Pets can be just as messy and smelly as our children; the difference is that we can ask our kids to clean up after themselves (whether it’s successful is another matter!) while we can’t ask the same of our pets!
So pet owners will need to work a little harder to keep their homes clean, but following a few simple rules and best codes of practice will help them keep their homes looking and smelling spotless:
Tackling pet hair
Dogs are one of America’s most popular pets, and as much as we love them, they can drive us crazy with their constant hair shedding. Some breeds will typically shed more fur than others, but most dogs will shed their fur at some point in their lives, and some more regularly than others.
Even with regular grooming, you will never completely eliminate hair fall from your pet dog, but it will help to minimize it. Basically, any hair that collects in the brush when you groom your dog, is hair that isn’t making a mess on the floor, and brushing your dog at least twice a week will see the best results. Doing it outside will help even further and using the right brush for the right breed, will also help.
Picking up poop
Simple training techniques should see your dog performing its business outside of the home, but if indoor pooping should become a problem, it may be that there are some underlying behavioral or medical issues at play. In so far as cleaning it up if your pet does defecate inside, always wear disposable gloves when picking it up and use a strong anti-bacterial cleaning solution to wipe the affected area.
Where cats are concerned, most can be easily trained to perform their business in a litter tray, but frequent cleaning of the tray and changing of the litter is the only way to prevent it from smelling out the house. Try to get rid of any mess at least twice a day and change the litter and clean the tray at least every 10 days. Use a strong solution like bleach to ensure that all of the germs and bacteria are eliminated.
Preventing the spread of disease
There are some intestinal parasites that can actually be transmitted from animals to humans – particularly children and those without strong immune systems – so it’s imperative that you try and keep your pets as germ free as possible. There are medications which can easily be bought over the counter, that proper use of will keep your pets free of fleas, heartworm, hookworm and roundworm, so that the health of the humans and the pets in the household, is kept in check. Fleas in the home can also make it feel ‘dirty’ and having your guests walk out of your home itching and scratching from flea bites, is not something you will relish.
Storing their food
It might seem like common sense, but you should always store your pet’s food in covered, airtight containers. It can be tempting, once you’ve opened a big sack of biscuits, to simply leave it as it is, but this is a recipe for attracting rodents, and while your pet cat might be grateful of the opportunity to catch a mouse or two, you might not be so happy to have them running around your home!
Hire a professional cleaning service to clean up after your pets
If you’re having a tough enough time cleaning up after your kids, why not leave the pet hair to the professionals? You can focus on the cleaning jobs around the home that you do like doing, and let the paid cleaner tackle those jobs you hat