Having a pet comes with a lot of responsibilities, including potty training, behavior training, feeding, vet appointments, and ensuring your pet always has something to keep them entertained. However, it also comes with a responsibility to keep your home clean for yourself, your pet, and your guests. Pets are known to cause damage to homes, which is why many landlords require a non-refundable pet deposit.
When you get a pet, you accept that they might rip up some furniture and leave some potty stains around the house until they’re trained. However, there are some pet messes you can’t train away. For example, pets shed, which means your clothes, furniture, and carpet might end up covered in pet fur if you don’t regularly clean your home.
Luckily, living with pets doesn’t mean you have to live in a messy, dirty, or smelly home. And neither does your pet! Instead, you need to learn how to keep your home clean and tidy while living with pets. In this article, you’ll learn how to keep your home mess-free and clean.
Table of Contents
1. Groom Your Pet
Some pets require regular visits to the groomers, while some don’t. If you have a pet with long fur that needs to be trimmed regularly, ensure you have a good groomer to call. If you don’t groom your pet regularly, their fur may get matted, which can cause pain. Not only that, but you might even find more quantities of long fur on your clothes and furniture.
Unfortunately, many pets get anxious when going to the groomer. If you’ve ever tried to clip your dog’s nails by yourself, you know how difficult they can be when it comes to getting groomed. If your pet gets anxious at the groomer’s, talk to your vet to see if they can prescribe something to take the edge off. Eventually, your pet might not need medication to see the groomer as they get more comfortable each time they go.
Many dogs don’t have to be taken to a groomer, but that doesn’t mean you should skip grooming altogether. You should bathe your pet on a regular basis, especially if they love to spend their afternoons hunting for squirrels in the backyard. Giving your pet a bath at least once a month can help keep their skin and fur healthy, allow them to shed naturally, and help yourself keep your entire home clean.
Depending on the type of pet you have, you might also want to brush them after a bath. If your pet has short fur and still sheds a lot, they might need to be brushed more often to get rid of shedding fur. You can brush your pet outside to make clean-up easier and ensure no fur gets released into your home.
1. Get Storage
Having your pet’s toys everywhere can cause stress and dangerous situations where you could trip. All pets need toys, but your pet might choose to play with their toys in many different areas. Depending on your pet’s play zones and how they like to play, you might want to invest in some attractive storage solutions so you can clean up their toys at the end of the day. You can get a tote or bin for all of their toys and keep the top open, so your pet can choose which toys they want to play with.
If you work hard on training with your pet, you might be able to train your dog to put his toys back into his toy bin when he’s done with them. However, don’t solely rely on that. Being a pet parent means you’ll be picking up after your pet all the time. You can make it easier on yourself if you choose to clean up your pet’s toys at the end of the day instead of individually picking up each toy once they’re done playing with them.
2. Keep Cables Organized
Dogs and cats like to explore and get into trouble. If you have a bunch of cords and cables behind your electronics, find a better way to organize them. Organizing cables can help keep your electronics safe and your pets out of danger. You can also choose to put something in front of your electronics so your pets can’t get behind them.
3. Consider Pet-Friendly Furniture
Pet-friendly furniture is made to be durable and keep pet odors at bay. If you allow your pets on the furniture, their nails might rip up some materials, such as leather, but other materials are durable, and many furniture is made to be pet-friendly.
4. Wash Toys
Any pet toys that can be washed should be washed. If you can’t wash your pet’s toys for any reason, you should replace them according to the tag on the toy. You should also replace toys that are damaged to keep your pet safe.
You can wash many of your pet’s toys, including plush stuffed animals and rubber treat-dispensing toys.
5. Frequently Vacuum
While you should vacuum your house at least once a week, pet parents should vacuum more often to get rid of pet fur that could be hiding in the carpet and on furniture. Vacuuming up pet fur can keep your home cleaner while getting rid of pet smells that may be lingering because of old fur.
Most vacuums are capable of getting rid of pet hair, but you might want to invest in a carpet rake to ensure you’re bringing all of the pet furs up to the surface of the carpet to be easily vacuumed up.
6. Immediately Clean Accidents
If your pet is having accidents in the house because they’re a puppy or an older dog, make sure to immediately clean up those accidents. Allowing the accidents to seep into the carpet can leave lingering stains and odors. For example, pet urine can soak into the carpet pad and leave a lingering odor even if there is no stain.
7. Wipe Paws
Going on a walk with your pup can be a relaxing hobby that allows the two of you to strengthen your bond. Unfortunately, paws can quickly get dirty outside. If you want to keep your home clean after a walk, wipe your dog’s paws as soon as you come in from outside, whether or not your dog walked in any mud or dirt. You can wipe their paws by simply using paper towels or wipes, or you can search on Amazon and find a paw cleaning cup for your pup.
8. Use a Placemat
No matter where your dog eats, you should invest in a quality placemat that ensures no kibble rolls under cabinets, and water droplets can be quickly absorbed. Make sure to wash the placement regularly so your pet can enjoy eating in a clean area of the home.
Marné Amoguis
Marné Amoguis holds a B.A. in International Business from UC San Diego. She is a contributing writer at 365businesstips.com where she loves sharing her passion for digital marketing. Outside of writing, she loves traveling, playing music, and hiking.