If you have a four-legged friend walking around your home, you’ve probably learned to deal with the messes they cause. But does it have to be this way? With the right plan (and tools), you can keep your house clean, safe, and healthy for all.
Stop Messes at the Source
We usually think about cleaning as a reactive step to messes that have already occurred. But if you want to know the truth, the best way to keep a house clean is to adopt a proactive or preventive strategy that keeps messes away in the first place. This makes cleaning a much less intimidating and time-consuming process.
If you keep your pets clean, they’re less likely to create messes in your house. Here are some recommendations:
- Brush your dog’s hair at least once per week (and two to three times per week for dogs with long hair).
- Bathe your dog at least once every couple of weeks (and more frequently if they’ve been outside).
- Keep their nails trimmed. Not only does this prevent them from spreading mud and dirt, but it limits scratches on floors, leather furniture, and other surfaces.
- Keep a towel near the door and always wipe paws when your dog comes in from the outdoors.
By keeping your pet clean, it’s a lot easier to keep your house clean. There’s still more work to be done, but this is a pretty good start.
Create Some House Rules
Every pet family needs some house rules to ensure messes are kept to a minimum. Here are some smart ones to consider adding to your household:
- Pets are never allowed on the furniture under any circumstances.
- Pets are restricted to certain areas of the house. (For example, dogs aren’t allowed upstairs.)
- Pets use the restroom in the same basic area of the yard (rather than having free reign over everything).
You’ll have to decide which rules make the most sense for your family, but this should at least give you an idea of some simple ways to keep messes to a minimum. And once rules are established, each family member – kids included – must play a part in keeping and enforcing them.
Purchase the Right Vacuum
It doesn’t matter how proactive you are with keeping your house clean, dogs still create messes wherever they go. This is especially true if you have a long-haired dog or breed that sheds a lot.
Having a powerful vacuum cleaner helps a lot. Bissell has good pet-friendly vacuums to choose from. For example, their MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Vacuum Cleaner features a detachable pod, tangle-free brush roll, and HEPA sealed allergen system that’s perfect for the entire house. They also have a Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Plus model that’s slightly more compact.
For best results, vacuum daily. Taking 10 minutes to vacuum all rugs and hard surfaces at the end of the day will prevent pet hair and dander from building up (which can exacerbate allergies and lead to clogged air filters and other unwanted messes).
Stay Stocked With Cleaning Supplies
Accidents happen (and usually when you least expect them). But if you’re stocked with the right cleaning supplies, you can quickly respond and get the mess cleaned up.
Latex gloves and baby wipes should be staples in your pet cleaning supply cabinet. (You can never have too many.) And, believe it or not, shaving cream is another one.
“As odd as it may sound, simple white foam shaving cream can be used to remove a variety of organic stains including blood, urine, and feces,” PetsLady.com notes. “Simply dampen the stained area with a bit of water and then spray the stain with enough shaving cream to thoroughly cover the stain.”
Lint rollers, sponges, and various cloths should also be kept on hand at all times. As for cleaners, be sure to only use pet-friendly formulas. Avoid anything that has ingredients that could be hazardous to dogs. This includes ingredients like ammonia, chlorine, bleach, formaldehyde, isopropyl alcohol, phenols, phthalates, and hydrogen peroxide.
Don’t Compromise on Cleanliness!
You can own a pet and have a clean home, too. It just requires some proactive planning and attention to detail. But with the right supplies and house rules, you’ll never have to compromise!
