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Inexpensive Ways to Keep Your Home Spotless When You Have a Dog

By March 11, 2019No Comments

We all love our dogs. They’re part of the family and have a special place in our hearts. That doesn’t mean the messes they make don’t get expensive. If you need budget-friendly ways to look after your house and pooch, here is what you need to know.

Kitchen Products to Remove Smells

Dogs can leave all sorts of unpleasant odors in their wake. Fur, dander, saliva and other smells can quickly take over our homes if we aren’t proactive, but you don’t need expensive odor removers to deal with them. Instead, you can turn to your kitchen for an effective solution, such as mixing vinegar and baking soda for a double whammy of cleaning and deodorizing power. For a truly potent way to remove scents, even from the trashcan where your pet waste goes, use a few sprinkles of borax. It will even kill off some bacteria. After all, a bad smell can make any house feel uncomfortable to be in.

Alternatives to Cleaning Services

A cleaning service is an excellent way to make sure your home stays in order whether or not you have a pet, but the cost can quickly add up. Rather than spending hundreds every month to keep your home a nice place to be, invest in a few quality pieces of cleaning equipment, like a vacuum built to remove fur and dander. Of course, you don’t want just any model, so research the best options for grabbing pet hair with ease before you make a purchase. Additionally, a rubber broom works wonders for collecting fur on tile or wooden flooring, and should be in everyone’s arsenal.

Removing Fur and Dander

Regular vacuuming and sweeping are invaluable tools for tackling fur, but they are not the only assets for maintaining a pristine home. Go to the source by keeping your canine well-groomed, as this goes a long way to having a clean, fur-free environment. Your pup could also be shedding excessively and you want to get to the root cause of hair loss that is abnormal. You can be sure to ask your groomer for their best suggestions on minimizing fur for a shedding dog as well as other grooming tips to keep your pups fur and coat healthy. You can also try using slip-over covers for your furniture, since it’s much easier to toss one of these into the wash than it is to launder an entire sofa. Plus, they can protect your couches and chairs from absorbing smells when your pup climbs onto them the moment your back is turned.

Cleaning Up Spills

It’s imperative that you clean up messes right when they happen, especially bathroom accidents. If you don’t, you not only allow the waste to soak into the flooring and haunt you forever, but you also run the risk of having your pet think that this is their new potty spot. Ideally, soak up as much as you can with a rag, apply an enzymatic product, and let it soak in. Cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap to allow it to really get into the stain and dissolve any remaining proteins to break up the scent. It’s inexpensive, and if you act quickly, it’s an effective way of ensuring your home stays spotless.

Keeping Fabrics Clean

Pet hair and dander are unavoidable, but you can successfully minimize their exposure to fabrics with good training and by keeping your pooch out of closets. Lint rollers can work in a pinch to get fur off of your furniture and yourself, but latex gloves (like the oversized yellow ones you use in the kitchen) are excellent at gripping hair and removing it. If you’re in a bind, just wet your hands slightly, and use your palms to brush the fur off.

Having a tidy house doesn’t need to break the bank. We can use what we already have at home and invest in quality products to keep our spaces clean. This way, everyone, including Fido, stays happy and healthy.

Image Courtesy of Pixabay.com  This article was contributed by Jessica Brody. To be considered for a guest post please contact cynthia@newyorkdognanny.com

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