Our pets are a big part of our family. They’re always waiting to greet us when we come home and more than willing to give us a good cuddle whenever we’re feeling down.
{This is our Golden Doodle, Blue, and Abby the Tabby.}
Unfortunately, like our kids, our little fur babies tend to make big messes. {And sometimes they don’t smell so great.} In the end though, we wouldn’t trade them for the world and they’re definitely worth the extra work and care that they require.
Tips to Keep Carpet and Upholstery Clean
Pet hair on upholstery and carpeting can be difficult to remove. I find the upholstery in our car is particularly troublesome. While a lint roller works well for smaller areas, larger areas are much quicker to clean using a rubber cleaning glove. Just put the glove on, spray lightly with water, and run your gloved hand over the area. “Sweep” it into piles moving in one direction only and then vacuum up. Alternatively, a squeegee works well to remove any fur or hair that’s stuck in your upholstery or carpeting. Just move it in one direction to grab any trapped fur until the area is fur-free.
If your animals are allowed on your furniture, try placing a towel or blanket over the area that your pet likes to lay. Tossing the towel into the wash is much easier than cleaning the upholstery and a lot cheaper to replace. If you can, purchase two of the same item so you can rotate them around as one is being cleaned – your pet won’t even notice!
When it comes to bigger messes on carpet and upholstery, the most important thing that you need to do is to completely get rid of the smell and to really make sure all of the liquid is absorbed. Pets like to go back to where they have already made their mark so you want it untraceable! I wrote a whole post on how to remove pet stains from carpets with a lot of tips and a few different cleaning methods that you can try.
Tips to Keep the Litter Box Clean
Cleaning the litter box is by far my very least favorite cleaning task! To keep on top of things, scoop the litter box daily. Not only does this keep it smelling fresh for you, but it also keeps your cat happy and willing to use the litter box. {Our cats have been known to find somewhere else to go when their box is not up to par.} If your litter box is quite far away from a garbage can, you can keep a small garbage can with a bag and tight fitting lid beside the litter box so it saves on time. You then just have to empty this as needed and scooping should take less than 30 seconds.
The whole box should be emptied and washed once per week if you use non-clumping litter and once every 3-4 weeks if you use clumping litter. Give the box a good cleaning with some dish detergent and water and wipe completely dry. To make the next clean-up easier, you can line the bottom of the box with a kitchen garbage bag and sprinkle baking soda on the bottom to absorb odors. Keep filled with at least 3 inches of litter.
To prevent the litter from spreading through other areas of your home, use a grooved mat directly outside of the litter box. Spend a minute or two cleaning up any loose litter after you scoop. I love using our Swiffer Sweep and Vac for this as the vacuum part sucks up the actual litter bits while the Swiffer cloths really trap all of the fine dust and hair that just doesn’t get picked up by vacuuming. The vac is just stored right beside the litter box and serves as a good reminder to do a quick cleaning. Stopping the mess directly at the source will save you a lot of time later on!
Tips to Keep the Floor Clean
I think the most important thing for keeping the floors relatively clean {with both pets and humans!} is to stop as much outside mess as coming into the house as possible. We take off our shoes when we come in the door, so the dog has to have his paws wiped down when he comes in. Keep a small bottle of water and a microfiber pet towel by the door and get your pet used to having his feet wiped when they’re young. Blue is an old pro now and as soon as he sees the towel, he’ll sit to have his paws done.
Of course, this definitely doesn’t eliminate all of the dirt and little debris that’s tracked in so I try to give the entry ways a quick go over with our Swiffer Sweeper at the end of each day {or earlier if there’s extra mess!} This at least keeps the mess contained to a smaller area and cuts down on cleaning time in other areas of the house. The Swiffer cloths really last for a long time so be sure to use them to their full potential and don’t go reaching for a new one until you really need it. Click HERE to learn more about how I prolong the life of my Swiffer cloths and how the pads actually work. You’ll notice when they’re not working as efficiently and can replace them at that point.
Tips to Get Rid of Pet Odors
As lovely as our pets are, they sometimes don’t smell the best. To get rid of odors on carpet and uphostery, try this easy DIY carpet and upholstery refresh. You just need two ingredients and it works really well. The longer you can leave it to sit before vacuuming the better. Also, if you keep it in an airtight container, I find that the scent of the essential oils actually increases if you leave it for a few days before using it.
We try not to bathe the dog too much to avoid stripping the natural oils, but sometimes it just needs to be done! We use a DIY pet shampoo with 1 cup of hot water, 2 tbsp of blue Dawn dish soap, 1/4 cup of vinegar and 5+ drops of lavender essential oil. The lavender is supposed to help with flea prevention and, if not, it still gives off a nice scent. If your dog really isn’t dirty but just isn’t smelling so hot, you can give him a dry shampoo with baking soda. Just sprinkle it on, rub it in with your hands, and then comb out. You’ll want to do this one outside though, so it doesn’t get messy. Most dogs will love it as they have your undivided attention and get lots of back scratches.
Keep Track of Your Pet’s Health
Since our pets are part of the family, I made up some printable pet care sheets to go in our family binder. They’re great to use for pet sitters and have on hand if any emergencies arise. I also find that they keep me on top of visits to the vet and when medications are due. Our cats and dogs are on different cycles for the flea medication so it can be hard to keep track of sometimes!
You can download the free printables below by clicking on the links. Please use for personal use only.
DOWNLOAD THE PET INFORMATION SHEET HERE
DOWNLOAD THE PET HEALTH HISTORY SHEET HERE
What’s your biggest pet mess that you have difficulty with? I’d love to hear what pet struggles and successes you’ve had!
This post was sponsored by Swiffer. As always, all thoughts and opinions {and my cute little nephew pup, Jackson} are 100% my own. 🙂
These are indeed very hepful tips! Thanks for sharing!
No problem! Glad you found it helpful!
Awwwwwww this post can’t help but melt the reader. Your pets are adorable sitting quietly with your son. I have a large Great Pyrenees so carpet fresh, a steam cleaner and swifters are my best friend.
It’s not very often that I can catch them all quiet! Great Pyrenees are beautiful dogs – but, yes, I can imagine that there is a lot of fur to clean up! They’re so worth it though! 🙂
Keeping a health history is a great idea! Thanks for sharing with Funtastic Friday!
I recently stumbled upon this blog while searching for tips on cleaning the basement. Your way of organizing and cleaning speaks to my soul! Haha. I’ve recently been dealing with a kitty using areas other than her litterbox. I scoop twice a day and vacuum the excess litter fairly often, but she will still go outside if it. Usually right in front of me. I use a natural litter that doesn’t élimante odor as easily…I wonder if that’s the issue. What are your thoughts? Any other recommendations? I’m a big fan of natural cleaning products and essential oils…I haven’t used oils on the box before.
I’m not a big expert on this, but cats typically like to be neat and tidy, so it’s not usual for them to go outside of their litter box. I would try other litters to see if she starts to use it more. We had an electric box with the crystal litter that one of our cats loved and the other hated. So, it may take a little bit of experimenting. Cats are really sensitive to smells so I’m not sure about the essential oils. Just make sure to check with your vet as to what oils are safe around cats. You could try some baking soda in the bottom of the litter box to see if that helped with odors. You could also check with your vet just to make sure there aren’t any medical issues. Or try to see if there were any behavioural connections with going to the bathroom outside of the box (like you had company over, you’ve been busy and not able to give her as much attention, etc.).