Clean up after Your Pet – Like a Pro

While everyone loves their furry family members, pets certainly can make homes messy! From fur, to litter boxes, to “accidents,” cleaning up after your pets can be a challenge. Of course, a clean house with pets is possible – with a little bit of work your home will be looking good and you and your pet will be living happily ever after.

Tackling Flying Fur

As one of the biggest challenges for pet owners, fur presents real issues for most pet owners. Most cats and dogs shed some, but others leave fur balls flying everywhere! First, to stop all that flying hair, proper grooming for your pet is a must. Brushing your dog or cat regularly, outside, will lower the pet hair in the air and on the floor in your house. Brushing will also help your cat avoid constipation and hairballs! Though cats will clean themselves, giving your dog a bath on a consistent basis will also remove excess hair from your home.

Next, check your air filters frequently, the more dogs and cats in your home coupled with their degree of shedding, the more often you’ll need to change them. This also has a bonus for you, your heating or cooling system will work more efficiently and you’ll save money too. Now, when it comes to cleaning up the fur that does manage to make it to the floor, you’ll want to experiment with what works best at getting it up, but, honestly, the old tried and true methods may be best: vacuums, brooms, and dustpans.

The Litter Box Battle

Though dogs can be taught to do their ‘business’ outdoors, the preferred bathroom for cats is the indoor litter box. Litter boxes and the cat litter used to fill them come in a variety of types and no matter what kind you choose, keeping it clean is must! With a single cat, you will need to scoop out the ‘chunks’ every day to avoid the invasion of a ‘toxic’ odor in your home. On top of that, the litter box will need to be thoroughly cleaned at least every 7 to ten days to rid your home of the inevitable smells. Thorough cleaning means dumping the litter, filling the box with water, bleach, dishwashing detergent applying some elbow grease while scrubbing. In addition, you’ll probably want to change out the box annually to be sure there are no leaks.

‘Accidents’

Regardless of how well trained your dog is, ‘accidents’ will happen occasionally. Even a cat may have an ‘accident’ once in a while. And removing pet urine smells and stains is no joke! With pet urine, you have two options: choose a retail product designed for the purpose or use the tried and true ‘homegrown’ method.

If you choose the retail option, be sure to select a product specifically designed to do the job and that is safe to use around your pet (and yes, some products may remove the stain/smell, but aren’t safe for your pet!) Follow the directions on your chosen product, being aware of any safety issues related to your family and your pets. Finally, do a spot test in an inconspicuous area of your carpet before applying it. Some products can discolor your carpet and flooring, so apply with care.

The ‘home remedy’ methodology begins with a handful of paper towels used to soak up the urine as much as possible – blot, don’t rub! Next, mix some dish detergent and water, and soak the affected area for 10 to 15 minutes. Grab some clean paper towels and blot again, then rinse the area with clean water. Blot again and let the area dry completely. Once dry, if you can still smell the odor, sprinkle on baking soda, let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes and vacuum it up.

Pets are a wonderful part of our lives and cleaning up after them comes as part of the bargain. These tips should help, but if you find you need help cleaning like a pro, call on the professional at Signature Maids, for a thorough and affordable clean!