Pets, while they are a huge part of our families, they can also easily be the most messy. There’s no need to worry about keeping your house clean with pets, especially not with these 17 tips!
1. Neutralize Odors
Isn’t it embarrassing when you can walk into your own home and smell the pet odor in your home? Don’t even think of worrying about it any longer! Use an enzyme based cleaner to neutralize any pet odors on your carpet.
2. Invest in a Mini Vacuum
Mini vacuums are the best tools on the market when it comes to getting rid of pet hair on your furniture. Depending on the type of animal you have, it’s probably a good idea to vacuum a few times a week.
3. Clean Air
It’s hard to keep the air fresh with pets. To keep air clean, invest in an air purifier to keep the air clean and free of pet dander or hair.
4.Scrub a Dub
To keep your home bacteria free, wash your pets stuffed animals and toys in the washing machine. However, just make sure there are no hanging parts when you give it back to your pet!
5. Brush Outdoors
This idea is such a no brainer that you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it before! When it’s time to brush your dog’s hair, do so outside! The hair will just blow away instead of attaching to your socks, carpet, and upholstery.
6. Pet Bed
When buying a bed for your pet, look for one with a removable cover. This makes it easy to wash it regularly, and that is exactly what is needed to prevent odors.
7. Bathe Regularly
This is definitely a no brainer when it comes to keeping the house clean. The cleaner your pets are, the less smelly your house is! Depending on the breed of your dog, the frequency of baths vary, so it is important to do some research.
8. No More Paw Prints!
Now, this is definitely more associated with dogs. If it is muddy, rainy, or snowy outside, keep a towel and a bowl of water near your door to clean off your dog’s paws upon it’s entrance into your home. This may just save your new white carpet!
9. Litter Box
If you have multiple cats, be sure to buy the cat litter specially formulated for owners with multiple cats. This kind of litter neutralizes odors better and keeps your home smelling fresh.
10. Pet Hair
If pet hair is a problem you and your vacuum can’t seem to beat, try using a squeegee! Running the squeegee along your carpet or upholstery will easily lift the hair so you can remove it.
11. Use Bowl Stands
Instead of accidentally kicking the water dish around the room, use some specially made bowl stands. This will keep your pet’s dishes confined to one area, and they look really cute!
12. Out of Sight
If you live in a smaller space, you may begin to feel overwhelmed at the amount of toys scattered about. Stress no more. Leave two toys out for your pet, and store the rest elsewhere. When you notice them becoming bored, swap the toys out for two new ones. This totally cuts down on clutter, and it increases the life of your pet toys!
13. Slip Covers
If our squeegee method, and vacuuming tip still didn’t help you solve your pet hair issues, try using a slip cover! Invest in two or three slip covers for your furniture. When one gets dirty, you can replace it with the other! It’s a great way to liven up your room, and it is easier than keeping up with the vacuuming.
14. Vick’s Vapo Rub
Spend With Pennies has this great idea for anyone who’s dog “marks their territory” throughout their home. Apply some Vick’s Vapo Rub to the areas in which they usually do their business. The smell will cover the scent, and stop your pet from doing it again!
15. Lint Rollers
Lint rollers are a great way to pick up pet hair that is left on a blanket, lampshade, or your clothing.
16. Tame The Litter
If your cat has a habit of tracking litter everywhere, it may be time to test this out. Place the litter box on top of a garage mat. This helps keep the spilled litter in the places it belongs. Thanks for the tip, Practically Functional!
17. Keep Off!
Instead of spending your energy trying to get rid of pet hair on your couch, prevent them from even going there in the first place! The Nest has a great recipe using essential oils and cayenne pepper that will act as a natural repellent to keep your pet off the couch.
I like most of these ideas and already have a few working for me.I thought my do she d a lot Then I inherited a cat.I simply can’t stay in control of the fur now. I brush her. Everey other day.I can’t brush her outside ecase se is an indoor cat.The fur in my house gets into EVERYTHING.I MEAN EVEN THINGS LIKE THE BUTTER, whichI keep covered.How does that happen??
I have a dog who sheds like an oak tree in the fall! Since I purchased the green Shark Hand Vac, I can easily vacuum up the hair from the floor and from the chair where he sleeps (on a sheet, but still needs vacuuming) using the upholstery tool. I do this about every other morning (and also the 5×8 rug and the kitchen rug) and my house looks neater faster.
Also, my neighbor who, until recently, had three cats in the house, told me that Febreze for Pets was wonderful — actually works. I haven’t tried it yet, but plan to. I currently use a mixture of water, baking soda and fabric softener to freshen pet beds, furniture, rugs, etc. The original recipe also added lemon juice.
Baby wipes work great to wipe little paws!
Linda,
Thank you for the tip!
vacuum your pet if they don’t mind the noise etc.
you can buy vacuum pet brush attachments or just vacuum them with the end of vacuum cleaner without the head – if you have a strong vacuum, it’s better to keep the tube back a bit from their skin but all my dogs have loved being vacuumed once they get over the noise, they come running when I turn it on. This gets all the dog hair that has come lose but hasn’t fallen yet.
The other thing that works is wet rubber gloves, they get an amazing amount of hair if you rub them over the dogs with your hands in, with a small massage thrown in for good luck, the dogs love it