Pets are a vital part of the family and they are the best companions to come home to after a long day at the office. Whether you have a dog, cat, rabbit, or fish, your pet is a member of your family who brings joy day in and day out. However, while pets tend to be on the messy side (similar to kids), your pet is unable to do cleanups by themselves. With that said, every pet owner should be aware of what it takes to keep a tidy home, regardless of the pet type you have. Listed below are 11 simple and effective cleaning tricks that you should know, since you are a pet owner.
1. Sweep It Up
It may appear pretty self-explanatory for some, but when your cleaning piles up on you, then it take a good amount of time to catch up with it all. With your pets, there may be a good chance that hair, fur, toys, and food makes its way out to the family room or wherever in the house, thus making it a challenge to quickly take care of if you have visitors. Dog hair and cat fur are two of the most tedious cleaning messes that pet owners report and the trick with this mess is to stay on top of the cleaning. There are many options for this, but regardless of your cleaning tool, you should look to sweep up the hair or fur on a daily basis to keep a tidy house.
2. Accidents
Certainly when you have a little puppy or kitten, you are likely to experience messes outside of what you desire. For dogs, they will go wherever while learning bladder control and cats need time to allow for litter box training. When the accident occurs, there are a number of things you should do, with the trick being selecting the proper solution for which to clean the mess. You can look to purchase dog enzymatic cleaners or you can simply use a water and vinegar solution. Mix equal parts of water and vinegar and apply the solution to the accident while it is still wet. Let the solution remain on the accident for a few minutes and then gently blot the mess with a dry cloth until it is complete. The trick with accidents is to blot the mess and to allow the solution to take the odor away from the area.
3. Wipe the Paws
Dogs are notorious for being quite messy on the indoor flooring and since their bathroom is outdoors, keeping a clean house can be a challenge. To help stay on top of the floor messes, consider keeping a paw towel next to the door or even outside so that the dog can wipe its paws or you can do it for them. The key to keeping a paw towel effective is to make sure it is damp, which means you may need to wet it frequently in the summer months. Upon entry to the house, your dog can have clean paws after an easy wiping.
4. Lint Rollers
They are pretty cost-effective and are probably the best tool you can find to combat fur, dander, and dog hair. Keeping up on pet hair is a challenge and if you are in need of a quick cleanup, then you can easily apply the lint roller to the couch, your pants, chairs, and virtually any surface you can imagine. Consider sweeping hair from the floor into one spot and using the lint roller to pick up the remaining amounts left behind. Any pet owner needs to have a few of these on hand at all times and it is best to carry one in the car if your pet travels anywhere with you.
10. Clean the Linens
Hopefully your dog sleeps on a bed, towel, or blanket for comfort and if they do, it is wise to regularly clean the lines for your dog. Since they spend a significant amount of time on these linens, it is natural that they will be loaded with hair and fur. Consider washing your dog’s bed and linens at least once per week in order to stay on top of the cleaning. The trick with washing the linens using your own washing machine is to clean the lint and hair catcher before and after use so the water drain does not become clogged.
11. Baking Soda
Every household should have this around, so if you have it, you need to know how to use it. When you pet has an accident due to vomit, you should try and act as quickly as you possibly can to eliminate the odor and potential stain. Vomit contains a good amount of acid in the solution, which quickly sets into flooring and carpets. If you notice that your dog or cat has vomited, this is when you will want to quickly pour some baking soda on the mess and allow it to cover the entire messy area. Then allow a little water to set in to the baking soda, so that a paste is created. After about 10 minutes or so, clean up the paste and vacuum if necessary. Continue this process as needed, but the trick to this is to act quickly so as to save your flooring.