How to Get Dog Hair Out of Bedding — 6 Methods That Actually Work

September 28, 2026

If you share your bed with a dog, you already know the drill. You wash the sheets, you dry them, you shake them out — and somehow you still slide into bed at night onto a blanket that's basically 30% fur.

Here's the frustrating part: dog hair doesn't just sit on top of fabric. Those short, barbed hairs work their way into the weave, and once they're in there, a regular wash cycle will not get them out. That's why your bedding comes out of the dryer looking exactly the same as it went in.

The good news? Getting dog hair out of bedding isn't complicated — it just takes the right order of operations. Here are six methods that actually work, ranked from quick fixes to the full deep clean.

1. The Rubber Glove Trick (Fastest Fix)

This is the one you'll use most often, and it costs about two dollars.

Put on a pair of rubber cleaning gloves — the ones with the textured grip. Now dampen them slightly and sweep your hand across the bedding in one direction, not back and forth. The rubber grabs the hair, and the hair rolls up into clumps you can just peel off with your fingers.

Why one direction? Because hair has little scales on it, like a fish. Sweep it one way and the hair catches. Sweep it both ways and you're just pushing it around.

Pro tip: If you don't have rubber gloves, a clean rubber-soled shoe, a silicone spatula, or a damp sponge will do the same thing. It's the rubber, not the glove.

2. A Reusable Pet Hair Roller

For a quick pass before guests come over or before you get in bed, a reusable roller is worth having in the nightstand.

Skip the sticky-tape lint rollers — they run out fast and they're wasteful when you're dealing with this much hair. Instead, get a reusable pet hair roller (the kind with a washable, sticky-rubber surface). One pass, peel the hair off, rinse the roller, and it's ready to go again.

These work beautifully on comforters and quilts, where the fabric is smooth enough that hair sits on the surface instead of weaving in.

3. Baking Soda + a Ten-Minute Wait

This sounds like a Pinterest trick, but it works — and the reason is simple. Baking soda absorbs oils, and a little bit of oil is what makes dog hair cling to fabric in the first place.

How to do it:

Sprinkle a light layer of baking soda over the bedding.

2.Let it sit for 10–15 minutes so it can soak up the oils.

3.Vacuum it up (see method #5) or shake the bedding out outside.

4.Follow with the rubber glove trick to grab whatever's left.

Do this on dry bedding only. On wet fabric, baking soda turns into paste and you'll be scrubbing it out of your comforter for a week.

4. The Dryer Trick (Before You Wash)

Here's the mistake almost everyone makes: they wash the bedding first, and then wonder why the hair is still there after drying.

Flip that order. Tumble the dry bedding in the dryer on air fluff / no heat for 10 minutes with a couple of wool dryer balls or a clean tennis ball. The tumbling action loosens the hair and the balls knock it into the lint trap. Empty the lint trap afterward — you'll be shocked how much is in there.

Only then do you wash it.

One warning: don't use high heat. Heat sets hair and oils deeper into synthetic fibers, and it's rough on your bedding anyway. Air fluff or low heat gets the job done.

5. Vacuum With a Rubber Pet Attachment

A vacuum alone will skate right over embedded hair. What you want is a rubber-bristle pet attachment — the ones with the little rubber nubs — because the rubber pulls hair up to the surface where the vacuum can grab it.

Work in slow, overlapping strokes, and go over each area twice: once at an angle, once straight. For a comforter, lay it flat on the bed (or over a couch) so the suction actually has something to pull against.

This is the most thorough dry method. If your dog sheds year-round, this is the one to keep in rotation.

6. The Wash Routine That Actually Releases Hair

Now for the deep clean. This is the wash routine that gets dog hair out of bedding instead of just moving it around:

Wash separate. Never wash pet bedding with your own bedding — you'll just transfer hair from one to the other.

Cold water, gentle cycle. Hot water sets hair and shrinks fibers.

Add ½ cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. It helps relax the fibers so trapped hair can release.

Skip fabric softener. It coats fibers in a waxy film that makes hair stick even more. Use wool dryer balls instead.

Extra rinse. One more rinse than usual, so loose hair actually drains away instead of settling back in.

Dry on low. Same reason as above — and pull the lint trap twice during the cycle.

If you've got a shedding machine at home (German Shepherds and Huskies, we're looking at you), run this routine weekly. Waiting two weeks means the hair has time to weave in deeper, and you'll be fighting a losing battle.

How to Stop It From Coming Back

You're never going to win this fight completely. But you can cut the amount of hair in your bed by half:

Brush your dog before bed. Two minutes with a deshedding brush removes hair that would otherwise end up on your pillow.

Give them a dedicated spot. Put a washable throw or pet blanket on top of the bed where your dog usually sleeps. Now you're washing one small blanket, not an entire comforter.

Choose bedding that releases hair. Tightly woven fabrics and smooth microfiber release hair far more easily than loose-woven cotton, linen, or anything with a heavy texture. If hair can't weave in, it can't stay in.

Wash weekly, not monthly. The longer hair sits in the weave, the harder it is to get out.

The Bottom Line

Getting dog hair out of bedding comes down to two things: dry first, then wash — and use rubber (gloves, rollers, vacuum attachments), not just soap and water. Do that, and you won't be sleeping in a fur-lined bed anymore.

And if you're tired of fighting fabric that holds onto every strand, it might be time to upgrade. Look for tightly woven, smooth-finish bedding that lets hair lift right off — you'll spend a lot less time with a rubber glove in your hand.

Sleep well — dog and all.

Quick Reference

Method	Best for	Time
Rubber glove trick	Daily quick passes	2 min
Reusable pet roller	Comforters, quilts	3 min
Baking soda	Oils + surface hair	15 min
Dryer (air fluff)	Before washing	10 min
Vacuum + rubber attachment	Deep clean, dry bedding	10 min
Vinegar wash routine	Full deep clean	1 wash cycle

Suggested tags: pet-friendly bedding, dog hair removal, cleaning tips, pet owners, washable bedding

Back to blog