Does pet dander stay in the washing machine? (+ Solution)
If you have a problem with pet dander (Click here for the best solution, on Amazon) you may be wondering if, after you’ve attempted to wash it in your machine, if it will leave dander inside.
Does pet dander stay in the washing machine?
Pet dander will stay in your washing machine after your wash. This is because, even on the hottest setting, it is known to get rid of up to 90% of the dander. Therefore, as good as this is, there will still be some leftover inevitably.
What you will need to get rid of dander & help allergies
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Also, if you wash it at a lower temperature, you can expect 60% or less to be removed. However, before cranking up the temperature to get rid of it, you need to check your clothing (Can Febreze help with cat pee smells? Click here) labels to make sure that it will not mess with your linen.
So, now you know that pet dander can stay in the washing machine. But, how can you get rid of the leftover dander? Can a vacuum help to remove the dander of your clothes? Will an air purifier help you? Keep reading for these answers, and so much more.
How can you get rid of the leftover dander?
You may be wondering, now that you know that pet dander can stay in the washing machine, how you can get rid of the leftovers, right?
To get rid of the leftover dander you need to clean out the washing machine regularly. Also, you need to consider running an empty cycle of washing to avoid it mixing with your next load of washing. If your allergies are really bad, you can even consider running an empty cycle with some bleach in there for a thorough clean.
So now you know how you can get rid of the leftover dander in your washing machine after the cycle.
What causes cat allergies?
If you are having a problem with cat allergies you may be wondering what actually causes this in the first place, right?
Cat allergies are mainly caused by the “Fel D1” found in it. It makes it into your clothes. And then from this point, it is easily carried from place to place. Also, if you have large groups of people, for example, schools. The dander can carry within the clothes quite easily.
So, now you know what causes cat allergies and how easy the dander can spread.
How can dander affect you?
If you are researching the effects of cat dander or you are an allergy sufferer you may be wondering how it can affect you.
Dander can affect your breathing, causing breathing issues, sneezing, or coughing. For asthma sufferers, it is a known trigger of physical reactions. However, the severity of this reaction differs from person to person. And, can vary quite significantly.
So now you know how dander can affect you.
Is handwashing effective for cat dander?
If you are looking for other ways to proactively get rid of cat dander you may be wondering if hand-washing your clothes is a good method for this.
Hand washing your clothes is not effective on its own. Because you will need a high water temperature to get the best benefit. And, as you can assume, your hands can only handle so much water heat. However, if you use a detergent (Click here to see what I mean, on Amazon) it can deal with the dander.
The beauty of this detergent is, it can deal with the dander without relying on overly hot water. Meaning, hand washing your clothes is more effective, are you with me?
Can a vacuum suck up dander off your clothes?

Can a vacuum suck up dander off your clothes?
You may have heard rumors of people using their vacuum cleaner to get rid of loose pieces of dander (Click here to see the best one, on Amazon) on their clothes. But, is this true, or is it just a rumor?
Yes, a vacuum cleaner can be used to suck up dander off your clothes (Is your cat messing with your laundry hamper too? Click here). And, if for the best effect you need to either grab the hand attachment and try to do it yourself. Or, ask a friend, or your partner, to suck up the dander.
So, now you know a vacuum cleaner that can be used to suck off loose bits of dander off your clothing.
What vacuum cleaners should you use?
Now that you know that the right vacuum cleaner can be used to help to eradicate dander (Click here to see the price on Amazon) you may be curious to see what type of vacuum cleaner you’ll need for this.
The best vacuum cleaners for cat dander are ones that have a HEPA filter within them (Click here to see an example, on Amazon). These vacuums are designed to deal with dander and can also be used to clean the dander off of your clothes.
So, now you know the type of vacuum cleaner that you’ll need to get rid of the dander effectively.
Should you dust the cat dander, instead of a washing machine?
You may be wondering if dusting around your home is a better long-term solution.
Dusting dander is not a good idea. Especially, dry dusting. This is because dry dusting is known to trigger cat allergies. If you must persist with this, you must have a good air purifier (Click here for the price on Amazon) and ideally a separate HEPA air filter that will attach to your AC unit (Click here to see what I mean, on Amazon).
These devices will help the dander to stop circulating your home. So, now you know that dusting cat dander is not a good idea unless you have the right tools to back it up, are you with me?
Is an air purifier useful as well as washing?
You may be wondering if these air purifiers (Click here to see the reviews on Amazon) that I mentioned earlier are a good addition to washing your clothes.
Air purifiers are very useful, especially when combined with washing your clothes. An air purifier that is designed to deal with cat dander is good as well as dealing with other allergies in general. It will not only deal with the dander. It can also deal with other allergy triggers like pollen or smoke in the air.
So, now you know that an air purifier is a useful tool to help with your allergies.
Are there alternatives to hot washing for dander?
You may be wondering, instead of using hot temperatures to wash out the dander (can it make you itch? click here), if there are other ways to deal with this, right?
According to this site, you can get away with lowering the temperature and getting rid of pet dander if you rinse it twice after at a lower temperature. So this may be something that you might need to test to see if it works for you.
So, now you know there are alternatives to washing your clothes at high temperatures.
What precautions can you take when dealing with dander?
If you are thinking of ways that you can be proactive deal with cat dander, keep reading.
A face mask is a good precaution when dealing with cat dander (Click here to see why I rate like this one, on Amazon). For the best results use it whenever you’re trying to clean or remove dander from your home, vacuuming, etc. It will help with other allergens like pollen, too.
So now you know a handy proactive method that you can use to deal with cat dander around your home.
Is re-flooring necessary to avoid cat dander?
If you are moving into a new home you may be thinking of what you need to do to stop the cat dander affecting you if you are allergy-prone.
If you’re moving into a new home reflooring is a good method to avoid cat dander. If you have really bad cat allergies and especially if the home is carpeted (Click here to see how to prevent your cat ripping it up) it is good to replace it. And, if you do go down this route, you should replace it with tiles because they are non-porous and therefore the dander cannot penetrate it.
so, now you know replacing the flooring is a good approach to avoid cat dander (Click here for a great solution, on Amazon) in a new home.