If you have a furry pet, there’s a good chance you also sleep with your furry pet – about half of people with pets share a bed with their animals.
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half → have → animals
This also means they’re sharing a bed with their pet’s fur, dander, drool and a whole host of other unpleasantries (fleas, anyone?).
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they → mean → unpleasantries
“Tending to pet hair is good sleep hygiene, period,” says home organising expert Caroline Solomon.
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Solomon → tend → hair
It’s especially important for people suffering from asthma and allergies, she adds, “but even if you don’t have asthma or allergies, inhaling dander can be mildly irritating to your respiratory tract and disrupt sleep quality.”
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inhaling → ’ → quality
Hair and dander aren’t the only problems pets bring to the boudoir.
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pets → bring → boudoir
“Sharing your bed with a pet means you’re sharing your bedding with everything that comes along with it,” says Josh Leonardi, the founder of The Meow Picks, a US-based store featuring high-end products for cats and dogs.
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Leonardi → share → cats
“Pets groom themselves, walk around the home and then climb onto bedding, so a cleaning routine should reflect that.”
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routine → groom → that
A reliable routine is essential, says Erin Smith, a dog-lifestyle content creator and owner of three golden retrievers.
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Smith → say → retrievers
“If you let your pets sleep in bed with you, which we do, there really is no way to keep the hair off and out of the bed.
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we → let → bed
The best thing you can do is make your cleanup routine easy.
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routine → do → ?
These expert tips will go a long way to making things a little less hairy.
Consider design and fabrication when purchasing bedding
Leonardi tells pet owners to take ease of cleaning and maintenance into account when choosing bedding.
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Leonardi → go → bedding
Fabric, in particular, “matters more than people think,” he says.
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he → matter → ?
“[Pets] shed into loose weaves and looped fabrics like bouclé and chenille,” while tight, flat weaves such as fleece, as well as leather and coated surfaces, repel shedded fur.
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weaves → shed → fur
Maybe more
Smith washes her sheets weekly, sometimes twice a week, which she calls ideal.
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she → wash → which
Experts agree that once a week is the minimum for people who sleep with their pets.
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who → agree → pets
“Bedding collects sweat, skin cells, oils and dust.
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Bedding → collect → sweat
Adding a pet brings additional hair, dander, saliva and particles carried in on paws and whatever else ends up on their coat,” Leonardi says.
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Leonardi → add → coat
“If they are sleeping under the blankets, ideally the bedding would be washed twice a week.”
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bedding → sleep → blankets
Regular washing will also extend the lifespan of your sheets, which can be expensive to replace.
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which → extend → sheets
“Pet odours, oils and moisture can degrade bedding faster, so it’s a good idea to stay on top of your laundry routine,” Solomon says.
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Solomon → degrade → routine
Blankets, pillows and doonas need regular laundering, too
Pillows and doona inserts are what Ashley Burgos, a doctor of veterinary medicine and co-founder of Futureproof Pet, calls “indirect layers”; she recommends washing them every two weeks.
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she → need → them
Invest in a mattress pad
Sheets and indirect layers aren’t the only things that absorb pet essence: the mattress, too, will hold dander and odours.
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mattress → invest → dander
“A mattress cover can also help protect the mattress itself,” Leonardi says.
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Leonardi → help → mattress
Solomon recommends washing mattress pads monthly.
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Solomon → recommend → pads
“This task is great to do every two weeks or so, incorporating it into your bedroom cleaning routine,” Solomon says.
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Solomon → do → routine
The same stain remover can be used to clean up accidents (urine, bowel movements, vomiting, hairballs, wounds, etc.).
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remover → use → accidents
“If an accident occurs or your [pet] licks or grooms themselves and leaves saliva wet spots, consider more frequent cleanings,” Burgos says.
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Burgos → occur → cleanings
Leonardi calls the bed frame “one of the most forgotten parts of keeping bedding clean”.
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Leonardi → call → bedding
Wipe bed frames made of wood, metal or other hard surfaces with a cloth to remove hair, dust and dander; fabric headboards should be vacuumed regularly using an upholstery attachment.
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headboards → wipe → attachment
“Fabric holds on to unwanted accumulation,” he says, “so it’s best to vacuum them when changing bedding.
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it → hold → bedding
And don’t forget the area under the bed
“Under the bed is another often overlooked area where pet hair and dust can quickly accumulate,” Leonardi says, “especially if the pet likes to sleep or hide there”.
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pet → forget → bed
He recommends vacuuming under the bed twice a week and mopping hard floors as needed.
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He → recommend → floors
Robot vacuums can help reduce the workload.
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vacuums → help → workload
“We clean under our bed every day,” Smith says.
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Smith → clean → bed
“We have a robot vacuum that can vacuum under the bed frame, and this really helps keep the hair from piling up under the bed.”
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this → have → bed
Shake or tumble fur out before washing bedding
When it comes to laundry, there are tricks that can help with fur removal.
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that → shake → removal
“The important thing is to remove excess hair before laundering rather than assuming the washing machine will take care of all of it,” Leonardi says.
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Leonardi → remove → it
“Shaking the bedding out, vacuuming it or using a lint roller first can make a noticeable difference.”
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Shaking → shake → difference
He also uses a dryer trick for bedding that is covered in hair.
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that → use → hair
“Tumbling it briefly in a dryer on a no-heat setting can loosen some of the hair and send it into the lint trap, making it easier to wash.”
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it → tumble → trap
…and 25 more, not listed.
The Aporia
