Cleaning Tips For Pet Home Owners

If you have pets, you probably already know how challenging keeping the home clean can be. It’s equal parts an art and a science, and while it’s not impossible to keep the dirt (and hair!) at bay, it might at times seem like an insurmountable challenge.

Fortunately, by staying on top of things, you’ll find that you have a much easier time than if you were to tackle all the dirt and fur at once. Daily cleaning can work wonders in a pet-friendly household.

Follow these cleaning tips if you want to learn more about how to keep the home neat with pets.

Invest In A Cordless Vacuum

Vacuuming might not be your favorite chore but there are lots of ways to make it easier - especially if you have a pet, which will necessitate more regular vacuuming than normal.  

You may find yourself vacuuming every single day, in fact!

An easy way to streamline your work and make your life a little easier is to invest in a cordless pet vacuum like Dyson or Shark. It will save you tons of time if you don’t have to stop and unplug, then plug back in the vacuum as you move from room to room. Many of them last for quite some time without needing to be recharged (or losing power).

These can be pricey but have gone quite significantly in price over the last few years. You can also find tons of refurbished or gently used ones online for a fraction of the cost.

An alternative to a cordless vacuum is a robot vacuum. These, like cordless vacuums, have gone quite a lot in cost and it’s easy to find a brand new one for just a few hundred dollars. 

The beauty of robot vacuums is that they do all the work for you - a benefit when it seems as though you’ve just finished vacuuming the house only for it to be tiem for you to do it again. You can run a robot vacuum when you’re asleep or away from home, programming it to run on a set schedule.

Change Sheets Regularly

Everybody always says not to let dogs sleep with you or on your furniture - but isn’t one of the best parts about having a dog allowing it to cuddle with you?

Fortunately, you can have your cake and eat it too - that is, be able to cuddle with your pup and have nice, clean sheets - by changing your bed sheets more frequently.

Wash your sheets at least once a week but ideally more if you are sleeping with pets. Opt for darker sheets rather than white or light-colored ones, as these will likely stay cleaner much longer. Consider picking up a few sets of the kind you like the most so you always have another set ready to go on rotation while the first is being washed.

It’s a good idea to take an inventory of all the places your pet likes to hang out the most. If he has a few favored nap spots, consider taking advantage of covers to keep them somewhat clean.

You can keep spare ones on hand so that it’s easy to swap them out as you clean the house. This can protect furniture from stains and dog hair while also keeping down odors - it’s much easier to clean couch covers than it is the entire couch!

Brush Weekly – Especially During Spring Season

Brushing your dogs can be especially helpful when it comes to removing unwanted hair (that would otherwise be deposited in unsightly clumps around your house).

Brushing, whether with a standard brush or a Furminator, can make a huge difference in your cleaning burden. It’s beneficial for both long-haired and short-haired pups alike - and can even help with cats, too, if your feline friend will sit still long enough for you to run a brush through her hair!

In addition to weekly brushing, it’s smart to stay on top of your pet’s other veterinarian and grooming needs. Keep those fleas contained! From spraying to combing, bombing to flea baths, these are chores that must be done if you want to stay on top of flea prevention. Even regular vacuuming can help when it comes to flea prevention.

Check with your vet to find out the best option for flea prevention, then mark your calendar or set a reminder in your phone to change flea collars or use other prevention methods.

Use a Lint Roller

Ask any other pet owner you know - chances are, they probably have a collection of lint rollers. Consider adding at least one or two to your own personal cleaning caddy. These are great for getting hair off of hard-to-clean places like throw pillows, lampshades, furniture, and anywhere else your pup likes to spend his time.

Don’t want to use a lint roller? We get it - it can be annoying to have to rip off those layers of sticky lint tape.

You can get around this by using latex gloves instead. Put a pair of latex gloves on, then rub your hands along your sofa, car interior, chair - any spots that are harboring pet hair. The fur will stick to the gloves and when you are done, all you need to do is run the gloves under running water. The fur will melt away!

Wash Pet Feet

Doormats can make a huge difference in keeping your pet’s feet cleaned, even if you aren’t able to train your pet to wipe its feet (yes, this can be done!).

Put a high-quality doormat right outside the door and a throw rug that’s easy to wash inside the door. These should catch most of the dirt and debris from your pet walking through to get back inside.

Still can’t shake the dirt that your pet drags in on his muddy little paws? You may need to actually wash his feet before you let him back inside. Install a hook by the door on which you can hang a towel for wiping paws.

Put a dish of water just outside the door, then, when your dog is ready to come back inside, you can dip your dog’s feet in the water and dry them off with the towel.

There are even commercial dog paw washers you can buy to which you add water before dunking your dog's paws. These washers contain special soft brushes that go deep between the pads (without harming your pup, of course).

Another tip that many pet owners aren’t aware of? Clip their nails. Keeping your pet’s nails trimmed can help limit damage to the delicate surfaces in your home. From hardwood floors to leather and upholstery, there are all kinds of surfaces that can be damaged by too-long nails. Get them clipped to keep your home looking nice and tidy!

Constantly Wipe Down Countertops

Countertops? Those are dirtied by pets, too - and here we thought it was just the floors you had to worry about!

Unfortunately, pets can wreak havoc on other surfaces of your home, too - even if you don’t have cats hopping about on all the surfaces.

Dog hair easily becomes airborne and you’ll find it floating everywhere in the air. These little wipsies inevitably make their way onto your counters and tables. To avoid finding dog hair in your food and other undesirable places, make sure you wipe down all of your countertops on a regular basis.

Change HVAC Filters

Vacuuming and wiping down countertops work wonders in helping you to maintain a clean, tidy home with a dog around. However, it’s also important that you look for ways to improve indoor air quality.

In addition to the chores already mentioned above, it’s a good idea to change your HVAC filters once every other month or so. You may find that you need to change them more often when your pets are shedding in the spring. This can help remove both dander and hair from the air.

It’s also a good idea to run an air purifier, especially in high-traffic areas of the home where good air quality is essential (like the bedroom). An air purifier can be a bit steep in price but it’s well worth the investment. You’ll likely find that you sleep better, too.

Use Bins and Baskets

Using bins and baskets to stay organized is a long-lauded organizational trick that can work wonders in helping you stay organized. Put together a few bins that are pet-specific, such as ones just for dog toys and another for collars and leashes.

It might not seem like much but this is actually a task that can prove to be monumental in helping you get (and stay) organized. Having a home for everything will allow you to do a quick tidy at the end of the day without having to put a ton of thought into it.

Keep the Mess Contained

If there’s any spot in the home that all dogs love, it’s the area right around their food bowls! Unfortunately, these spots can also become quite messy. From dribbled water to bits of kibble, this area can rapidly become a messy danger zone that’s hard to clean up after the fact.

You can cut down on the mess by putting a rimmed tray beneath the dishes. This will collect some of the mess and prevent it from being scattered all over your kitchen. Plus, it will allow for quicker, easier clean-up.

You can also spray your pet’s food bowls with cooking spray. This will help prevent stains from setting in and keep them spot-free.

Do your best to invest in materials that won’t get dirty easily. Look for decor that’s made out of sturdy, easy-to-clean fabrics (such as those that are stain-resistant) especially in high traffic areas like your living room. These will be much easier to clean!

Paint Dark

Another tip you might consider implementing is to coat all the surfaces in your home in dark paint - for example, your lower cabinets. Dark paint will hide smears from wet noses and mud from tails - and choosing an option meant for both indoor and outdoor use will make it super easy to clean.

Apply Baking Soda on Rugs / Carpets

Is there anything worse than when your dog runs in from the rain, covered in mud and smelling of wet dog? 

Unfortunately, it’s hard to prevent this from happening unless you never let your dog go outside - and who wants that?

The good news is that you can easily nix pet odors with just a little bit of baking soda. If you have a cloth couch or any rugs or carpets, all you need to do is sprinkle a bit of baking soda (and some sweet-smelling essential oils, like lemon, if you like) on your rugs and fabrics. Leave the mixture there overnight, then vacuum it up in the morning.

It’s an easy, effective, and all-natural way you can keep your home smelling fresh and clean while having a dog.

Another remedy for cleaning tough stains out of any surface (including rugs and carpets) is to use shaving cream. You’ll need a foaming option, not a gel - but once you have it, you can spray it on a stain and allow it to sit and foam for a minute or two. Then, wipe it down with warm water. Works like a charm!

When you’re shopping for indoor rugs, choose those that are indoor and outdoor rated. These are available in all kinds of styles and designs and by placing a small one in front of each door to limit dirt and water our pet may drag in, you’ll cut down on a lot of cleaning you have to do.

Practical Tips and Tricks To Keeping Your Home Fresh

From vet bills to feeding schedules and of course, cleaning up after them, we all know that pets are a huge responsibility. They’re so much fun, but they can also cause quite the mess!

Luckily, with these practical cleaning tips and tricks you won’t have to worry about your home going from clean to messy in just one day.

Give them a try today and see how it goes for you!

Lisa Czachowski is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Lisa is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sustainability, natural, sleep products, health, fashion and many more. She is passionate about what providing as much information as possible on products you bring in your home and what we wear.

Follow Lisa at Lisa Czachowski

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