Charting the rake’s progress from garden tool to astronomical aid is not unlike a journey from our agricultural roots to a future scratched out of alien soil.
Shag Carpet Rake
(image via: DogLab)
It’s baaack… no, not the poltergeist from Poltergeist but thick and luxurious shag carpet! Yes, the latter is almost as scary as the former, especially when it comes to cleaning. Did you know you should never use your vacuum’s beater-bar option when cleaning shag carpeting? Doing so “may cause the yarns to ‘feather out’ or lose their twist, resulting in pilling or fuzzing” according to The Carpet and Rug Institute. In a related vein, there is a Carpet and Rug Institute.
(image via: DogLab)
The best solution for keeping shag rugs and carpeting clean AND showroom-shaggy is to use a Pilator – basically a glorified rake one uses on their shag carpets in a rake-like fashion. Hmm, maybe that’s why shag rugs faded out along with Avocado and Harvest Gold appliances.
Honey Rake
(images via: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
“Honey, have you seen my rake?” More like “Rake, have you seen my honey,” amiright? But we digress – no beekeeper worth his or her salt would be caught without their handy-dandy honey rake; no relation to a “honey comb” other than the obvious, mind you. If this li’l tool was any more bee-yutiful it would buzz – batteries not included, of course!
Mikki Undercoat Rake
(image via: Howard Young)
Have you raked your dog lately? You should – and not with a garden rake (those work better on forest floors) either. Take the Mikki Undercoat Rake: an essential canine hygiene tool that isn’t “Goofy” in any way, shape or form. They say hair of the dog is good for treating hangovers but when said dog hair hangs over your pet’s quality of life, it’s time to grab your rake and go into hoe-down mode.
(image via: Howard Young)
There are many different styles, types and models of undercoat rakes as evidently it’s difficult to design a “one rake fits all” fur-gatherer suitable for all sizes and breeds of dogs, cats or whatever other fur-bearin’ varmint that needs a good brush down. On the bright side, who wouldn’t want their pet to display the look of a hand-stripped finish with a mere few minutes of effort?
