A Dog Mom’s Guide to A Tidy Home: If you’re a dog mom, you’ve likely gone through times when you feel like your house is a mess! While we love our dogs, we also want to have a clean house. Dogs bring a number of messes including mud, fur, drool, and clutter! Despite these obstacles, however, it IS possible to keep a tidy house while sharing it with your pups. Read on to see our list of secrets to keeping your house clean with dogs!
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Managing Dog Fur
Whether you’ve got dogs with short fur or long fur, you’re destined to find dog fur throughout your house and maybe even on your clothes.
Brush your dog regularly to help reduce shedding. How often you need to do this will depend on your dog’s coat. Long haired breeds such as Australian Shepherds may require daily brushing while short haired breeds like Boston Terriers may only need brushing occasionally. Vacuum your house often to keep down on collections of fur developing throughout your house. Invest in a good vacuum that works well on pet hair so you can be sure your time will be spent wisely. Consider an automatic vacuum if suited for your house that can run daily while you’re at work or doing other things.
Consider getting washable furniture covers if you allow your dogs on the furniture. These will make it easy to quickly clean things up especially before having company over. Have lint rollers handy so you can quickly de-fluff yourself when running out of the house.
Managing dog fur will help keep your house looking fresh and clean!
Keeping Floors and Furniture Clean
A major part of keeping your house clean is keeping the floors and furniture clean. Have a towel ready at the door to wipe your dog’s paws off before coming in especially during rainy and snowy seasons. Get a washable, waterproof mat for the door to help absorb any extra messes. You can get a paw washer to keep by the door as well. Plan to mop the floors periodically to pick up dirt and other stains. O-Cedar makes a nice spin mop that makes mopping easy. All you need is hot water and pet-safe soap to keep your floors sparkling! It comes with a double bucket to separate clean water from dirty water.
As mentioned above, get washable furniture covers to keep messes from staining your expensive furniture. Your dog is bound to have an accident or two, so you’ll need to have pet-safe cleaning products on hand. Always try new products on a small area first before committing to cleaning a whole stain with it.
By keeping the floors and furniture clean, you’ll be one step closer to a clean house!
Dealing with Odors
While we love our dogs, we don’t love the odors that sometimes come with them. Keep the dog odor down by washing bedding and toys frequently. Just like you your wash own bedding frequently, be sure to wash your dog’s bedding and blankets several times per month. Not only will this help reduce the dog smell, it will be good for your dog’s hygiene. An air purifier can also help greatly in reducing pet odor and dander.
Make sure to clean up any accidents quickly to prevent them from seeping into surfaces like carpet fibers or hardwood floors. You can get special pet urine cleaning products to help neutralize odors.
If you’re trying to get a pet urine smell out, be sure to blot up any liquid as soon as possible. You can then use baking soda to help pick up any liquid that soaked in. Let the baking soda sit for several hours or overnight, then use your vacuum to remove the baking soda. If still needed, use a pet urine cleaning product to help get out any additional odor.
Keeping dog odor at bay will help you feel like your home is cozy and clean!
Pet Organization
Keeping your dog’s stuff organized will help you keep a tidy house. Have several toy bins throughout the house that you can quickly toss toys in as you go. Have a dedicated area for leashes, collars, and other accessories. This might include hooks by the door to hang accessories. This will help make your house look free of clutter.
Keep the kitchen clean by storing food and treats in containers. Look for stylish glass or BPA-free plastic containers for storage. Wash the containers regularly when refilling them to keep harmful bacteria from growing. This keeps your dog’s food fresher while keeping your kitchen from looking messy.
If you use a crate for your dog, keep it clean and out of the way. Make sure you use a pet-safe cleaner to keep it smelling fresh. Wash all bedding regularly to control dog odors.
Have a Cleaning Routine
Come up with a cleaning routine and stick with it! Pick up toys and clutter daily. Wash bedding and blankets weekly. This includes your own bedding if you let your dogs sleep on the bed like we do. Vacuum once weekly (or more frequently with high shedding dogs). Mop the floors once per month. Wash dog toys that are able to be washed every few weeks and be sure to toss out any worn out toys. Plan to do deep cleanings at least seasonally (ie, spring cleaning) to really keep down on pet odor and mess.
Following a specific cleaning routine will guarantee you are able to keep your house clean while living with your dogs!
While it may seem impossible to keep a clean home with dogs, following these steps can certainly help. Get into a cleaning routine and keep your house looking (and smelling!) clean.
Have other cleaning hacks for keeping a clean house with dogs? Share in the comments below to help other dog moms!
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