It’s everywhere you look – on the couch, under the bookshelves, and in the closet. Dog hair is an accepted part of life when it comes to owning your furry best friend.
When you brush out your dog, you clean out their brush, as well as vacuum or sweep regularly. However, have you ever considered that there might be something else to do with all of that shedding? Read ahead to find out some creative ways to reuse Fido’s fur.
Furry Felting
We have all seen the adorable, needle-felted creations that handmade artists have been making for ages. They are traditionally made from wool roving and come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. That said, dog fur makes an easy substitution for the wool roving in needle felting. It can also act as the necessary fiber for wet felting. Either option is the perfect way to preserve a piece of your pup in a handmade creation.
Spin Custom Yarns
Another crafty way to reuse and preserve your dog’s fur is to spin it into yarn*. It is officially called chiengora – wool spun from dog fur. It is a process you can do yourself or hire someone to complete for you. Many companies offer this as a service if you wish to send the fur off and receive yarn in return. Once you have it, use it just as you would use any other type of yarn in knitting, crocheting, or various other creative adventures.
*It is important to mention that you can only spin fur that brushes out of your dog. No clippings from a groomer or shedding blade are suitable. The entire hair shaft is needed to be able to spin the yarn.
Brush It Out For The Birds
Every bird loves a cozy nest. Each springtime, birds construct new nests and need quality insulation. You can provide just that with the hair that your dog sheds – make sure that any pet fur that you leave out does not have flea or tick chemicals present.
The hair should be left in easily accessible places for birds. A few examples are tops of bushes, stuck in suet cages, or a mesh bag; Quick and easy fur disposal for you, and warm nests for the birds.
Oil Spill Clean-Up
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) project found that dog fur and human hair products — recycled from salon wastes and dog groomers — can be just as good as synthetic fabrics at cleaning up crude oil spills on hard land surfaces like highway roads, pavement, and sealed concrete floors. Give it a try if you see oil on your garage floor!
Did you know that you can donate your dog fur (and your hair, for that matter) to help with oil spills? The Matter of Trust, an ecological non-profit, collects these donations and fabricates them into mats and containment booms. The mats line storm drains to keep motor oil from entering our waterways. The containment booms help contain oil spills, which help keep beaches clean; 400,000 pounds of their containment booms were sent to the Gulf Coast in 2010 to help with the BP oil spill cleanup.
If you would like more information, visit Matter of Trust to find out how to donate.
Great For The Garden
Not only is dog fur an insulator for bird nests and a material for oil spill cleanup, but it is also an overlooked garden helper. Loose fur can help deter garden pests such as rabbits and other small animals due to your pup’s pungent odor. You can also loosely pack the fur at the base of plants. It will act as a trap for pesky bugs such as slugs and snails and will naturally deteriorate over time; this means you can mix it in with any compost pile.
No matter what you currently do with your dog’s shed fur, there are various other options to reuse it if you wish. If none of the above interests you, feel free to keep tossing it in the garbage. As mentioned, it naturally degrades no matter what you do with it!
Fun Art
Source
This fun piece from Murat Yıldırım, replicating Vincent van Gogh’s “A Starry Night”, is definitely something we would want in our homes. Not only is it great to look at, but looks incredibly soft to touch as well!
With a little imagination and creativity, you could recreate a masterpiece or make your very own.
Need Help Cleaning Up The Fur Around Your House Or Vehicle? Try This
The Magic Fur™ Remover is like your own personal magic wand. Wave it over the fur on your furniture and it disappears like magic.
