LifecanbetoffCleaning with pets – how?! I have a dog, Kira, and a cat, Nessi. Kira is an elderly Staffordshire bull terrier, who let’s say, has accidents, Nessi is a superfloof, a Norwegian Forest Cat, leaving her trail of hair glitter wherever she goes. So if anyone can talk cleaning with pets, it’s me!
Now, I’m not going to claim I’m some Mrs Hinch who has all the tips and tricks of the trade. I certainly don’t have the cleanest house in the world. But, what I do is keep on top of cleaning whilst holding down a full-time job and cleaning up after my animals. I’m lazy – therefore, my cleaning is easy!
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Cleaning with pets
This applies to whatever pets you have, if like me you’ve got a dog and a cat there is going to be that extra effort required to keep on top of the little fur fairies they leave behind. It all comes down to the tools you use, frequency, and the products you put down that won’t harm your pets. This for me is how I keep on top of cleaning with pets.
Clean pets!
Ok, to start off you’re going to want your pets to be clean. This includes regular grooming of said pets, keeping up with flea and tick treatment, and whilst you won’t want to do it often, giving them a shampoo.
My dogs had always been taught to wait on the doormat for me to clean their feet after going outside, particularly in the winter months when it is wet and muddy. If you are bringing in a wet dog, try using drying towels and confining them to one room until they are dry to help restrict the smell of wet dog from other rooms – and we all know the first thing the little buggers do is dive on the sofa or bed after a soggy walk!
You won’t want to shampoo your pet too often as it strips their coats of the natural oils, but I bathe mine once or twice a year and used hot water wash downs in between to help keep them clean. Now, in her older years, I also use specially designed pet wet wipes to freshen her up. This also helps keep her skin allergies under control. I’ve not been brave enough yet to bathe the cat…!!
Nessi, the recent introduction sheds a lot of fur, so she is brushed daily to help keep her shedding at bay. Though, you would not think this each time I pick her up!
As for flea and tick treatment, I use natural remedies and in particular, Billy NoMates – a completely natural preventative method that little critters loathe! Keeping your pets unwanted guests at bay will mean they won’t transfer to your home.
Vacuum Cleaning and mopping
Investing in a decent vacuum cleaner is paramount to keeping on top of having pets, especially, if like my home, it’s carpeted.
Now, I have a Shark cordless vacuum I bought a few years ago and honestly, not massively impressed. It initially made a huge improvement to the cleanliness of my carpets and when I saw how much my Henry wasn’t picking up, I was impressed. However, the dust bin fills up quickly, I’m constantly unclogging the brushes and I have to clean the filters after every use.
It doesn’t keep its suction for long and this can present a major issue to keeping on top of pet fur and general debris around the home.
I am currently researching alternative vacuum cleaners but am likely to go back to Dyson (after trying Jon’s for the weekend and being amazed at what it had collected).
Hoovering beds, sofas and other items such as cat trees (affiliate link) your pet might frequent also helps keep on top of cleanliness. Investing in a few throws around the place also helps as these are generally easier to wash than sofa cushions or beds. A handheld vacuum might be really handy for quick cleaning areas such as dog beds or sofas.
Robo-vacuums
Did I fall for the gadget novelty? Am I a victim of YouTube videos of cats riding on robot vacuums with googly eyes on?
Perhaps. But, this thing makes a difference! I bought a cheap £40 Goblin robot vacuum that I run for an hour in the morning whilst I’m getting ready for work. It might wander aimlessly around the flat as it doesn’t have the room mapping or cleaning pathways some of the more expensive models have. But, it does pick up dirt, allowing me to run the big vacuum around just once or twice a week.
This is ideal when I’m working more often in the office again.
Admittedly, I do have my eye on a better product with room mapping and better suction. Following some research have opted to save up for a Eufy (affiliate link I earn a small percentage from products bought using my link) they have a great range of robot vacuums designed for every level of clean. I know a few people with them and they really rate them as great machines.
Obviously, they’re never going to replace a proper vacuum, but they really do take a lot of the pressure off – plus, they’re great fun to watch!
Carpet washer
Having an older dog, now more than ever I’ve appreciated having a spot-cleaning carpet washer. Jon very kindly bought me a Bissell SpotClean Pet Pro. This has been an absolute god-send, allowing me to sort out little accidents Kira has or clean spills and marks on the sofa.
I use his big carpet washer (also a Bissell) for a full clean of the carpets and the spot clean is used for those odd times it’s needed. I’ll use the full carpet washer once every 3 months to keep on top of the carpet cleaning – honestly I can’t even describe how grubby they had gotten.
It instantly refreshed the carpets. The spot clean allows to fully wash up spills and accidents leaving the carpet completely clean and fresh with no worry of missing anything. It also sucks up loads of excess water meaning the carpet dries a lot quicker than washing it by hand.
Reacting quickly to accidents will also help and this is where the spot cleaner works wonders, its quick to set up and pack away.
Mopping hard floors
As well as keeping on top of the carpeted areas, cleaning the hard flooring is also essential to keeping your home feeling clean and fresh.
At the moment, I’m a mop and bucket kind of gal and even get down on my hands and knees occasionally to get into the corners.
However, as you have probably gathered, I’m a bit of a sucker for a gadget and I have my eyes on a steam mop. This is largely because I dislike using harsh chemicals on the floors. A – because it irritates Kira’s sensitive paws, and B – Nessi cleans her feet and I don’t want to cause her a bad tummy by using chemicals she then walks on.
Steam mops have the option of cleaning using a detergent or using just the power of steam, without compromising on the bacteria-fighting ability. Plus – they are quick and easy to set up and probably do a far better job of cleaning than that grubby old mop.
If you do use a mop and bucket – change your mop heads regularly and always clean out the bucket after use.
Clean bedding
You’ve cleaned your pets, you need to clean their bedding. I wash bedding fairly regularly to keep it fresh from their everyday smells. The spot clean pro mentioned above is also great for doing quick washes of the bedding that can’t fit in the washing machine.
We clean our bedding on a regular basis, why wouldn’t we clean theirs? The same goes for any toys, bowls, collars or coats.
Buying sensible bedding that is easy to wash is a great start!
With cats around, especially if like Nessi they are indoor cats, keeping on top of litter tray cleaning is essential. Not only will they be happier, but it won’t smell either. I use a natural wood pellet litter which doesn’t track far and helps keep on top of kitty toilet smells. A hooded tray also helps with this.
Keep on top of the dusting
This is where I can fall a little behind…I hate dusting, but I do use a natural surface spray to keep on top of all the surfaces. Nessi is discouraged from going on the kitchen sides, to be honest, I hate it, but I know that when I’m not here to tell her not to – she is up there. So I regularly disinfect with the natural cleaner I was recently gifted from Veo.World.
I use this elsewhere in the house to clean surfaces and anywhere little kitty toe beans might have been. This also helps with the fur trails I have.
Dusting or hoovering harder-to-reach areas, skirting boards, and window sills also helps keep the fur tumbleweeds at bay. Plus – an old house with beams I have a major issue with cobwebs, although put Nessi behind a cabinet and she’ll soon clean it off nice!
Cleaning with pets
There you have it, my tips on cleaning with pets. It’s all fairly obvious and yes, I love a gadget, but it all helps me to keep my home clean and tidy whilst also enjoying life as a pet mum.
Do you have pets? What do you do to help keep your home clean?
Peace out!
Jangles x
