Pets are wonderful, and if you have one – or more than one – you’ll already know what a great addition they make to any home. However, unless your pet is one that stays in its own cage or tank, you’ll find that your furry friend leaves its hair everywhere, as well as potentially other messes. And with regards to the caged animals, they can make mess too, so although they might not be quite as messy as a dog or cat, for example, some of the following points are still going to be of use.
Those points are all about how you can keep your home clean when you have pets. This is possible no matter what kind of animals you might have or how much free rein they have in your home. If this sounds like it could be useful to you, keep reading to find out more.
Vacuum Regularly
Pets will always lose fur, and not just when they are actively shedding, as they will usually do twice a year as the seasons change. Just like humans, pets will shed hair as they simply move around the house, and if you stroke them, you’ll find they lose a lot more fur as a result. This fur then gets onto every surface in the house, such as your furniture, soft furnishings, curtains, and carpets.
It can seem as though dealing with this is a never-ending or even simply impossible task, but with a good vacuum cleaner and a regular vacuuming schedule, you should be able to keep up with it.
To do the job well, you’ll need to find the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair so you can ensure you have the right equipment. If you have a standard vacuum cleaner, it might not work so well on this particular problem, so it’s always best to get one that is highly rated for exactly what you want it to do, which in this case would be to effortlessly pick up pet hair.
Once you have the right vacuum cleaner, you’ll need to set up a vacuuming routine because otherwise the fur will pile up and become harder to remove. Plus, your home will simply be cleaner if you vacuum regularly. If your pet sheds a lot of fur, you might need to vacuum every day, potentially more than once a day. If they shed less, maybe every other day would work. You’ll need to determine the frequency of vacuuming yourself, but it is a crucial thing to add to your routine no matter what.
Use A Lint Roller
Another great way to keep your home clean when you have pets is to invest in a lint roller. This won’t cost very much, but it’s a hugely useful tool when it comes to clearing away pet fur from some surfaces that a vacuum cleaner wouldn’t be suitable for.
A lint roller could be used on clothing, bedding, and furniture, for example, and you could use it in between your vacuuming schedule as a quick cleaning tool if you don’t have time for anything else.
You can even have a lint roller stored in every room of the house so that as soon as you see some fur, you can quickly clear it away without having to waste time going to find the tools you need.
Clean Messes Immediately
Of course, you should always take the time to train your pets well for your sake and for the pet’s quality of life, but even a well-trained pet can have accidents, and when they do, it’s crucial to clean the mess up immediately.
Whether it’s urine, faeces, or vomit, bodily fluids like this can leave stains not just on fabrics but on wooden floors and even laminate as well. The sooner you can clean the mess up, the less likely it is that this will happen.
When you’re cleaning these messes, it’s a good idea to use a pet-specific cleaning product. This will ensure your pet stays safe while your home is cleaned. Be careful if you are using a standard cleaning product, as the chemicals used might be dangerous for your pet – if they licked or rolled in the area you had just cleaned, for example, they could become very ill. Even using your own homemade cleaning products could be problematic, as some animals will be allergic to the natural products you use. This is why it’s good to clean your home (and stains specifically) with animal-friendly products to be on the safe side.
Keep Your Pet Clean
So far we’ve focused on what you can do to clean your home after a mess has been made, but there is also something you can do before the mess has been made that might even prevent it from happening altogether. Even if there is still mess and dirt, it won’t be as bad as if you didn’t follow this point; keep your pet clean.
Regular grooming, such as brushing your pet’s coat, bathing them, and even trimming their claws can help your pet stay clean and smell fresh, so it’s a great way to keep everyone in the household (including the pet) happy. However, the added benefit is that if you keep your pet clean, your house won’t get as dirty.
If your pet’s coat is clean, they won’t leave dander and dirty wherever they go. If they are groomed regularly, they’ll shed less. If you trim their claws, they won’t bring in so much mud and dirt from outside.
Use A Doormat
Another good way to stop dirt from coming in from outside on your pet’s feet is to use a doormat. Of course, your pet won’t actually wipe its feet on the mat, but just stepping on it can dislodge a lot of debris that would otherwise end up inside your home.
You can also train your pet to stand on the mat every time they want to come inside the house, whether they have been running in the garden or you’ve just come back from a walk. This will give you the opportunity to inspect their feet (and entire coats) to make sure they are as clean as possible before you let them inside. Keep a damp towel near the door so you can wipe them down, and in this way, you can help to keep your home as clean as possible.
Provide Plenty Of Toys
Mess doesn’t just come from dirty paws, shedding fur, and unfortunate accidents. Pets can also make a mess if they get bored. They might chew things they’re not supposed to chew (which is not just messy, but could be costly and would potentially be bad for their health, depending on what they are chewing), or they might scratch at your chairs and sofas or perhaps pull at the carpets. A pet that is bored can quickly leave a lot of destruction behind it.
If you make sure your pet has plenty of toys to enjoy, they will be less likely to be bored, and they won’t turn to chewing on your shoes or scratching your table legs. As well as toys, however, you should always make time to play with your pets. They’ll have fun and get tired out so they’ll be less likely to make a mess, plus, it’s a good way for you to bond, which is important.
Wash Their Bedding
Finally, if you want to have a clean house even though you have pets, you need to think about the pet’s bedding. This could be harbouring bacteria and dirt, and no matter if your pet is clean and your house is sparkling, if your pet goes to bed on dirty bedding, they are sure to continue to make a mess.
Make sure you wash your pet’s bedding regularly to prevent this problem. It’s important to use pet-safe detergent, and ideally you should wash it separately from your regular laundry.