Having a pet can be a lot of love and fun. But there’s no denying that pets are a lot of work. One of the most challenging aspects of owning a pet is keeping your house clean and tidy with all the fur, dander, and urine/feces that come along with having a furry friend in your home.
Luckily, we’ve put together some tips to help you have the cleanest house on the block when you have pets to consider:
1. Air your house
To keep your home fresh, there are a couple of great tricks. The first is to air out your house by opening windows and doors and closing all curtains. You can also use fans to move the air around better in rooms that aren’t well ventilated. Do this as often as you can, especially if you have pets in the house. Leave them out of the room(s) being aired out if possible, since they will be able to enjoy the freshness when it’s done. This may seem obvious, but how often should you air your house? It depends on many things—the weather (especially windy), how big the house is, and how many pets live in it—but I usually do an airing once per day for about 15 minutes each time.
2. Buy a sensible dog bed
It can be hard to keep a house clean when you’ve got pets, but there are some things you can do to make it easier. One of them is getting your pet a sensible dog bed.
When shopping for your pet’s new bed, consider these 4 qualities:
· The dog bed should be machine washable.
· This should have a waterproof lining.
· It should be easy to clean in case of any accidents or spills.
· This should not aggravate allergies if your dog has them (choose natural materials).
3. React quickly to accidents
As with any pet, it’s important to keep your dog from tearing up things that aren’t theirs. The first step is getting rid of the smell. Most dogs don’t like the smell of baking soda or white vinegar, so try spraying them with something else first—vinegar works well on carpets, which can be very stubborn to clean. For tougher stains like vomit or feces, try using an enzyme cleaner that you can buy at most pet stores (look for “pet stain & odor remover”). This type of cleanser gets rid of odors while leaving your carpet looking great.
4. Raid your cupboards to fight bad odor
Now we wouldn’t want our place to smell bad all the time, and we certainly don’t want to become fearful or stressed out while living here with pets in an enclosed space. Plus, having animals around means it’s important to make sure they’re receiving first-rate health care and nutrition without us being allergic to what they eat or being worried about them hurting themselves in their own home away from ours (the way it could be if we were allergies-prone). So adding essential oils to our house-cleaning routine has been key in helping us avoid any unwanted home renovations. Refreshing lemon scent combined with lavender smells fresh and clean—and helps reduce stress levels too!
5. Regularly clean your pet’s things
Don’t leave pet things lying around.
This is a pretty obvious one, but it’s also one that most people forget easily. If you’re like us, you’ve been guilty of leaving your dog bed or food and water bowls in the same place for weeks, if not months. It’s easy to do—you set it up during the first week of having your dog and just leave it there until it becomes a literal eyesore. But what about simply making sure to put all these items away after you finish using them? A lot of dog beds can be folded down and stored easily in a closet or under the couch. The same goes for litter boxes! If they’re out of sight, they’re out of mind (until they really need to be cleaned).
6. Set up a dog cleaning station
Designate a dog cleaning station in your home. This handy, dedicated area will make the clean-up process easier and more convenient for you. If it’s not already clear, your dog cleaning station should be stocked with all of your canine clean-up tools—a towel or two, a brush, grooming wipes and a scrubbing tool.
Clean it often. The only thing worse than a dirty dog is a dirty cleaning station. It defeats the purpose of the whole project if the space you’ve set up to keep things clean is itself covered in dirt and hairballs! You should wash your towels after each use (or at least once per week), and give the entire area a solid scrub-down once per month as well.
Pet owners are not recommend to use towels for themselves, as pets can get them dirty. Also, when you brush or wipe your pet, all the dirt will remain on your hands, so it is good to wash your hands properly. For hand drying it is best to have an automated appliance, as you can find in the Davidson Washroom.
7. Buy a quality vacuum cleaner
Pets bring a lot of joy to our lives—but they also bring pet hair. In fact, between shedding and dander, one cat or dog can produce enough fur in a year’s time to create an entirely new animal. Pet hair can be stubborn to remove from carpets and upholstery. You need a vacuum that has a powerful suction and good filtration system so it won’t blow pet hair around in the air when you use it. Make sure it’s easy for you to empty the vacuum because that means you’ll actually do it often, instead of letting your vacuum fill up with too much pet hair (trust me on this). If you have pets you may want to consider getting a vacuum with a turbo brush which is designed specifically for removing hair from furniture and stairs.
8. Upgrade your sofa
Now that you know how to keep your home clean even with pets, it’s time to upgrade your furniture so your already-clean home can be even cleaner. Choose a sofa that’s easy to clean—either something with a leather cover or one that has washable slipcovers. While leather is probably the best option because it doesn’t trap pet hair and dander as much, a washable slipcover can be less expensive.
Whatever you choose, make sure it’s not only comfortable but also easy to maintain. After all, if you have animals in the house, they’ll spend most of their time on the sofa anyway.
9. Keep your pets clean
Always keep a pack of pet wipes around. This is an easy way to clean off paw prints and dirt on furniture, as well as keeping your pets’ paws clean.
Bathe your pet every few weeks. Not only will it keep them smelling fresh, but it also allows you to check for any irregularities in their fur and skin. Just be sure not to overdo it—your vet can tell you how often each type of animal needs a bath.
Keep your pet’s nails trimmed regularly, so they won’t leave scratches behind on furniture or flooring when they jump up or down from the couch or bed.
Brush your pets regularly if they have long hair (this includes cats!). Long-haired animals shed more often than others, so brushing them will help cut down on the stray hairs left behind in your home.
With these tips, your home will be clean next to pets!
