Thank you to ARM & HAMMER™ for sponsoring this post on 10 Top Ways To Keep Your Home Clean When You Have Pets. The holidays are here, and I’m sharing things I do to make sure my house is clean and ready to go. When you have pets, you may need to go the extra mile. Here’s how I avoid doing a lot backbreaking cleaning before the holidays. #CleanHomeHappening
Having one dog can create a lot of chaos and mess. Having more than one dog means the mess triples. This summer we welcomed Chance, a labradoodle puppy into the Worthey household. We’ve had a smaller dog (Boston Terrier) for the past four years; and now with a new growing puppy in our house, I’ve noticed we’re doing more cleaning. As we enter into a busy holiday week full of guests coming over, several holiday parties, and people constantly in and out of our home, we have to do extra work to get ready.
I’ve put together a list of the best tips when it comes to cleaning your home when you have pets. These tips are useful any time of the year.
Groom Regularly. Grooming your pet regularly is crucial. Our dogs are in and out of the house several times per day. Chance is digging up holes, rolling in the mud, and figuring out a way to get the most dirt on him as possible before coming back into the house. Taking him to the Groomer’s or bathing him regularly is a priority to keeping extra dirt and grime out of our home.
Wash Bedding + Toys. You can help cut down on the dog cleaning by making sure their toys and bedding get washed regularly. Tip: when you’re washing your sheets and bedding, put it on your to-do list to also wash your pet’s bedding.
Carpet Deodorizer. Before you vacuum, be sure to put down a carpet deodorizer. I always keep ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda around the house, so I’ve just used that as my carpet deodorizer. Recently I learned about ARM & HAMMER™ Pet Fresh Dry Carpet Cleaner. Using a carpet deodorizer like the Pet Fresh Dry Carpet Cleaner helps absorb allergens, eliminate pet odors and break down stains.
It’s easy to use: just sprinkle the dry carpet cleaning powder evenly into your carpet.
Activate the powder it into the carpet.
Allow the powder to dry completely for about 30 minutes, then vacuum your floor!
When our labradoodle first came home, he was not potty-trained. So of course, we had accidents and extra messes to clean up. During the potty training stages, try to keep your pet off the carpet areas. However, if messes do happen, clean it up quickly. With ARM & HAMMER™ Pet Fresh Dry Carpet Cleaner, the cleaning particles work like sponges to help absorb pet mess and odors embedded into the carpet fibers.
Clean Dish Bowls. Just as you wash your dishes regularly, clean your pet’s dish bowls as well. I will wipe down the dog dish bowls at least once per week. I also put their dog bowls on a mat. Dogs are MESSY when they eat and keeping everything in a quarantined area helps with cleaning up after our dogs.
Organize Toys. Having a dog is just like having another child in your home. Their toys, blankets, and other accessories will take up space. You find yourself constantly picking up socks, their toys, and anything else they dragged all over the house. Have a basket or designated place to keep their toys.
Shedding. When it comes to shedding, we are lucky. We have always looked for dogs that had minimal to no shedding. This is important to me. I am not a fan of pet hair all over my furniture. If you do have a pet that sheds, you will need to vacuum your home regularly. Another tip you can do is use a damp rubber glove and run it across the couch and other areas where your pets lay around. Then toss the glove and all of the clumps of hair it gathered up into the trash.
Wipe their paws off when they come in. I keep an old towel by our back door. Before allowing our dogs into the house, we wipe their feet down first. Doing this cuts down on the dirt our dogs bring into our home. And
Avoid cheap toys. Skip out on the cheap dog toys. They will easily rip them apart, leaving more mess for you to clean up.
Keep old towels or bed throws around to match your decor. If you do have pets that create a lot of mess, keep bed throws handy to toss over those stains on the couches. You can also lay old towels and throws across your couches and beds before your pets lay down. This will keep the dirt contained in one place, and easy to wash versus trying to clean furniture.
Vacuum. This is my number one tip when it comes to cleaning up behind pets. We vacuum our house at least once every other day. I try to do this daily, but some days it just doesn’t happen. When you vacuum, you are picking up any little bugs and dirt that may have come in with your pet. One thing many people forget after they vacuum is to change the bags!
When we use ARM & HAMMER™ Pet Fresh bags, and filters, it’s recommended replacing your vacuum bags every 1-2 months and filters every 3-6 months. The ARM & HAMMER™ Pet Fresh bags and filters are designed to help capture pet dander and allergens. It’s also safe and naturally absorbs all those offensive odors with the natural odor-fighting power of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda plus the power of Fresh-ins.
With the new year just around the corner, I like to do some deep cleaning before stepping into the next year. Cleaning up behind my pets is always on my to-do list. But thanks to products made by ARM & HAMMER™ for pets, cleaning is now half the battle. You can pick up your ARM & HAMMER™ vacuum accessories and Pet Fresh cleaning at your nearest Wal-Mart store or order online at Walmart.com.
Giveaway OPP: And guess what? Chance and I (along with ARM & HAMMER™) are you giving you an opportunity to try out some of their Pet Fresh cleaning supplies. It’s a simple giveaway- leave a comment below, sharing some of your best cleaning tips when you have pets (be sure to leave your email address), and you’re entered to win! This giveaway will run until January 10th, 2018. One lucky winner will receive a surprise package of a variety of ARM & HAMMER™ Pet Fresh supplies!
Bill Sweeney says
It always seems like a never ending battle keeping the house clean with pets. I like the tips you shared. Thanks!
Stacie says
I love these tips! I have two dogs, and I need all the help I can get keeping the house clean. I love my boys, but they do make a mess!
Danielle says
Those Arm and Hammer products sound like they’d be PERFECT for cleaning up messes. Nothing gets out odors like Arm and Hammer.
sara lafountain says
Our house is full of dog hair from our dog Molly! Sometimes it drives me crazy and sometimes I just give up. These tips are very helpful.
Britt says
My cat sheds everywhere so vacuum regularly is a must! I love using the carpet powders because it leaves the house smelling great. Awesome tips!
fashionbeyondforty says
So many great tips here! Thank you for them! Yes keeping bedding clean is so important and I think often gets overlooked. I always wondered how safe the carpet powders were for pets. Good to know Arm & Hammer is safe for them as it is one of my favorite brands!
Claudia Krusch says
I have to make sure I brush my dogs every night. If I do not I end up finding fur everywhere. Both of my dogs are long hair breeds. I will have to look for ARM & HAMMER™ for pets. Now that we have snow the wet paws leave a stink on the carpet.
Ricci says
YES to carpet cleaner!! That powder is a LIFE SAVER!! I sure love my little mess maker though!!
Carol Cassara says
Those are really awesome ways to keep the house clean. I make sure that I cleaned the house well when Riley was still with us. It’s really nice to have a clean home!
stephanieziajka says
I can’t wait to have a fur baby. I know I’m going to use this tips soon!!
Sarah Bailey says
These are some great tips, it can be so hard to keep your home clean when you have fur being left everywhere and mud coming on paws, so trying to keep on top of it is a must.
Lynndee says
You will never go wrong with Arm & Hammer products. We don’t have dogs, but we’re planning to get one soon. Thank you for the tips!
Cyn Gagen says
These are fantastic ideas. I absolutely love Arm and Hammer products with my pets. They work so well!
jennifervanhuss says
These are great tips! I have a non shedding dog and a non shedding cat, but my house can still get dirty!! I love arm and hammer for my carpets! I know they get them clean!
Cindy king says
My couch is the biggest culprit for odor and fur. I use arm and hammer baking soda on it once every week. Works like a charm!
Angela Armijo says
Love love love these tips! Vaccuming is a must in our home, I can’t wait to try out the carpet cleaner!
Kara Scagnelli says
These are great tips. Sometimes when we have guests over we put a few drops of essential oil in our air filter so a fresh scent is throughout the house. Washing their paws when they come in also help although sometimes not easy to do.
Tamara Rodriguez says
We have zero installed carpet, only area rugs. Also, I like to use arm & hammer on the upholstered furniture. Just sprinkle it on, let it sit for a bit, then vacuum away.
Jody says
I like to have a towel near the door for wiping paws. The dog towels have paw prints on the fabric so I can tell them apart from other laundry. Thanks for the tips!
DramaMomma says
Our dogs love to snuggle and bury themselves in the covers. I make sure their paws are clean and butts are wiped before getting under the throw blankets. They are easy to wash when we wash the sheets weekly. I’d love to use the Arm & Hammer Pet Carpet Cleaner to make the house smell even fresher. Thanks for the ideas!
Wendy says
Thanks for the tips! Half of our house is hardwoo and the other half is carpet. We also have 5 dogs, one being a great peranise. I try to vacuum as much as possible but I also have several autoimmune issues so there are a lot of days this doesn’t done as often as I like.
Mindi Moore says
I use a mixture of baking soda and essential oils rubbed into furniture before I vacuum it off…makes it smell much fresher!
Betsy says
Great tips! In our house we use arm n hammer daily at night. Having two autistic kids it helps to track their foot prints when then wonder and cleans.
susitravl says
Vacuum every day! It’s the only way I can stay ahead of the dog hair!
Lisa Korba says
Hello, it was nice reading everyone else’s tips above. I use WVingegar mixed with water on just about everything, my whole bathroom, spots on the floors. I use baking soda and WV in with my laundry soap, when washing towels, or a very messy stained toddler load. I use dawn dish the original blue as a stain pretreater. Use it with WV in water as a solution in my carpet cleaner machine. We also use Huggies baby wipes as stain treaters, on carpet where the cat likes to vomit not chewed up food. I will only use the cascade with dawn pod fresh scent. I never knew arm n hammer made a product that you sprinkled out and that it absorbed the wet. That’s amazing! Gonna have to check it out. I’m very excited for this chance to win.
kerrimccoy says
Totally agree with all these cleaning tips for pets before we have to start cleaning the house. Grooming is important. Makes them and I get the hair off before it gets on the chairs.
Jamie says
Love this! we definitely did these with our dogs. We have two very furry dogs and I feel like my house is always covered in dog hair!