How to Get Pet Hair Off a Microfiber Couch

To get pet hair off a microfiber couch, roll it into clumps with a rubber glove or rubber pet-hair brush, using light strokes in one direction. Then vacuum with the upholstery and crevice tools, and brush the nap smooth with a soft brush. Check the cleaning code on the tag before anything gets damp.

Bissell’s microsuede care guide calls pet hair a particular challenge on this fabric, but the routine is gentle, and a dish glove and the vacuum you already own cover most of it.

Check the cleaning code before anything gets damp

A slightly damp rubber glove is a common trick, but not every microfiber sofa can take water. Look for the cleaning code on the care tag, often found under the seat cushions or on the deck. Ashley Furniture’s and Norwalk Furniture’s care pages define the codes like this:

Code	What the maker allows	What it means for pet hair
W	Water-based cleaners, without overwetting	A barely damp, wrung-out rubber glove is fine
S	Solvent-based cleaners only, no water	Keep every step dry
WS, W/S, or S-W	Water-based or solvent cleaners, without saturating	A barely damp glove is fine, used sparingly
X	Vacuuming or light brushing only	Dry tools only. Leave any cleaning to a professional

No tag, or you can’t read it? Keep every step dry.

Even on W fabric, use as little moisture as you can. Bissell’s microsuede care guide notes that water marks happen when only part of a surface gets wet, which is what a dripping glove can do to one corner of a cushion.

The routine, step by step

1. Take the cushions off. Hair tends to collect on the deck, along the back seam, and on the sides of the cushions. Work the cushions on a clean floor or bed, and do both faces if they’re reversible.
2. Loosen the hair with rubber. Use a rubber dish glove, a rubber pet-hair brush, or a clean, dry window squeegee. Pull it toward you in short strokes, all in one direction, with light pressure, so the hair gathers into clumps you can pick off by hand. Dampen the glove only if your code includes a W. If the fabric is old or delicate, try a hidden spot first.
3. Vacuum with the upholstery tool. Make slow, overlapping strokes across each cushion. For microsuede, Bissell recommends vacuuming against the nap to lift embedded debris. Then switch to the crevice tool for seams, piping, and the deck.
4. Brush the nap back down. Microsuede and other brushed microfibers have a nap: the fibers lean one way. Stroke the fabric with your palm to find the smooth direction. Bissell recommends brushing the nap in that direction with a soft brush, and Ashley’s care page notes that pile fabrics may need brushing to restore their appearance.
5. Touch up the stragglers. A light pass with a lint roller or a reusable pet-hair roller catches what’s left.

Which tool for which job

Tool	Where it shines on microfiber	Watch out for
Rubber dish glove	Cushions, arms, and piping. Free if you already own one	Damp only if your code includes a W
Rubber pet-hair brush	The same jobs, a little faster on big areas	Keep pressure light. Hard scrubbing can rough up the nap
Clean window squeegee	Large, flat seat cushions	Use it dry and clean, or it spreads grime
Vacuum upholstery tool	Weekly upkeep and lifting the loosened clumps	Empty the bin often. A full one can lose suction
Motorized pet tool	Clingy hair on sturdy microfiber	Test on a hidden spot first
Sticky lint roller	Quick touch-ups before guests	Refills add up across a whole sofa
Reusable pet-hair roller	Medium cling across the whole couch, with no refills	Test on a hidden spot first

Start with what you have. A dish glove and a vacuum are often enough, and a rubber brush is mainly worth buying if you de-hair the sofa every few days.

Buying criteria

Choosing rubber pet-hair brushes and gloves

• Soft, flexible rubber bristles
• A size that fits seams and car footwells

• Hard-edged rubber blades on velvet or bouclé

We haven’t verified specific products here yet, so we list criteria instead of guessing.

Search Amazon for “rubber pet hair removal brush” (opens in a new tab; affiliate link)

Search results aren’t vetted by us, so check each listing against the criteria above. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Seams, piping, and the gap under the cushions

The flat surfaces are the easy part. Hair packs into seams, piping, and the crease where the back meets the deck, and that’s where it builds into fuzzy lines that make a clean couch look neglected.

• Flick it out first with a soft, dry brush. A clean paintbrush works well.
• Follow right away with the crevice tool, before the loosened hair settles back in.
• Run a rubber glove along the piping to catch the last strands.

If seams are your main problem, the Fix Finder for pet hair in couch seams builds a plan around them.

What to skip on microfiber

• Dryer sheets and fabric-softener sprays. Both show up in pet-hair “hacks,” but the ASPCA warns that fabric softeners contain cationic detergents that can cause drooling, vomiting, mouth and esophageal ulcers, and fever in pets, and that a pet chewing a new, unused dryer sheet can develop mouth ulcers. A couch your pet sleeps on is the wrong place for either.
• Spraying or soaking the fabric. Wetting one patch can leave water marks, and on S- or X-coded microfiber, water isn’t allowed at all.
• Pet-hair stones. They’re abrasive. As a rule of thumb, keep them for tough, low-pile carpet, such as car floor mats, and off upholstery.
• Wire brushes and hard scrubbing. Even for X-coded fabric, Norwalk’s care page calls for a non-metallic brush. As a rule of thumb, light, one-way strokes are gentler on the nap than back-and-forth scrubbing.

Keep the hair from coming back

• Cover your pet’s favorite spot with a washable throw or furniture cover. Shake it outside before washing, and see our guide to pet hair in the laundry for keeping that hair out of the rest of the load.
• Do a quick pass every week. Bissell’s microsuede guide recommends vacuuming weekly. A fast rubber-glove sweep between vacuums helps keep it manageable.
• Brush your pet regularly, outdoors when you can. Every hair caught in the brush is one less on the couch.
• Watch for changes. If shedding suddenly increases or you notice bald patches, check with your vet.

When this won’t be enough

• The fabric looks matted, shiny, or darker where your pet lies. That often means oil and dirt have built up along with the hair, and removing hair won’t fix it. It needs cleaning that follows your code. Bissell advises spot-testing in a hidden area and letting it dry before cleaning the full surface, then cleaning the entire cushion face rather than just the stained area.
• Your code is S or X, or there’s no tag, and the hair is mixed with grime or odor. Norwalk says S-coded fabric should be cleaned by a professional furniture cleaning service, and both Norwalk and Ashley say X-coded fabric shouldn’t get water- or solvent-based cleaners at all. Call an upholstery cleaner and tell them the fabric type and the code.
• Hair is back within a day. Your pet is likely shedding heavily, or the throw isn’t on the spot your pet actually uses. Prevention will do more than another cleaning tool.

Want a plan for your exact couch? Use the Fix Finder for pet hair on furniture.

Other fabrics need a different approach

Velvet’s pile can crush, so it needs a gentler routine that works with the pile rather than against it. See how to get pet hair off a velvet couch. For rugs, see how to get pet hair out of carpet, and for the car, how to remove embedded pet hair from car carpet. You’ll find more pet fixes on the pets hub.