If you live with pets, we understand how challenging it can be to maintain a clean home. We’ve all dealt with senior cats prone to barfing, dogs that tracking mud everywhere, and unruly puppies chewing up the furniture. But worry not because we have several solutions for that. We are going to teach you how to clean a house and your pets ensuring that you enjoy staying with your pets.
Maintaining a Clean Home When Living with Pets
Clean the pets
We recommend coming up with a pet bathing routine. Just clean the animals using water only; this can bring a big difference in the cleanliness of your home. Ensure you dry them properly before allowing them to start running around the house.
You can also use shampoo to clean them. And depending on the pet breed, you might need to perform a thorough pet hair brushing and trimming.
Create an animal cleaning area
If you have a laundry room at your home, that can be a perfect place to set up an animal cleaning station. If you do not have one, you can still set it up somewhere within your home. Just ensure it has all the necessary items needed to clean animals. It includes things like wipes, towels, water spray bottle, and even a few treats to help in avoiding pet behavioral problems. In addition, make sure chemical cleaning products are not easily exposed to your furry friends. Chemical ingredients such as chlorine and bleach can seriously put the health of your pet at risk. Try using natural-based alternatives instead such as mixing baking soda or alcohol with water. Alcohol-based wipes can be convenient as well. Some may not know what alcohol wipes are used for and how effective they are when it comes to bacteria-prone surfaces and dusty areas.
Purchase a good vacuum cleaner
Several animal vacuum cleaners can pick up hair and assist in getting rid of bad odor. Some vacuums like the best vacuum for cat litter also help clean up pet litter. Consider getting one and ensure that it has powerful suction, a good filter, and the best brush action. That is the best vacuum cleaner for pulling hair out from surfaces.
When getting a vacuum cleaner, consider your floor type and whether the pets get on the furniture. It is also good to ensure that the vacuum cleaner you purchase can tackle upholstery as well, check home expert reviews to see some examples.
And if you have a shedder, you will need to vacuum every day to maintain a clean home. Ensure also to clean the filter since the pet hairs or dirty on it can spread a bad smell when you are vacuuming.
Get new sofas
If the sofas at your home are too old to clean, consider getting some new ones which are of better quality. Old sofas that are made of bad material can function as hair magnets. They can keep bad odors and show even the tiniest stains.
We recommend getting new sofas which are made of leather or a properly woven material, in fact, try and get one which has the same color as your pets. But in case you are not in a position to get one, we suggest that you add a throw that is animal-friendly which you can clean when necessary.
Keep pet belongings clean
It includes things like toys, beds, and leads that can pick up the bad odor. Ensure to clean them often. You can even use a machine to clean them. We recommend washing them on a sunny day when they will be able to dry properly. That kills the bad smell completely.
Air the home
Besides pet grooming at home, you can also get rid of persistent odors at your home by leaving the window open. Even if it is during cold weather, open the windows to allow fresh air in even for a few minutes, this can minimize the odor in your home.
Discourage certain behaviors
A little discipline can go a long way in keeping a pet-loving home clean and healthy for everyone. Enlist the help of a professional dog trainer to discourage certain behaviors that often cause a mess in the home. Of course, you may also take it upon yourself to reinforce good behavior by discouraging unpleasant behaviors as they occur.
One way to do so is to use rewards such as toys and treats to encourage your pup’s desirable ways. Just make sure everyone in the family is involved in the plan and no one gets lenient when they need to do the disciplining.
Author’s bio: The author of this article, R. Hudson, also lives with pets. The tips she has shared are the ones she has tested at her home, and she is fully convinced that they will work for other pet-owners. Besides writing, Hudson loves, meeting new people, playing the piano, and engaging in voluntary activities.
