wring the sponge out a bit so that it’s just damp and not overly wet.
This keeps the couch from getting soaked, and it makes it easier to collect the cat hair. Keep wiping the sponge on the couch and removing pet hair as you go.
It’ll likely take several passes with the sponge to remove significant amounts of hair. This method might be a bit tedious, but it’ll get the job done.
Overall, this method works just as well as using a rubber glove. It’s still not as convenient as using a lint roller, but it’s a great option when you don’t have a lint roller handy.
5 – Use Fabric Softener
Fabric softeners can do a good job of getting rid of cat hair. To use this method, you can mix up a bit of fabric softener with some water in a bottle.
Use equal parts water and fabric softener to create the appropriate mixture. Now put the mixture in a simple spray bottle.
This spray can be used on the couch to loosen the pet hair. This is a good way to get matted cat hair off of the couch.
You spray a bit of the mixture on the couch and then work to remove the hair using a cloth. This simple method can work wonders, and you should try it out for yourself.
6 – Try Using Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets can work in much the same way as fabric softeners. You don’t need to spray the couch when using this method.
Just rub the dryer sheets directly on the couch to get rid of cat hair. The dryer sheet will fill up with cat hair as you continue to rub it on the couch.
When the dryer sheet is full, simply throw it away. Grab another dryer sheet and continue to work on removing the cat hair.
The downside to using this method is that you’ll use up many dryer sheets before the job is done. Some might find this to be a little bit wasteful.
Even so, it’s a method that can get good results. If you have any dryer sheets that you can use, it might not be bad to go with this method.
Dryer sheets don’t cost a lot of money overall. This is a viable way to get the cat hair off of the couch if you don’t have a lint roller.
7 – Use the Vacuum Cleaner
Using a vacuum cleaner to get rid of cat hair on the couch also makes sense. You can use the hose attachment on your vacuum to get rid of hair rather easily.
The hose should do a great job of getting the hair off of the couch. It’s easy to maneuver the hose where you need it to be, too.
Try to be as thorough as you can so you can get the couch looking spotless. In some cases, it might take a bit of extra work to remove matted hair.
Sometimes you need to work to pull the cat hair up a bit so the vacuum can suck it up. Of course, some vacuum cleaners are more powerful than others.
It’s also worth noting that certain vacuums have specific pet hair attachments. Your vacuum might even come with a brush attachment that is meant to be used on fabric surfaces such as couches.
So it might not always be best to just use the hose attachment. It depends on the situation and what type of vacuum cleaner you own.
No matter what, it’s best to go over the couch several times with the vacuum. Work to get as much of the hair off of the couch as you can.
If cat hair gets stuck on the bristles of the vacuum, you might need to remove the hair manually. This can be a nuisance, but it’s not that big of a deal.
8 – Try Washing the Couch Cushion Covers
You might be able to remove the couch cushion covers and wash them. This won’t be the case with every single couch, but many couches use cushions that have this design.
Check to see if your couch cushion covers can be removed. If they can, you can take them off and wash them to get rid of the cat hair.
There are a few different ways that couch cushion covers can be washed. You can wash them by hand, or you can wash them in a washing machine.
Whether your couch cushion covers can be washed in a washing machine will depend on the couch. You should look at the tag to see whether they can be washed in a machine or not.
Always follow the directions on the tag when using a washing machine to wash couch cushion covers. You want to use the exact settings that are specified so you don’t ruin everything.
Also, it’s common for the covers to need to be dried naturally. You might not be able to use a dryer to get the job done fast.
This is a great method for removing stains from couch cushion covers, and it helps with pet hair as well. You should have an easy time getting your couch looking nice once more if you can remove the covers to wash them.
Preventing Issues with Cat Hair
Of course, it’d be easier if you did your best to prevent issues with cat hair getting on the couch. One idea is to simply keep the cats from getting on the couch.
For many, this isn’t going to be an acceptable option. If you like spending time lounging on the couch with your feline companion, you might not want to train the cat to keep it off of the furniture.
Perhaps it’d be best to focus on limiting how much your cat sheds. Grooming your cat more often can help to remove excess fur.
There are many products you can buy that will make grooming a straightforward process. Some cats like being combed, while others will find it to be an annoyance.
You could try buying a glove that allows you to remove pet hair. These gloves allow you to remove hair from the cat while petting it.
The glove is made out of materials that make excess cat hair cling to it. You can simply wash the glove and shake it out when you’re done.
Try your best to do what you can to reduce shedding issues. This is good advice whether you have problems with cat hair or dog hair.
Focusing more on grooming your pets shouldn’t be a huge problem. It will take a bit of time and effort, but it’ll be worth it overall.
Final Thoughts
It should be much simpler to get rid of cat hair on the couch now. The information above gives you so many options that you can turn to.
For some, the best choice will be to use lint rollers as necessary. You can keep lint rollers stocked in your home and then use them on the couch periodically to keep things from getting too bad.
If you have a good vacuum cleaner, using the vacuum on the couch weekly might be the best maintenance method. You can easily remove pet hair before it becomes matted if you work to stay on top of things.
Of course, you can always use some of the other methods if you don’t have a vacuum cleaner or a lint roller. You can get rid of cat hair on the couch using a rubber glove, a damp sponge, or even dryer sheets.
It might be good to think about limiting cat hair issues in the future. You can keep your cat from shedding so much by grooming it more regularly.
Some cats shed more than others. If your cat has long hair, it might shed worse and make your couches a bit dirtier.
Now you know what you need to do to keep things in order, though. Take the right steps, and you’ll never have an issue with your couch being full of cat hair again.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys, and I’m so excited to start this adventure with them! In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.