Most people find that their pets have a favorite perch or napping spot in the house. Usually, this spot is in a chair close to all the action. Whether your pet is a cat or a dog (or a hamster, or any other furry fuzzball), there are ways to minimize the tumbleweeds of fur in your home.

1. Try to keep the fur in one area. Do not allow your pets onto every piece of furniture in the house because you will find hair or fur wherever they go. So if you don’t want to deal with fur on the living room sectional, make that a no-pet zone. Better yet, put down an extra pet bed or a few blankets in a corner on the floor so they can hang out with everyone without leaving fur all over.
2. Brush regularly. This tip will help, but not completely solve, the hair problem. You won’t be able to brush all the hair away, but it will keep the larger bundles of hair from ending up on your dining chairs.
3. Train your dogs (or other large pets) to stop in the foyer on their way in. If they have dirty, muddy or wet paws, they’ll leave a trail of chaos behind them. Training your pet to stop and sit once they’re in the house gives you a chance to check their paws for any baggage. Saving a treat for when you come through the door with them will go a long way.
4. Use a SmartSeat cover. The beauty of a SmartSeat dining chair cover is that it can keep a chair completely clean of hair, even if your pets love to curl up on it. If you have guests coming over, you can take off the cover and have a chair in perfect condition.  Just make sure you put it back on when they leave, and it’ll be good to go for Fido and Whiskers again.

Photo by Martie Swart