How to Get Pet Hair Out of Your Laundry
Updated July 2026
The short answer
Pet hair survives washing because water makes it cling — the fix is removing it dry, before the wash. Ten minutes in the dryer on air-only (no heat) with a dryer sheet or wool balls pulls loose hair into the lint trap; a lint-roller or rubber-glove pass handles the rest. In the wash itself: smaller loads, an extra rinse, and a half-cup of white vinegar in the rinse help hair release instead of redepositing. Then break the loop: clean the washer and dryer of accumulated hair, and keep the hairiest items — pet blankets, their bedding — in separate loads from your clothes.
Before you start
You need: a lint roller or rubber gloves, dryer sheets or wool dryer balls, white vinegar.
Sort by hairiness: pet bedding and throw blankets wash alone, always. Your clothes stop coming out furry the day those stop sharing a drum.
Check your machines: a mat of hair in the washer door gasket or the dryer lint slot re-coats every load — wipe the gasket, vacuum the trap slot.
Upstream beats downstream: regular pet brushing and a washable throw on the sofa remove more hair from your laundry than any in-wash trick.
Steps
- 1De-hair dry, before washing: tumble the load 10 minutes on air-only with a dryer sheet or wool balls, then empty the lint trap. Lint-roll or rubber-glove anything still furry.
- 2Wash in smaller loads so items move freely — hair releases in water flow and redeposits in a packed drum.
- 3Add ½ cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle. It relaxes fabric so hair lets go, and helps it rinse away rather than re-stick.
- 4Run an extra rinse on chronically hairy loads.
- 5Dry with wool balls or a dryer sheet and empty the lint trap mid-cycle on heavy loads — a full trap stops collecting.
- 6Clean the machines monthly in shedding season: wipe the washer gasket and run a cleaning cycle; vacuum the dryer trap slot.
- 7Wash pet bedding separately , and run an empty rinse (or wipe the drum) after, before your clothes go in.
What not to do
- Do not wash heavily furred items without a dry de-hairing pass — wet hair mats into fabric and drains poorly.
- Do not mix pet bedding into loads with your clothes.
- Do not overstuff the washer; packed loads guarantee redeposit.
- Do not let the dryer lint trap ride full — it stops capturing exactly when you need it most.
- Do not rely on fabric softener as a hair fix; vinegar in the rinse does the anti-static job without coating fibers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get pet hair off clothes before washing?
Ten minutes in the dryer on air-only (no heat) with a dryer sheet or wool balls — the tumbling breaks the static grip and the lint trap catches the hair. Follow with a lint roller for stragglers. Dry removal beats every in-wash trick.
Why is my laundry covered in hair after washing?
Wet hair clings and redeposits, especially in packed loads — and a hair-lined washer gasket or full dryer trap re-coats every load. Smaller loads, a vinegar rinse, and cleaning both machines break the cycle.
Does vinegar really help with pet hair in the wash?
Modestly but genuinely: a half-cup in the rinse relaxes fibers and cuts the static cling that makes hair re-stick, so more of it rinses away. It is a supporting move — the dry de-hairing pass does the heavy lifting.
Can pet hair damage my washing machine?
In volume, yes — it mats in drain filters and pump traps and lines the door gasket. If you wash pet bedding regularly, clean the drain filter and wipe the gasket monthly; a clogged pump is the expensive version of this problem.
Dealing with pet odor or accidents in the laundry too, not just hair? Use the Stain Rescue Tool for the right enzyme routine.
Use the Stain Rescue Tool