FurZapper Review: A Year of Laundry With 3 Cats
A paw-shaped silicone disc you throw in with your laundry. Sounds like a gimmick, the lint trap says otherwise.
FurZapper looks like a gimmick, my 3 cats made me give it a real shot, and a year later it lives in the laundry room because the lint trap is the proof. I bought the 2-pack at retail for $14 expecting nothing, and it turned out to be the small useful thing that fits a niche dryer sheets and lint rollers don't.
This is part of the main cat hair guide, broken out into a full review because FurZapper is the product on the laundry side that gets asked about the most. It's the Shark Tank one, it shows up everywhere, and most reviews online either oversell it or write it off. Neither is right.
What it actually does
What it actually does, mechanically
The FurZapper is a 4-inch silicone disc shaped like a paw. No coatings, no adhesives, no scent. The silicone is dense and slightly tacky on the surface, and that's the whole product. You toss it in with your laundry, washer or dryer, both is fine. It tumbles around with the clothes for the cycle and that's it.
It works. Not in the way the marketing suggests, where black pants come out of the wash looking new, but in the actual way that matters. My dryer lint trap fills up considerably more after a cycle that included a FurZapper than after a cycle that didn't. That's the whole game. Hair you can't get off your clothes is hair that ends up in the lint trap or down the drain instead of redistributed across everything else in the load.
The Shark Tank thing is real, the discs went on the show in 2018 and the company has reportedly done over 5 million in sales since. I usually roll my eyes at the Shark Tank pedigree but in this case the product has stayed basically the same since the show, which tells me they got it right the first time. There's no version 2, no smart FurZapper, no app. It's a silicone paw.
How many discs
How many FurZappers you actually need
The company line is one disc per pet. After a year I will tell you they are not exaggerating, they are giving you the floor. With my 3 cats, two discs in a heavy load gets overwhelmed fast. A heavy load with cat hair on it eats the surface area of the disc in the first few minutes of agitation, and once the silicone is loaded up, it stops grabbing new hair. So the second half of the cycle the disc isn't doing much.
The 2-pack is a starter kit, that's how I'd frame it. If you have 1 cat, the 2-pack is great, you have a spare. If you have 2 cats, the 2-pack is right. If you have 3 like me, you want a 4-pack so a comforter run actually has enough surface area to do its job. I bought the 2-pack first because that's what was on Amazon at $14, and I bought a second 2-pack three months later because I felt the difference on bedding day.
This is the single piece of advice that changes whether the FurZapper feels like a hit or a miss. Underbuy and you'll think it doesn't work. Match the disc count to the cat count and you'll see the lint trap difference every load.
What it isn't
What FurZapper is not
It is not a miracle. The marketing video where black pants come out of the dryer looking brand new is a best-case scenario, not a typical load. If your hoodie went into the wash matted with cat hair from a Luna nap, it is going to come out with hair on it. Less hair, but still hair.
It is not a substitute for a real cat hair tool on the front end. If you are pulling a sweater out of a Leo nest, you should run it over with a ChomChom roller or an Evercare lint roller before it ever sees the washing machine. The FurZapper handles the hair you didn't catch and the hair the wash itself loosens. It does not pull hair off clothes that are already coated. Different tool for that.
And it is not a dryer sheet replacement. It does nothing for static, nothing for softness, nothing for scent. If you like dryer sheets, keep using them. The two products stack, they don't compete. I run a dryer sheet for static and a FurZapper for hair and that's the laundry routine in my house.
The price
Is it worth $14?
The 2-pack is $14 at retail on Amazon, more or less, and that is the price the math works at. $14 for 2 discs that last thousands of cycles is essentially a one-time purchase. I bought mine over a year ago and they look identical to the day I unboxed them. The silicone hasn't degraded, the paw shapes haven't warped, the surface still feels tacky. That's a $14 product that pulls cat hair out of every laundry load for years.
Compare it to dryer sheets. A box of name-brand dryer sheets is something like $8 for 80 sheets, you use one per load, and you throw it away. So in the time the FurZapper lasts, you've spent maybe $50 on dryer sheets. Different jobs, but the cost-of-ownership math heavily favors the silicone disc. A reusable thing that does its job for years is the bargain version of a consumable that does a different job for one load.
For 3 cats I'd actually buy two 2-packs out of the gate. That's $28 total, you're done forever, and you're matched to the cat count from day one. That is the move I should have made and didn't.
Want the fan update when I find something?
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Pros
- Lint trap measurably fills more per cycle, that's the whole proof
- Pure silicone, no scents, no coatings, no adhesives
- Reusable for thousands of cycles per the manufacturer, mine still work fine after a year
- Works in the washer and the dryer, no separate cycle needed
- $14 for the 2-pack, basically a one-time purchase
- Stacks with dryer sheets, doesn't replace them
Cons
- Heavily fur-covered clothes still come out hairy, it is not a miracle
- One disc isn't enough, you want one per pet
- The paw shape is silly, not a real con but worth saying
- Hides inside fitted sheets and duvet covers, check those when you transfer the load
FurZapper handles the laundry side. For the couch and the fabric chairs, the right tool is a ChomChom roller, which is also reusable and also runs in the $20 range. They don't compete, they cover different ground. FurZapper for the wash, ChomChom for the cushions, and an overall surface-by-surface plan that puts each tool where it belongs.
Frequently asked
FAQ
Does FurZapper actually work in laundry?
Yes, in the way that actually matters. After a cycle with a FurZapper in it, my dryer lint trap is visibly more packed than after a cycle without one. That is the entire mechanism. Hair sticks to the silicone in the wash, then gets pushed into the lint trap in the dryer instead of redistributing across the rest of the load. It is not a miracle, heavily fur-covered black pants still come out hairy. It is a measurable improvement.
How many FurZappers do you need for multiple pets?
One disc per pet, per the manufacturer, and they are right. With my 3 cats, a 2-pack in a heavy load gets overwhelmed fast. The 2-pack is a starter kit. If you have 2 cats get the 2-pack, if you have 3 cats get a 4-pack. The math is that linear. You feel it the first time you do a comforter run with not enough discs.
Are FurZappers safe for the dryer?
Yes. They are pure silicone, no coatings, no adhesives, no scents. Silicone tolerates dryer heat without melting or releasing anything weird. Mine have been through hundreds of cycles in a year and they look the same as the day I bought them. The manufacturer rates them for thousands of cycles and I believe it.
Do FurZappers work better than dryer sheets?
Different jobs. Dryer sheets reduce static, which helps a little because static is part of why hair clings to fabric. FurZappers physically pull hair off in the wash and shovel it into the lint trap. They stack. I run a dryer sheet for static and a FurZapper for hair, and the hair one does more visible work. If I had to pick one for a cat household, the FurZapper, every time.
How long do FurZappers last?
The manufacturer says thousands of cycles. Mine are about a year in, every load with cat hair, and the silicone has not degraded. The paws still feel tacky. I think you lose them in the laundry before you wear them out, which is why the bright green and yellow colors are smart.
Can you use FurZapper on a regular wash with mixed clothes?
Yes. Just throw them in. No special wash setting, no separate cycle for cat hair clothes. They are silicone discs floating around the drum, they do not snag on anything. I use them on every load that has hair on it, which in a three-cat house is every load.
Is FurZapper still owned by the original Shark Tank founders?
FurZapper went on Shark Tank in 2018 and the company has reportedly done over 5 million in sales since. As far as I can tell from the company site, it is still the same operation. The product itself has not really changed, which is a good sign. You do not need to redesign a silicone disc.
What's the difference between FurZapper and a knockoff silicone disc?
The shape and the silicone density. The cheap knockoffs feel like a yoga mat, soft and not very tacky. The real FurZapper has a denser, slightly stickier silicone that grips hair better. I also like that the brand is the Shark Tank one, the company is actually answerable for the product. With a $4 generic disc you are guessing.
Does FurZapper damage washing machines?
No. They are soft silicone, they cannot damage a drum or a seal. I have a front loader and I have run them through hundreds of cycles with no issue. The only thing to know is that they can occasionally hide inside a fitted sheet or a duvet cover, so check those when you transfer the load.
If the laundry side is sorted but the bigger cat home stuff is still a problem, the rest of the gear sits in the Litter-Robot 4 review and the broader cat home gear hub. Different problem, same household.
How I tested
The bar this thing had to clear
Bought at retail
Paid $14 for the 2-pack on Amazon. No brand outreach, no review unit. The second 2-pack was also bought, three months in, after I figured out 2 discs wasn't enough for 3 cats.
In rotation for a year
Every load with cat hair on it, which is every load in this house. Front loader, normal detergent, no special cycle. The discs lived in the laundry basket between runs.
Replaced nothing
FurZapper didn't replace any tool I already owned. It fills a niche between dryer sheets and a real cat hair tool, and that's the case for it. If it had replaced something, the rating would be higher.