We all love our furry friends. Is it possible to live in peace with them and keep your house clean? It is a case of finding the most effective ways of cleaning up after your pet.
Let’s face it, dander, fur, and a host of other accidents happen at the best of times. Using the right tools and with a bit of organization and extra work, you can enjoy a happy home with your pets.
How to Have a Clean Home with Your Pets
Hair is one of the biggest challenges pet owners face. It all depends on the breeds you keep at home that will determine what the size of their furballs will be like. For instance, Schnauzers, Bichon Frises, and Labradors hardly shed any hair. While Siberian Huskies get rid of their soft undercoats at least twice a year.
As far as keeping your domain clean when living with pets, everyone has a different take on what works best for them. Some will use a hand brush and dustpans, while others will use a handheld vacuum. One can minimize the need to clean if you groom your dog properly. This involves brushing your cat or dog regularly or if stumped for time, at least three times a week. It is far better to collect their hair on your brush than for it to land on the floor.
Brush your pet away from home, so there is no need to bother with cleaning duties afterward. Using the right tools can make a big difference.
Tried and Tested Methods for Cleaning Up After Your Pet
Follow along as we discuss the best methods for cleaning up pet hair and dander.
Hardwood Floors and Tiles
One sure way to pick up pet hair is to use triple action dust wipes. These are particularly useful for tile or hardwood floors. You can place these on the bottom of sweepers. However, we find the best mop, available from various online sources, to be more effective as you can mop from the edge of your floor and move towards the center.
The dust wipes we mentioned will be very handy for stairways as you can wipe up any pet dander from the top down. The wipes will gather allergens, dust, and pet hairs.
Unclog Your Bathroom Tub
Preventative measures always work best. Reduce the amount of hair shed, which involves developing effective grooming habits. Besides the fact that you will have less hair clogging your water outlets, it is healthy for your pet’s skin. We’d say it is a win-win situation.
How would you prevent clogging the drain when washing your pet in the bathtub?
Well, you may have heard or read about Liquid Plumr Hair Clog Eliminator. Douse your drain with this liquid after you bathe your furry friend.
Tips for Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Pet Bowls
The best way to clean and disinfect pet toys and bowls is to wash them.
Make use of the following steps:
- Rinse your dirty pet bowl thoroughly with water.
- Then, you must mix one tablespoon of bleach with a gallon of water.
- Fill up the pet bowl with this mixture and leave it to stand for two minutes.
- Place your pet’s toys and any other extras in the bowl and take it all out after 2 minutes.
- Drain the mixture and let the toys and bowl air dry.
Cleaning Pet Messes off the Floors
It warms our hearts when our beloved pets enter the home. Unfortunately, they bring a host of other things, such as mud, dirt, and who knows what into the home with them. Our carpets have to deal with the dirt and germs and we may end up getting sick with time if we don’t spring into action.
How do you take care of this problem?
Ensure your carpet is colorfast by rubbing a special solution into the dirty parts of your carpet. From here, wipe the treated area using water. Then, make use of a drying cloth or towel to dry it up. Your carpet will thank you for cleaning it so nicely and your health will improve.
Just a word of caution when making use of cleaning solutions. Check the colorfastness of your upholstery, mattresses, or carpets to avoid discoloring.
What you need to do is mix 2 teaspoons of regular bleach with a quarter cup of water. Look for a hidden area of your carpet or mattress and put a drop of the liquid on it. Wait for a bit and dry with a towel. You have passed the test if you don’t notice any color changes. If you see a difference, then you should not use the cleaning solution.
Clean and Hygienic Kitchen Counters
Some pets, like cats, have a habit of walking on surfaces where food is prepared. Cat owners, in particular, discover fluff regularly on their kitchen counters. You may gently reprimand your cat to stay off, but they will find their way back onto your counters.
Their paws touch many areas outside and the bacteria, sand, and other organisms such as toxoplasmosis, will land on your food preparation area. Not such a nice thought, isn’t it?
The last thing you want is to contract some unknown disease, which can be prevented by wiping your counter regularly using either a paper towel, dabbed with a special cleaning solution or a cleansing wipe. Get into the habit of doing this before and after you place food on the counter.
Keep things like cutting knives, cutting boards, and other food preparation equipment and tools inside your drawers.
Besides, we know dogs and cats will develop a host of intestinal parasites that easily spread to the human family. Kids are even more vulnerable than adults as their immune systems have not fully developed yet. Extra care should be taken to keep our pets free from these critters.
Something else we should keep in mind is to keep the pet food covered in containers to avoid rodents and pests from infiltrating our abode.
