I’m surrounded by pet hair, figuratively and literally. As a certified animal behavior consultant, I write about pets for a living. And as a pet owner, I always keep a lint roller on hand.
I joke that in my world, fur is a condiment. But there’s nothing funny about fuzzy clothes that aren’t supposed to look that way.
Pet lovers struggle with excess fur, especially from indoor pets who shed year-round. Short fur proves even more difficult to remove from clothes, upholstery and carpet because it needles into the fabric. There are products that claim to remove pet fur, but many are ineffective or labor intensive.
When I heard Fur Zapper removed pet hair in the wash, I thought it sounded too good to be true. And though more than 11,000 Amazon reviewers gave it five stars, others stated it didn’t work. To find out, I put the product to the test over a month of washing and drying hairy clothes to see if it lowered the fuzz quotient.
What is a Fur Zapper?
The Fur Zapper loosens pet hair from fabric in the laundry’s wash and dry cycle so it rinses away or collects on the dryer filter.
Fur Zapper comes in a blister-pack with two four-inch-round neon-bright disks, each 1/2-in. thick with paw-shaped cutouts. The disks go right into the washer and dryer along with your fur-covered clothes. The sticky disks are supposed to lift out the fuzz.
How We Tested It
I received two packages of the Fur Zapper. My husband and I don’t have kids and only wash clothes once a week. To give the product a thorough test, I included hair-covered pet blankets, lap throws we use daily and even my fur-covered winter coat.
I also snuggled with and thoroughly petted my cat Karma and dog Shadow. (What a hardship on them, ha!). The extra cuddles ensured several sweatshirts and sweaters each week collected even more dog and cat fur. Before washing and drying each load, I emptied the dryer lint trap to better measure any hair captured.
Fur Zapper Features
I wasn’t sure what to expect. From the outside of the package, the two disks looked like solid plastic. When I opened the packaging, they felt both heavier and flimsier than expected and wiggled like Jello. Each disk feels spongy, dense foam rubber, but there’s no rubbery scent.
Also, all of the surface area — front, back and insides of the cut-outs — feels sticky, clearly designed to grab pet hair. The two disks come in bright neon yellow and green. I suspect the bright colors help you find and retrieve the disk from the jumble of clothing once each cycle finishes.
Pros:
What I liked about Fur Zapper:
- Easy to use, just throw it in the washer and dryer.
- Reduced pet hair on clothes and fabrics.
- Affordable price.
- Lasts a long time (for years, according to reviews).
- Little to no maintenance.
Cons:
What to consider before purchasing Fur Zapper:
- Shouldn’t use with fabric softener or dryer sheets.
- Keep out of pet reach. Shadow wanted to eat it!.
How to Use the Fur Zapper
Prepare to wash laundry as you usually do. Place washables inside the washer, drop in a Fur Zapper disc and run the cycle as normal. The Fur Zapper circulates with the clothes, dislodging hair and pet fur so it rinses out and drains with the water.
Don’t overload the washer or dryer. The disk needs room to circulate. For extra-furry loads, you can use both Fur Zapper disks to increase the effectiveness. Don’t add fabric softener, which interferes with hair removal.
When finished, place your clothes into the dryer along with the disk or disks. Warmth from the dryer helps activate and increase the “stickiness” to pull off even more pet hair. Avoid dryer sheets, which also reduce the effectiveness.
As a reminder, you’ll only see a few stray hairs clinging to the Fur Zapper. In the wash cycle, the loosened fur washes down the drain. And in the dryer cycle, the loosened hair collects in the lint catcher, not on the disk itself. Between washes, you also can run pet hair-covered clothes in the dryer with a Fur Zapper disc to pull off extra fuzz.
Does the Fur Zapper Work?
I was worried the stickiness would eventually wash away or the whole disk would stick to the sides of the washer or dryer. None of that happened.
With use, the stickiness does fade. Instructions say to keep the disks sticky by hand washing with dish soap every few loads. Somehow, that seemed counterintuitive since the disks have already gone through the wash cycle, but reviewers agree this helps.
My dog Shadow has relatively short fur and a thick undercoat, but nothing like my old German Shepherd, so I didn’t have dramatic results. Also, in the wintertime, I really need the added anti-static properties of fabric softener or a dryer sheet, so I disliked choosing between static or fur.
Still, I noticed a marked improvement in the clothes coming out of the dryer and an increase in debris in the lint trap. For me, the Fur Zapper worked moderately well.
What other reviewers had to say
Amazon posted more than 27,000 reviews for the Fur Zapper. Here’s what some reviewers had to say.
Amazon Verified purchaser T Poisson, who gave it five stars, writes: “I have a very big dog — 140 pounds worth of furry. He has a fuzzy undercoat that is incredible, but it gets everywhere. I use both of the Fur Zappers in the load.
“I put them in the washer and the dryer. For those loads with a lot of fuzz on them, I put the load in the dryer with the Fur Zappers before I wash to remove some of the excess. Then I wash the load with both Fur Zappers and then put them in the dryer. It beats trying to use a lint brush on your laundry before you wash.”
Deb.Bee, another verified Amazon purchaser, writes the Fur Zapper was “Exactly what I needed!” She continues: “I have two German Shepherds so controlling the fur is a never ending battle. I am really happy to report that this product lives up to their claim.
“All of my dark clothes are coming out of the dryer practically fur-free. I use both disks at the same time and hand wash them with dish soap to remove the fur and make them sticky again. I’m going to give these to my friends who are also struggling with dog fur.”
Product Comparison
Over the years, I’ve tried many products to help control the fur on my clothes. The Fur Zapper should not replace grooming your pet. Simply combing and brushing your pets goes a long way toward reducing the hair that will end up on clothes. It also prevents painful matted fur and hairballs that you step on while barefoot at 3 AM.
Most other products, like lint rollers or scrapers that de-pill sweaters, require a lot of work. Brushing and combing your clothes takes time, and if you’re like me, you have better things to do — like maybe helping out at your local animal shelter. For an easy-to-use inexpensive answer to reducing pet hair on clothes, the Fur Zapper can’t be beat.
Final Verdict
Does the Fur Zapper live up to the hype? There are mixed reviews, and frankly, that probably has to do with a couple of things. First, following the directions gives the Fur Zapper the best opportunity to work. I’ll admit that the first couple of loads I tested, I added a dryer sheet without thinking about it. When I remembered to leave it out, I had better results.
Second, the Fur Zapper does NOT collect the fur, so you won’t see satisfying clumps of hair on the product. Finally, your success depends on your individual pet, how many pets you have and the clothes involved. After all, every dog’s and cat’s fur interacts differently with a variety of fabrics.
The Fur Zapper isn’t a miracle worker. But it’s easy to use and offers modest-to-great results depending on the pets and fabrics — all at an economical price. And it lasts virtually forever. One reviewer noted she’s had hers since 2017 and they still work.
For me, it’s well worth adding the Fur Zapper to my laundry routine — especially when I’m washing dog coats and fur-covered blankets.
Where to Buy the Fur Zapper
Multiple retailers sell The Fur Zapper, at prices ranging from $11.99 to $14.99 for a two-pack. It’s available at Amazon, Walmart and Chewy.
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Article source here: Our Pet Editor Tried the Fur Zapper Pet Hair Remover
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