Old cat - problem grooming

When years ago I had an elderly cat who became too ill to wash himself, the vet told me to use the rough side of a sponge scourer (to emulate a cat's rough tongue) and put a squirt of a gentle shampoo in warm water, dip the scourer and squeeze out the water and wipe his fur over. He was a lovely easy-going boy and allowed me to do this.

Thanks Sparklefizz, that's a tip to bear in mind maybe for when he's older and more infirm.
For now though, Mac (my cat) doesn't need washing and he does groom himself but just isn't able to get all the tufty bits sorted on his back legs/flanks. He ends up with mouthfuls of ginger fur which he has problems spitting out.
On a positive note, the nesting birds round here all probably have ginger fur nest interiors courtesy of Mac as I put all his fur into a bird feeder for them to help themselves.

Would he let you comb him rather than brush him?

If not, which is likely, try to find a fairly coarse hemp door-mat or a jute sack and see if he will lie or roll on either.

In my student days I cleaned for a lady who had a long haired cat in a small flat where all the wall-to-wall carpeting was coconut matting! No hoover could get the cat's fur off that! I used pot scourers and spent ages on my hands and knees cleaning those "blessed" floors! So yes, pot scourers do work.

I have a grooming mitt that my old cat tolerates as it is like being stroked, readily available , just google

You can buy Pet Grooming Gloves on Amazon, they are very cheap so perhaps he would let you stroke him gently and at the same time remove the loose hairs.

Sorry, I don't have a solution!
My 19 year old cat can't groom his rear end any more, resulting in matted fur when he is moulting, which he is at the moment. Unfortunately getting rid of the matts is a 2 person job, as he tries to bite me when I comb. The knot has to be held in one hand while combing it out with the other. I have unsuccessfully tried several special combs and brushes for matting. He has thyroid health checks every 3 months, and the lovely lady vet gives him a good fine tooth comb while I hold him. I have tried to find an in-home groomer, but couldn't find a local one for cats.
I too have clumps of hair all over the carpet, which the Gtech hand held vacuum easily picks up a few times a day.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I’ve tried a comb and the pet glove but with both it’s the same as using a brush. When I get near his hips and legs he tries to gently bite my hand, just a ‘don’t go there’ warning not an actual attack. Otherwise he loves being groomed and purrs like mad.

It’s like even touching his legs causes pain. When he’s on my knee I can gently feel the fur and he doesn’t have matts yet thank goodness.

I’ll have a look and see if I can find a cat pole that has a rough surface he can rub up against .

It’s sounding like I just have to keep the Dyson handy and keep trying.