Best Lint Rollers

Buying guide for Best lint rollers

Your new black jacket flatters your figure perfectly, but the fabric acts like a magnet for every passing speck of dust. You love curling up on the couch with Fluffy to binge-watch your favorite show, but you aren’t nearly as fond of the fur clinging to your pants afterward. You accidentally washed that new towel with a load of clothing, and now everything is speckled with bits of terrycloth. Lint. It’s inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be unbeatable. With a handy lint roller, you can win the battle over all manner of wardrobe busters and look presentable again in no time.

While lint rollers don’t exactly require an advanced science degree to understand or use, it’s still true that there is a wide variety of them on the market, and that can make it tough to choose the right one for your specific needs. That’s why we’ve done the heavy lifting for you and written this guide to choosing and using a lint roller and related devices around the house and in your wardrobe.

There are several types of lint roller and lint remover, each with its own pros and cons.

Types of lint removers

There are quite a few types of gadgets meant to pick up dust, lint, and other small particles from fabric and hard surfaces, but despite the umbrella term of “lint roller,” not all of them roll. Still, all are undeniably handy, and every home should have at least one of the following devices, especially if you’re a pet owner.

Tape roller

Think of a lint roller and it’s probably a tape roller that comes to mind. These basic tools consist of a roll of perforated masking tape squares attached to a handle for easy use. Typically, the handle is reusable, but you replace the tape roll once it’s empty. Depending on the brand, there might be anywhere from 60 to 100 squares of tape per roll, and some manufacturers even offer scented tape. Using a tape roller is a cinch: just run the tape over your clothing, upholstery, or other lint, dust, or pet-hair bespeckled surface, and the tape gathers and holds the particles. Once finished, simply tear off the soiled square of tape and toss.

Tape rollers are inexpensive, especially good for picking up pet hair, and useful on a wide range of surfaces. On the downside, tearing off and throwing away the tape creates waste, and the tape rolls need replacing.

Pet-hair sponge

Basically a tightly knit, somewhat rubbery sponge, this device is a must-have for pet owners looking for a reusable solution to the problem of cat or dog hair on furniture and clothing. Simply wipe the sponge over the target area, and it grabs and holds even the longest or finest hair and fur. Pet-hair sponges are especially convenient for removing hair and dust from couches, bedding, drapes, and other large stretches of fabric or upholstery. Once finished, simply remove the hair from the sponge, leaving it clean and ready for your next use.

These sponges are very effective on pet hair, and there’s no waste. They’re best on large, flat areas, such as couches, chairs, and bedding, and particularly good at wiping hair off microfiber couches or chairs. On the downside, a sponge isn’t easy to use on clothing. You must remove the hair from the sponge by hand, and the sponge eventually breaks down and needs to be replaced.

Reusable lint roller

While one of the more complex types of lint-removal devices, a reusable lint roller is still pretty simple. This handy gadget has one or two rollers covered with slightly bristly fabric that grab onto pet hair, lint, dander, loose threads, and dust, and then deposit the gathered grunge into a holding compartment. Using a reusable lint roller is very simple: just roll the tool back and forth over your couch, pet bed, drapes, car seats, or any other large, flat surface that needs cleaning. Once the holding compartment is full, just open and toss away the dusty grime.

These rollers are reusable and create no waste. Like the pet-hair sponges, they’re very effective at getting pet hair off large, flat areas. On the downside, they aren’t the best choice for removing lint from clothing.

Lint brush

Perfect for removing lint and hair from clothing, a lint brush looks similar to a hairbrush, but instead of bristles, it has the same type of tufted fabric as found on reusable lint rollers. There’s no gathering compartment for collected lint and hair, which means you’ll need to use your fingers to remove the offending lint, but that’s a simple process. Lint brushes also work very well for removing lint and hair from furniture and drapes.

Lint brushes are reusable and don’t produce any waste. They are excellent for keeping clothing lint-free, and they’re good for travel. On the downside, you need to remove the lint and hair from the brush by hand

Tape-roller mop

Basically a tape roller with a long handle, a tape-roller mop makes it super easy to tackle balls of shed hair, lint, dust, and crumbs tumbling across your floors or along baseboards. As with smaller tape rollers, you simply tear off the soiled square of tape and toss it once you’ve finished cleaning.

Tape-roller mops are perfect for quick cleanup jobs on kitchen floors and other types of hard flooring. On the downside, they create waste, like the smaller tape rollers, and you’ll have to buy replacement rolls of tape.

Travel lint roller

You’ve traveled far for that big presentation only to discover that your suit is sprinkled with cat fur from that goodbye to Whiskers. To the rescue: a handy travel lint roller. While most of these gadgets are simply small, foldable, reusable lint brushes, some are designed as retractable tape rollers. Either way, if you travel frequently for business or just want to have the right size lint roller to store in your desk drawer, a travel lint roller is a must.

Travel lint rollers are perfect for travel or work. On the downside, the small size isn’t well suited to cleaning couches or other furniture.

Sticky lint roller

If you like the convenience of a tape roller but aren’t so crazy about the waste, you’ll love a sticky lint roller. It operates in the same fashion, but instead of disposable squares of tape, it has a reusable, sticky rubber roller that grabs onto hair, lint, dust, and crumbs and then rinses clean in the sink. You’ll find them in a range of sizes from small to large.

Sticky lint rollers are very effective on pet hair and create no waste. On the downside, they do need to be rinsed frequently during use and dried before reuse, so they aren’t the best choice for large areas, such as furniture.

Lint roller prices

You can find lint rollers for as little as $5 or as much as $30. Keep in mind, however, that you must buy replacement rolls for tape lint rollers, which adds to the lifetime cost.

Inexpensive

Generally, you can buy most travel-size lint rollers, a lint brush, or a tape roller for around $5, with replacement rolls for tape rollers typically costing $3 to $4 each. 

Mid-range

Expect to pay between $5 and $10 for a pet-hair sponge.  Most sticky lint rollers cost between $10 and $15

Expensive

You’ll typically pay around $20 for a reusable lint roller, but you'll only need to buy it once. Expect to pay between $20 and $30 for a tape-roller mop and around $5 for refill rolls of tape.

Tips

While lint rollers are, of course, perfect for removing dander, dust, lint, and pet hair from your clothing, their usefulness isn’t confined to your wardrobe. Here are a few other ways to put these handy tools to use around the house.

• Grab glitter. Did the kids spill glitter while working on a craft project? No worries. A tape roller will clean the mess right up.

• Clean up crumbs. If your little one dropped crumbs all over the back seat of the car, get out your tape roller or reusable lint roller and the crumbs are soon gone.

• Defeat dust. Dust bunnies multiplying underneath your bed? With a tape-roller mop, you can quickly and easily reach and clean up dust from hard-to-reach spots underneath furniture and in corners.

• Swipe up splinters. Dropped a glass or a lightbulb? Once you’ve cleaned away large shards of broken glass with a broom, grab your tape roller to pick up any tiny glass splinters you might have missed.

• Lighten up a lamp. Dusty lampshade dimming the light? A quick once-over with a tape roller or lint brush is often all that’s required to bring back a dusty lampshade’s good looks.

• Restore a rug. Bathroom rug gathering lint and dust? If you don’t have time to wash the rug, you can still get it presentable by running a tape roller, tape-roller mop, or reusable lint roller back and forth over the rug to remove lint and fluff up the fibers.

• Dust the drawers. Grit and grime gathering in the corners of your kitchen drawers or cabinets? A travel-size tape roller makes it a breeze to clean the corners and backs of drawers, cabinets, and shelves.

• Sweep the ceiling. Is ceiling dust making your room look dingy? Just get out your footstool and your tape-roller mop and whisk away dust and cobwebs from up high.

While tape rollers are the most familiar, there are other lint rollers that are reusable.

FAQ

Q. Can I use a lint roller on any type of fabric?

A. You can use any type of lint roller on almost any fabric without worries about stains, fading, or damage. The exceptions are faux fur and similar heavily textured or plush fabric, which doesn’t give a lint roller a smooth enough surface to grab onto lint and hair. Also, vigorous rolling with a lint roller might tear very delicate or vintage fabrics.

Q. Can I use my lint roller on my pet to pick up shedding hair?

A. If you want to tackle shedding hair right at the source, and your cat or dog is willing to allow you to “brush” them with your tape roller or pet-hair sponge, go ahead and gently give your pet a grooming and pet-hair removal session all in one. But stick to your furry friend’s back, sides, legs, and neck, avoiding the face.

Q. Can’t I just use a ball of wadded-up tape instead of a lint roller?

A. You certainly can, but a tape lint roller is far more convenient and easier to use.