How To Keep A Clean Home When You Have Pets

Dogs are adorable, loyal, and loving animals. Cute as they ever are, our canine companions seem to have a master’s degree in keeping the house untidy. Cheesy smells, muddy paws, pet hair, spilled food, torn and scattered items are just a few inevitable things that every fur-parent encounters almost daily. While it is quite impractical to devote much of your time cleaning after your dog, you also don’t want your visitors to give you a dirty look or have the wrong impression.

Fur-parents across the globe share the never-ending struggle of keeping the house squeaky clean but this doesn’t have to be your way of life. Here’s how you can you manage a dog-loving home.

1. Groom Your Dog Frequently

If your dog is a shedding breed, frequent grooming would be the best way to prevent molting hair from getting onto your upholstery and carpets. Don’t forget to brush his coat regularly and trim his nails so it won’t mar hardwood floors or scrape your upholstery.

Likewise, give your dog a bi-weekly bath using a good quality dog shampoo. Baths not only deodorize your dog but also washes off stubborn dirt and allergens, minimize bacterial load, and serves as a good opportunity to examine your dog from head to toe.

But if your dog comes home like soggy bread then bathe him immediately. You can bathe him outside on a warm sunny day so he can race around drying au naturel.

2. Make Sure His Dog Bed is Irresistibly Cozy

Providing your dog his very own warm plush bed keeps him from getting tempted to curl up and snooze on the couch or anywhere else inside the house. If he finds his bed more enticing, he will spend most of his time there; hence, you won’t have to look forward to a big pile of pet hair on the couch. Opt for a dog bed that has anti-skid and waterproof properties. If you don’t mind having your dog on the couch, you can use a throw cover as protection from accidents, pet hair, dirt, and debris.

3. Keep His Things Clean

His bed and toys should be washed at least once a week to eliminate harmful microorganisms that could make your entire family sick. This also helps keep funky smells at bay.

4. Invest in Good Quality Cleaning Equipment

• Vacuum cleaner – A vacuum cleaner can make a huge difference in a pet lover’s home. Choose a product with strong suction, a HEPA filter, and a good brush action to pull out dirt, hair, dust, and debris from the floor to ceiling. There are certain brands that can clean pretty much anywhere such as lampshades, stairs, etc.

 

• Air purifier – Pets can greatly affect the air quality inside your home. Using an air purifier ensures you and your entire family is breathing clean fresh air — free of bacteria, allergens, dander, etc.

 

5. Make Sure His Buddies Don’t Share Their Fleas

 

Fleas hop from dog to dog. The long and the short of it is that you need to prioritize flea control. If your dog gets fleas, you also need to check him for tapeworms, which are transmitted by fleas. Buy a vial of veterinary-approved flea drops, which is applied between your dog’s shoulder blades. You can also use a flea collar for your dog. Both products exhibit active ingredients that provide continual protection against fleas.

6. Train Your Dog

Whether your dog is of royal stock or a mangy mutt, you need to teach and discipline your dog. It takes about four months for a pup to be housebroken, so until then make your own radar to search the telltale signs of when he is about to pee or poop. Unless you have the means to hire a nanny 24 hours a day, then it is up to you if you prefer to spoil your pampered pooch. Regardless, it is best to train your dog.

Summary

None of us likes to come home only to be greeted by something wet and stinky or invite guests, only to make them shocked and upset by the bedraggled mess our furry pals have made. Dogs are similar to small children. Rubbing your dog’s nose in his flaws will only cause him fear, confusion, and anxiety. If you need to punish your dog to enforce obedience, make sure you are doing it right. Loving your dog is a lot more important rather than stressing over pet hair.