The UK Pet Hair Calendar: A Year of Google Searches, Month by Month

Every dog and cat owner knows there's a "bad month" for fur. We wanted to know when it actually is for the UK as a whole, so we looked at a year of Google searches. Not a survey and not a guess: the monthly search volumes for 1,115 UK search terms about shedding, pet hair, pet smell and washing machines, from September 2025 to August 2026.

Here's what the country was typing, month by month, and what it means for your sofa.

When is shedding season in the UK? The five findings

1. Dog shedding searches climb 64% from February to May. The spring moult is real, and May is the peak.
2. Cat shedding searches are about 2.5 times higher in June than in December. Cats peak a little later than dogs, in early summer.
3. "Washing machine smells" is a summer problem. Searches about smelly or dirty washing machines are 67% higher in June than in December.
4. Dog smell in the house is an autumn problem. Searches nearly double from April (the low) to November (the high).
5. Lint roller searches more than doubled in January, while searches for pet hair removers are highest in September and May.

1. Dogs: the spring moult peaks in May

We grouped 120 searches about dogs shedding or moulting (like "dog moulting", "deshedding brush for dogs" and "how to stop a dog from shedding"), leaving out searches about non-shedding breeds. They bottom out in February and rise to a peak in May and June, when double-coated dogs drop their winter undercoat.

What it means at home: start a weekly brushing habit in March, before the peak rather than in the middle of it. Five minutes on the pet saves an hour on the sofa. Our weekly routine for dog shedding takes you through it, and the right brush for double coats makes the biggest difference in those months.

2. Cats: a later, sharper peak in June

Searches about cats shedding (80 terms, from "cat shedding" to "why is my cat shedding so much") are at their lowest in December and reach their highest in June, about 2.5 times higher. The rise starts sharply in March. Indoor cats shed all year, but the spring jump shows up clearly in what owners search.

What it means at home: if your cat tolerates a glove better than a brush, spring is when it pays off. Here's why cats and dogs shed when they do, and whether a glove or a brush suits your pet.

3. Smelly washing machines: a summer search

This was the biggest group in our data: 114 searches about washing machines that smell or need cleaning, around 46,000 a month on average. They stay high from June to September and fall to their lowest in December. We can't see the reason in search data, but warm weather and more loads of bedding and towels are the usual suspects.

What it means at home: pet bedding and blankets add fur to that mix. Clean the filter and run an empty hot wash regularly, and more often in summer. Here's how to get pet hair out of a washing machine.

4. Dog smell in the house: an autumn search

Searches like "how to get rid of dog smell in house" run the other way: highest in October and November, lowest in April and May. That fits what most dog owners already know. Autumn means wet walks, damp coats, and windows that stay shut.

What it means at home: the smell lives in fabrics more than in the air, so sprays only cover it. Our guide on getting rid of dog smell in the house starts with the bedding and the sofa.

5. Lint rollers double in January; pet hair removers follow the shedding

Lint roller searches sit around 31,000 a month, then jump to about 67,000 in January, more than double. Our data shows the jump but can't tell us why. Searches for pet hair removers (104 terms, like "pet hair remover", "pet hair remover glove" and "car pet hair remover") behave differently: highest in September and May, lowest in December.

One more thing stood out. When people search for a pet hair remover for a specific place, the washing machine (about 1,010 searches a month across 7 terms) and the car (about 810) come well ahead of the sofa (about 190), even though the sofa is where most of us notice the fur. If you're comparing tools, our honest guide to which pet hair remover works on which surface covers all of them.

What should UK pet owners do each season?

• March: start weekly brushing before the spring moult.
• May to June: peak shedding for dogs, then cats. Brush twice a week, and keep the sofa and the car on a weekly routine (sofa guide, car seats guide).
• June to August: give the washing machine a monthly clean.
• October to November: wash pet bedding and throws weekly to stay ahead of the smell.
• All year: fur on your clothes? Here's what helps. The full picture, room by room, is in pet hair in the home.

How did we collect the data?

• Source: monthly Google search volume estimates for the United Kingdom from DataForSEO (based on Google Ads data), September 2025 to August 2026.
• Terms: we started from 10 topics (pet hair remover, dog shedding, cat shedding, dog moulting, deshedding brush, lint roller, washing machine smells, dog smell in house, dog hair on sofa, cat hair everywhere) and collected 1,115 unique related searches. Each chart adds up the searches in one group, described above it.
• Limits: these are estimates, rounded by Google, and they measure what people search, not what happens in their homes. Brand names are included where people searched them. One year of data shows a pattern; it doesn't prove a cause.
• Using our data: you're welcome to quote or chart these figures. Please credit Meoggy and link to this page. For questions or the full keyword list, email support@meoggy.com.