Keeping my laundry hair-free?

October 18, 2009 6:02 PM

Do you have tricks or tips for keeping hair off your clean laundry?

I have long hair that sheds a lot. And I'm currently being treated with chemotherapy which is making me shed even more. When I pull my clean clothes or sheets out of the dryer rogue strands of my long hair cover everything. Is there a way to prevent this?

I use a Bounce dryer sheet in my dryer, clean the lint filter religiously and just had my dryer serviced. Using a lint brush afterward is pointless because the hair is long and difficult for the brush to pick up and using a lint brush on things like king size sheets is a nightmare. Thanks!

posted by meerkatty to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

Instead of a lint brush, you can buy these roller things, with a kind of sticky tape on the outside, that you can peel back to reveal a new sticky layer when they start to get covered with stuff. That sounds like it might work for you.
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:23 PM on October 18, 2009

I have long, sheddy hair (although I'm sure less sheddy than yours right now) and I do definitely notice that if I cram too much into the washer, a lot of hair makes it through the cycle. So maybe try putting less in each load?
posted by HotToddy at 6:33 PM on October 18, 2009

Yeah, lint roller.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 6:33 PM on October 18, 2009

Also, it might not be a bad idea to check clothing before you toss it in the hamper. Keep one of the adhesive lint rollers near your hamper so you can run it over your clothing before you throw it in and then less should be going into your washer/dryer to begin with.
posted by shesbookish at 6:48 PM on October 18, 2009

How about putting a scarf or a hat on your head when you're putting clothes in the washer and transferring clothes to the dryer?

(also: best wishes to you for a full and speedy recovery!)
posted by cooker girl at 6:57 PM on October 18, 2009

I was actually thinking about asking this question, so I'll be keeping a close eye on this. I find that all my hair ends up stuck to my wool socks when everything comes out of the dryer, so I suppose you could try using a pair of wool socks as hair traps. (What I'd love to know is how to make my wool socks NOT be hair traps, but I suspect I just have to live with it).

I also make good use of the sticky lint rollers.
posted by pemberkins at 7:37 PM on October 18, 2009

This lifehacker post about using rubber gloves to remove pet hair made me wonder if wearing them while you put laundry into/out of the washer/dryer would help... or wearing them later whilst clearing hair off of garments and linens. And, like Cooker Girl, I hope you recover quickly!
posted by carmicha at 7:47 PM on October 18, 2009

It's for pet hair rather than human hair, but there is such a thing as hair-removing laundry detergent.
posted by Violet Hour at 9:02 PM on October 18, 2009

Man I don't know if it's possible. I find dog hair in my clean laundry all the time, and it sucks! I'm keeping an eye on this thread to see if anyone has good answers. And good luck with the chemo!
posted by radioamy at 9:27 PM on October 18, 2009

Wrap some masking tape around your hand and pat things. A roll of masking tape is cheaper and more flexible to use than a sticky roller.
posted by reflecked at 12:47 AM on October 19, 2009

From today's Lifehacker, rubber gloves lift animal hair (and, presumably your hair), off of clothing. When your done, or when the glove gets loaded up, dunk the glove in a sink of warm water, and the hair will float off.
posted by KRS at 7:57 AM on October 19, 2009

I don't have an answer, but as a hair-shedding cat owner, I've found that it helps to wash my clothes inside-out and leave them that way (I mean, don't turn them right-side out when you're folding/ hanging up laundry). At least that prevents the clean clothes from accumulating new hair before being worn.
As to removing hair that's already there, the masking tape suggestion seems the best (if not particularly time-efficient).
posted by queseyo at 9:22 AM on October 19, 2009