It is safe to say that the UK is a nation of animal lovers, with roughly 59% of homes across the UK owning a pet. Our four-legged friends can be some of the most beloved in the household, but with busy lives and hectic calendars, it can be hard to find the time to clean up after them! We’ve created an easy guide to keeping a clean house with pets to ensure that your home stays tidy, leaving more time to spend with your favourite animals!
It may seem obvious, but keeping your pet clean is a really easy way to ensure your house stays clean too. After any long dog walks, for example, make sure you rinse off as much mud as possible before letting your pet on the furniture or carpet. To make this easier, it’s a good idea to have a spare towel on hand in the car or the porch to tidy up any muddy paws whenever necessary.
Similarly, if you have a pet who moults, ensure you’re brushing or washing them regularly. It’s far more efficient to get as much pet hair in a brush or down the plughole as possible. Make sure you’re taking your pet to be groomed regularly in Spring and Autumn; these are heavy moulting times for dogs as their coats prepare for new seasons and shed excessively.
Does your cat love to lay in that one patch of sunlight? Does your dog like to lay across the sofa for a snooze? If your pet has a spot on your furniture or carpet that it especially loves, it might be a good idea to add a blanket to that area. This way, you can chuck a single blanket into the washing machine and have it smelling fresh again, rather than needing to deep clean that single spot when its stubborn smells won’t shift!
Your pet’s bedding, blankets and toys can absorb so many odours over time. At least once a month, make sure you wash all your pet’s bedding as thoroughly as possible. Check whether the blankets and bedding can be thrown in the washing machine, then leave them outdoors on a dry day to leave them smelling as fresh as possible.
When it comes to toys, it’s really important to disinfect them every few days to ensure your pet stays healthy and your house stays clean. This may seem excessive, but bacteria can build up on your pet’s toys within just a few hours!
If you have fabric soft toys, throw them in the washing machine with any other blankets and towels on a high heat to give them a thorough clean. If your pet has plastic or rubber toys, check the labels to see if they are safe to put in the dishwasher. The high temperatures of the dishwasher will sanitise the toys completely. If you’re unsure about that, you can always soak the toys in a solution that is equal parts distilled white vinegar and water for half an hour. It’s a great disinfectant and your pet’s toys will be super clean!
Your sofas, carpets and rugs can start to hold onto some really bad smells over time, and it can happen without you even realising it! It can be time-consuming and expensive to deep clean your furniture or carpet, so it’s a good idea to have a handy homemade disinfectant spray handy to keep odours at bay. You can mix together ¾ parts of vodka and ¼ water along with a few drops of your favourite essential oils in a spray bottle. Spritz this disinfectant on your furniture every week to keep it clean and smelling fresh.
To ensure your house doesn’t become filled with pet hair, it’s a good idea to spend a few extra pounds on a hoover that can handle it. Although your Henry the Hoover might seem to do the job, It can be missing small amounts of dirt and dust that produce bad odours in your home. You don’t need to necessarily spend a fortune – there are cheaper options that specialise in stubborn pet hair, like the £120 Telios Extra.
Now that we’re coming into Spring, it’s the perfect time to air out the whole house and let out all the bad odours in your house. On a warm, dry day, open as many windows as possible to let air circulate through the house. When paired with freshly washed bedding and plenty of disinfectant spray, your house will be smelling fresh and clean!
