We’re a pet household. Probably to an extent that most would consider over-the-top. At one time, we had four dogs living under one roof. Unfortunately, three of those four dogs passed on, but that was years ago. Today, we have two dogs, two cats, a bearded dragon, and, despite many protests from me — the Dad — a bunny.

I did tell you we’re a pet household, didn’t I? 

Regardless, with all of those animals and four humans packed into our dwelling, things can get pretty dusty and dirty in the house. One of our dogs, a Louisiana Catahoula, sheds quite a bit. The cats, while not long-haired, also shed quite a bit. We do a good job of cleaning the house, but that hair finds its way into so many places, like our laundry.

Once you wash and dry your clothes with hair tangled in there, it’s nearly impossible to separate it all. The dryer makes it stick to the clothes more than it did before going in. And if you have dark clothes or dark blankets, well, you might as well forget trying to look like you’re clean and put together. We keep a lint brush handy at all times. Trust me, that’s not a fool-proof backup, though.

That’s where the FurZapper pet hair remover comes into the picture. It’s a small, sticky-ish module that you can toss in the washer and dryer, and it helps remove pet hair and other debris from your clothes. It’s ridiculously simple. There are no buttons or extra functions to deal with. It has no electronics or anything I would consider “high-tech” involved. You throw it in your washer or dryer and go.

But the monumental question that everyone is coming here for — including probably you — does it work? Does it actually remove pet hair and debris? Is it worth the price?

Grab a drink or a snack and let’s tumble around the drum. Get it? Like a dryer? Okay, moving on, sorry.

What is the FurZapper pet hair remover?

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

Available in single or double packs, the FurZapper pet hair remover is a round, sticky-like gadget that you toss into your washer or dryer with your clothes. Pockmarked in the center, like a cute little reminder, is a cutout of a paw. It comes in vibrant shades of green and yellow; we have both, and there’s not much to its appearance other than that.

The FurZapper effectively loosens up pet hair and other tough debris, which goes down the drain — in the washer — or pops in the lint trap.

According to the brand, it’s hypoallergenic, made of natural materials, and chemical-free. I’m no scientist, but that does seem to be the case. It doesn’t smell or have an offensive odor after use, even after tossing it in the hot dryer. It doesn’t seem to stick to or ruin clothes, fabrics, and other washables either.

It’s reusable, near-endlessly, and you don’t need to wash it. It gets washed when you do your laundry. If things get stuck to it, you can use soap and water. For example, on one of our washes, it picked up a whole lot of glitter from an old dress my wife was cleaning. A quick handwash removed that, and thank the gods because I hate glitter. 

You can also hand wash in warm water with mild soap or detergent to boost the stickiness if you notice it fading.

Does it work?

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

I’m going to level with you here. The FurZapper will not remove every single piece of debris or lint, and every strand of hair — human or pet. I’m not even sure such a product exists. There will always be some level of unwanted materials in your dryer and washer. But I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that the FurZapper does an excellent job of removing most pet hair.

It’s simple and cost-effective, and thanks to its reusability, there’s almost no reason not to have one handy in your home, unless you have no pets at all.

The FurZapper itself doesn’t collect the hair or lint; instead, it merely frees it from the clutches of fabrics, where it will either ball up or get sucked into the lint trap. There were a few times when we found clumps of hair at the bottom of the dryer. But that’s still beneficial because it’s not stuck to blankets or clothes. That doesn’t happen with the washer, as everything seems to exit through the drain.

By now, you’ve figured out you can use it in both the washer and the dryer, and yes, it can get wet. The most questionable part, and one I was concerned about, is how it will hold up in a dryer with the extreme heat. I did see some reviews on retail sites mentioning the FurZapper melted. And the material feels soft, since it’s silicone and, by all rights, does seem like it could melt.

That hasn’t happened with our FurZappers.

The FurZapper is surprisingly durable

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

In fact, for weeks to months, we haven’t seen the FurZapper change much, if at all, even with an endless array of wash and dry cycles. It hasn’t shrunk in size, which is something I expected to happen. It hasn’t broken, flaked, or cracked in any way. The coloring hasn’t faded. It certainly hasn’t melted, and it hasn’t left any residues or odd smells on the fabrics. They have gotten a little dirty from time to time after use, mostly particles, dust and stuff sticking to the surface. You can probably see this reflected in the after-use pictures. But they’re sticky, so that’s expected. Plus, a quick handwash with soap and water removes all that easily.

If you must know, we have an LG washer and dryer set from 2018, and they are high-efficiency models. So, they’re relatively modern and they’ve always been decent about getting rid of hair. The FurZapper cranked things up a notch. 

I’m not sure how or if the FurZapper would be affected by older model washing and drying machines — I remember my old school dryer used to get crazy hot. I haven’t seen any model restrictions mentioned.

What does FurZapper help clean?

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

Pet hair is the big one. But it also helps collect human hair, as evidenced by my wife and daughter’s irritating hair litter, dust, and other little debris like cotton or fabric pieces, small dirt flecks, and more.

It’s not going to do much against mud and other contaminants. But the washer will take care of that stuff anyway, provided you have a reliable system.

Like I said above, the real goal is to loosen up some of that stuff so it either goes down the drain, is collected by the lint trap, or can be easily removed by you once you pull the load out of the dryer. That has largely been true, and describes the experience my wife and I have with the FurZapper pet hair remover. It’s reliable and makes things a lot less, well, fuzzy and hairy.

We tried a lot to remove pet hair before this

Before using this little gadget, we’ve tried pretty much everything from pre-treating and cleaning the apparel, using various “pet” branded products, and vacuuming the clothes when they’re done cleaning. Most of those methods either add a lot of extra work or flat out don’t help. 

We also use a little bit of vinegar in each wash cycle because the water down here in Florida is, well, let’s just say the vinegar helps neutralize odors. And there are quite a few guides that recommend using vinegar to loosen pet hair. In my experience, that doesn’t work well either.

FurZapper is, so far, the only direct product we’ve used that has helped measurably. Now, it’s important to follow that up with the reminder that we have a new washer and dryer set. We’re happy with our set already, and it was decent at removing hair to begin with.

FurZapper pet hair power UNTAPPED

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

An excellent example of the FurZapper’s power was when we decided to wash the dog beds. Our Catahoula, as I’ve said, sheds profusely. Dog hair obscenely covered her bed; it was nasty. All of it is now gone. FurZapper helped remove it. Previously, a considerable amount of hair remained after washing. This time, it was free and clear.

Another thing we did notice, although it may be a coincidence, is that we’ve had to clean out the lint trap in our dryer much more often. Usually, we just scrape out the net after every cycle, and then every month or so, we actually get in there with a vacuum and clean it out. During the testing period, it seems to have accumulated more lint than usual, and we’ve had to clean it out weekly. Again, I’m talking about the entire trap, including down inside the crevices — not just the removable net that collects lint in bunches.

Take that as you will.

Where does it have difficulties?

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

As I mentioned, the FurZapper isn’t meant to clean out every single piece of hair or debris, at least that’s how I interpret its use. What it does is make the hair and other elements easier to clean out, whether that’s scooping out the bundle yourself, or ensuring it all ends up in the lint trap or down the drain.

While we did clean the dog bed, which is a large, fluffy pillow, and it worked well, I have noticed that the FurZapper has a little more trouble with thick blankets. I’m referring to your average thick blankets or comforters. I’m not sure if that’s because of the more dense or heavier materials, or if it’s just because there’s too much stuffed into the washer and dryer when they’re in there.

FurZapper handles sheets, thin blankets, towels, clothing, dog beds, pillows, and almost everything else just fine.

What’s the verdict, and the price?

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

A single FurZapper pet hair remover is $11 at full price, while a two-pack is $17. Usually, you can find this handy little gadget on sale for even cheaper, whether through Walmart, Amazon, or Chewy. If you can find it cheaper, fantastic. Knowing what I do now, and how well it works, I would be willing to pay full price.

Seeing as you can reuse the FurZapper over and over, and you don’t need to replace them, for the most part, it’s a small price to pay. You could get away with a single one, but if you have two, you can dedicate one to the washer and one to the dryer, like we have.

Would I recommend this? Yes. But not just for pet owners and pet homes, everyone who’s tired of small debris and hair getting into their clean clothes. Of course, it works best with pet hair, and that’s what it was designed for. You still need to keep that lint brush handy, especially for dress clothes, but you don’t have to brush as much — that alone is worth it.

• Recommended Buy: Yes, for pet owners.
• For Who: Always find hair, lint, and other debris in your dryer after a wash-dry cycle? The FurZapper is for you. It works best for pet hair, but anyone can benefit.
• Alternative: N/A
• MSRP: $16 for 2-pack