Getting dog hair and smell out of your car

Why the vacuum doesn't get all of it

Dog hair is stiff and has tiny scales along it that grip fabric. Every time someone sits down or a dog turns around in the back, loose hair gets pushed down between the carpet fibers and weaves in. The cargo area and the back seat are the worst, because that's where the dog rides.

A regular vacuum pulls what's on top and leaves the woven-in layer behind. That's why a car can look clean for a day and then hair seems to come back out of nowhere.

What works at home

1. A rubber glove or a pet hair stone. Drag it across the carpet in one direction and it rolls the hair into clumps you can pick up. It's cheap, and it pulls up hair a vacuum leaves behind.
2. A stiff brush before the vacuum. Brush against the grain of the carpet to lift the hair, then vacuum right behind it.
3. A vacuum with real suction and a narrow tool, used slowly. Fast passes skip over hair.
4. Lint rollers or packing tape for cloth seats and seat backs.
5. A seat cover or cargo liner for next time. Shaking out a cover takes a minute. Pulling hair out of carpet takes an afternoon.

Expect it to take a while. Doing the back seat and cargo area of an SUV properly by hand can take a couple of hours.

Getting rid of the smell

Dog smell comes from the oils in their coat and from hair and dander in the fabric. Air fresheners cover it for a few days. To get rid of it you have to get the source out.

• Get the hair out first. As long as hair is in the carpet, the smell stays with it.
• Wash or replace whatever comes out of the car: blankets, seat covers, floor mats.
• Sprinkle baking soda on dry carpet, leave it overnight, and vacuum it up. It takes the edge off a mild smell.
• Air the car out on a dry day with all the doors open.

If the smell is in the seat cushions, or it has been building for years, home fixes usually don't reach it.

Keeping it from building up again

Leather and vinyl seats are the easy case: hair sits on top and wipes off. Cloth seats and carpet are where it weaves in, so that's where a cover or liner earns its keep.

• Brush the dog before a long drive, especially in spring and fall when they shed the most.
• Give the dog one spot, like the cargo area or one side of the back seat, and cover just that spot.
• Vacuum the dog's spot every week or two, before the hair has time to work its way down.
• Keep a rubber glove in the door pocket for a quick pass after the dog park.

When it's worth paying a pro

• The hair is woven into the carpet and doesn't move when you vacuum.
• The smell comes back a few days after you clean.
• You're selling the car or trading it in.
• You don't want to spend a weekend on it.

On our Interior and Full Details, a normal amount of pet hair comes out with the vacuum at no extra cost. Hair worked deep into the fibers needs extraction and real time, so heavy pet hair adds $45. For an odor that won't leave, ozone treatment is $30, and seat shampoo is $15 a seat if the seats need it too.

Not sure which kind you've got? Text a photo to (309) 886-6845 and we'll tell you honestly.