The 10 Best Carpet Rakes
Special Honors
Oxo FurLifter To use the Oxo FurLifter, simply mimic the pulling motion you’d employ while raking leaves, then watch as the dirt and hair get eradicated from your rug. Its brush head is made from durable microfiber, and it collects the debris in an attached canister for easy disposal. oxo.com
Editor's Notes
June 25, 2021:
Just one change made worth nothing. We replaced a poorly performing handheld model with the Carrand 93112, which is pretty simple as well as durable and reasonably priced. The other important point we want to make is that if you're having trouble getting good results with a carpet rake, try spritzing the carpet with water and letting it soak in for just a bit. After that, depending on your carpet type and pile height, using either the brush or squeegee side of the rake should be much more effective.
February 11, 2020:
Since it is no longer available on Amazon, we removed the Oxo Good Grips FurLifter from the main list, adding it to the Special Honors section instead. We also eliminated the Grandi Groom CRW due to ineffectiveness and the LandHope Sweeper because of poor craftsmanship and lack of durability.
Of the four new additions, two have rubber bristles, one has silicone bristles, and the other is made with metal tines. While the rubber and silicone bristles offer versatility and the ability to be used on multiple surfaces, the metal prongs on the Quality Line Universal are more effective on carpet specifically.
The Anoda Remover comes with an additional brush and dust pan, which are useful for cleaning up any errant debris left over from the raking session.
And Abridged Look At The Carpet
Simple mats made of woven reeds, grasses, and other fibers were also used as early floor coverings.
The first carpets were likely animal pelts spread out on the floors of primitive dwelling both to provide warmth from the chill of the ground or floor, and to add comfort to the home's occupants as they sat or slept. Simple mats made of woven reeds, grasses, and other fibers were also used as early floor coverings.
The carpet much as we know it today can trace its origins back at least 5,000 years, with archeological evidence pointing to knotted carpets woven by artisans in western Asia and the Middle East. These earliest carpets were woven using wool spun from sheared sheep and goats. In many parts of the world, carpets would evolve over time into masterpieces of great artistic prowess, with Persian, Chinese, and French rugs all displaying unique characteristics and unquestionable quality.
Some carpets were woven to depict scenes of battle, religious devotion, or pastoral tranquility; others were designed with famously intricate repeating patterns. Some carpets, better thought of as tapestries, were made to hang on walls as artwork and to add insulation, while others were used during prayer or funerary proceedings.
Throughout the course of the past several thousand years, arguably billions of carpets have been made with the primary purpose of providing floor coverage. At its most basic description, a carpet can be thought of as a textile consisting of a backing material and an upper layer, often called the pile, designed to serve as a durable floor covering. There are myriad fabrics used to make carpets; many are natural, such as cotton and wool, while others are synthetic, with polypropylene and polyester being common choices thanks to their low cost and durability.
While the words "carpet" and "rug" are often used interchangeably, in fact they are distinct. The primary difference is that carpet can refer to a textile floor covering that fills many rooms of a single property, whereas rugs are distinct to a single space. A rug may fill a room, but it will not span multiple rooms, and is more often sized for a specific area of a room, such as inside an entryway or at the center of grouped furniture.
Carpets can make a space feel more inviting and comfortable, and are often an affordable floor covering solution. However, they can also be hard to keep clean, given their susceptibility to absorb spilled liquids and minute debris. And as anyone with a carpet and a shedding animal in their lives will tell you, they are also veritable magnets for hair and fur.
Why A Carpet Rake Makes Sense
If you have ever tried to clean a rug matted down with pet hair, you know the frustration often involved in the process. Even many vacuums cannot lift out stubborn pet hair, which seems at times purpose built to lodge itself in the pile of certain carpets, functioning much the way the hook and loop system of velcro works. The longer hair stays atop and mashed into the carpet, the more difficult the removal process will become.
Beyond the eyesore that pet hair can cause when it is matted into a carpet or rug or into the upholstery of the furniture, it can also cause more insidious issues. If you, a family member, or a guest has sensitive allergy issues, carpeting or upholstery filled with pet hair means a constant source of allergens being stirred up into the air. Thus a house free of pet hair not only looks better, but is safer and more pleasant, too.
If you have tried to remove pet hair with a vacuum, broom, or other methods to no great effect, then it is time you try a carpet rake. These tools are perfectly designed for clearing even stubborn, matted messes from the floor covering and upholstery of your residence, place of business, or your car.
Choosing The Right Carpet Rake
There are several different types of carpet rake, but before you consider which type makes the most sense for use in your home (or veterinary practice or grooming shop), you should first consider size. How large a carpet rake you need is dependent on more than just the area of your residence that is carpeted, but also on the amount and type of furniture out have that features upholstery which attracts hair. If your home has relatively little carpeting and few rugs and only a few fabric covered pieces of furniture, then a smaller handheld carpet rake will serve just fine.
If your home has relatively little carpeting and few rugs and only a few fabric covered pieces of furniture, then a smaller handheld carpet rake will serve just fine.
If, on the other hand, you have wall to wall carpets or huge area rugs, then by all means get a full sized carpet rake that can be used while you are standing up and to which maximum leverage can be applied with a long handle. These full sized carpet rakes are especially useful for hallways or large, open rooms, and for cleaning fur and hair off of carpeted stairs, as they allow you to stand on the ground or on one step and clean many steps without moving.
After size, you need to consider bristle material. A carpet rake with metal bristles may adroitly lift the hair out of a carpet, but might also risk scratching and even ruining certain types of upholstery. If you have fabric covered furniture or delicate carpets, then you might need to consider a carpet rake with rubber bristles or with a brush-style head that won't damage materials.
For the household with lots of carpets, lots of upholstered furniture, and lots of hairy or furry pets, you might in fact be well served to get one tough, full sized, metal bristled carpet rake for the floors, and another handheld brush for the rest of the home.