Cleaning Your House With Pets

Today let’s talk a little about keeping your house clean with pets.  Okay, okay this is not the fun thing to always talk about, but I’m sure it’s a daily struggle for all of us pet owners.  Constant shedding from almost every kind of dog and cat is bound to happen.  From the day you welcome a new puppy or kitten into your home you know the task of keeping up after them is there. 

Living in town and a yard that wasn’t fenced in I already knew that I wasn’t going to have an outdoor dog.  She was indoor and had free reign with most of the house, aside from the spare bedrooms.  I watched her like a hawk when I brought her home and for the first two days I was pretty good at reading her signs as to when she needed to go out.  But I wasn’t always fast enough.  There were the few accidents that of course I was pretty diligent at cleaning up right away and making sure to spray the carpet or hard wood to deter her from going there again. 

As the days, weeks and months go by your puppy will be getting better at letting you know when they need to go out and just about the time you think you have a handle on it, BAM… the poor thing gets sick.  Either with a new food change or something that is causing your poor pet digestive issues, you now have another clean up situation.  Whether that means a carpet spray or hardwood cleaning or it entails the full body suit clothes pin on the nose and rubber gloves to your elbows, it’s gotta get cleaned up.  Then there is the smell to contend with. 

Finding the solution to work in your home to control the smell and cleaning can be hard.  Here are a few things I do that seem to help a lot. 

Spot Scrub. 

Wherever the scene of the crime is I start with spot scrubbing.  Odor killing and stain removal for pets are the two biggest things I look for in a spot cleaner. 

Baking Soda. 

Baking soda helps to deodorize a room.  If it’s my carpet I start by sprinkling around the area and if the smell is still pretty bad I let the container in the room to absorb the smell.  This also works wonders in kitty litter boxes.  When I change them I sprinkle it in the bottom of their litter box and on the floor under the box.  Baking soda and vinegar water is a perfect stain remover when steam cleaning and scrubbing your carpet. 

Grooming and bathing your dog. 

Oh yes the difference this makes in the smell of my house is amazing!  Especially as I was dealing with an allergy that made her skin have a terrible odor.  Grooming was essential for my dog with allergies. 

Vacuum every day. 

I try to keep up with my vacuuming.  I don’t always do it every day but I try to.  I also use baking soda before I vacuum and let it sit in the carpet about a half hour before running the sweeper. 

Odor control room spray. 

This one is a big one.  I always have a spray bottle of odor control spray to help freshen up the house especially before any visitors come.