Cleaning up after pets can be an ongoing project. From hair and dander to saliva and smells, it seems like there’s always a mess to tackle. Fortunately, keeping your home tidy while enjoying the company of your dog doesn’t have to be complicated or break your budget. Here are economical solutions to address every pet mess.
Hair accumulation is one significant downside to pet ownership—but a few simple steps help keep the carpet (and everywhere else) hair-free.
Taking advantage of pet hair’s tendency to stick to everything can give you a cheap way out of fur-covered furniture and more. Using a lint brush is one sensible and sticky way to pick up hair. But a rubber glove works just as well, grabbing the hair in one big clump for quick disposal.
Other ways to lift hair from surfaces include microfiber cloths, dryer sheets, lint brushes featuring Velcro, a squeegee blade, or a damp sponge. These everyday household items are accessible and surprisingly useful at picking the hair up—but you can cut down on the hair your pup produces with one ultimate budget hack….
Depending on your dog’s coat and habits, bathing and brushing them more frequently can be a crucial part of your cleanup plan. After all, a dog that sheds less means fewer hours spent removing hair from surfaces.
Canine Journal suggests bathing your pup once every three months, at minimum. Every other week may be necessary, which is fine—if you use a gentle shampoo that’s safe for your pooch. After bathing, a thorough brushing session helps loosen and remove hair before it begins floating around your home.
Dander—the shedding of an animal’s skin cells—often causes allergies in dog owners. Plus, it makes a dusty mess. Frequent bathing and brushing can keep your pet’s dander production to a minimum, but you could still experience an allergic reaction when it builds up around the house. Here’s how to reduce or eliminate it.
One study found that air filters—such as HEPA-type options—clearly captured “substantial amounts of airborne dust particles and airborne allergens.” Plus, many experts recommend air filters for removing pet dander plus other allergens.
Carpets—and rugs—can harbor tons of germs, pet dander, and hair. Vacuuming regularly—and with a HEPA filter attached—helps get dust mites and dander off the carpet fibers. But vacuuming can stir up dust as it sucks up most of it.
A smart and still budget-friendly alternative is to use a steam cleaner for carpet cleaning. Hot water can kill bacteria, while the water-only solution is gentle on the carpet fibers and doesn’t require expensive chemicals or products.
Similarly, avoid stirring up dust with standard feather dusters. Instead, opt for microfiber options and dampen them slightly so that dander and dust mites stick properly rather than circulating in the air.
Lastly, your furniture also tends to collect pet hair and danger, although you may not immediately notice it. If you have a favorite sofa that your pet also likes to use as a napping spot, getting it professionally cleaned is a smart move. Searching for “upholstery cleaning services near me” will help you find cleaners in your area, and websites like Angi.com can help you learn more about them through customer ratings and reviews.
Keeping your carpets — and other areas of your home — neat and clean is very important when you decide to sell your home. Many potential buyers may not think as highly of your pet as you do, and any lingering traces can potentially wreck a sale. So, a good deep cleaning of your carpets and home should be high on your list of home-selling priorities.
Whether it’s house training or drool problems, dogs are responsible for many stains. But you may not want to apply harsh chemicals to your pup’s sleep, play, or even potty areas. Luckily, two household products can come to the rescue—but don’t mix them.
On carpeted surfaces, you can soak up pet accidents with paper towels or newspapers. Then, sprinkle baking soda over the spot and let it sit. After the baking soda dries, vacuum it up, leaving behind a stain-free spot that doesn’t smell, either.
Vinegar can help remove visible stains from carpet, Cesar’s Way explains, and is especially efficient when mixed with salt and borax.
To use vinegar for heavy stains, mix a solution of two tablespoons of salt, half a cup of white vinegar, and two tablespoons of borax. Apply the mixture to a washcloth or rag and rub on the stain. Once it dries, vacuum up any remaining powder.
Vinegar is also an excellent glass cleaner that helps remove puppy slobber from your windows. And as a bonus, it won’t harm your pup if they’re curious about the flavor. Of course, you should keep all cleaning solutions out of reach of your animals, but it’s good to know vinegar isn’t toxic to pets’ systems.
Baking soda can come to the rescue for doggie odors, too. It removes smells instead of masking them as many scented products do, so you can sprinkle it all around the house for deodorizing. For the air, however, other solutions are necessary.
Essential oils are helpful methods of freshening your home, but not all of them are safe for animals. Oils like tea tree, cinnamon, citrus, pine, and wintergreen are all highly toxic for dogs.
Err on the side of caution and choose safer options like lavender, peppermint, copaiba, frankincense, or petitgrain to spritz in smelly areas.
One of the best ways to air out your home is by literally airing it out. Open windows, let sunlight in (daylight can help eliminate germs), and enjoy a fresh breeze after applying the other pet cleanup methods.
Your entire house will smell better in less time—and stay that way if you keep up with cleaning regularly.
Whether you’re working on deep cleaning the whole house or your DIY methods can’t keep up with your menagerie, calling in expert help is a viable solution. Even a once-a-month cleaning service can do wonders for your peace of mind and your pet’s shedding problems.
As much as you love your pet, you don’t want to spend a ton of money on cleaning up after them. The good news is that dog owners can handle almost any mess with DIY fixes—even on a budget. Of course, there’s no shame in calling in the pros if you need a deep cleaning solution, too.
