Great Pyrenees + Microfleece + X = Happiness, solve for X
March 23, 2022 5:22 AM Subscribe
My household has been fostering a Great Pyrenees and I love him but his longer, silkier hair behaves differently than the resident lab and resident pit-mix's hair. I know and fully accept nothing I own will ever be hair-free again, but what's the best reusable tool for removing some of this kind of hair from microfleece shirts/blankets/etc? Either something to run over them before laundering or something I can throw in the laundry. The dryer doesn't remove it and adding some unscented dryer sheets (which otherwise I avoid) did not help.
Consider the Uproot Cleaner Pro in the "run over it before laundering" category. The only thing that's been of any use whatever with my cat's stubborn fur. The way it restored the cat tree was nothing short of miraculous.
posted by humbug at 5:48 AM on March 23, 2022
posted by humbug at 5:48 AM on March 23, 2022
I bought these Fur Zappers based on a recommendation from AskMe and they really do work. They don't remove 100% of the hair, but they help a lot. I use them in both the washer and the dryer. I also started using wool dryer balls in the dryer (plus a Fur Zapper or two) at the same I started using the Fur Zappers (based on another AskMe recommendation) and it's hard to say how much they help but they may be contributing to the overall result.
posted by Redstart at 6:17 AM on March 23, 2022
posted by Redstart at 6:17 AM on March 23, 2022
Response by poster: Quick request: can people sharing products say what sort of pet hair they've used them with? Because I have a decent routine that works with the shorter, straighter, thicker lab/etc hair that does approximately zilch for the Great Pyr hair.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:37 AM on March 23, 2022
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:37 AM on March 23, 2022
I've used the Fur Zappers on hair from several different dogs. Some of the hair was more lab-like and some silkier, but none of the dogs have been long-haired. The Zappers do also remove my kids' longer hair but that's a different texture than Great Pyrenees hair.
posted by Redstart at 6:47 AM on March 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Redstart at 6:47 AM on March 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Uproot Cleaner Pro: one straightforward shorthair cat, one medium-to-longhair with a thick undercoat that tangles a lot (including with/into cloth and carpet).
posted by humbug at 7:37 AM on March 23, 2022
posted by humbug at 7:37 AM on March 23, 2022
I owned a Pyrenees for four years. I'm sure you know that the breed was created to live outside in cold mountainous regions to protect livestock, usually sheep. That's why they resemble sheep, including their fur. They typically blow their coat, like huskies, twice a year in temperate climates.
Our Pyrenees died before this Uproot hair & lint removal tool was invented, I think. I've always thought that might have worked on getting his hair off furniture, carpeted stairs, etc, but I'm not sure. There was nothing else at the time that worked. Not lint rollers, lint brushes, or even a Dyson pet vacuum.
The absolute best tools I found for dealing with Pyrenees fur was anything that removed the fur from the dog before it had a chance to cover the house, our stuff, and us. I hate to tell you that I brushed that dog nearly every damn day, and to the extent that anything can help control Pyrenees fur, it helped somewhat.
Best tools I've used:
- Undercoat rake - the #1 tool by far, gets under the outer coat into the woolly bits
- Shedding blade - keep a few around the house and just run it across him as he walks by
- Furminator - not nearly as good as an undercoat rake, but somewhat good for the outer layer
- Scissors - trim up all the floof hanging off legs, belly, tail, etc
- Clippers - we shaved our Pyr twice a year in desperate attempts to live in a 900sf house with a livestock guardian dog
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 9:02 AM on March 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Our Pyrenees died before this Uproot hair & lint removal tool was invented, I think. I've always thought that might have worked on getting his hair off furniture, carpeted stairs, etc, but I'm not sure. There was nothing else at the time that worked. Not lint rollers, lint brushes, or even a Dyson pet vacuum.
The absolute best tools I found for dealing with Pyrenees fur was anything that removed the fur from the dog before it had a chance to cover the house, our stuff, and us. I hate to tell you that I brushed that dog nearly every damn day, and to the extent that anything can help control Pyrenees fur, it helped somewhat.
Best tools I've used:
- Undercoat rake - the #1 tool by far, gets under the outer coat into the woolly bits
- Shedding blade - keep a few around the house and just run it across him as he walks by
- Furminator - not nearly as good as an undercoat rake, but somewhat good for the outer layer
- Scissors - trim up all the floof hanging off legs, belly, tail, etc
- Clippers - we shaved our Pyr twice a year in desperate attempts to live in a 900sf house with a livestock guardian dog
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 9:02 AM on March 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
I have a friend who has had generations of GPs (along with some impressively shaggy ponies), I'll ask her and report back.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:07 AM on March 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by DarlingBri at 9:07 AM on March 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
My beloved Pomeranian mix Zorro had very similar hair/undercoat. He was a hair machine! I agree w/ the undercoat rake, but no matter how much you groom, hair will go everywhere. My personal regimen included:
- wool balls in the dryer (seemed to help some)
- a robot vacuum every couple of days (had to clean out the roller every single time)
- either 3 dryer sheets per load, or one of those extra-large pet dryer sheets (pretty sure the only difference is the size; this was probably the most effective hair control tool)
- a damp rag to remove hair from rugs, fabric and upholstery (shown to me by a professional cleaner and SHOCKINGLY fast and effective at hair removal; just rub the hairy area firmly with the damp rag and watch the rag get disgusting)
I feel for you. Zorro was 15 lbs. Can't imagine multiplying that hair by five or ten times! (He was also a major PITA in other ways, but he was worth it times a million. Miss that guy.)
posted by nosila at 10:59 AM on March 23, 2022
- wool balls in the dryer (seemed to help some)
- a robot vacuum every couple of days (had to clean out the roller every single time)
- either 3 dryer sheets per load, or one of those extra-large pet dryer sheets (pretty sure the only difference is the size; this was probably the most effective hair control tool)
- a damp rag to remove hair from rugs, fabric and upholstery (shown to me by a professional cleaner and SHOCKINGLY fast and effective at hair removal; just rub the hairy area firmly with the damp rag and watch the rag get disgusting)
I feel for you. Zorro was 15 lbs. Can't imagine multiplying that hair by five or ten times! (He was also a major PITA in other ways, but he was worth it times a million. Miss that guy.)
posted by nosila at 10:59 AM on March 23, 2022
Wow, I had the exact opposite problem - I didn't know how to deal with the short, oily lab hair after living with a Great Pyr for a while. The comment by ImproviseOrDie was what I was going to type. I used a different brush, that was recommended to me by a groomer: Master Grooming Tools Double-Sided Hard Flexible Slicker Brush -teal (Amazon link).
Brushing outside, plus having only wood floors with a small fan set up to blow all the hair into a corner helps. For fabrics, I wore a rubber glove, sprayed with a bit of water, and ran my hand over microfleece/wool coat before leaving the house. It didn't get it all, but if it did no one would know you are a (foster) parent to a big white dog!
posted by bCat at 12:17 PM on March 23, 2022
Brushing outside, plus having only wood floors with a small fan set up to blow all the hair into a corner helps. For fabrics, I wore a rubber glove, sprayed with a bit of water, and ran my hand over microfleece/wool coat before leaving the house. It didn't get it all, but if it did no one would know you are a (foster) parent to a big white dog!
posted by bCat at 12:17 PM on March 23, 2022
I'm sorry I have nothing to contribute but your foster is so adorable! That hat!
posted by bookworm4125 at 1:49 PM on March 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by bookworm4125 at 1:49 PM on March 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
I live with someone who owns a Pyr. I generally just use one of those sticky rollers like this. On carpet, I've found getting on my hand knees with a wet cloth or paper towel is the best way to get out hair that's really ground in. Mostly I just learned to live with it.
While I do agree that the best offense is a good defense (i.e. regular brushing and grooming) I did want to mention that I would strongly recommend against this:
- Clippers - we shaved our Pyr twice a year in desperate attempts to live in a 900sf house with a livestock guardian dog
I've heard from both a vet and several Pyr experienced groomers that you absolutely should not shave these dogs. Even in the summer. There's something about the way their coat is specially adapted to help them manage both hot and cold temperatures. I'm sure you weren't planning on doing this, but just for anyone else who might have a Pyr and read this in the future.
posted by litera scripta manet at 4:06 PM on March 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
While I do agree that the best offense is a good defense (i.e. regular brushing and grooming) I did want to mention that I would strongly recommend against this:
- Clippers - we shaved our Pyr twice a year in desperate attempts to live in a 900sf house with a livestock guardian dog
I've heard from both a vet and several Pyr experienced groomers that you absolutely should not shave these dogs. Even in the summer. There's something about the way their coat is specially adapted to help them manage both hot and cold temperatures. I'm sure you weren't planning on doing this, but just for anyone else who might have a Pyr and read this in the future.
posted by litera scripta manet at 4:06 PM on March 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: To head off more suggestions along this route: more grooming the dog is totally logical but not necessarily in the cards here. He's nine and slowly adjusting to our home (his mom had some life crises and had to give him up, he's a foster because if she can take him again he will go back to her) and we brush him but there's a limit to what he will get used to any time soon.
I really just want a way to get some of this hair off of microfleece, specifically. I like wearing microfleece and I like cuddling the dog.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:34 PM on March 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
I really just want a way to get some of this hair off of microfleece, specifically. I like wearing microfleece and I like cuddling the dog.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:34 PM on March 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
We have this rubber toothed pet hair remover. It works really well on silky soft undercoat hair on upholstery (we have a double coated pom/peke and a short and longhaired cat). I find it a bit harder to use on things that can't be kept fairly taut, but this double sided brush works nearly as well and you can easily flip it to change direction.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:43 PM on March 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by oneirodynia at 10:43 PM on March 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm impressed your methods to remove your resident dogs' fur from microfleece works.
I regret to tell you that I have given up on certain fabrics including microfleece due to fur issues and I just have short-haired cats. Their fur just basically weaves itself into textures and not even lint brushes or sticky rollers work appreciably. I've literally had to hand-extract fur from a sweater.
I think you may need to just put away your microfleece shirts while you have the foster dog.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:44 AM on March 24, 2022
I regret to tell you that I have given up on certain fabrics including microfleece due to fur issues and I just have short-haired cats. Their fur just basically weaves itself into textures and not even lint brushes or sticky rollers work appreciably. I've literally had to hand-extract fur from a sweater.
I think you may need to just put away your microfleece shirts while you have the foster dog.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:44 AM on March 24, 2022
I have a pyr mix and really like my Chomchom roller for hair pickup. You can really put some pressure on it and it’s great for fleece and upholstery- anywhere the hair tries to worm its way into the weave or pile.
posted by rebeccabeagle at 2:27 PM on March 24, 2022
posted by rebeccabeagle at 2:27 PM on March 24, 2022
Response by poster: Update: I somewhat gave up on this and also the floofy giant is going back home soon! His owner resolved the life challenges she was having and can have him with her again. I will miss him (though not the hair) but am very glad he gets to spend his golden years with the person who raised him.
One thing I did discover was that washing and drying just a few microfleece items in a load of mostly cotton laundry got hair off better than doing a load of mostly/all microfleece.
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:25 PM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
One thing I did discover was that washing and drying just a few microfleece items in a load of mostly cotton laundry got hair off better than doing a load of mostly/all microfleece.
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:25 PM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by needs more cowbell at 5:24 AM on March 23, 2022 [2 favorites]