The way I'd remove dog hair from clothes is to get most of the fur off while the fabric is dry, then let the washer and dryer catch what's left. The fastest start, by Maytag's advice, is a short tumble on no heat before washing, checked after about 10 minutes. Damp fur after a wet Island beach walk clings even harder.
Pet hair on laundry is loose fur held to the fabric by static and the weave, and water alone doesn't always let go of it. That's why a dog blanket can come out of the wash nearly as furry as it went in.
I'm Michael, one of the owners of Merit Home Furniture on Vancouver Island. Our washers and dryers, the laundry half of the appliance range Merit carries, are at the Campbell River and Port Alberni stores. Several of them have a pet hair setting. The steps below run in the order I'd use them, with the makers' own instructions where Merit could find them.
How to get pet hair off clothes before the wash
Getting pet hair off clothes before the wash keeps it out of the washer's drain line, where Maytag warns wet clumps can affect how a washer performs.
- Roll or blot. A lint roller handles most clothes, and Maytag suggests it for hand-knitted items. With no roller in the house, Maytag's fallback is blotting the hairy spots with masking tape.
- Wipe with a damp rubber glove. The BC SPCA lists rubber gloves among the hair tools to keep handy. Drawn one way across the fabric, a slightly damp glove rolls hair into clumps.
- Tumble on no heat. Maytag calls this the dry, wash and dry method. Dry clothes tumble with the heat off, and the lint screen catches the loose hair.
- Check after about 10 minutes. Maytag says a full cycle isn't needed: once some hair is off, the clothes go to the washer. Empty the lint screen then.
How do I get cat hair off clothes without a lint roller?
Cat hair comes off clothes without a lint roller the same ways dog hair does. Packing tape wrapped sticky side out around a hand works, and so does a damp rubber glove or kitchen sponge. The no-heat tumble reaches what the tape misses.
Which pet hair method suits which fabric
Pet hair methods suit some fabrics better than others. This is my own sorting of the steps above, and the care label still has the last word.
| Fabric | Before the wash | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton shirts and jeans | Lint roller or a no-heat tumble | Very little |
| Fleece and towels | No-heat tumble, then a damp glove | Maytag says they put extra lint in its Pet Pro filter |
| Knits and wool | Lint roller, as Maytag suggests for hand-knits | Read the label before any dryer time |
| Dark trousers and work wear | Masking tape or a lint roller | Wash them away from pet bedding |
| Dog blankets and pet beds | Vacuum or roll first, as Maytag advises | Heavy hair can clog the pump filter |
How to remove dog hair from clothes in the washing machine
Removing dog hair from clothes in the washing machine works when the water has room to move and somewhere to send the hair. In a regular washer, I'd keep the load smaller than usual. In a washer built for pets, a filter does the catching.
Maytag's Pet Pro option adds water and a deep rinse, and a built-in filter lifts the hair and holds it. Maytag says that removes 5x more pet hair than a traditional agitator cycle without the filter.
Samsung's 7150 Series top-loader has a Pet Care Wash cycle. In Samsung's words, it loosens hair "to be trapped by dual pet hair filters," and Samsung claims 6X more pet hair removed. Of the LG washers Merit lists, one front-loader has a Pet Care cycle, but its listing describes it as an odour cycle, and none names a pet hair filter. For an LG, I'd check that model's manual.
For a washer with no pet setting at all, Maytag suggests a floating lint trap in a top-loader to gather fur during the wash.
Does vinegar dissolve dog hair?
Vinegar doesn't dissolve dog hair. Maytag's dog hair guide says vinegar and baking soda can loosen coarse hair wedged in a washer's crevices, without dissolving it. That guide suggests half a cup of vinegar in a rinse cycle, once the owner's manual says it's safe for the machine.
A second Maytag guide warns against vinegar in the drum at all, because its acid can wear rubber seals and hoses. With one maker saying both, I'd go by your washer's manual and leave vinegar out if it's silent.
How to get hair off clothes in the dryer
Getting hair off clothes in the dryer depends on a clean lint screen first. Maytag's advice is to clean the lint screen after each load. Health Canada gives the safety reason: lint left in a dryer's screen and exhaust piping can ignite in high temperatures and cause fires.
Maytag's Pet Pro dryers have their own Pet Pro option, which runs a longer, cooler dry to lift hair into an XL lint trap. Maytag's footnote says it isn't available on some cycles, Normal included, and works better with the dryer on a water line.
Do dryer balls help with pet hair?
Dryer balls help with pet hair by cutting static, according to Maytag, so less hair clings to the clothes and more of it lands in the lint trap. Maytag names dryer sheets as the other way to do the same job. Either works in the no-heat tumble too.
Why do my clothes still have pet hair after washing?
Clothes still have pet hair after washing when the hair went in loose and the water carried it between garments. A full lint screen or filter is the second cause, and hair left in the drum from the last load of dog bedding is the third. The dry steps fix the first, and keeping the machines clear fixes the rest. Whites that come out dingy as well as hairy need one more step, whitening the greyed clothes, once the fur is gone.
Clearing pet hair from the washer and its filters
Maytag's help page for its Pet Pro filter says to clean it once the cycle has finished, since damp hair comes off more easily than dry. Peel the hair off, brush away the rest and rinse it, leaving the bottom cap in place.
Many washers also have a drain pump filter. Maytag says dog hair can clog it over time, and its spot varies by model, so the owner's manual shows where to find it.
For the drum, Maytag suggests a cleaning cycle with a washer cleaner tablet once every 30 wash cycles. After it, wipe the tub and the underside of the rubber lip with a damp cloth, and leave the door or lid open to dry.
If I had one change to suggest for a house with a shedding dog, it would be the order of laundry day before a new machine. Tumble first, then wash, then clean the screen. A Pet Pro washer helps, and its filter still wants emptying after every load.
Merit washers and dryers with pet hair features
Merit washers and dryers with a pet hair feature are listed at our Campbell River and Port Alberni stores, plus a few special orders. These are the listings that name the feature, with prices read on November 1, 2026, before applicable taxes.
| Listing | Pet hair feature | Where, and price |
|---|---|---|
| Maytag MTW5605RW agitator washer, 5.4 cu. ft. | Pet Pro option and filter, 11 cycles | Campbell River, $949.99 in white, $999.99 in Volcano Black |
| Maytag MTW5600RW impeller washer, 5.5 cu. ft. | Pet Pro option and filter, 11 cycles | Campbell River, same two prices |
| Maytag YMED6500MW Pet Pro dryer, 7.0 cu. ft. | Pet Pro option, XL lint trap, steam cycles | Port Alberni, $1,849.00, also as the same Pet Pro dryer in Volcano Black |
| Samsung 7150 Series washer, 6.2 cu. ft. | Pet Care Wash cycle, dual pet hair filters | Special order, $1,099.90 |
| Maytag Pet Pro washer, 6 cu. ft. | Pet Pro option and filter | Special order, from $1,249.99 |
| Maytag Pet Pro electric dryer, 7.4 cu. ft. | Pet Pro option | Special order, from $1,249.99 |
Merit's listings give the two Maytag washers as 27.25 inches wide and 43.38 inches high, and the Pet Pro dryer as 29 inches wide. The listed Pet Pro washers and dryer sit at different stores, so a matching pair means a call to each, or a special order. The rest of the range is in every washer we list, pet cycle or not, and dryers to pair with a pet hair washer.
Dog hair on pet beds, blankets and work clothes
Pet beds and blankets go in the wash on their own, apart from the family's clothes, after a vacuum or lint roller. The BC SPCA's nine ways to cut pet hair at home include washing a pet's bed often. It also suggests daily brushing with a good pet brush, depending on the coat.
Work clothes from a vet clinic, a grooming shop or a kennel deserve a load of their own too. I'd keep them bagged until wash day, give them the no-heat tumble and wash them apart. Muddy paw marks need more than a tumble, and the water temperature each stain takes is set out stain by stain.
A dog on the bed means the mattress protector joins the sheets in the wash. Merit has a guide to what each type of mattress protector does.
How to get pet hair off a sofa, armchair or car seat
Pet hair on a sofa or armchair comes off with the same tools as clothes: a damp rubber glove, a lint roller and the vacuum's upholstery brush. For car seats, the BC SPCA suggests a vacuum with a pet hair attachment, or a lint roller for the larger clumps. On cloth seats, it adds a light spray of water and fabric softener.
Leather and fabric hold hair differently. Hair sits on the surface of leather and wipes away, while a textured weave grips it. Claws and warranty terms matter as much as hair, and our fabric versus leather sofa comparison sets out each maker's pet clause, some of which exclude pet damage outright.
For leather already at home, caring for leather in an Island house covers cleaning by maker.
Where pet hair washers and home tricks fall short
Maytag's 5x figure is against a traditional agitator with no filter, and Maytag says results vary by fabric and hair. I couldn't see the footnote behind Samsung's 6X claim on its Canadian page, so I'd treat it as the maker's own number.
Vinegar is the trick I'd handle most carefully, for the reasons above. No washer setting does away with cleaning the lint screen, and no laundry method replaces brushing the dog.
Sources for the pet hair laundry steps
- Maytag, 4 Hacks for Removing Pet Hair from Your Laundry, checked November 2026.
- Maytag, How to Remove Dog Hair From Your Washer and Dryer, checked November 2026.
- Maytag, Stop Using Vinegar to Clean Your Washing Machine, checked November 2026.
- Maytag Product Help, Removing and Cleaning the Filter, Pet Pro, checked November 2026.
- Whirlpool Corporation, Maytag brand launches first laundry pair engineered for homes with pets (August 26, 2022), checked November 2026.
- Samsung Canada, 6.2 cu. ft. 7150 Series Top Load Washer with Pet Care Solution, checked November 2026.
- Health Canada, Electrical product safety (clothes dryers), checked November 2026.
- BC SPCA, Nine ways to remove pet hair from your home, checked November 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture, laundry listings with prices and spec tables, read November 1, 2026.
Asking about a pet hair washer in Campbell River or Port Alberni
I write from Duncan, but these Merit washers and dryers are listed at our Campbell River and Port Alberni stores. It's worth calling ahead to ask which Pet Pro models are set up, with the width and height of your laundry space in hand. Appliance delivery terms differ by store, so ask the one you call.
For the Pet Pro washers, Merit Campbell River is at 1300 A Homewood Rd. For the Pet Pro dryer, Merit Port Alberni is at 2935 Third Ave.
Special-order models, the Samsung Pet Care washer among them, are ordered through (250) 746-5527.
Phone Campbell River about a pet hair washer, (250) 286-0868
Phone Port Alberni about the Pet Pro dryer, (250) 724-6644
When the next question is about the washer itself rather than the hair, more laundry and kitchen appliance guides are gathered in one place.