Throwing a Scouring Pad into the Washing Machine: The Simple Trick That Solves a Common Problem
If you have a cat or a dog, you’re probably used to living with pet hair everywhere — on your floors, your couch, your clothes… and unfortunately, even in your washing machine. No matter how often you vacuum or brush your pet, fur still seems to find its way onto freshly washed laundry.
But there’s a simple, cheap trick that pet owners swear by — and it only requires something you likely already have in your kitchen: a scouring pad.
🧼 Why Pet Hair in the Washing Machine Is a Problem
Pet hair is clingy. When you toss your clothes into the washing machine, especially materials like fleece, wool, or synthetic fibers, the water often isn’t enough to detach embedded fur. Instead, the hair clings more stubbornly — or worse, ends up clogging the filter or sticking to the drum walls, causing:
- Lint buildup
- Machine odor
- Drainage issues
- Hairy “clean” laundry
🧽 The Scouring Pad Hack
Here’s how the trick works:
- Take 1 or 2 clean, unused scouring pads — the kind used for dishes (avoid metal ones; use soft plastic mesh or sponge-based ones).
- Toss them into the washing machine along with your laundry.
- Run your wash cycle as usual.
The texture of the scouring pad acts like a magnet: as your laundry tumbles, the pad attracts and traps stray pet hairs. By the end of the cycle, the pads will have collected a surprising amount of fur, which you can then rinse off and reuse.
🐾 Why It Works
The secret lies in static charge and texture. The friction from tumbling clothes causes loose pet hair to lift off, and the textured surface of the pad gives the hair somewhere to stick instead of just clinging to other clothes or spreading in the water.
It also helps prevent hair from settling into the washing machine’s internal parts, protecting your appliance in the long term.
🧺 Extra Tips for Hair-Free Laundry
- Dry before washing: Put hairy clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes on low or air-dry mode before washing. The lint trap will catch a lot of loose hair.
- Use a lint roller or brush on clothes before tossing them into the machine.
- Clean your washer regularly — especially the drum and filter.
- Use anti-static dryer sheets to reduce cling during the drying phase.
Check out page 2 for more unusual laundry hacks for pet owners
