You Should Keep a Rubber Glove Under Your Couch Cushions—Here’s Why

With all the pricey upholstery cleaners on the market, separating the good from the bad to the just plain useless can be tricky. But what if we told you we found a chemical-free way to clean your upholstery that won’t cost you an arm and a leg?

A rubber glove, folks, a rubber freakin’ glove! Turns out just one latex glove—you know, the ones designed for heavy cleaning—can work wonders for removing pet hair and lint from your sofa—no additional cleaning supplies necessary!

Pet hair in other places? There’s a post for that: How to Remove Pet Hair From Furniture, Floors and More

So how can one measly rubber glove help keep your upholstery under control? Let me explain. There are actually two ways you can use a rubber glove to freshen up your sofa, curtains, and other fabric coverings:

The first, is simple chemistry. Don a rubber cleaning glove and rub your hands all over your upholstery to quickly pick up fuzz in a pinch. The friction between the glove and the fabric creates a static energy that causes stray debris, such as pet hair and small pieces of lint, to stick to the “conductor” (a.k.a. the static friction-activated glove).

The second way is just as easy, and only requires a little bit of water. Simply dampen your rubber glove and run your hand over the surface of your sofa to attract hair. The wet glove gently lifts fur from the upholstery and causes it to stick to it, so all you have to do is rinse off the glove when it’s covered and repeat as needed.

Seriously, stick a rubber glove under your sofa cushions and you’ll never have to scold Fido for jumping on the couch again.

Or if you feel like getting a little fancier with your rubber gloves, the web is brimming with inexpensive rubber gloves that have built-in scrubbers and scouring pads. So you can tackle the more dust-laden pieces of upholstery in your home, including window treatments and tall lampshades, and rid them of pet hair and other pesky particles with just one hand, too.

You and your four-legged family members can thank us later.