Getting Dog Hair Out of a Car (Properly)

Why the vacuum is not working

Dog hair does not sit on carpet, it weaves into it. The barbs and the static hold it below the surface where suction alone cannot reach. That is why you can vacuum for an hour and still see hair when the light hits it.

What actually gets it out

• Rubber tooling and pet rakes to lift hair up out of the weave before vacuuming.
• Compressed air to blow hair out of seams, seat rails and under the seats.
• Steam on plastics and rubber, where the static holds hair against the surface.
• Hot water extraction on the carpet afterwards, which pulls out the fine undercoat that is left.

How long it takes

That is the honest reason this is a priced add-on. A light coating is 20 minutes. A back seat that has carried a shedding retriever twice a week for four years can add an hour and a half to an interior detail.

What we charge

Pet hair removal is $35 for light coverage, $60 for medium and $90 for heavy, on top of an interior package. If you are not sure which you are, send a photo of the back seat.

Keeping on top of it

• A washable seat cover on the dog side takes 90 percent of the problem away.
• Brush the dog before a trip rather than after.
• A rubber pet rake in the trunk and five minutes a week keeps it from ever becoming a deep-clean job.

The smell that comes with it

Hair is only half of it. The odor is in the fibers, which is why extraction matters, and why an ozone treatment finishes the job on a car that has carried dogs for years.