Essential House Cleaning Tips for Pet Owners
If you have a pet, you understand how hard it can be to keep your house clean. There is pet hair everywhere, dirt that gets tracked in, your furniture is scuffed or chewed up, and then there’s that wet dog smell that sticks around after it rains.
While none of these are fun to deal with, none of us are about to give up our pet loving lifestyle. Luckily, there are several house cleaning tips for pet owners that can make your life easier and keep your home clean…
How to Control Pet Hair in Your Home
Pet hair clings and gets stuck to everything. Nothing is safe. If you have a pet you need to get used to your pet shedding hair on your furniture, floors, in every crack and crevice, and even on your clothes. There are a few things that you can do to manage the hair problem before it gets out of control however:
- Brush Your Pet Frequently
In the summer you will want to do this daily as animals tend to shed more in warmer climates. Grooming regularly also allows you to check for fleas or ticks, and we recommend using a fine-toothed flea comb and combing through your pooch or kitty’s fur. Superior Labb’s Adventure Dog Shampoo is made with a blend of bug repellent essential oils and natural neem oil that kills and repels fleas.
- Vacuum Daily
Use a good vacuum that has a lot of suction. (We have a Shark Navigator that cleans up after our 2 Humans, 1 German Shepherd, 1 Grey Tabby Cat and 1 Cockatiel) There are specific attachments that are designed just to remove pet hair from furniture and stairs. These work very well and can keep a good amount of dog or cat hair off your pants.
If you have tightly woven rugs, a rubber rake can be helpful with removing pet hair as well. You can usually find these in the garage cleaning/organizing sections of big box hardware stores.
- Use a Towel or Blanket
If your pet has a favorite seat in the living room, their own pet bed, or a favorite part of the house that he or she likes to lay in, put a towel or blanket down. If you have company, you can simply remove the blanket and all the dog hair that has accumulated along with it.
- Launder Bedding Frequently
If your pet sleeps in your bed, you’ll need to wash your sheets and bedding regularly. This will reduce the amount of hair that accumulates in your bed. Likewise, if they have their own rest area, make sure you are laundering their bedding/coverings frequently.
- Removing Hair from Your Clothing
A lint brush is a pet companion’s best friend. Unless showing up for events, covered in pet hair is your icebreaker (no judgement), you will want to use some sort of pet hair removal tool.
Lint rollers, such as the ones with disposable tape, work well, but are wasteful and must continually be replaced. Try using a fabric brush or silicone roller.
It’s also a good idea to use a lint brush, before washing your clothes. After a while, hair can start to accumulate in your washing machine pump. Save yourself headache and money and quickly use a lint brush instead.
- Keep a Towel Near the Front Door
When pets come inside, they often have mud on their paws. If you can stop them at the door and wipe their paws with a towel, you will reduce the amount of mud that gets spread throughout your house.
How to Remove Pet Odors
A wet dog can really stink up the joint. If your dog comes in the house, after being out in the rain, try and dry him off right at the door. Otherwise, he will roll around on your carpets and all that water and dog odor will become embedded in your carpets.
If this should happen, sprinkle some baking soda on your carpets. Vacuum up the baking soda after a half hour or so. You can also spritz some white vinegar on the
carpets, but not at the same time with the baking soda. Be sure you vacuumed thoroughly, or you will have a fizzy mess on your hands. This is a good deodorizer.
Controlling Scratches on Your Woodwork
Try and keep your pets’ nails as short as possible. If they are trimmed regularly, you will reduce the chances of them scratching your wood floors and woodwork that is throughout your house.
Having a pet can be wonderful. By following these house cleaning tips, you can keep your home presentable, clean, and smelling nice year-round.
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