BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Vacuuming and air purging the loose debris inside a car can be time consuming enough. If there is excessive pet hair, the job becomes particularly frustrating for the detailing technician. This is especially true if a vacuum and compressed air are the only equipment available.

The job of pet hair removal can be greatly improved with some kind of device or tool to help grab the pet hairs and pull them out of the carpet fibers. To that end, several small tools are available, including gloves with a special rubberized “hand,” a brush with rubber bristles, a rubbery pet hair sponge and the pumice block.

The typical technique is to “rake” the pet hair toward you with one of these devices in one hand and the hose end, preferably with a crevice tool for extra suction, in the other hand. As the pet hair is loosened by the raking motion, the vacuum sucks away the hair.

Although each of the mentioned tools will be very helpful with pet hair, the pumice block seems to be the most efficient and is preferred by many detailers. A disadvantage of the pumice block is that it will scratch hard plastic trim pieces which often surround carpeting. However, proper training and careful use, this should not be a problem.

Regardless of the tool selected to help remove pet hair, the amount of time spent will likely be reduced by 50 to 75 percent. This time savings doesn’t mean, however, that pet hair removal should be included in a standard interior detail. Remember, with removal of excessive pet hair, extra value is added to the detail job, which should bring up the price accordingly. In short, excessive pet hair is not part of a normal interior detail.

This is a section from the September feature, “Interior detailing tips and tricks.” For more great interior detailing advice and tools, read the entire article here.