Embedded Pet Fur: The Ultimate Vacuum Test

The frustration of embedded fur is just one reason pet parents say fur is their biggest cleanup challenge, according to BISSELL research.

“I’ve had pet owners tell me they would need tweezers to clean the fur from their couch – embedded fur is just that hard to get out,” says Rich VanElls, Senior Test Engineer for BISSELL.

But don’t reach for your tweezers just yet: The BISSELL® Pet Proven™ certification system was developed to ensure products remove even the toughest pet messes, including embedded fur. Here, Rich walks us through the ins and outs of embedded pet fur, including the types of fur most likely to embed as well as the new FurFinder™ Tool, which makes the PowerClean™ FurFinder™ Stick Vac especially effective at removal.

What is embedded fur?

A majority of dog and cat breeds shed. As new fur grows in, the old fur falls off. When it lands on a soft surface, it can gradually push into the woven fibers and become embedded.

“Imagine your cat has a loose piece of fur on its belly,” says Rich. “When it lays down on the couch, its own body weight can force the fur into the upholstery. With regular pressure, over a few weeks this fur will weave its way into the fibers.”

Do certain types of fur embed more easily?

Some breeds have fur that is more prone to embedding. For example, when Rich and his team were looking for the best fur for embedding tests, they found the fluffy fur of German Shepards and Bernese Mountain Dogs was so light and fine it clumped together to form “tumbleweeds” on top of the fabric.

In contrast, straight, stiff pet fur poked its way right into upholstery – like a needle would. One breed, in particular, had fur that wove its way into fabric and then hung on fast, making it the ultimate challenge for testing vacuums on embedded fur.

“In the world of product testing, we want to know our vacuums work on the absolute  toughest materials,” says Rich. “If a test is difficult to pass, you have to have a better product.”

How are vacuums tested on embedded fur removal?

Two main steps go into preparing embedded fur test samples: gather lots of fur, then embed it into fabric for testing.

“One hundred percent of the fur we use in tests is gathered from pet parents here at BISSELL,” says Rich. “I know the dogs whose fur I test most because they come into the office with their pet parents. A few of them are big shedders – and they are absolutely vital to what we do.”

It can take weeks for fur to embed naturally, so Rich and his team speed up the process by collecting loose fur from BISSELL Associates and crafting their own embedded fur samples.

Vacuum testing criteria is generated by a few industry organizations; additional BISSELL-specific product tests are created by Rich and his team.

Why does the PowerClean™ FurFinder™ Stick Vac remove embedded fur so well?

As the name suggests, the PowerClean™ FurFinder™ Stick Vac was designed to be a powerful fur removal machine. The cordless 3-in-1 device transforms from a stick vac to a handheld or a high-reach vac, so you can target pet fur and other messes anywhere they appear.

The stick vac also features a Tangle-Free Brush Roll, which removes frustrating hair wrap while you clean, and FurFinder™ Headlight Technology, which allows you to see three times more pet fur than Dyson Detect V15².