Owning cats, dogs or both can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but keeping your home clean can be challenging! From muddy paw prints to toys strewn across the floor, pets can throw chaos and unpredictability into any household.
It is possible to keep your home clean with animals roaming around, but you’ll need discipline, time, and skill. If you’re ready to take housework to the next level, read our five steps to a clean home with pets.
1. Manage shedding
Loose hairs and dander, the natural shedding of your dog or cat’s coat, quickly take over your home if they’re not managed correctly.
While it’s impossible to avoid shedding altogether, there are a few things you can do keep things under control. Firstly, feeding your pet a balanced, nutritious and high-quality diet can noticeably reduce their shedding. Brushing their coat regularly using a brush that’s appropriate for their coat type may also help to slow down shedding.
2. Keep the muddy paws at bay
Your dog loves running through the fields and playing in boggy puddles, we know! While this natural behaviour is as adorable as it is fulfilling for your pooch, you’ll need to clean their paws afterwards.
Many families welcome their dogs back inside only after a quick wash-down outside the door. Alternatively, you could use a towel to clear the worst of the mud off once you’re on the doorstep. Try to put dark runner rugs in your entryways and hallways to prevent the dirt from being trodden through the rest of the house.
3. Use the right cleaning products
Pets inevitably have accidents and it’s your responsibility to clean up after them. From upset tummies to toilet-training puddles, it’s vital to clean up certain pet messes with specific products.
Enzymatic cleaners are essential for cleaning up urine, as they neutralise the acids and remove the smell from the fabric or surface underneath. Similarly, you’ll need to choose a strong antibacterial cleanser with non-toxic active ingredients. Pet-safe laundry sanitisers can be incredibly useful for washing pet bedding and blankets.
4. Create pet-specific storage zones
For both hygiene and organisation, it makes sense to store your pet’s belongings away from your own. Whether it’s toys, bowls, snacks or leads and collars, pet-friendly storage solutions make your home more streamlined.
Providing an enrichment space for your cat or dog could help to you to meet their biological needs. Cats, for example, are very curious and love to explore through play. Why not create a climbing area with cat trees, scratching posts and tunnels for your entertainment and theirs?
5. Follow a regular cleaning routine
Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of cleaning as often as you can happy home with pets. When you have pets, leaving the basic chores unattended will very quickly lead to grub, muck, and hairs everywhere.
If you can, you should absolutely hoover and mop your floors every other day. You could get away with every other day if you’re very careful with your dog’s cleanliness, but the dirt will make its way in very quickly either way.
Wash your clothes separately to dog-related items and try not to allow your pets near the clean laundry. With some discipline and routine, you can keep your home looking pristine!