7.27.2012

Operation Take the “Fur” Out of “Furniture”

Let’s face it: when you are a cat or dog owner and it is warm outside, every surface that those animals sit on and touch collects gobs and gobs of fur. Your cat sidles along your leg and you are now wearing a whole new cat on your pants. You can’t find your bed because it is buried in fur. You lay down on the couch and arise looking like this:

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…which would not be a bad thing if we lived on Endor and Wookiees ruled the land and there was racism against humans, or if you were in a hairy chest contest.*

*I have never entered a hairy chest contest.

We have a couple chairs in particular that have succumbed to the evil that is constant cat fur. I was not pleased with the toll it was taking on this chair in our bedroom.

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You see, our cats use that chair more often than we do. And we don’t use it that often because the cats are using it. (It’s a vicious cycle.)

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We left a blanket on it for a while, but it looked sort of frumpy and the fur destroyed the blanket. It did make for some pretty cozy sleeping…if it’s cozy to sleep upside down with your arms in the air.

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Drastic times call for drastic measures, so I did something drastic: I went to Joann’s. And I bought a yard of some blue suede-ish velour-ish (suelour?) fabric on the clearance shelf for $2/yard. And I brought that home and cut it into two pieces slightly smaller than the seat of our abused chair, then hemmed them with iron-on tape.

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And now the fur is collected by a cheap, washable and, if necessary, replaceable pad of sorts.

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I can also vacuum the protective pads off eight times a day without worrying about wearing away the fabric, an opportunity I have naturally taken full advantage of. See?

protect furniture form pet fur

In an ideal world, the fabric would be the same as the chair upholstery. But in an ideal world, fur would not fall off and fabric would be free. So there’s that.

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The next furniture to rescue is Zoe’s favorite first-story bed: one of our living room chairs.

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These types of bizarre sleeping positions are totally normal around here. You should see the way Rick sleeps. Actually, no you shouldn’t. That would be weird. (Hi Rick.)

Does your furniture get suffocated by pet fur? Who wants to come vacuum off our chair pad eight times a day? I will feed you occasionally.


P.S. I announced the two giveaway winners and a discount offer good for 15% off at Pretty Prints (now through Sunday!) over here. Go check it out!

P.P.S. There are now 16 bloggers participating in the Random Acts of Craftiness challenge, which I shared yesterday! Want to make it 17? Go here for details!

P.P.P.S. (I feel like I’m in 4th grade writing a note) Apologies for the identity crisis that my blog keeps undergoing. I think I’ve finally settled on a look I can live with.


22 comments :

  1. Making a little cover was a good idea. Stewie is everywhere with his white hair! We gave up and just keep sticky rollers everywhere.

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  2. Tell the truth about entering hairy chest contests!

    Poor Bill was so matted when he came to us that we just had to shave him. Even so, I've seen surprisingly few hairs on the furniture. Until he shakes - then hair goes flying everywhere. This is a pretty smart fix!

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    1. Okay, well there was this one hairy chest contest...;)

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  3. This is a great idea! Dog fur is my nemesis- we're in a constant battle at our place.

    ps- cute photos of the cats!! They sure do sleep funny...

    pps- Excited for the random acts of craftiness challenge!

    ppps- I just wanted to write that too... totally takes me back to 6th grade!

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  4. Pledge makes a thingy that you drag back and forth and it collects fur in top. The darned thing WORKS - and works well. I have a long haired cat that refuses brushing - preferring to leave his fur on my favorite (and his) chair.

    The Scotch Fur Fighter works well too - maybe you can use them on your sweet covers in between washings.

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    1. Ooh thanks! I'll have to look into it. I also saw some infomercial for something that I think was called the Sticky Buddy the other day. Infomercials scare me. But it really looked like it was working.

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  5. Haha! Yes! Manny sleeps on our bed every night, and I swear when he gets up in the morning, there is a fur spot the size of his body left behind!

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  6. Ah, but they're so darn cute! It's so nice the cats allow you to live in their house.....and pay the mortgage!

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  7. Lindsay7/27/2012

    I second MrsB's recommendation for the Pledge Fabric Sweeper (though be careful to buy the reusable one, as they make a one-use version as well for reasons which remain a mystery to me - it's identical except you can't empty it. WHY would I possibly want that? Oh well). But it works WAY better than it seems like it should (better than my vacuum, in fact). Lasts for a few months at my house and I think is something around $9-10 or so.

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  8. Oh that is smart too bad scout sits on every piece of furniture we have otherwise id be doing something like this!
    Basically we are in fur hell since the weather is so hot hes shedding like crazy! I cant wait for the end of fall when he bare sheds at all!

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  9. The fabric on the chair is was a really smart idea for easy cleaning!

    Oh my gosh, all the fur in my house! I have to vacuum the living room a minimum of twice a week and sweep the rest nearly every day just to keep it all at bay! And don't even ask about the beds - we've gotten into the habit of keeping the guest bedroom closed off just so friends don't have to have fur on their covers. We didn't think it through very well when adding the last two cats to the family... :)

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  10. LOVE this idea. The fur in our house is beyond disgusting. PS, love your kitty comments...PSS, love your ps's!

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  11. Don't feel too bad. I think I've completely changed my blog design about 15 times. I'm still not 100% in love with it.

    This is a great idea! Thankfully, I have very furry dog but I'm more than blessed because she actually holds onto her hair. We rarely have lose ones.

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  12. Your cat is so adorable! She's like a model in those pics.

    I know what you mean...I have two of them and blankets all over the house for easy washes. But let's not forget how often I have to sweep the floors...

    Good thinking there with the pad!

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  13. Yep, we have white couches. White couches plus black dog equals me giving up on all housework completely. So the fact that you went to joann and crafted this solution proves that you're a one-thousand-percent better homemaker than I am.

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  14. Endor? Wookies? Do I smell a Star Wars nerd? haha.
    Zoe's sleeping pics crack me up.

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    1. Ha! No Star Wars nerd here...just a sister of a Star Wars nerd. We played with the action figures together. Jabba the Hut still grosses me out. :P

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  15. 1. Your blog is looking very pretty.
    2. I'm kind of glad Nate is allergic to cats because I think the combo of my OCD and cat hair would send me over the edge! My parents have all of their living room furniture covered in blankets...not my style. But they do have cute little faces....(the cats, well...I guess my parents too.) I need to end this comment.

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  16. Erin, you never cease to amaze me with your clever solutions to everyday problems :)

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  17. Rubber gloves work wonders for removing cat hair. Just swipe it over the furniture and it picks up everything. Also, if your cats will allow you to, brush them with a furminator. We got one for our puppy and ended up using it on the cat and it has reduced the amount of hair around our house significantly.

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  18. OMG, this so hits home! What a great idea though! I have a lot of cats - really a lot! All long hair. As I sit here writing, some cat hair just flew up my nose. Don't you hate that? And I'm about to install a house full of dark wood flooring. Yes, I'm crazy that way.

    And I honestly don't think ANYONE masters naps like a cat! They know how to do it, man!

    Found you through the Color link party and so glad I did! Your newest follower!
    JL

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