15 Essential House Cleaning Tips for Pet Owners
It’s not always easy to keep your home clean if you have pets. The hair alone will drive you crazy! Here are 15 house cleaning tips for pet owners to make it easier.
Pets are family members and they make messes just like the rest of the family. We have to be able to stay on top of the odors and messes to maintain a clean home.
Our furry friends come with their own set of cleaning challenges.
- Shedding hair
- Muddy paw prints
- Litter boxes if you have cats.
- Occasional accidents that stain the carpet
- Or just leave unpleasant odors in our homes.
It can be tricky to keep a clean home when you have pets. I know this to be true because at one point we had four dogs and two cats in the house. We also let our dogs on the couch, as if we could keep them off…
Today I’m sharing my best house cleaning tips for pet parents to help you stay on top of pet messes and keep your home clean and fresh.
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House Cleaning Tips for Pet Owners
1. Invest in a good upright vacuum cleaner
Vacuuming regularly will keep the build-up of pet hair under control. Invest in a good upright vacuum that’s up to the task. I love this vacuum! It makes cleaning up pet hair a quick and easy task.
I use ours to clean hardwood floors as well as carpets. It comes with attachments that also allow you to use it on your furniture, soft furnishings, and hard-to-reach areas where pet hair likes to accumulate.
2. Use a handheld vacuum
Handheld vacuums are great for quick cleanups on furniture and soft furnishings. They’re also great to use on stairs to get rid of pet hair. I have a cordless one that is rechargeable so I can take it anywhere in the house.
They don’t have nearly the suction of a regular upright vacuum, so they are best to use for quick touch-ups in between your regular vacuuming schedule.
3. Get a Robovac
We have a Eufy Robovac that I set to clean at night while we’re asleep. It picks up the daily accumulation of dog hair off the floor making my regular vacuuming a lot less time-consuming.
4. Use duct tape to remove hair from furniture
You know how sticky duct tape is.
It is the perfect way to remove pet fur and hair from your furniture! IMO it’s better than a lint roller (although you could use one of those instead).
You can wrap it around your hand, sticky side out, or you can wrap it around a paint roller and make your own lint roller. When it gets full of hair just add more duct tape to it.
5. Invest in your own carpet cleaner
Having your own carpet cleaner is a great way to save money on carpet cleaning. No more renting a carpet cleaner or paying a professional to come out and do it for you and spending all the $$$.
A carpet cleaner is necessary to deal with pet accidents, stains, and odor caused by your four-legged friends that can settle into the carpet. Let’s be honest, even the best-trained pets will have accidents.
Be sure to use a carpet cleaning solution that works for pet odor and stains for the best results.
6. Get a SpotBot
Bissel’s SpotBot is an amazing invention! It’s an easy and genius little machine that you can use on tough pet stains. It’s hands-free so you can set it up and walk away while it does its magic.
My mother-in-law first introduced me to this carpet cleaner that is great to use when you don’t need to clean the whole carpet.
7. Get a good spray mop
Instead of dragging out your mop and bucket every time your pets come in with muddy paws, get a good spray mop. I have this spray mop and I can use it multiple times before washing the reusable pad.
8. Use vinegar to get rid of pet odor
Pet odors are the worst!
Nothing is worse than walking into the house to the smell of pet urine or the smell of a dirty wet dog. We love our furry friends, but we don’t like the smells they bring into the house.
You can eliminate pet odors easily and naturally by using a spray bottle with a solution of white vinegar and water. Spray it on carpets and soft furnishings and allow them dry. It’s also great for refreshing your pet’s bedding in between washes.
Removable covers on furniture are also a great way to minimize odors. You can simply toss them in the washing machine and wash them with hot water when needed.
9. Baking soda as an odor eliminator
Baking soda is another great way to eliminate pet odors from your home. Sprinkle it directly onto the carpet and soft furnishings. Allow the baking soda to sit to absorb the odors, then vacuum it up. Super simple!
10. Carpet deodorizer
You can also use a carpet deodorizer especially formulated for pet smells. They have a few different scents you can choose from to help make your space smell great.
11. Dust using a fabric softener sheet
Pet hair and pet dander will float through your home every time your pet shakes. Let’s be honest, with some all they have to do is walk through the house and their hair falls on the floor. It will land on all the surfaces in your home, it’s a fact.
Dusting with a fabric softener sheet will give your surfaces a repellant against dust and dander and keep them from settling.
12. Invest in an air purifier
Having an air purifier in the space where your pets normally hang out will cut down on the amount of hair and pet dander that will accumulate. Just be sure to check the filter often and replace or clean it as needed.
13. Clean pet spaces regularly
For different pets, these spaces will be different.
In our home, our dogs sleep in cages at night and it’s important to keep them clean. They also have a dog bed in our living area.
- Make sure to wash pet beds at least once a month if not more.
- Clean out cages and be sure to clean the plastic tray that slides into the bottom.
- Vacuum up the hair that will most certainly accumulate around to perimeter of their sleeping space. I almost always vacuum up a whole dog when I clean our dogs’ cages!
- Clean out litter boxes frequently.
That kitty litter won’t mask the smells forever! A self-cleaning litter box is a splurge, but totally worth it. This one is extra large for multiple cats and has a mat to catch the litter that sticks to the bottom of their feet.
14. Keep pet feeding areas clean
Our dogs are messy eaters, they like to take a mouthful of dog food and carry it away from their bowls then eat it. I don’t know where this habit came from, but they always leave behind crumbs or a stray piece of food that needs to be cleaned up.
Invest in a good raised dog bowl stand for your pet’s food bowls and water bowls. It’s easier on your dog’s posture and may help eliminate the mess of splashed water on the floor or dog food scattered everywhere.
You can DIY your own raised dog bowl stand and save a lot of money. It’s a simple beginner-friendly DIY anyone can do!
15. Keep your pets clean
Make sure to bathe and brush your pets regularly. Bathing your dogs will help to reduce smells. Be sure to use a shampoo that won’t irritate their skin and don’t bathe them so often that their skin gets dried out.
If battling fur is your number biggest pet-related cleaning issue, then brushing is the best and most simple thing you can do.
Daily brushing, preferably outside, will allow you to be proactive about your pet’s shedding and keep the fur build-up in your home from getting too out of control. We use this pet brush and it works really great and our dogs like it too.
Our groomer uses this pet groomer vacuum on our Australian Shepherd and it makes brushing her out much quicker. It’s definitely on my list to purchase. It’s low noise so it won’t be as stressful to your pet and you can use it indoors.
Having a clean house with your four-legged friends can be a challenge, but these 15 house-cleaning tips for pet owners will have you on your way to controlling the mess and odors that come with having furry family members.
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